Laura McCamy, Policy Communications Specialist

Author: Laura McCamy

Why I’m Not Worried About AI

Artificial Intelligence has generated fear among professional writing communities I belong to — with reason. Organizations are using AI to write content. “Authors” are littering the market with AI-written drivel. AI has reduced what people are willing to pay professionals for writing services and filled online spaces with creepy visuals and copy that almost makes sense if you read it fast.

But, amidst all the hype from Silicon Valley, I can’t bring myself to panic about AI. In time, we’ll figure out what it’s good for (a much shorter list than what tech companies would like us to believe), but it won’t replace me or most other human writers. Here’s why.

What AI is and isn’t

Wikipedia defines AI as “the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making.”

But that’s not what ChatGPT and the other tools marketed as AI are. They’re very complex algorithms that can respond to natural language prompts, pull information quickly from vast datasets, and “chat” with users in an approximation of human conversation. Does that look smart? Yes. Is it the same thing as the intricate and inscrutable processes that influence human reasoning and problem-solving? No.

AI is unquestionably an advance in computing. But, in true Silicon Valley style, tech companies and the venture capitalists pouring billions into AI want us to believe that AI is The. Best. Thing. Ever. And also a mysterious, possibly superpowered force that could take over the world.

Right.

I’ve lived in the Bay Area long enough to see Best Things Ever come in hot and then implode. Rather than market research and slow, thoughtful rollouts, tech likes to explode new products onto the scene and cause a lot of chaos and a fair amount of suffering before products find their rightful place among the bombed-out ruins of failed startups. It happened during the internet bubble, and it’s happening now during what many are calling an AI bubble.

Clippy takes over the internet

If you are old enough to have used Microsoft Word in the early 2000s, you probably encountered Clippy, the animated paperclip “office assistant” that popped up on screens to offer “helpful” suggestions. If you were like most users, you hated Clippy.

I suppose there were a few people whose reaction to an animated paperclip interrupting their workflow and forcing them to accept or reject help was “Thank you!” I’ve never met one of these people, but people are diverse, so I imagine they exist. Clippy was the bane of my existence; I couldn’t turn him off fast enough. When he snuck back in, I wasted no time in getting rid of him. The digital helper was so hated that Microsoft phased it out after a few years.

The deluge of AI “assistants” feels like Clippy x infinity. I’m forced to spend time telling Microsoft I don’t want a copilot and chasing Gemini away every single frigging time I try to open a PDF stored in a Google folder. I’m tired of being asked if I would like AI to write a 100-word social post. How many times does a girl have to say no before it becomes harassment?

The unhelpful helper

I needed help on an online platform the other day, so I turned to the only support option, a chat box. At first, I got what seemed like detailed and helpful answers. Unfortunately, they were all things I’d already tried; I’d turned to the chat in hopes of getting to a human who’d point me to what I needed to know. But when I asked the chatbot to escalate to a human, it just kept spitting out the same four answers, then asking me if it had been helpful, like a demented codependent robot. In the end, I found my answer in the one place on the internet where real humans talk to each other: Reddit.

The onslaught of AI dreck, which is just coherent enough to be believable but too error-prone to rely on, is contributing to a rapid increase in the enshittification (thanks to Corey Doctorow) of the internet. I can’t wait for the hype to die down and the AI “helpers” to leave me alone.

AI will have its uses

I don’t expect AI to go away. In fact, I expect it will be very useful — just in ways we don’t expect.

For example, my neighbor needed to cook dinner for 10 people the other day. She fed her recipes into ChatGPT and asked what it would cost to buy the groceries for the meal at Trader Joe’s. The answer was within $3 of the actual cost. That’s a task a human would have labored over, but AI can do quickly. It doesn’t require reasoning, just the ability to parse a complex question and retrieve the data to answer it.

One of my clients used AI to create a cartoon to visualize a campaign. It was slightly creepy (I find AI visuals very disturbing), but it was effective. The organization didn’t have the budget or the time to hire an illustrator, so AI provided a cheap workaround that bolstered their mission.

I liken AI to the advent of drones. When drones were first coming into wider use, one of my clients was sure they were going to take over last-mile package delivery. That hasn’t happened, but they have provided birds-eye views of amazing scenery, rapid disaster scene surveying, and a lifeline to Ukraine against the Russian invasion of its territory. Those are all good things, and drones may have more uses in the future.

I suspect that, in a few years, most of the AI startups will be gone, but the few that remain will have found a useful niche, and I’ll be appreciating what they do the same way I appreciate a soaring drone video of an active volcano or the Grand Canyon.

October 14, 2025
How much does freelance writing cost?

There are lots of reasons to hire freelance writers to execute your marketing plan. Freelancers can fill in gaps until you grow enough to hire full-time staff. A stable of freelance writers can add a variety of perspectives and keep your content fresh. And freelance writers can complete projects your regular staff doesn’t have time for. But what will freelance writing cost you?

The answer depends on the type of project and the skill and experience level of the freelancer, among other factors. When you enter the transaction with upfront knowledge about freelance writing costs, you’re in a better position to manage your budget. In addition, understanding freelance writing pricing will help you negotiate with freelance writers.

Freelance writing hourly rates

Some freelance writers charge for their time by the hour. Hourly rates can vary widely. If you hire someone on a site like Upwork or Fiverr, you could find writers with rates of $25 an hour or lower.

An experienced writer will probably charge hourly rates of $50 to $100 per hour. If you need a writer with technical expertise, such as a medical or legal writer, expect to pay higher rates, usually $100 per hour or more.

An experienced writer with a higher rate can be a better deal than a newbie with a lower hourly fee. Consider this scenario: You hire a writer who charges $20 an hour to research and write a 1,000 word blog post for you. It takes him six hours to complete then job. Then you have to spend another two hours fact-checking and correcting mistakes, so add on an hour of your time.

Or you could hire a seasoned pro who charges $80 an hour. She finishes your job in two hours. After a read through, you are satisfied that the voice and tone are right and the author has the facts down cold. Plus she’s hit SEO out of the ballpark.

In the first case, your cost is $120 plus two hours of your time. In the second scenario, you spend $160 plus less than half an hour of your time. And you end up with better content.

If you have time to groom a less expensive writer with potential, you could gain a valuable team member. However, if you need it done right, fast, a seasoned pro might be worth the extra freelance writing cost.

Most professional writers, however, won’t charge you by the hour. Rates by the word or by the project are much more common. Projects that don’t have a lot of words but can require extra time, such as ad copy, are an exception to this rule.

Per-word rates

Freelance writing costs per word can range from $0.10 to $0.40 for general marketing and content writing, and around $0.50 to $1.00 for magazine writing and specialized content.

The per word rate that freelancers charge depends on experience level and the difficulty of the project. For example, a blog post that takes minimal research might command a lower rate than one that requires extensive interviews.

When you pay for a freelance writer by the word, you can control your freelance writing cost by setting word limits on your projects. Billing by the word benefits the writer as well. If she’s able to complete the project quickly, her hourly rate goes up. If she needs more time to do a thorough job, on the other hand, she can take the time she needs without worrying that she’s costing you more money.

Project rates

Sometimes freelance writing cost is based on a project rate. Project costs are usually based loosely on per-word rates. The specs of your project might include a word count within a certain range and other conditions of delivery. Project billing can work well when an assignment includes additional tasks beyond the actual writing, such as posting to your CMS or sourcing photos and graphics.

I almost always work with clients on a per-word or project billing basis. This gives my clients the benefit of predictable freelance writing costs.

Factors that affect your freelance writing cost

In addition to the difficulty factor, there are other things that can affect your freelance writing cost. Some writers offer reduced rates to nonprofits. If you do a lot of work with a freelance writer, you could put him on retainer and pay a guaranteed monthly fee for a certain amount of work at a reduced rate.

A byline is valuable to a freelance writer, since it helps fill a portfolio. However, if the only compensation you offer your contributors is a byline, you’ll fill your blog with posts from inexperienced or amateur writers. I don’t recommend this if you’re serious about content marketing.

The rate you pay your freelance writers could affect your marketing in another way. If you’re able to find writers who produce great content for below the standard market rates, you may feel like you’ve won the jackpot. If you don’t reward those talented writers for their great work, however, someone else will. You could lose your valuable freelancers to better-paying clients.

If you have a limited marketing budget, talk to your freelance writers. Writers are creative people. A freelancer may be able to help you figure out a way to get top-notch professional content while staying within your marketing budget.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about freelance writing cost – mine or someone else’s.

May 14, 2019
6 Tips to Edit Your Own Writing

When I write, the most crucial step is editing. When I work with an editor, he or she may request additional changes, but it’s my job to turn in a piece that is as clean as possible. In situations where I am the writer and the editor (which is the case for many of my clients and on this blog), my final edits are vital.

Some of the editing I have to do, such as shortening sentences for readability, are specific to the SEO demands of the outlet. I won’t go into that here (though I will talk more about SEO in future posts).

If you want to be a better writer, you need to be a better editor. Whether it’s a term paper for school, a report for work, or even an important email, clear and concise writing will get you the gold star.

One more benefit of editing: it frees me from writer’s block. I’m never afraid to write an ugly first draft because I know I can fix it in the edits. All I have to do is wrestle something onto the paper. Once I have a very rough draft, editing smooths the jagged edges.

Here are six tips for improving your editing. Your readers will thank you.

To edit your writing, print it out

When I was writing for a local news site, a younger colleague was shocked to find out that I printed out all my stories before I submitted them. She didn’t do that. And I could tell. Though she was an excellent writer, her pieces contained unforced errors. I think she would have found and corrected them if she had printed out her work.

If you only do one of the tips on this list, pick this one. And buy a red pen to make your changes.

I can see the shape of a written piece much more clearly on the printed page. When I’m editing someone else’s writing, I print that out, too.

On paper, I get a better feel for the flow of the piece. I see paragraphs that need to move and sentences that can be deleted. Reading on paper helps me find words that were left out and words that were repeated.

If paper is too old school for you, at least read your work on a large screen where you can see a whole page at one time. You need the big view to see and fix the structure of your writing.

Use spellcheck to edit your writing

This is such a simple thing you’d think it goes without saying. And yet, I once worked on a legal case where the opposing counsel included the word “Defednat” in the caption of a brief. The defendant was his client and he could have saved himself a lot of grief by using spellcheck.

You can see the red squiggly line under misspelled words and correct them immediately. However, that’s not enough. Run spellcheck as your final editing step. Spellcheck is an easy way to find grammatical errors or misspelled names you might not catch otherwise.

Read it out loud

If I need to seriously polish a piece of my writing, I read it out loud. If a sentence is hard to say out loud, it’s probably confusing to read. In addition, reading my writing out loud highlights the flow and syntax.

One note: when I write speeches for clients, I read those out loud over and over and over. If you’re writing something that’s meant to be spoken, then speak it as you edit it.

“Kill your darlings”

This tip comes to me from the fabulous author and writing teacher, Adair Lara. A “darling” is that sentence or paragraph where you nailed it. You found a clever turn of phrase. Or you made a witty reference. Or you used a funny example to illustrate your point.

These are the hardest parts of your writing to edit out. Even when they don’t advance the story, many people are reluctant to cut them.

When you edit your writing, you must be ruthless. If your darlings don’t fit your narrative, you have to kill them. Your allegiance must be to the story, not to your clever prose.

Less is more

I often write more words than an assignment calls for or than I have space for. This leads to tough choices. I cut interesting facts and good quotes. In the end, what’s left is just the most salient facts and the best quotes. A well-honed piece of writing emerges from the rubble. It’s tight, it’s interesting. It doesn’t drag the reader down side streets where they might get lost and give up.

Long reads are wonderful. I enjoy a discursive story told by a great writer. But I rarely have time for that. Your readers don’t either.

Edit your writing like a reader, not a writer

The more I can get into the reader’s head, the better my writing is. Each paragraph has to communicate something that the reader will want to know, not what I want to write. I need to explain concepts clearly for someone who might be new to them.

Ask yourself what questions your intended audience has. Then edit your writing so you answer those questions only.

Delete your ego

As mentioned above, the editing process, if done right, is often bloody. I spend a lot of time writing down words, then I throw away a big chunk of them.

To be a good, honest editor of your own work, it helps to be humble. If my only goal as a writer is to serve my reader, then I won’t mind the red ink.

Now I have to print this out, get out my red pen, and show myself no mercy. You’re welcome.

April 15, 2019
The Life-changing Power of a Custom App
Marie Kondo has helped us organize our stuff. A custom app can help you organize your time, your data, your projects, your inventory, you money – any part of your daily life that doesn’t exist in the physical world, as well as some things that do.

I design custom apps for myself and for clients in FileMaker Pro. Recently, I created a new custom app for myself. It has reminded me of the transformative power of organization and order. And it showed me, yet again, how a custom app can be life-changing.

Here are stories from my customers and how I designed a custom app that redesigned my work life.

What is a custom app?

There are lots of apps available to help you manage your time, money, projects, etc. A custom app is built to your specifications to solve your specific problem and organize you data in a way that makes sense to you. When I refer to a custom app, I’m talking about a database. I work with a database program called FileMaker Pro, which can create custom apps to run on your computer, phone, or tablet.

Client stories

Before I made my own life-changing app, my clients showed me the transformation that a custom app can bring.

For example, for one client, I updated a billing database and added scripts to automate processes that had been done by hand. I talked with the department about their workflow and figured out what their custom app should do.

To make this billing app work better, I added a system to automatically email other departments a list unclaimed charges. After this change, the number of unclaimed charges dropped to almost zero. I also added a billing form powered by scripts, so they could send bills from their custom app with a click of a button.

A few months later, the department supervisor pulled me aside. She told me that the person who primarily used the database seemed happier now that she was able to do her monthly billing more quickly and with assurance that she wasn’t missing anything. By taking much of the burden of her workload off her shoulders, the database improved her quality of life.

My life before the app

In my freelance business, I have a custom app for billing. But, at the beginning of this year, I was still using multiple spreadsheets to track projects for different clients.

My old system worked well enough when I had just a few big clients. As my business expanded to add more clients and many small projects, I found myself writing lists on pieces of paper to track all my deadlines. When I was ready to start a new project, I had to hunt through emails or open a spreadsheet to review the instructions.

I love my work and I am delighted with my new clients. But I was so stressed by the challenge of juggling deadlines that I began to dread going to work in the morning. I lived in constant fear that I would miss a deadline.

At the same time, I had no idea which clients were profitable and which were not. Most of my work is project-based rather than hourly. I wasn’t tracking the hours I spent on each project to assess whether my fees covered the time each project required.

Something had to give. Since I work alone, project-management software doesn’t work for me. So, I created a custom app.

What I wanted my custom app to do

Before I created my app, I made a list of the things I wanted to accomplish. My list looked like this:
- Track all project due dates in one place.
- Provide a single place to store instructions on every project.
- Estimate how much time each project will take and record how much time it actually took.
- Record projected fees for each project and track expected income for my work by the week, month, and year.
- Calculate estimated and actual hourly rates for projects billed at a flat rate.
Space to store all the details about a project

My project tracking database isn’t complicated. The detailed information I need on each client is already in my billing database.

I started by creating an Assignment Detail layout.

Over time, as I worked in the database, I added more features . If a project is writing, several extra fields appear to track the details of my writing projects.

There’s a pull-down list of types of writing projects. I also enter the word count assigned for the project. That gives me important information about what a client or editor expects and also the amount of detail I should plan to include.

I enter my projected hours. The database calculates the hourly rate based on the fee I entered. I enter the actual hours worked and the database calculates my actual hourly rate.

Long Description is a button that opens a box with lots of room to enter detailed instructions.

I added a red button to quickly delete an entry, if needed.

When I finish a project, I click Completion date. A script enters the current date and changes the status to Completed.

Reports are the most powerful feature of my custom app

I created two tables to pull all my projects together. These are the power at the center of my custom app.

My Open Assignments layout shows me upcoming deadlines. The report breaks down projects by the week and month. I can see at a glance whether my workload meets my earning goals. I can also see how many hours I have scheduled. When a client asks if I have time to take on a new project, I am able to give a realistic estimate of when I can deliver the work.

The Completed Assignments layout shows me the projects I have finished. I can use this report to look back over past weeks and see how much work I can realistically expect to complete in a week, based on real data and not my fantasy of how much I can get done in one day.

Both of my report layouts include buttons to go back to the Assignment Detail for each assignment. When I’m ready to work on something, I click the arrow and I have all the information I need to start working on the project in one place. When I finish, I mark the project completed and move down my list of open assignments to the next project.

The life-changing power of a custom app

I hoped that this custom app would help me manage my work life more productively. I didn’t expect the profound changes to it has brought to my work and my life.

Within a couple of days of starting to build out and use the app, my anxiety about my workflow left. The app visualized my workflow, including when projects were due, in a simple, readable format. I was in charge of my work week. Instead of hunting for information to start each project, I simply move down the list and click the arrow to see the details of each assignment.

The Completed layout gamifies my workflow. I love pushing the Completed button and watching tasks move from Open to Completed. Each week, as I watch the Open list shrink and the Completed list grow, I have the satisfaction of knowing I’m getting work done for my clients.

I’m clear about how much I can work and how much I need to work. I work more efficiently and my income has gone up.

To my surprise, I’m also sleeping better. I feel calm and ready to get to bed earlier. And I rarely toss and turn because of anxiety about the work I have to do the following day.

I love being a freelance writer. I love designing databases. But the stress of juggling multiple assignments almost made my business unworkable. My custom app has helped me fall in love with my career all over again.

What can a custom app do for you?

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about your dream custom app, tell me your database success stories, or ask questions about FileMaker Pro. In my next post, I’ll review the questions to ask yourself before you get a custom app.
March 18, 2019
7 Tips for Better Internet Research

Great content is the tip of the iceberg. Underneath is great internet research. If you already know your topic inside and out, research should still be part of your process, to see what your competitors are saying. Research will help you create unique content that adds value to the online discussion and positions you as an authority.

Internet research may seem like a no-brainer. Anyone can type keywords into a search window. But good internet research, research that goes beyond the obvious to separate out misinformation and find the best answer, is a skill that requires practice.

Here are seven tips to improve your internet research results.

1.   Look past page one

The links on the first page will be the ones that  most closely match your keywords. But the most cogent or interesting information on your topic could be on page two or three.

Click around on page two or three and you might find a thread that takes you on a new direction that adds a fresh perspective.

When I don’t have my keywords quite right – when my search results aren’t on topic – I often find better search terms on page two or beyond.

Your search engine has decided that the results on page one are most relevant to your search. But there are nuances that can’t be captured by an algorithm. For better internet research, don’t stay stuck on the first page.

2.   Evolve your internet research terms

I recently needed to find a company that would repair a broken car window on a Sunday. My internet research turned up a list of towing companies – not what I wanted. It took me several tries to find the right combination of terms relating to auto glass and repair. When I did, I suddenly had a very different list with multiple companies that could do the repair.

If only one of the websites that comes up in a search is what I want, I search again using keywords from that site.

The same is true when I’m doing research for a client. If I don’t get the results I want the first time, I use Google’s suggested terms to try different searches.

3.   Filter your search

There are several ways to filter your search, if you’re getting too many irrelevant results on top. Click on News in Google search to get only news articles. Click Tools and you can filter by the time or limit your results to those that match your search terms verbatim.

Another way to get results that are an exact match for your search terms is to put them in quotes. You can put all or just part of search in quotes.

Searching for Sara J Smith will generate a lot of noise. A search for “Sara J Smith” will return more relevant results.

You can also use a minus sign to filter out unwanted results. For example, if you wanted information about an entity called LION (there are lots), you could eliminate results about African lions by searching for lion – animal.

4.   Know your sources

There are lots of statistics and data points swirling around the blogosphere. Good research can separates the verified from the bogus.

Wikipedia is a great source of information on a lot of topics – except when it’s not.

I’ve found helpful information on timelines of historical events and definitions of medical terminology in Wikipedia. In other cases, the Wikipedia page is someone’s opinion.

The page on homeopathy is a good example. While it includes accurate information about the history and theory behind homeopathic medicine, the page also includes opinions such as “Homeopathy is not a plausible system of treatment.” If I want unbiased information about homeopathy, I will need to conduct my research elsewhere.

An easy rule of thumb is that someone’s blog is not a good source. Use information from a trusted organization such as the Mayo Clinic or PEW research over sarajsmithblog.com. Blog posts can be helpful to orient you to the types of information others are citing on a topic. The links in blog posts can also lead you to primary sources.

5.   Double check your facts

A data point sourced from a trustworthy web resource is great. A data point corroborated by two trusted sources is a solid fact. Was the 2018 unemployment rate in South Africa really more than 27 percent? According to numerous sources, that information is correct.

If a piece of information strikes you as unusual, it’s especially important to corroborate it.

If a source lists South Africa’s unemployment rate as 40 percent, find the primary source for that statistic and get a second source before you quote that number.

6.   Get technical in your internet research

Don’t be afraid to delve into research papers and studies. If you don’t need to go into a lot of detail, you may be able to get the information you need from an executive summary or abstract that highlights the study’s conclusions.

Many scholarly and scientific articles are available for free online. Search through Google Scholarto limit your result to research papers. You may be able to access additional research through your public library’s online resources.

7.   Don’t give up

This is the key to good internet research. It’s tempting to go with the first answer you get. It can also be tempting to give up if you don’t find what you’re looking for after a few tries.

The hallmark of a good researcher is that she is dogged.

She will look for clues in online forums and on social media. She will keep trying different search terms until she finds the authority on the topic.

Good search is an education. By the time you finish, you’ll have learned something new and interesting. You’ll be ready to write like an expert.

Pro tip: This is why professional writers don’t have to write on just one industry or area of expertise. Research is our secret superpower that lets us write with authority on a wide range of subject matter. (The exception is writing for an audience that has a high level of technical knowledge. In that case, you might need a writer who has expertise to communicate in the language of the specialty.)

Almost any information you need is available on the internet. Keep digging and you’ll find it.

February 27, 2019
6 Tips for Working with a Ghostwriter

Once you’ve made the decision to hire a ghostwriter, the next steps are to find the right ghostwriter and get to work.

A good ghostwriter will help you understand the client/writer relationship and set expectations that work for both of you. To get the most out of your ghostwriter, you’ll need to bring clear goals to the table from the start.

Here are six tips to help you work with a ghostwriter to grow your brand.

1. What You Do and Don’t Need in a Ghostwriter

Everyone wants to hire a ghostwriter with subject matter expertise. If you are a plastic surgeon and you can find a writer with a background in plastic surgery, super awesome. A writer who specializes in medical writing is a good choice too.

But don’t discount the writer who has the voice you want, even if they don’t have a medical background. Technically dense communication may be appropriate if your audience is B2B, but if your target is consumers, you’ll need a ghostwriter who can translate complex technical concepts into prose that nonexperts can understand.

In fact, a ghostwriter who isn’t well-versed in your field can be a blessing. You’ll have someone who can bring an outside perspective to your work and explain it in a way that a non-expert audience finds compelling.

This is the number one issue I come across when I’m writing for clients. When you work in an industry for years, it’s easy to get stuck in the technical jargon of your field. My job is to translate that into content that will engage your potential customers and help them understand and appreciate what you do.

2. Know Your Goals

What do you hope to achieve by adding a ghostwriter to your team? If you want to boost your own personal brand, get clear about where you want your ghostwritten content to position you. If you need page ranking for your business, SEO will be at the top of your list. If you know what you want to get out of your content, you’ll be able to assess the success of your ghostwriting strategy and adjust as needed.

3. Don’t Be a Cheapskate

Yes, there are a lot of freelancing platforms that offer the chance to hire cheap writers. There are blogging services that will pump out content for you for not much more.

If you just need to stuff a website with words, these cheap solutions might work for you (though keep an eye on this content to make sure it doesn’t land you on Google’s naughty list). If you want writing that will add value to your site, however, plan to pay your ghostwriter a reasonable fee.

The fee for a professional writer to produce a 1,000-word blog post or article can be anywhere from $100 to $700, depending on the writer’s level of experience and technical expertise, as well as the amount of research needed. What you get in return is a piece of evergreen content that will keep adding value to your site or your brand for years. What is that worth to you?

4. Tell Your Ghostwriter Everything

The more information you share with your ghostwriter – about your marketing goals, your SEO strategy, your insider knowledge – the more accurately your ghostwriter will be able to write what you would, if you had the time.

Don’t be afraid to course correct. I’m always grateful for feedback from my clients, even when they’re not telling me I’m fabulous. An honest critique is an important tool for building a better relationship with your ghostwriter.

5. Go Steady with Your Ghostwriter

You could go looking for someone new every time you need the services of a professional ghostwriter. This might seem like a good idea if you don’t need help on a regular basis, but it isn’t.

I have one client who calls on me for help with writing and editing three or four times a year. He’s in a very technical B2B field. Despite the minuscule amount of content I provide for him, I’ve gotten familiar with his industry over the years. We have a nice working relationship that we can pick up after months of no communication. It’s lovely and easy for both of us.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for More

A top-notch ghostwriter can do more for you than take on writing assignments. Your ghostwriter can help you bounce around ideas for blog posts or even pitch ideas to you.

One of my clients recently asked me a great question: “What other skills do you have?” My answer included project management and database development, in addition to newsletter writing and data analysis.

Just because you hired your ghostwriter to provide blog content, don’t assume she can’t also develop a great newsletter or email blast for you. Let your ghostwriter be your secret weapon.

April 17, 2018
4 Ways Ghostwriting Can Build Your Brand

If you wonder how your colleague or competitor is able to produce so much content while keeping up a busy work schedule, the answer is probably ghostwriting. Whether you want to boost your own brand or your company’s, there’s no shame in hiring a ghostwriter to help you with content creation on the DL.

Here are four reasons to add ghostwriting to the resources that help you run your business and manage your career.

1. You Don’t Have Time to Write It Yourself

You are an expert on your business. You might also be a good writer. But let’s be honest: you’ve got a million things on your plate and writing keeps getting pushed to the back burner. You’d like to keep your blog up to date, revise your stale web pages, or push out a white paper, but it’s hard to clear enough space in the thicket of IMs and urgent tasks that crowd your days.

Writing takes headspace. Coming up with the topic is just the beginning. It takes time to develop a thoughtful and engaging approach to the topic that will captivate your desired audience. It takes even more time to write clear prose that concisely conveys your meaning.

Imagine if your role were to assign the topic, then evaluate and tweak the end result, without all the work in between? Ghostwriting to the rescue!

2. Ghostwriting Content is Professional Content

We are all writers these days. Almost every professional and business owner has to do some writing for work, even if it’s just emails. It’s easy to forget value of a professional writer can bring to the highest-level writing.

A professional writer can break down insider information into terms a layperson can understand. A professional will craft your message with your audience in mind, using language inspire your customers to action. Your professional ghostwriter can turn even the most boring topic into fun and interesting copy.

Professional ghostwriting gives you an authoritative voice. Whether you’re building your personal brand or marketing a product or service, your ghostwriter can help amplify your message.

3. Two Brains Are Better than One

When you work with a professional writer, you get more than a set of fingers on a keyboard. You have added a creative asset to your team, someone who can generate fresh ideas and improve your content strategy.

The best ghostwriters will bring you ideas and pitches. You might end up with a juicy approach to your content marketing or copywriting that can take your marketing or branding to a new level.

Freelance ghostwriting gives you a big bang for your buck. You’ve got the creative input of a talented idea person for a fraction of the cost of bringing on a fulltime employee.

4. Ghostwriting Relieves Pressure

If you love to write and you find it’s a pleasant change from your other work tasks, then, by all means, write your own content. If you’re like most people, however, writing can become one more unwanted task to weigh you down.

Your ghostwriter relieves pressure by taking this job off your plate. Ghostwriting allows you to increase your productivity. The blog posts and fresh content that keep falling to the bottom of your to-do list will be written and posted, often in less time than it would have taken you to do the writing yourself.

Convinced you need a ghostwriter? Stay tuned for my next blog post, where I’ll offer tips on best practices for working with a ghostwriter.

April 10, 2018
3 Reasons Your Website Needs a Blog

You have a lot on your hands running your business. You have to stay on top of everything from marketing to accounting to fulfillment. You probably don’t have time to write a blog on top of all of that.

You might question whether your website even needs a blog. Do prospective customers of your trucking company really want to read about the new 18-wheeler you bought? Do your dental patients want to know about the new hygienist in your office? No, I don’t think so either. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider content and integral component of your marketing strategy.

Here are three reasons you should add blogging to your marketing budget.

1. Your Blog Will Improve Your SEO Score

You may only need a bare-bones website with a few pages and minimal content to tell the world that your coffee shop is open for business. But if you’re struggling to get into the top rankings for your keywords (such as coffee shop + your neighborhood or city), a blog could be just the tool for the job.

Blog posts add keywords to your site that can get picked up by search engines, without doing the keyword stuffing that will get you axed by Google. The more content you have, the more legit your site seems to the algorithms that rule the search engines.

At the moment, Google is looking for long-form content. Blog posts of 1,000 words or more can improve your page ranking. Your customers may rate a post of that length TL;DR, but if they find your site, you’ve won the battle.

2. Your Blog is Your Free Gift to Your Customers

A free pen with your company logo is fine, but it’s probably not going to get you much traction (who writes with a pen anymore?). The best free customer gifts today are virtual.

Free shipping is an example of a free gift that ecommerce websites use to build customer goodwill. Your blog can operate as a free gift engine for your current and potential customers.

For example, the trucking company blog might include posts about ways to reduce freight costs, tips to reduce shipping times, and best practices for multi-modal shipping. The dentist might have posts about what we learn from teeth found at an archaeological dig or the truth about George Washington’s wooden teeth. The coffee shop might post about upcoming neighborhood events or the origin story of a particular blend of coffee.

Evergreen blog content that gets a growing number of page views and link-backs over time also gets your brand noticed. An informative or entertaining blog post is a great way to give your customers and potential customers something of value and keep your name top of mind.

3. Your Blog Tells Your Customers Who You Are

Every business has a story. Maybe you started your trucking company because you wanted to train more women to be long-haul truckers. Or you take time out from your dental practice to provide your services free through Dentists Without Borders. Maybe you inherited the coffee shop from your grandmother and you’re carrying on the traditions she brought with her from Italy. Tell those stories in your blog.

Your content is a way to get personal with your customers. It’s a great vehicle for sharing the passion that gets you out of bed every day, the vision behind your business.

Your content marketing is a great place to develop your brand voice and the personality of your business. Well-crafted blog posts will give your customers a warm fuzzy feeling about you while they establish your expertise in your field.

December 4, 2017
Welcome to LMc Creative Content

First, a little about you:

You’re a marketing manager with an evolving content strategy. Or you manage communications or donor relations at a nonprofit. Or you run an agency that provides content for a variety of clients. You need creative content that will convey the personality of your organization. Funny, knowledgable, compassionate, or passionate – you need to reach across the interwebs and connect with your audience, your customers, your members.

Now, a little about me:

When I was seven, I wrote my first story. It was about a girl named Carrie McNelson who got kidnapped by pirates and my little sister liked it. I’ve been writing ever since.

These days, I write blog posts, web pages, and white papers for clients in a variety of industries. I create newsletters and content for nonprofits. I edit and coach other writers. I write fiction and nonfiction, too. I’m passionate about voice and writing content tailored to each audience.

My sister still likes my writing. I think you will too.

November 1, 2017