Recession and Inflation: Should I Worry?
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Succeed as a Writer

Once again the country seems to be in the midst of a recession, or as the government prefers to call it, a little downturn, and we’re witnessing record inflation. To many, this is the worst of times.

However, for those who write, this can be the best of times. Why? Well for starters, businesses are also hurting. After investing time and money getting their business reputations established, some will have to decide between laying off employees and barely hanging on, or closing the doors permanently. Not only that, but many of the newly unemployed will start their own businesses—many of them home-based.

How can you profit? First of all, business owners need news releases. Anytime a new business opens, or new staff is added, or there’s any other newsworthy change, a news release should be mailed to local and regional newspapers. Among other products you can offer are newsletters, marketing letters, advertorials (advertising/editorial columns), ghostwritten articles, and even Web site content. If you have a desktop publishing program, you can expand your range of products.

So how can you get started in this lucrative field? First of all, pick up some “how to” books on business and copywriting. My book, Portable Writing provides detailed instructions for 25 projects that I’ve provided to businesses, some of which have never before been shared in a freelance writing book, but I also recommend any book by Bob Bly on copywriting and freelance writing. Then get a business card printed for your new writing business. It should include your name, phone number and email address where you can be reached, and it should tell what you do. You can make it multi-purpose by listing “freelance writer,” but the card should also say something like “business writing consultant.” Then tell prospects that you help business owners get publicity and attract new customers.

Offer to help a friend in business with publicity or marketing for their service or product. Next, attend meetings of business organizations in your local area to meet more business owners. Use any samples you’ve acquired, and if you have any published clips, put them all in protective plastic covers and show them as proof that you are a professional. However, even if you don’t have any published examples, sit down at your computer and write an article on your business and the services you offer to other businesses, then lay it out in a two-column format with a headline. Scan in a photo of yourself, and print out a copy.

When you’re really comfortable with what you’ve written, print out several copies and hand them out at meetings as a marketing tool. You also need to write a news release for your own business to send to your local AND regional papers, so add a copy of that in your portfolio—published or not. Prospects want to see that you can write and most won’t really care if you’ve been published or not.

My clients ranged from the home-based sole-proprietor to corporations, but it all started with one business owner. Business grew brick by brick, client by client, until I had more work than I could handle alone. When it reached that point—I began to pick and choose which types of projects I preferred to focus on—and at that moment, I realized that I had built my dream business. Then I took it on the road. And this all happened during a recession when many bigger businesses were failing.

My theory is that successful people look for creative opportunities in troubled times. Meanwhile, writers have the ability to help business owners in times of trouble by providing business-growing, profit-producing services. It's the perfect win/win situation.