A Few Words from Byron
September was smokin’ with activity! Here’s a quick recap of the latest updates and news, all in line with our mission to make the world a better place, one writer and one client at a time:
Magnificent Monthly Webinar. More than 400 registered guests tuned in for the monthly content marketing webinar, many surely driven to hear guest David Meerman Scott. If you missed it, you can listen in here to Content Marketing Webinar V55.
Inbound Excitement. 400 was the magic number again, this time with more than 400 leads snagged at the HubSpot Inbound conference. Our booth was big, attendance was even bigger, and it certainly didn’t hurt that we served up free cappuccino. The WA team gave out thousands of business cards, signing books along the way. We also hosted an evening event at the snazzy Seaport Italian restaurant, Salvatore’s, for 45 customers and fans. Look for the job board to light up soon with lots of new customers and gigs.
6-Star Writer Sensation. In our continued effort to raise the bar with quality writing by professional writers like you, we’re continuing to review writers for that coveted 6th star. This new elite group of writers is now commanding rates from 10 cents to $2 per word. The introduction is backed with my new book, Professional Writing Skill and Price Guide, which aims to get writers and customers on the same page when it comes to fairly pricing content and learning what to expect when you pay more.
New Platform Rave Reviews. Double thumbs-up has been the overall feedback on our new software that’s now launched for both customers and writers, and thumbs are not the only thing that’s up. Order flow is up, new customers are up, and the positive energy is simply soaring. Thanks, all, for the support—it’s greatly appreciated!
Double Dose of New Customer Support. Zendesk says 75% of customers who received bad customer service told others about it. And 85% of customers say they would pay 25% more to ensure a superior customer service experience. With that in mind, we decided to invest in two new customer service hires to help keep the growth going and orders flowing to customers, writers and fans. Please give a warm online welcome to Georgina and Amanda, two new Support Specialists that joined our team. This brings our employee headcount up to 13, and we’re still growing.
Terrific Team Update: Allison kicked butt in her first 5k following a year-long injury, clocking in with a mind-blowing pace of 6:47/mile. October signaled the end of fundraising for Rob and his team, with their efforts ultimately contributing more than $65k through the Pan Mass Challenge to fund Dana Farber cancer research. Joel sold his house in five hours. Louis racked up yet another ticket stub for his favorite band, The Front Bottoms, seeing them in concert for the 11th time. Kristin has taken up yoga, Charlotte is still obsessed with The Bar Method, and Glen played the best golf of his lifetime, shooting a sensational 77. He claims he can now retire from the game, but we have a feeling he’ll be bursting out of retirement the very next chance he gets to play.
That’s the word on our end. What’s the word on yours? Do let us know and we’ll try to include your updates in our next issue. Look forward to hearing your stories!
Last Month’s Contest Winner
Last month we asked you to fix up your profiles, and fix them up you did! This was by far our most popular contest yet—Charlotte and Louis are elbow-deep in hundreds of spruced-up profiles. If they haven’t gotten to yours yet, please be patient. We’re working around the clock to get to them in a timely manner.
And the randomly selected winner of the drawing is: Allaire W. from Miami, FL!
Congratulations, Allaire! Would you prefer the $100 cash or $125 Starbucks Gift Card?
New Contest: Pumpkin Photo
One of October’s claims to fame is the mighty pumpkin. So let’s have some fun with it with a Picture of a Pumpkin Competition.
Here’s how it works:
- Take a picture of a pumpkin, any pumpkin of your choice.
- Add a witty, scary or otherwise awesome caption.
- Email it to [email protected] (or simply reply to this email).
- We’ll feature all the submissions on the blog, with your name and link to your profile.
- One randomly selected winner will win $100 cash or a $125 Starbucks Gift Card.
Blog Posts of the Month
Doctors, coffee shops and surprises are the topics that peppered the hottest blog posts over the last four weeks. Check out the top blogs below!
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Writing for Doctor Clients: How to Communicate with Extremely Smart People As a medical writer, I frequently work with doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and other healthcare professionals. Like most jobs, the best-paying gigs come from the most successful clients. My best customers are cancer care specialists… by Lynn H |
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5 Surprises New Freelance Writers Face Freelancing has become more common as the Internet and Wi-Fi allow people to work from just about anywhere. For businesses, hiring freelancers helps balance the budget and get talented work exactly when it’s needed. However, freelancing is a unique experience, different from working for an employer and owning a traditional business. Working by oneself is not new. Artists, writers, and craftsman… by Paula A |
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Coffee Shops, 17th Century Style Coffee shops of the 21st century range from eclectic haunts of creative writers to ganja infused hangouts in European countries. Yet three centuries ago, coffee shops were revolutionary hot spots that were far more impressive than the Wi-Fi hot spots of today. Forget about those shots… by Miranda B |
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Feedback (Always) Wanted!
We know you have a lot to say about the recent changes—and we’re always thrilled to listen. If you have a comment about the new WA, this newsletter or the platform in general, we’d love to hear it. See you next month!
