On the ebook idea, my approach is to think of it as a “leave behind” as they used to call them in the old days. I want some kind of impressive asset that I can put directly into the hands (or inbox) on a 1-1 basis of my strongest prospective clients. Picture the thing that will make them go, “Wow. I like how this person thinks. They have a lot of insight. We should work together.” That’s the ebook or white paper or other asset to focus on developing. (Personally, I’ve settled on a propriety high-value tool.) It has to be so valuable that if only 10 prospective clients read it, it still pays off because it will convert some of them. If it gets wider distribution than that, then it’s a bonus. Incidentally, I think this should be the approach to guest posting — so high quality that I would send this 1-1 with personal messages to prospective clients saying, “I hope you find this valuable.”

Thanks for stopping by, Michelle. Guest blogging is, without doubt, one of the best ways to find new clients. We’ve actually pitched a couple guest blogs and found clients direct that way, simply because they loved our writing style and wanted to commission us for their own blogs.

Ebooks are great, too, but they’re hard work. Make sure you’ve got a clear plan and topic that’s unique, or you could end up writing for months only for your ebook to go unread!

Thanks Michelle. I’m often struck by how clients are really focused on finding marketing help from freelancers who have domain expertise. The comfort threshold before you can engage them in buying your services is “Do you know this industry?’ Having your own platform where you can build up a reputation as “micro influencer” gets you permanently across that threshold.

By the way, we became of Max because of an excellent article he did on how to guest blog effectively. Everyone who is pursuing this approach should check it out.