Heather Lloyd-Martin, Author at Pivot Hacks

Want to Change Your Freelance Writing Niche? Yup, It’s OK

Once upon a time, when I was first starting my SEO writing career, I wrote content for cosmetic dentists. I mean, a LOT of content. I wrote around 20+ pages a week for multiple clients. Sometimes more. To this day, I can still wax poetic about cosmetic veneers, dental implants, and teeth whitening. Oh yes, I'm very fun at parties. :) For some folks, focusing 100% on one client niche is heaven. For me, I lasted about a year before I started going nuts. I wasn't thrilled about landing new cosmetic dentistry clients. I didn't want to write [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2021-01-26T21:28:00+00:00January 26th, 2021|Mindset, Working with clients|

Did Your Client Change Your Copy? Do This, Not That

It happens to the best writers. We write a blog post or sales page that (in our humble opinion) knocks it out of the park. We love the page. The client (or our boss) says that she loves the page. Everyone is happy and can't wait for the rankings to roll in. Then, a few days later, you make a weird discovery. The page that's uploaded to the site -- the one you slaved over and your client "loved" -- is way different. Like botched plastic surgery different. Your client or boss changed the headline, rewrote some [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-12-08T17:12:32+00:00December 9th, 2020|Working with clients|

Yes! It’s OK to Stop Providing That Service

I have a confession. I've hated blogging for clients since the beginning of blog time. I've tried. It's not my thing. That's why any blogging leads automatically go into my "refer to one of my students" file. Here's why I bring this up... A new coaching client of mine (::waving to her::) admitted that she also hates blogging. She's sucked it up all this time because her clients asked for it -- and she wanted to know if it's OK to stop blogging and to focus on white papers instead (what she loves writing.) Here's the [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-11-18T17:38:22+00:00November 18th, 2020|Working with clients|

29 Reasons to Fire a Client (Yes, It’s OK to Do!)

Does it feel like you need permission to fire a client -- especially now? I get it. I do. It's easy to put our needs on hold and think, "I don't love working with this client, but it's not so bad." At the same time, you may be losing sleep, dreading the work, and wishing that the client would just...go away. Here's a news flash... Life is too short to work with clients who don't serve you. The sooner you can (lovingly) release a client, the sooner you can find a better fit to fill their shoes. [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-11-03T20:38:20+00:00November 4th, 2020|Working with clients|

No, You’re Not Writing Your Blog Posts “Too Slowly.” Here’s Why…

Do you look at other writers and think, "How can they write so much so fast? There must be something wrong with me"? Do you beat yourself up because it takes you hours to write a blog post? I have bad news for you, my friend. It sounds like you're suffering from a bad case of FOWS. Fear of writing (too) slowly. Symptoms include: • Reading "writing hacks" articles that teach you how you can write a 1,500-word blog post in 15-minutes (and then feeling like a failure because the hacks never work.) • Drinking lots of caffeine [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-10-06T21:26:49+00:00October 7th, 2020|Uncategorized|

Freelance Writers: Here’s Why the Word No Is So Powerful

I've written three, totally different newsletter drafts over the past week. But when I got up this morning, I felt compelled to share the most powerful word in my personal and professional arsenal right now. No. Why am I writing about the power of saying "no" when I could be writing about links or content or writing yet another piece of Peloton marketing brilliance? Because many of you are struggling. As we've discussed before, you're probably not working at peak efficiency -- no matter how much self care you're able to enjoy (assuming you're able [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-09-22T23:47:39+00:00September 23rd, 2020|Mindset, Uncategorized|

Are You Fired Up? Or Frozen?

Are you so overwhelmed, you can barely function – much less strategize an editorial calendar or write? Are you operating in an "I'm just doing the bare minimum" mindset? Last week's newsletter touched a nerve. After hitting "send," I was flooded with responses about what you're dealing with. You're marketing your tails off, but you're not getting business. You're stuck in a job that doesn't appreciate your talents. You know you're capable of "more" – but you don't have the energy to figure out what "more" means. You remember when you used to be a [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-09-08T17:09:56+00:00September 16th, 2020|Productivity|

What Are You Tolerating?

I did something scary last week. After a 15-year relationship, I finally broke up with my hosting provider. Sure, their service was generally okay. But, there were always these little annoyances I'd have to work around. Some of them cost money. All of them cost time. I'd wake up at 3 a.m. thinking about bandwidth issues or slow server speeds. I stayed with them purely out of inertia and the fear of how much it would cost to move somewhere else. Today was the final straw. (Mansplaining? Really?) I knew it was time to stop [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-09-01T17:20:13+00:00September 2nd, 2020|Mindset|

Find High Paying Freelance Writing Clients. Here’s How!

Are you tired of bidding on jobs, only to be told you're "too expensive?" Are you having problems making ends meet, and "feast or famine" mode is burning you out? Yup, I hear you. Job sites like Upwork are an easy way to bid on multiple projects. BUT, there's a downside... Prospects are often flooded with responses. Plus, many folks choose content writers on cost -- not experience. That means you have to lower your prices to compete. Or, take what you can get...and struggle in the meantime. Neither option is good. Try this instead... [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-08-04T17:42:59+00:00August 5th, 2020|Boost your income|

Here’s Why Entrepreneurs Need to Ditch the “Too Busy” Excuse

You know those days when you work your butt off, but it feels like you have nothing to show for it? This week was one of those weeks. Sure, I can blame feeling under the weather. I can blame the pandemic. I can blame a yummy (but decadent) dinner hangover. Here's what my problem really was... I was working -- hard -- on tasks. But, none of them were important. It was all busywork that distracted me from what would really make an impact. In short, I did this to myself. The thing is, I see [...]

Heather Lloyd-Martin2020-07-14T17:06:00+00:00July 14th, 2020|Productivity|

About Heather Lloyd-Martin