The Business Side of Writing: Branding, Part 1

Focusing on Your Qualities

People are always curious to know what makes you, well... you. In life, your strongest points help determine whether someone is interested in you as a friend, significant other and especially a competent coworker. Nearly every interview you will go on in your life you will be asked, “What strengths will you bring to this company?” You better have an answer ready, otherwise your timidness may be confused for weakness.

It's the same with your own writing career. While we all may think that we are our own bosses because we make our own schedules and use our own ideas for projects, really we are controlled by those that consume our media. They are the ones that need to see our strengths. In a corporate setting, many of your strengths would focus on working as a team and providing a better way to represent someone else brand. In the writing world, you must represent your own brand in order to be successful.

How can you focus on your strengths, especially if you have yet to establish yourself as an expert? While it may be easier to use a good reputation to launch a new project to the public, we all have to start somewhere. The key is not to be boisterous and pretend you have no weaknesses. In fact, sometimes showing that you are susceptible to mistakes is an asset. It provides your readers with authenticity so they can see you as a human, just like them. But that doesn't mean you should let them focus on all your mistakes. Just make sure your readers see your best and can relate to you.

Branding is a long-term project for writers. Their brand must always be in their mind, even when writer's block, rewrites, and other issues get in the way. Here are some quick resources for branding for freelance writing:

Marketing.Branding. -- Freelance Writing Guide
Email Signatures for Writers