Last week in part 1 to this series, I spoke about how to get started with Craigslist (CL) to build a team of writers for your online business. As we discussed, it’s extremely important to provide quality content for your content-driven websites. If you lack the necessary flow of fresh and insightful content, you run the risk of never growing your business to what is should be – a full-blown, super-successful, content monster!
But how do you go about writing effective proposal letters to find the right people?
That’s the question that you should ask yourself every time before you post a listing on CL. We’ll all have different needs and therefore be seeking different types of writers based upon our services.
Before you draft the proposal, ask yourself: “If I was looking for a writing gig such as the one I’m offering, what would draw me in? What would I want to hear that would give me the nudge needed to follow-up on this offer?”
If you can’t answer those questions, then you shouldn’t be posting a letter on CL at all. You’re not ready. But no worries, it’s something that takes time and if you spend the necessary time thinking about those questions, your letter will be much better off.
Let’s use an example an ex-stockbroker turned entrepreneur who runs a network of investment sites and has just started a new investment blog and is seeking writers to contribute to the site on a weekday basis. He also plans to pay them a starting monthly compensation of $25.00.
Example #1
Hi,
My name is Joe and I love stocks. I run a stock blog and am looking for contributors to help me write articles. I don’t have much money so I can’t pay you much. If you like stocks and know about investing, then please contact me and maybe you can help me out with this project. It should be fun.
Thanks,
Joe
Example # 2
Hello Stock Lovers,
My name is Joe Smith and I have been involved with securities and investments for the past 5 years since I graduated college with a finance degree and worked on Wall Street at a top brokerage firm for over 3 years.
For the past 2 years I have been building various stock related websites and I am currently looking for contributors who are experienced with stocks and investments to write articles on a weekday basis.
The position would be perfect for the experienced trader or stock enthusiast who has 20 – 45mins to spare on a daily basis to write 1 quality article (200 – 500 words) focused on investment vehicles such as:
- Bonds
- Index Funds
- Mutual Funds
- ETFs
I am currently setting up sponsorship deals with various brokerage firms and will be generating revenue from advertisements. To start, I will be paying $25.00 per month and as we grow, the monthly compensation will grow commensurately.
This is a great opportunity to gain an online presence and share what you know about investments with our community of readers. This new site will be the latest edition of my network and your content will be viewed by thousands of other stock enthusiast seeking to gain knowledge on how to invest.
If interested, please respond with your full name, background information, and why you’d like to write for our stock blog.
Best,
Joe Smith
Ok, so which example is the winner: 1 or 2 and why?
If you choose example 1, then you’d be wrong. Example 1 was written with no thought about the reader. It was lacking the following:
-
A Story:
You need to gain someone’s attention with a story of who you are, your vision, and what you plan on doing with that vision.
-
Details:
You must provide the necessary details of the position so as not to leave the reader wondering what exactly he/she will be doing. Never leave people in the dark; it’ll only frustrate them and dissuade them from responding to your post.
-
WIIFM “What’s in if for me”:
Remember to address the benefits of why someone should write for you. There must be an incentive for the writer. Either through money, notoriety, or simply to be a part of something new and exciting. If there is no incentive, there will be no drive to respond to your post.
-
Confidence:
You need to project confidence in your writing. Example 1 is riddled with doubt and uncertainty. Words such as “don’t” and “maybe” aren’t going to help you at all -– they are weak words and make your proposal come off as something questionable and “ify.”
-
Conclusion:
It’s important to end with a proper conclusion. A final statement seeking action from the potential writer. The conclusion should state what’s expected from the writer and the next steps on moving forward.
As you can see, example 2 was able to incorporate those 5 steps and will have a much higher response rate because of that.
What do you think? Have any other ideas of how to improve the proposal letter?
Go to Part 3 >>.
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