If you are a freelance writer, one great way to promote yourself is by writing a “buzz piece”. Whether you have never heard of a “buzz piece”, or you have heard of them but have not written yours yet, it is important that you learn how a good “buzz piece” can help your freelance writing business. Here are some basics to get you started.
The first thing that you should know about writing a “buzz piece” is of course what a “buzz piece” is. Simply stated, a “buzz piece” is an informational piece that you write about a topic that is both of interest to your potential clients and relevant to the work that you do. It may take the form of a special report or a white paper, or you may choose another form if you find that it is more suited for what you do and who your potential clients are. A “buzz piece” is usually five to ten pages long, and you can distribute it to potential clients in a number of ways including carrying copies with you to hand out, making it available for download as a PDF from your web page, or emailing it to a list of potential clients that you identify.
One of the great things about a “buzz piece” is that it gets your name and business out there without sounding too “sales-y”. It gives your client information that they can use, perhaps ideas that could help them to solve a dilemma that they are working on right now. Even if they do not need your services right now, the people that you send your “buzz piece” to or who have obtained it from your web page are likely to remember your name and business later when they do have work that you could help them with.
Since many freelancers have “buzz pieces”, you want to be sure that yours stands out from the crowd. One way to stand out from the pack is to have a great concept and an appealing title. Titles that include numbers seem to get a lot of attention, such as “Ten Tips For….”, “Three Easy Steps to …”, and so on. Checklists and how-to guides are other winning “buzz piece” concepts.
Is your freelance business abuzz because of a great “buzz piece”? I would love to hear about it.
Photo by omdur at morguefile.com.