Freelance writers have sooo many ways to connect with one another these days. On LinkedIn alone a search for “writers” brings up 2700 groups!
That’s a bit overwhelming to say the least. Finding YOUR niche among the crowd isn’t easy, yet it’s more critical than ever.
Networking makes sense in any industry, but when your livelihood relies on good information it’s critical to cut through the chaff. The best way to get what you want is to surround yourself with people who have it and can show you how they do it.
The value of effective networking is dramatic. One ASJA member recently said that 2015 was her first 6-figure year ever, and almost 2/3 of that income was directly attributable to her activities within ASJA. Another told us that a single conversation at the ASJA spring conference led to $12,000 in work over the next few months from a market she’d never considered before. Stories like this abound.
ASJA members connect constantly. The most direct way is through the ASJA Forums, a confidential message board accessible only by ASJA members. Here members find help navigating around whatever sticky wicket is in their way, get feedback on ideas, seek and offer suggestions for new markets, share job leads and technical advice, and enjoy general support and camaraderie. In 2015 we launched Special Interest Groups in the Forums so they are more active than ever. Whether you are a freelance journalist, nonfiction book author, pro blogger, content specialist or some modern mash-up of it all, you’ll find your tribe in ASJA’s Forums.
Chance encounters can be terrifically rewarding and in-person events are chock full of them. Besides the Annual Conference in New York, coming up in May 2016, other events are being planned. In addition, ASJA now has 14 regional chapters (see the Leadership section of the website for a listing) with people in each ready to welcome fellow members when passing through the area.
We make it easy even if you’re the shy, retiring type. For a more direct connection we offer the Peer-to-Peer network. This puts you together with someone also seeking a connection—an ASJA buddy system, as it were. There’s nothing like having someone on the other end of the … whatever … who understands your particular point of view.
If you’re already an ASJA member, resolve that in 2016 you will take advantage of these opportunities for connection. And if you’re not yet a member, what are you waiting for?
For all the benefits of self-employment, it always helps to have a team on your side.
Let ASJA be your team.