An email subscriber asked me that exact question last week. Some one of few words, they provided no context or information about who they are or what they offer.
I get brief emails like these a few times a month. I love hearing from readers, but I can’t do much with these one-line questions.
Are they looking for a job writing for my website? In that case, I stopped hiring over a year ago because I changed my business model…
Do they want to know which big tech company they should bang a CV into? Try a Fintech.
Or perhaps they want me to hire them to fix the bathroom press in my house, paint my office, mind the kids, and cook spaghetti bolognese so I can write these emails.
For a while, I replied to these one-line questions. I wanted to learn more about who these people are. I even sent them a list of places hiring writers and creators.
But if someone asks, “Where can I get a job?” they’ll likely find it hard to land paying work.
Unemployment isn’t fun, and I feel for someone struggling to pay the bills. Years ago, I sent these emails to newspaper and magazine editors in Ireland. They almost never replied.
Except for one editor.
He invited me into his office for a chat on Friday morning. He told me, “The magazine can’t offer any paying work.”
I was disappointed, but then he carefully explained how to write a pitch that prioritizes the editor and the magazine.
I tried his approach and a few weeks later, I landed a nice gig writing features for a tech magazine in Ireland.
I’m not a freelance journalist anymore, but finding paying work and even selling offers requires a simple reframe—one that an editor taught me.
Rather than telling someone YOU need paying work, explain how you can help your ideal client get what they want.