The 3 Sentence Cash Challenge
Editor’s note: While this competition has ended, members have told me this exercise and resources were particularly useful. So, please try them yourself to “win” at the writer’s life anytime.
It’s time for a brand-new cash challenge… and this one is unlike anything we’ve ever done before.
The key?
It’s three sentences. Just three sentences…
Now, as I mentioned in the News & Notes e-letter, these three sentences aren’t just ANY sentences.
They represent one of the toughest, most stressful writing projects you’ll ever face.
As a part of this cash challenge, I’ll show you how to take this tough, stressful project and make it into something you can do quickly and easily, with a minimum of anxiety or stress.
What are we going to do?
We’re taking on personal “bio blurbs” and those short “About the Author” byline statements that so many of you have told me are painful and time-consuming to do.
Once you’ve mastered the basic technique, you should be able to customize fresh bios or byline statements, suitable for any audience, in 15 minutes or less.
And PWA will even give you a shot at $100 for learning how to get it done.
Here’s how it works:
PWA is all about helping you eliminate stress and “blockers” from your freelance writing life. If you’ve ever panicked at a bio request, or agonized for days over what to put in a byline blurb, you owe it to yourself to check out this 3-sentence challenge.
Plus, with a grand prize of $100… and five $100 winners to be selected… you can earn a pretty rich reward for a very short bit of copy.
First, let’s face the problem:
As writers, we can be excellent at selling our client’s products and services and still be mortified about selling ourselves.
We fill up with self-doubt, die of embarrassment, and worry about “bragging” or coming off as arrogant. As a result, we spend hours… days… sometimes even weeks… on a project that should take us about 15 minutes.
Next, let’s learn how to fix it:
Writing about yourself is a skill, just like creating strong bullet points, building great sidebars, or crafting memorable headlines. You get better at it by studying what works for others, identifying best practices, and incorporating those best practices into your life.
What’s the best practice for bio writing?
Well, I’ve seen it explained in many ways, but the most straightforward (and we like to be straightforward here inside PWA) method is to “normalize & templatize” the process.
Basically, you hunt down the bios of other people in your industry who you admire. You find several bios that you like, and then you break down the format of their bios into their most basic elements.
The goal is to get a sense of what’s normal for your space, and take that “standard form” and make it into a template for yourself.
You might notice that everyone in your field starts with their writing niche, has their family in the middle, and ends with their geography. Like so:
Jen Adams is a long-form copywriter focused on financial publishers. When she’s not writing, she’s the active parent of two small boys. Jen is currently based out of Lansing, Michigan.
Or, you might see that in your focus area, the writers lead with their credentials and experience, follow with target clients, and end with a call to action without ever including a personal note. Like so:
With over 12 years of experience in high-end direct response, Jen Adams is an AWAI-Certified writer and member of The Professional Writers’ Alliance. Her top clients include multi-million dollar publishers in the financial services industry, personal development, and business opportunity fields. To download her free guide to adding 10% to your bottom line with smart email tweaks, visit her website today.
For more examples, check out this excellent piece from Kris Faraldo, complete with multiple examples: How to Write About Yourself In Sales Copy Without Cringing and/or Hiding Under the Duvet.
Finally, you do it yourself.
Being able to quickly and easily write a personal bio… for any audience, at any time… is a valuable skill you’ll use over and over in your writing life.
That’s why as a part of this writing cash challenge, I encourage you to write multiple versions of a personal bio until you’re 100% comfortable with the “normalize & templatize” process. For example, make a funny one. Then a formal one. Then one aimed at small businesses in your town… other writers… a niche you’ve considered but don’t currently write for… and so on.
The first few may be very hard to do. Agonizing, even.
And yet… with a little practice, you’ll find that you can fire off a fresh bio in 15 minutes or less.
When you settle on one you like, drop it into the body of an email and send it to me as a competition entry. That way I’ll know you’ve completed the exercise to your own satisfaction and are now in possession of a new and useful skill… so even if you don’t win the grand prize, you’re still walking away from this with something worth having.
To Recap:
- All active PWA members are eligible to enter to win.
- To enter, follow the “templatize & normalize” strategy to build a new 3-sentence bio for yourself.
- Then, email your new 3-sentence bio to me (PWA Editorial Director Jen Adams) at pwamonthly@awaionline.com.
- Use the subject line “My New Bio” and be sure to include your full name and phone number in the email message.
- Get your bio in to me by September 30th, 2020 at midnight Eastern time.
- Entries will be numbered and the FIVE winners of $100 will be selected via random number generator.
- All winners will be announced on October 16th, and may be featured in future PWA member spotlights.
Make sense? I hope so!
If you have any questions, email pwamonthly@awaionline.com and I’m happy to answer.
Looking forward to reading all of your new bios, and to giving you fresh confidence as you tackle any personal bio requests in the future.