Why You Should be Writing for Your Business (Before You Write For Your Clients)

Okay, Okay.  Before you get out the pitchforks, I’m not saying you shouldn’t write for your clients at all.  Of course you have to write for clients if you want to eat and pay the rent.

What I AM saying is that too many writers forget to take their writing seriously … as in it’s a business, not a hobby.  And as a business, it needs to be … dare I say it … marketed, just like any other business.

Which means that you need to be doing a lot more writing ABOUT your business than you probably are.

So Why Aren’t You Writing About Your Writing Business More?

Most likely the answer that instantly jumps to mind is because of time constraints.  If you’re writing for clients it means that you’ve got deadlines.  So that writing work you’re doing feels really urgent.  Not to mention that it’s directly paying the bills.

But there are other reasons for not writing more about your business.  It might be because doing so makes you feel vulnerable.  Afraid that someone might judge you or sneer or whatever else nasty daymare comes up when you think about putting your writing business out there in full public view.

Or it could simply be a lack of clarity.  You’re not sure what to write about for your own brand.

And as a result, more than a few freelance writers with strong client portfolios have neglected websites or outdated bios because they simply don’t prioritize their own marketing.

Which Means You Need A Mindset Shift …

And that mindset shift is … your writing business needs to have its own voice.  Your writing business brand should have a distinct personality, tone, and style that reflects who you are as a writer and the type of clients you want to attract.

So just like you adapt your tone for different client projects, your own business should have a consistent voice—whether it’s authoritative, conversational, witty, or professional—that helps potential clients recognize, trust, and connect with you.

Sounds good in theory.  But there is one key precursor that needs to be in place so you can make that particular mindset shift.

You need to start thinking like a business owner, not just a freelancer.  

If you were a coach or consultant, you’d be writing content that highlights your brand on a regular basis.  You’d be doing it to engage your audience.  To establish credibility.  To share important information that they need to know.

So as a writer, you need to do all those things as well.  Especially so you can showcase your expertise.  Because whether you’ve realised it or not, what you write about YOUR business is what clients will use to judge whether you can write about THEIR business.

There are a gazillion writers and wanna be writers out there.  But not so many writers who have made that shift to a business mindset and do a good job of talking about their business.  

Here are a few examples.

Elna Cain (Freelance Writer, Course Creator) - https://elnacain.com/ 

I’ve mentioned Elna before.  She started by writing about her own freelance writing journey and quickly built a following.  She uses her blog, Elna Cain, as both a learning resource and a marketing tool for her coaching and courses.  She uses personal experience to attract aspiring freelance writers while positioning herself as an expert.  And she has a YouTube channel that helps build her credibility and authority as a writer.

Treasa Edmond (Content Strategist and Coach) - https://bossresponses.com  

Treasa is my fellow collaborator on this Freelance Writers Online website.  She does a fantastic job of using LinkedIn, webinars, newsletters and a podcast to share expert insights on branding, content strategy, and the business of writing, making her a go-to voice in the industry.

Her posts are engaging and they demonstrate her expertise. And I've seen how those posts spark meaningful conversations with fellow writers and marketers.

She also helps writers level up their careers through her Content Strategy Bootcamps, giving them the skills to transition from content creators to strategic thinkers who can command higher rates and bigger opportunities.

Henneke Duistermaat (Enchanted Marketing) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hennekeduistermaat/ 

Henneke built her entire business by blogging about writing and marketing.  Her voice and authority have grown through her consistent content she creates for business owners.  And she’s turned what might have been a liability into an asset by highlighting that English isn’t even her first language and yet she successfully writes for an English-speaking audience.  One of the things that I find really cool about Henneke is that she uses her creative scribblings (drawings) as a way of enhancing her website content and other writing.

What Kind of Writing Should You Do for Your Business?

Okay, so you’re nodding your head and saying, “yeah, I get it, but give me some examples of places where I CAN write about my writing business without sounding weird … or like I’m a pushy used car salesman.

So here you go.  Here are some practical examples that will help you move past that dreaded “how do I even get started” stage.

• Blog Posts or Articles:  You can SEO the heck out of your posts, demonstrate your authority through stories of your journey or how you’ve helped your clients and show thought leadership by talking about emerging trends or controversial topics.  The sky is the limit here.
• Social Media Posts:  LinkedIn is an especially good place to post and comment and quickly build a following.  And then there’s always Instagram or Bluesky where you can share quick insights that give you visibility and build your thought leadership chops.  Note to the wise.  NEVER call yourself a thought leader.  It just shows you’re not one yet.  Let other people look at your work and decide for themselves whether you’re leading the pack.
• Case Studies:  Well written case studies that explain how your past work has helped your clients is a great way to showcase your skills to potential clients.  And by the way, that case study should be about 80% about the challenges your client was facing and 20% about you.  In other words, focus on your client.  Other potential clients will see themselves in what you say about the clients that you’ve helped.
• Email Newsletter:  Consistently publishing an email newsletter is one of the best ways I know of to keep in touch with your clients and future clients.  Especially if you’ve mastered the art of letting your personality shine through.  Why?  Because every time someone sees your email address and subject line in their inbox, it’s going to remind them of you.  Even if they don’t open your email.
• Your Own Portfolio & Website Copy:  The more you learn about how to market your own business without feeling salesy or icky, the more you’re going to want to tweak your website copy.  And your portfolio copy.  It’s a fine line between obsessessing over getting every word perfect and actually having something up there.  The key point is, once it is there, don’t let it gather dust!  Update it.  Share it.  Write new stuff.  
• Guest Posts & Articles:  Places like Medium, Reddit and other platforms where you can write to your heart’s content are good for building authority and backlinks.  And yes, backlinks do still matter in this new world of AI search.

Repurposing Content You Already Have

The key thing is that you don’t have to start from scratch.  I highly recommend that you do a quick audit of all the writing you’ve done, then decide what you could easily repurpose.

For example, you could: 

• Take a client project (case study or white paper) and write about the process.
• Turn an email exchange with a client into a LinkedIn post.
• Expand an X (Twitter) thread into a full blog post.
• Use journal notes to create a personal brand story.

I certainly do this with my Online Business Launchpad podcast episodes, my blog posts and my newsletters.  I use ChatGPT to take my own original material and turn it into short snippets that I edit and then use on social media or as a LinkedIn post.

Overcoming Common Excuses

So next time you think "I don’t have time", you might want to give yourself a shake and think again.   The way to beat that “I don’t have time” gremlin is to schedule writing for yourself like you schedule client work.  You’d never say to yourself, “oh, my client work doesn’t matter.  It can wait.”  So don’t say that about your own business and the writing you do for it.

And if you do get stuck in that dreaded neverwhere of "I don’t know what to write" think how you might use past experiences, or existing questions that clients have (putting together a FAQs page is a great place to start), and writing client success stories.

Then if your brain is still telling you "I’m not a marketer" remember this … Writing about your business IS marketing.

So Now It’s Time To Take Action

I want you to grab your phone or your laptop or whatever device you manage your calendar on and do the following:

• Block off one hour a week to write something for your business.
• Choose one platform to focus on (blog, LinkedIn, newsletter or whatever works for you).
• Repurpose one past piece of content into a business-focused article.
• Write or update your bio/About page on both your website and your LinkedIn profile so that they genuinely reflect your expertise … in terms of how you’ve helped your clients.
• Share one tip or lesson learned from client work on social media.

And if you do those things, and do them consistently, you’re going to find that writing ABOUT your business becomes a habit … one that will definitely help you market your business.

Start Now, Not Later

Remember, it’s essential to write for (and about) your own business.  And to do it consistently.  That way you’re getting your writing business out there in front of the eyes of potential clients, in a way that’s going to feel non-salesy or icky.

Even small efforts at writing about your business, if you do them consistently, will compound over time.

So my question to you is … What’s one piece of content you can create for your business this week?

And once you’ve figured out what that piece of content is, get stuck in and get writing ABOUT your business.