How Writing About Things You Love Benefits Your Clients

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While some writers follow the old adage, “Write what you know,” I prefer “Write about things you love.”

Why?

Writing about things you love gives you an edge over other writers

Writing about something you’re passionate about is always enjoyable. Writing about subjects that interest you eliminates, or at least reduces, your learning curve since you’re already familiar with the topic, terminology, and where to find reliable sources.  Those things give you an edge over other writers.

I started out writing general business articles. An assignment about a TV ad campaign got me thinking: I like TV. I enjoy writing about advertising. The led to assignments at Advertising Age. I used information gleaned from covering advertising to pitch my first article idea to Emmy, and suddenly I was writing about all aspects of the television industry. Flush with a decent working knowledge of the TV industry, I sent letters of introduction to editors at Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The Variety editor responded almost immediately with an assignment because my clips proved I knew the lingo and had experience interviewing high-profile industry leaders.

Writing about what you love makes you a subject matter expert

Being well-versed about a topic gives you an edge in landing certain assignments because your insider knowledge makes you a subject matter expert.

The fact that I love knitting, crocheting, and yarn makes it easy for me to spot potential article ideas other writers covering the television industry might miss. For instance:

  • When I learned Lion Brand Yarn was making licensed knit and crochet kits inspired by the series Outlander, I pitched this story.
  • After seeing footage of Jimmy Kimmel teasing a TV reporter who was knitting in the audience of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, I thought my editors might like a short piece that involved television in two ways. They did.
  • I wrote my first knitting-related article for emmy long before it started posting articles online: “Keeping ‘Em in Stitches” (February 2005). It was about how popular knitting had become among actors as a way to pass time between shots (this was pre-smart phones, when people found more creative ways to kill time).

I always look for ways crafts and business overlap. That led to writing “OK Computer: Don’t Leave Customers to Their Own Devices” for the August 2012 issue of Yarn Market News. That piece discussed independent yarn shops’ policies on sharing wifi passwords with customers and allowing them to use the stores’ tablets or computers for free.

Hiring freelancers whose outside interests overlap with your business makes sense

Writers with hobbies, outside interests, and experiences that complement your industry have an advantage over other freelancers. The skills and knowledge they possess are assets. They already understand your industry’s lingo, and are likely already an end-user of your product or service. That reduces their learning curve.

Writing doesn’t feel like a job when you write about things you love.

If you work in the yarn or fiber arts industry and need a freelance writer who can tell a knitted item from a crocheted item and know the difference between an M1R and an M1L, contact me.

Paula Hendrickson
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6 thoughts on “How Writing About Things You Love Benefits Your Clients”

  2. I’ve yet to turn those passions into assignments but I’m working on it. I’ve mostly never really looked at my hobbies being money makers but I know I should.

    I’m always surprised when I find out a celebrity that I admire knits!

    Reply

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