Hey, so remember when I wrote a personal ad, in the hopes that my ideal home would somehow find me and fall in love with me?

And that seemed like a really weird thing to do, except that whoah, I’m living there right now?

Well, my wonderful friend Kelly Parkinson has written one too. Except not for a house.

She’s biggifying her business (for which I accept partial blame!) and is looking for a collaborator-writer-type who can join her team on a project basis. She sent it to me because supposedly I know all sorts of smart, interesting creative types, and I suggested that we put it up here.

For two reasons:
1. A lot of cool people read this. Way more than if I just forwarded it to whoever I thought of first.
2. I thought it would be useful for you to see how someone else did this whole “personal ad” thing.

Actually, also because I’m crazy about Kelly. She’s a terrific copywriter and has given me so many great tips and feedback for my own writing, not to mention all sorts of other useful business advice.

She’s also a kind, caring friend — even if she did completely bully me into starting this blog, for which (just for the record) I am eternally grateful.

And she’s the one who made me realize that I’m actually good at writing. Like, business writing. That was a huge vote of confidence just when I needed it most. We love Kelly. Also her business is called Copylicious. Which is adorable.

Anyway, she wrote a personal ad.

Read it. Consider it. Pass it around.

If you write and love writing, talk to Kelly.

Wanted: Copywriter-Collaborator

I’m looking for someone smart who knows how to write and isn’t a flake.

You’re crazy about books. You collect active verbs. You obsess over the order of words in a sentence.

And you have this knack for getting people to believe in your crazy ideas. Maybe you convinced a hundred people to sponsor your charity ride. Or you persuaded investors to fund a puppet show production. Or you sell tamales.

Whatever it is, you’re interested in things. Lots of things. Maybe too many things. And it would be nice to have another income stream–and a learning opportunity–that rewards curiosity and enthusiasm.

That’s where I’m hoping we can help each other.

For the past year, I’ve been suffering from what people keep telling me is a “good problem.” My copywriting business is now taking up my evenings and weekends. I want to keep growing, but I can’t do it on my own. Enter you.

I’d like to collaborate with you, smart, non-flaky writer. You’ll get a flat-fee for each project (based on an hourly rate of $50), and also a quarterly performance bonus.

I’ll handle all the client stuff and the strategy stuff and the marketing stuff. Your job, and your only job, will be to write (and self-edit!). You’ll write websites, lead-gen emails, landing pages, white papers, and more.

This could take up to 12 hours a week of your time. Or less. Or more. Let’s work something out. I’m looking for a long-term relationship that helps both of us grow.

If you’re new to copywriting but have been writing as long as you’ve been walking, I will help you.

We will collaborate. And at the end of the day, you will get paid well for doing what you love.

Future writer-collaborator, I hope you’ll introduce yourself.

Please send an email — kp AT copylicious DOT com with:

  • Your name and phone number.
  • Brief description of your situation. Are you a full-time employee, a stay-at-home mom, a journalist, just someone wanting to make a change?
  • Your availability during the week for copywriting projects. When are you available, and how many hours could you handle?
  • The last time you were really excited about something.
  • ONE writing sample (links are fine). It can be anything, as long as you wrote it and you’re proud of it. At this point, I just want to get a sense of your voice.

Thanks – and I’ll respond to your email within 24 hours!
Kelly

I can’t wait to find out what comes from this!

Honestly, I’m all tingly just thinking about it.

Between the bright, capable people who read this blog and the weird magical power of writing a loving personal ad and putting it out into the world, I have a good feeling about this.

And I hope it inspires you to write one too. An ideal job? The perfect partner? The blog readers you wish you had? The worst thing that can come out of this exercise is that you get a little more clarity around what you’d like to have in your life, and maybe some insights about where you get stuck.

I’ll report back about the Kelly situation on Friday. And if I don’t, remind me!

The Fluent Self