Remote Work

🧑‍⚕️ ChatGPT, M.D.

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Happy Wednesday! We’re compiling a list of all the useful AI tools we’ve come across for ideation, research, writing, and more. Got one you’d recommend? Hit reply and let us know.

Discussed in today’s edition: ChatGPT, remote jobs, Google, and the U.S. government. Plus the one value prop clients can’t resist, and a harsh reality for rookie media buyers.

Read time: 2 minutes and 39 seconds

Making the Rounds

  • ChatGPT just passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam. The exam is broken into three parts, with second-year med school students reportedly spending hundreds of hours preparing for Part 1 alone. But our Lord and Savior ChatGPT has passed it without being trained on a medical dataset — although only by the skin of its teeth.
  • Remote job postings disappear. The number of remote positions posted on sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter have steadily declined over the past few months, as many bigger employers have gone back to the office.
  • U.S. sues google over digital ad monopoly. The suit claims Google has “corrupted legitimate competition in the ad tech industry” even as competitors like Amazon and TikTok continue to carve out more market share each year.

Working With Clients

The One Value Prop Clients Can’t Resist

Let’s say you’re a biz owner who wants help launching a new high-ticket sales funnel.

At minimum, you need to hire:

  • A copywriter
  • A funnel builder
  • A tech person to wire it up

If you want to run paid traffic to that funnel, then you’ll also need:

  • A media buyer (to run your traffic)
  • A creative expert (to help you create some bangin’ videos)

And what if you’re not comfortable selling over the phone?

Then you’re also looking for:

  • An appointment setter
  • And a remote closer

See what we’re getting at here?

Clients are often forced to hire a small army of contractors just to execute on a SINGLE idea.

And if you have any hiring experience…

Then you know it’s about as fun as sticking a fork in a socket.

So…

If you’re looking for an easy way to stand out and deliver the kind of massive value that justifies big freelance fees…

Then start stacking high-income skills.

Because a copywriter who can also run traffic…

A media buyer who also does video creatives…

And a funnel builder who can also write copy…

… are all 10X more valuable to clients than any of their competitors who can only do one thing.

Even if it’s at a high level.

From The Paid Ads Gig

Harsh Reality For Rookie Media Buyers 

AI may be the talk of the town these days…

But the truth is, it infiltrated social media platforms years ago.

And Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google have been slowly pushing us to treat our ad campaigns like a brand new Tesla by letting the AI take the wheel…

Especially when it comes to choosing the placements where your ads are shown.

In fact, if you’re a rookie media buyer…

Automatic placements may be all you know.

But don’t be afraid to test manual placements — especially on Facebook and Instagram.

Some placements are simply higher-quality than others.

Such as:

  • Feeds
  • Stories
  • Right-column

Now, depending on your offer…

You may find other placements (or even automatic placements) do just fine.

But exerting control over your ad placements is one of the easiest ways to cut down on wasted ad spend and increase your ROAS.

Plus it’s never good to become too dependent on AI.

So next time you’re launching a new campaign or ad set…

Limit your targeting to Feeds, Stories, and right-column only and let us know how it goes.

Gig Alerts

Looking for clients? These freelance jobs were posted on Upwork in the last 24 hours:

NOTE: We only share job postings from Upwork. We’ve found it to be the most trustworthy platform with the highest-quality clients. Furthermore, job postings must be for high-income skills like copywriting, media buying, funnel building, graphic design, remote closing, etc in order to qualify.

Quote of the Day


“So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.”

— Caterina Fake

🤓 Remote work vs in-office

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Happy Wednesday! December 21st is the winter solstice, which means the days will officially start getting longer from tomorrow onward. #TYJesus 🙌

Something else you’ll notice from tomorrow onward: we’re taking off for a short holiday break. We’ll be back in your inbox on January 3rd. It’s been a big year for The Gig, but we’ve got even bigger things planned for 2023. 

Thanks for riding with us. See you next year!

Discussed in today’s newsletter: Remote employees, Google, Meta, and Twitter. Plus the most dangerous number in business, a hallmark of high-performers, and the one false belief pro copywriters can’t afford.

Read time: 3 minutes and 26 seconds

Making the Rounds

  • Do remote workers become less engaged over time? One of the biggest concerns executives have about a permanent shift to remote work is engagement. Many feel there’s no comparison to working in the office with your colleagues. But is that true? Read this to discover what Harvard Business Review found when they dug into the data.
  • Meta and Google lose market share in digital ad spend. With TikTok and Amazon surging, the two online ad powerhouses combined for less than 50% of all U.S. digital advertising for the first time since 2014.
  • Elon is on the hunt for a new Twitter CEO. According to CNBC, the search for someone to replace Musk as Chief Twit was ongoing before his recent poll. But with Tesla stock sliding more than 30% since he bought Twitter, Elon’s sure to be feeling the heat to find his replacement quickfast.

Working With Clients

Why This Is the Most Dangerous Number in Business

One big advantage of freelancing is being able to diversify your income streams.

There’s a reason they say “one” is the most dangerous number in business…

Because if you rely exclusively on…

  • One traffic source
  • One ad account
  • Or one client

… for all of your income, then you’re in a very precarious place.

And it wouldn’t take much to knock you off your perch.

So…

A word to the wise:

Avoid relying on one client for 100% of your income.

Aim to have at least two — this way you have something to fall back on if things go sideways with Client #1.

Plus, as you build your track record…

The list of clients you’ve worked with in the past will grow…

Which can also serve as a back-up plan if you need to drum up work.

Working For Yourself

If ‘Ifs’ and ‘Buts’ Were Candy and Nuts

One of the hallmarks of high-performers in any arena is a high say-do ratio.

When they say they’re gonna do something…

They do it.

Plain and simple.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

Following through on what you SAY you’re gonna do builds confidence and centers your locus of control.

So if you keep saying you’re gonna…

– apply to more freelance jobs

– start doing cold outreach

– post more on social media

– find a mentor

– go to a live event

– grow your network

– raise your rates

– etc etc etc

Then do it.

Prove to yourself you are in control.

And save the excuses for later.

From The Copywriting Gig

The One False Belief Pro Copywriters Can’t Afford

FACT:

If writing ads, emails, landing pages, or any other type of sales copy is how you put food on the table…

You can’t afford to have writer’s block.

Simple as splat.

It’s not that it doesn’t exist…

It’s just that professional copywriters don’t waste their time with it.

They don’t let it occupy a shred of mental real estate.

As Steven Pressfield wrote in The War of Art, “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

So here some tips to help you create content consistently and never miss a deadline:

  • Set a timer
  • Create an outline
  • Review other things you’ve written
  • Start at the bottom and work your way up
  • Come up with the idea before you sit down to write

The more time you spend thinking about it beforehand, the easier it will be to write.

Gig Alerts

Looking for clients? These freelance jobs were posted on Upwork in the last 24 hours:

Featured Newsletter

Every Friday, the Bootstrapped Founder Newsletter features proven tactics to help you launch, build, and grow your business based on the experiences of Arvid Kahl, author of Zero to Sold and founder of FeedbackPanda. 

You’ll learn how to build an engaged audience, how to monetize it, and how to leverage “building in public” to become a recognized expert in your field.

If you want sketchy “hacks,” it’s not for you.

But if you want honest, practical, effective advice to build a real business serving real people, you’re going to love it.

Click here to subscribe for free today.

Quote of the Day


“Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength… It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.”

— Charles Spurgeon

In Case You Missed It:

🎁 Incentive to stay

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Happy Monday! Welcome back to The Gig, the daily email helping freelancers build profitable client businesses.

Mentioned in today’s edition: Twitter, Microsoft Advertising, and LinkedIn. Plus jacking up this one metric will boost your close rate, confessions of a work-from-home freelancer, and a trick to help you scale up your ads on Facebook or Instagram.

Read time: 3 minutes and 24 seconds

Making the Rounds

  • Twitter is offering major incentives to advertisers to increase their spending on the platform. Billed as the “biggest advertiser incentive ever on Twitter” and featuring offers to match spending with a “100% value add” it seems that Elon & Co are desperate to get some of those big brands back who have paused or stopped spending. 
  • Microsoft Advertising wants to help marketers leverage New Year’s resolutions into sales driving ad campaigns. The new year is fast approaching which means online searches related to popular resolutions are increasing rapidly. So to our copywriting friends, sharpen your pencils.
  • Demand for remote jobs is now greatly outpacing supply. According to a LinkedIn study, over 50% of applications being submitted are folks wishing to work from home, while only 15% of job postings offer that possibility. That noise you hear is the typing of many a brand new Upwork profile ⌨️.

Working With Clients

Jack Up This One Metric to Boost Your Close Rate

Want to learn a simple trick to increase your chances of closing a new client?

Here it is:

Ask a ton of questions during the “discovery” process.

The reason why is simple…

What’s important to a new client may not be the same as your last client.

So by asking things like:

  • What’s the #1 biggest challenge right now?
  • What makes this a priority right now?
  • Have you hired anyone else to help with this in the past? How did that go?
  • Is there anything else you think I should know?

… you can tailor your pitch to address their specific concerns and desires.

And the more questions you ask, the better handle you’ll have on exactly what your client is looking for (and is willing to pay for).

On a related note —  if you want to take your sales pitches to the next level, share the newsletter with just five friends and we’ll send you a copy of our Ultimate Freelance Sales Call Cheat Sheet.

It’s a step-by-step roadmap to closing freelance deals over the phone, complete with specific questions and word-for-word transitions to help you navigate sales calls like a pro.

Working For Yourself

Confessions of a Work-From-Home Freelancer

Work-life balance is a constant struggle for freelancers.

That’s why, in addition to having a structured workday where you start and end around the same time…

One of the best ways to create separation between work and personal is to eat lunch away from your desk.

Even if it’s just 15-20 minutes…

Giving yourself a break from the computer screen is good for mind and body.

From The Paid Ads Gig

Struggling to Scale Up Your Ads on Facebook or Instagram? Try This

One of the biggest roadblocks to scaling your ad account on Facebook and Instagram is ad fatigue.

Once you start spending thousands of dollars per day or more…

You need to give the algorithm more to work with if you want to maintain performance.

Think of it like a deck of cards…

If you’ve only got a few copy and image variations, you’re only giving the algorithm a few cards to play with.

And the result is that your target audience ends up seeing the same ads over and over again.

So… how do you avoid this?

By using dynamic creative.

This lets you upload up to…

  • 5 variations of body copy
  • 10 images or videos
  • 5 headlines
  • 5 descriptions

All within the same single ad.

So you can “stack the deck”…

And allow the algorithm to mix and match each individual asset, creating TONS of different variations to test and run.

Ultimately, this allows you to avoid burning out your audience…

Find more ad variations that convert…

And scale up your ad account much faster.

Gig Alerts

Looking for clients? These freelance jobs were posted on Upwork in the last 24 hours:

Featured Newsletter

It can be challenging to find unbiased news sources these days. 

There is one outlet we trust for everything from culture and science to sports and politics: 1440. 

The team of PhDs and industry experts at 1440 scour over 100 news sources to create one daily email that gets you caught up on the day’s events in just five minutes. It’s independent and 100% free; sign up for 1440 here.

Quote of the Day


“There is no breakthrough without a breakdown.”

— Tony Robbins