A Company You’re Interviewing With Stole Your Ideas. Now What?

Q: As part of the interview process for a job, you deliver an unpaid assignment. You don’t get hired, and to make matters worse, you later learn that the employer stole your ideas. Thoughts?

A: Short answer: There’s no solution. And as a friend reminds me, if there’s no solution, there’s no problem.

Long answer: If a potential employer steals your ideas without hiring or paying you, you really no have recourse. Sure, you can inform your network. You can write about your experience on Glassdoor and/or LinkedIn. You can even notify the company’s C.E.O. or head of H.R.

But, ultimately, there’s no way (which I know of) for a potential employee to safeguard his intellectual property when interviewing. Instead, you have to know, going into the interview, how widely you’re willing to open your kimono.

Addendum (11/5/2022): It turns out there is a solution! As columnist Allison Green points out, “If you’re concerned about how an employer might use the work you’re doing, you can ask, ‘Can you tell me how you’ll use the work I produce? Is it for evaluation purposes only?’”

Sales After Covid: How to Sell in a Post-Pandemic World

Is the Hot New Story About Ghostwriters Too Good to Fact Check?

Earlier this week, Insider profiled a ghostwriter who says he works 5 hours a week and makes $200K. What’s his niche? Writing tweets for venture capitalists.

Also, this is his side hustle; at his main job, he has dozens of employees.

Before you say, “How do I get one of these gigs?” let’s apply a little journalistic skepticism to these boasts.

The reporter says he saw screenshots of bank statements and wire transfers.

1️⃣ You don’t need Photoshop to manipulate a screenshot.

2️⃣ What about seeing some *invoices*? I’d be curious to see if those documents simply say “ghostwriting” or “social media,” or if they include details (like 10 tweets/month)? Also, do the invoices include other services, or is the $200K solely and specifically for ghostwriting tweets?

3️⃣ The writer says he sends his messages to clients via Trello. Well, did the reporter see the Trello boards? Did he compare the tweets submitted with the tweets published?

4️⃣ The writer says he “made about $200K” last year. What does “about” mean? $170K? $195K? This is still big money, but why didn’t the reporter press for an exact amount?

5️⃣ Why didn’t the reporter talk to any of the writer’s clients? Or at least contact them, so he could say they declined to comment? This is journalism 101.

6️⃣ The writer says he charged $100K for a threaded tweet. He later says, “Threads don’t work.” Does this blanket statement include his own $100K payday? A reputable publication shouldn’t let this kind of discrepancy stand unacknowledged.

If Willy Loman Were Alive, Here Are the Desperate Follow-Up Emails He’d Send

I just spent a few minutes digging through my spam folder. Behold these cries of desperation:

❌ I know you're busy, wanted to make sure this message didn't get forgotten.

❌ I'll hang it up after this but I thought I'd try one last time.

❌ I’m still super interested in collaborating with you, and wondered if you had the chance to check out my article?

❌ It's unfortunate I didn't hear back, but I completely understand! I am sure you are a very busy person.

❌ I know email inboxes can be a busy place so I just wanted to nudge this one more time for you.

❌ I know timing wasn't great a few months ago, but figured I'd reach back out given everything going on.

3 Tips to Introduce a New C.E.O.

I’ve helped roll out leadership transitions for management consultancies, federal agencies, and universities. Here are a few tips:

1. Make sure the new boss makes himself available first to his employees. They shouldn’t read about him in the press; they should hear from him directly.

2. Communication from him should take multiple forms spread out over at least a month: Emails, Q&As (large and small), a taped video.

3. It’s important to humanize leaders: These communications shouldn’t be too formal. Instead, a little levity goes a long way.

How to Write a Letter of Complaint

A recent article in the Washington Post drew the following comment from a reader:

---

After recent stays in mid-level to upscale chain hotels, and finding issues in all rooms (such as a room door that required excess force to open or close), I am now committed to sending follow-up emails to the managers of the specific hotels noting the issues (most of which could easily be fixed with minor effort). The text of the messages will go something like this:

“I know you are committed to a pleasant, high-quality experience for all your guests. I recently stayed at your hotel [room #], and there were a few items that could be easily remedied in order to make their stay even-more satisfying and to maintain your hotel’s reputation as a first-class business:

“[Bullet points of issues, with photos if appropriate.]

“I know that you will want to fix these things as soon as possible. Again, I enjoyed my stay at your hotel.

---

This is an excellent example of how to file a formal complaint:

1. Put a positive spin on the issue; give the vendor the benefit of the doubt.

2. Provide specifics. Pics are always best.

3. Try to resolve the issue privately before taking things public.

Nobody Knows Anything

Commenting on the business of making movies, screenwriter William Goldman made a now-famous declaration: “Nobody knows anything.”

He explained that this was less a blanket criticism of management and more a recognition of how hard it is to predict the success of individual movies.

If You Want to Hire a Writer, Make Sure Your Job Description Is Written As Well As This One

Lyft is looking for freelance writers for a new project about the future of transportation.

Our mission is to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation. It’s an ambitious goal that includes autonomous vehicles, bike- and scooter-share, fully-electric fleets, integrated transit systems, and cities designed around people rather than cars. We are launching a series of articles, videos, and social posts to show how that vision becomes reality, including — but not exclusively — through Lyft’s own efforts.

To that end, we are seeking experienced general-interest transportation writers who can inject a lively voice into a sometimes dry topic, write in almost any format, and develop surprising, unique, and compelling pitches. Time commitment and workload will depend on the candidate.

Addendum (12/20/2022): Here’s another one, from Parisleaf:

About You

You’re a gifted writer with a penchant for research. Psychology fascinates you. You’re an experienced copywriter, and while you’re adept at writing clever headlines that inspire action, you’re a poet at heart. You thrive on helping brands discover their essence and put their purpose into brief, memorable, magnetic words. You like writing words that are useful and believe that form and function should be besties.

Mission, vision, purpose statement, big idea, manifesto, purple cow — it seems every branding agency has its own terminology for the first half of branding. Whatever you like to call these word-bundles, you understand that it’s all for naught if brands cannot clearly describe why they exist, what sets them apart, and why people should care.

You’ve helped clients develop everything from competitive analysis to core positioning statements, voice and tone, content strategy, taglines, and marketing copy from websites to print collateral.

You’ve worked closely with designers and appreciate the interplay between words, letters, and images.

You’ve spent years studying how people read and hear online, in print, and across time – and you know how strong brand identity can tie it all together.

You are proactive, self-motivated, and organized. You’re comfortable presenting work to clients and listening to what they’re not saying. You can defend your decisions with confidence and professionalism. You are curious, empathetic, and — most importantly — willing to set your ego aside for the greater good of clients and teammates.

The Role

The Brand Writer will work closely with our creative, project management, business development, and leadership teams to help service the company and our partners’ needs. Typical tasks include:

• Researching partner materials and competitive landscapes to summarize highlights and opportunities.
• Facilitating stakeholder interviews with problem-finding in mind.
• Writing key discernment summaries to capture research insights and analysis.
• Working with teammates and helping to facilitate collaborative workshops with clients.
• Establishing the who, what, and why it matters of brand messaging guidelines.
• Developing strategic recommendations for naming, messaging, and identity design.
• Facilitating transitions from verbal to visual milestones with designer(s).
• Collaborating with design to establish core and directional ideas.
• Sharing keen observations, opinionated viewpoints, and objective feedback with teammates to ensure our solutions are world-class.
• Writing taglines, headlines, and content for various deliverables from print to web.
• Working with our partners navigating conflict, staying on target, developing relationships, and building partnerships
• Assist with internal writing and editing needs such as case studies, articles, social posts, and more.
• Establishing good self-editing, time management, budgeting, and scoping skills.
• Communicating well in both written and spoken forms.

Though you will spend many hours writing in sweet solitude, this position is collaborative and client-facing. We are looking for someone who enjoys developing ideas with clients and colleagues and can then hunker down and write powerful copy that meets our partners’ needs, tell their truth, and exceed their expectations.

P.S. We’re an Oxford comma shop. No need to apply if you disagree. ;-)

The 5-Point Guidance I Give to Clients Who Want a Slide Deck

1. Headers
Ditch the headlines, or headers, on each slide. This format reduces the space you have to work with, thus making your slides cramped.

2. Visuals
Make your visuals bigger — much bigger. (And make sure to use only hi-res pics.)

3. Transition Slides
Use transition, or chapter, slides. This has the added benefit of giving your audience more time to process what you’re saying.

4. One Point Per Slide
Perhaps most important — and I can’t say this enough — limit each slide to one point. Not one point with multiple subpoints. One single solitary takeaway per slide.

5. Bullet Points
If you feel compelled to use bullet points, find a more visually interesting way to display them than a boring list.

I realize this is a big departure from what you’re used to. It also entails a lot of work. But I fear that your current slides don’t do justice to your content.

Your Client Wants You to Use Google Docs? Then You Absolutely Must Give Them This Heads-Up

Collaborating in Google Docs is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s a dramatic improvement upon emailing a Word doc back and forth. On the other hand, it makes collaboration too easy: People can see your changes in real time — and they often respond before you’re done.

The same principle holds when you’re waiting on someone for their edits. Do you assume that the email Google sends when changes are made means the doc is now yours? Or do you wait until your collaborator formally notifies you that they’re passing the baton?

Opportunities for miscommunication abound: Either instructions get ignored, or expectations get misaligned.

So what’s the solution?

Josh Bernoff is curt: “Don’t watch me edit.”

Kat Boogaard is explanatory: “Please send me an email when edits are ready. I don’t monitor Google Doc notifications.”

Eric Doty leaves a comment in the doc that says, “I’m still working on this.”

Here’s the message I use:

As I work, Google may send you notifications that I have questions. Unfortunately, there’s no way to turn these notifications off. Please ignore them.

Similarly, if you check the doc yourself, you may see questions I’ve left for you that you’re tempted to reply to now. Please resist that temptation.

I tend to work in batches. For example, in the morning I’ll pick the low-hanging fruit. In the afternoon, I’ll take on the more substantive issues. In the evening, or even the next day, I’ll review everything with fresh eyes.

If you pop in between these periods, you’ll be looking not at a document that’s ready for your review, but at the sausage being made. (If you’re interested, this Wall Street Journal article delves into detail about the perils of premature editing.)

The bottom line: Kindly wait for me to email you that I’m done. Trust me: We’ll both be happier.

Which Headline Is Best?

1. Should Freelancers Make Our Prices Public?

2. Should We Freelancers Make Our Prices Public?

3. Should Freelancers Make Their Prices Public?

4. Should Freelancers Make Their Prices Public?

5. Should You Make Your Price Sheet Public?

6. Should You Make Your Rate Sheet Public?

7. Do You Make Your Prices Public?

8. When Should You Make Your Prices Public?

9. Should Your Website List Your Prices?

10. Should You Publish Your Rates on Your Website?

11. Should You Share Your Price Sheet With Potential Clients?

12. Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Prices. Here’s Why

13. Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Prices

14. Why You Should Make Your Prices Public

15. Marcus Sheridan Makes His Prices Public

16. Why Don’t More Freelancers Share Their Price Publicly?

17. The Freelancer’s Dilemma: Should You Make Your Prices Public?

18. The Pros and Cons of Making Your Price Sheet Public

And the winner is...

What Happens After You Make an Email Error?

I’m reprinting the below story from Dan Oshinsky’s current newsletter:

---

In January, Oakland University, a public university just outside of Detroit, emailed 5,500 incoming students, and told them that they’d won a massive scholarship. As Eduardo Medina of the New York Times reported:

Carnell Poindexter looked at the subject line of the email — “Congratulations!” — and opened it immediately while in a debate class at his high school in West Bloomfield, Mich.

Mr. Poindexter, an 18-year-old senior with a 3.8 grade point average, thought that perhaps this was the scholarship he had hoped for from Oakland University. “You worked hard and it paid off!” read the Jan. 4 email, informing him that he had won a $48,000 academic scholarship over four years. Mr. Poindexter, who wants to be a lawyer, and his parents were elated.

But then, more than two hours later, came another email with a subject line that read, “CORRECTION.”

If you send enough email, you’re going to make mistakes. Sometimes, there’s a typo in an email, or a broken link, or placeholder text that doesn’t get replaced, or you schedule an email out for the wrong time of day.

But as I thought more about this email error from Oakland University, I kept coming back to two things I wish they’d done — one before hitting send, one after:

1. Create a checklist of things to do before you hit send. What are the steps you need to take before sending out that email? A few suggestions: Make sure your sent-from name, subject line, and preheader text are correct. Make sure you’re sending to the right audience. (In 2021, Oakland University admitted 1,300 students to their freshman class — the idea of more than 5,000 students getting an email about a scholarship should have been a red flag.) If your E.S.P. offers a link checking tool, use it to make sure the links are correct. And make sure someone else has edited the email and signed off on it before you hit send.

2. If you truly screw up, apologize, and make it personal and sincere. Imagine that you’re hosting a webinar, and you send an email to your readers about the event. The email says it’ll start at 12 p.m. Eastern time, but the webinar is actually at 12 p.m. Pacific time. In that case, “Correction” might be a good subject line for a follow-up email about the proper time. Sure, you made a mistake in your first message, but it was a fairly innocent oversight.

But when you make a major mistake, as in the case of Oakland University, your apology email needs to come from a person. (Their name should be the name that you see before you open the email.) It needs to explain what went wrong, and it needs to offer a heartfelt apology — in the first sentence, and then again later in the message. It needs to explain how you plan on righting this wrong. And it needs to include personal contact information for your organization so that those affected can get in touch with an actual person if they so choose. Those students deserved much more than “CORRECTION.”

Remember: Email is a 1-to-1 channel. It doesn’t matter if you’re sending 100 emails or 100,000 — if you make a mistake, you’re making a mistake to each and every one of the people who received that message. Own your mistake and do your best to make it right.

The Best Job Description Ever

Description
Basecamp is hiring a Content Marketing Manager to organize, edit, and write content for our website, social media, and other channels.

About the Work
At Basecamp, we value the written word. Maybe we’re old school, but we think that especially in today’s world of bullet points and tweets, there’s a lot of skill and art in communicating well.

We’re looking for a content manager and writer who has a flair for translating ideas into everyday language and compelling storylines.

In this role you will:

* Oversee content production and develop a web content strategy that syncs with our brand marketing and demand generation goals.

* Create, edit, and manage content for a variety of mediums that could include: email, newsletters, blogs, white papers/guides, thought leadership articles, customer case studies, website pages, webinar slide decks, sales collateral, event collateral, and video scripts.

* Utilize SEO tactics to help improve domain authority and natural search results by incorporating high value keywords into new articles, optimizing target keywords in existing articles, and securing backlinks.

* Maintain the master content calendar that schedules all aspects of the creation and delivery of content throughout the year.

* Stay up-to-date with current best practices in the industry for tactics that might apply to us.

* Collaborate with the team on content for social media posts.

* Help maintain a consistent voice and tone for the brand across multiple channels.

About You
* You have 5+ years experience writing and editing (in English) for multiple channels, and can articulate the differences in how you approach them.

* You’re a stickler for style, grammar and finding the words and phrases that best capture an idea or feeling.

* You have deep experience with SEO and keyword strategy. You're familiar with tools such as AHREFS or SEMRush to monitor competitive positioning and identify new opportunities.

* You have some technical proficiency with CMS tools such as WordPress.

* You’ve managed freelance writers, and may even have a short list that you’ve worked with before.

* You’re equally comfortable and motivated by working “high level,” developing a strategy and plan, or being ”hands-on” writing and editing.

* The Basecamp “voice” and tone resonates with you, and is easy for you to adopt.

* You’re comfortable as a manager of one.

* You approach your work with a spirit of partnership and collaboration, not exclusion or rigidness. You're a resourceful problem solver; you can feel for gaps in what you're working on, pitch solutions and implement them.

This is a fully remote position. Since we're a remote company, you'll find that the bulk of everyone's work is written, whether that's long form posts or chats with your co-workers. We value people who can take a stand yet commit when they disagree. We subject ideas to rigorous debate, but all remember that we're here for the same purpose: to do good work together. Charging the trust battery is part of that work.

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and identities to apply for a job where you can do the best work of your career. Basecamp is committed to remaining a calm company where we don't regularly work longer than 40 hours per week and take proper vacations.

What to Expect
You can expect a mindful onboarding process with structured ramp-up time. You can expect a team that listens. You can expect to be counted on and the freedom to do your best work. We build our apps, our teams, and our company for the long haul, so you can build your career here if you choose to.

We respect everyone's right to participate in political expression and activism, but avoid having political debates on our internal communication systems. Basecamp as a company also does not weigh in on politics publicly, outside of topics directly related to our business. You should be at peace with both of these stances.

Pay and Benefits
Basecamp pays in the top 10% of the industry, for the matched role and experience, based on San Francisco rates. The salary for this role is $126,250. No matter where you live. Plus, with two years under your belt, you’ll participate in our profit-sharing program.

Our benefits support a life well-lived away from work. Ample time off and all the resources you need to support you in doing the best work of your career. Here's more on the benefits we offer.

Applicants from outside the US will be offered a contractor role with comparable terms and at the same rate of pay as our US-based employees.

How to Apply
Please send an application tailored to this position that speaks to us. Introduce yourself to us as a colleague. Within your cover letter, give us some examples of some of your best written work, how it was used and to what effect. We would like to see a resume, but forget that generic resume. Show us what really sets you apart!

Go for It!
We are accepting applications for this position until Friday, March 4, 2022, at 5:00PM US-Central time.

You should not expect to hear for a few weeks, while we review all applications. Please note that we’re unable to offer individual feedback during the screening process. We usually see hundreds of applications for roles, and our small hiring team simply doesn’t have the bandwidth to offer personalized feedback before the interview stage.

Interviews will take place in March. Expect 2-3 interviews over the course of a few weeks. Our interviews are conversations held with future colleagues — no tests, no surprises. After that, we'll ask the final candidates to complete an at-home written exercise. We hope to extend an offer in April, with a flexible start date later that month.

We look forward to hearing from you!

How Much Do You Charge?

Sometimes, potential clients ask me in their first email, “What’s your price?" Here’s the message I plan to send back:

Thanks for your question. I totally understand the need to get a sense of what something will cost upfront. Allow me to explain why I take a different approach.

Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s counterproductive to provide a price without first having a conversation. There are several reasons for this:

1. You may be contacting several people, and I want to demonstrate my value.

2. We may be using a word or phrase to mean different things. (I wrote about this scenario for P.R. Daily.)

3. If possible, I prefer not to bill by the hour or use a rate sheet. Instead, after learning about the given project, I offer a customized fee.

The bottom line: If price is your only consideration, then I’m probably not the right person. On the other hand, if you value excellence, if you want someone who’s reliable and responsive, if you’d prefer to work one on one with the business owner (that’s me) rather than a junior account executive, then I’d welcome the opportunity to schedule a brief call.

Thanks again for contacting me. I hope we’ll get the chance to chat.

Why Wikipedia Doesn’t Recognize That Article You Wrote for Forbes or HuffPost

Joshua Benton writes what many of us have long been thinking:

“Only a very small number of these contributors can make a living at it — so it’s a side gig for most. The two things that determine your pay are how many articles you write and how many clicks you can harvest — a model that encourages a lot of low-grade clickbait, hot takes, and deceptive headlines. And many of these contributors are writing about the subject of their main job — that’s where their expertise is, after all — which raises all sorts of conflict-of-interest questions. And their work was published completely unedited — unless a piece went viral, in which case a web producer might ‘check it more carefully.’”

Why Wikipedia’s Gold Standard Is Media Coverage in Reliable News Outlets

Because, with a reliable news outlet, the bar for publication is high.

Here’s a recap, from the New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner, about the publication process for big articles:

“I spoke to numerous people who played some role in the production of Ward’s article, which for such a story always includes fact checkers, editors, and lawyers. None felt able to go on the record to discuss the magazine’s handling of the piece, but several said that Ward had not gathered evidence that would stand up in court, and others echoed Carter’s remarks about Ward’s journalism. ‘Vicky had zero credibility with the fact-checking and legal departments,’ one person who worked at Vanity Fair at the time told me. ‘They had too many bad experiences.’ Another then staffer said that Ward had provided inaccurate quotations and had had disputes with sources about when they were speaking on the record. A third person, who worked extensively with both Ward and Carter, told me that he thought Vanity Fair could have done more to pursue the Farmers’ allegations, but also that Ward seemed not to understand ‘basic journalistic rules.’”

Catchy Ads

Which Headline Is Best?

1. I Almost Got Scammed Out of $5,000. Here’s How to Outsmart the Con Artists

2. The Overpayment Scheme: How to Avoid Getting Scammed

3. 6 Ways to Protect Yourself Against One of the Oldest Cons in the Book

4. Have You Heard of the Overpayment Scheme? I Almost Fell for This Classic Con

5. I Ignored Every Red Flag About This Overpayment Scheme Because I Got Caught Up in the Moment

6. I Got Paid Too Much. Then the Sender Demanded That I Wire Him Back the Difference Immediately.

7. How Con Artists Prey on Freelancers — and 6 Ways to Protect Yourself

8. I Got Scammed Out of $5,000. Almost.

9. A Public Service Announcement for Freelancers: Beware the Overpayment Scheme

10. A P.S.A. for Freelancers: Beware the Overpayment Scheme

11. Here’s How to Protect Yourself Against the Overpayment Scheme

12. A New Client Mailed Me a Check for $5,000 More Than He Owed. What Happened Next Will Shock You

13. Think You’re Too Savvy to Get Scammed? So Did I.

14. Have You Heard of the Overpayment Scheme? Here’s How I Got Scammed.

15. A Scam Every Freelancer Should Be on the Lookout For

Addendum: And the winner is...

The News-Alert Writers at the Wall Street Journal Know How to Create Suspense

Here are some of the top mobile-push alerts, both on W.S.J.’s native app and via Apple News:

1. She left a negative review on Amazon. Then the seller tracked her down.

2. The high-paying job that’s in high demand — but not many people want to do.

3. It took just months for a 36-year-old to take over America’s most talked-about company — and make $1 billion for himself.

4. Welcome to the land that Covid forgot.

5. 40% unemployment, brawls over milk, murder over gasoline. What a once-in-a-century economic meltdown looks like.

6. No hybrid, no partial week — these C.E.O.s are done with Covid and they’re calling everyone back. “I don’t need to be wishy-washy.”

7. One of the coldest places on Earth is on fire.

Which Headline Is Best?

1. Do You Use This Nonapology Apology?

2. Please Stop Using This Nonapology Apology

3. You’ve Been Apologizing the Wrong Way Your Whole Life

4. Nobody Cares That You’re “Sorry if People Were Offended”

5. Why You Should Never, Ever Tell Someone, “I’m Sorry if You Feel That Way”

6. Specious, Insidious, Repugnant: The Worst Apology Is Also the Most Common

7. 4 Reasons Why Your Apology Didn’t Work

8. 4 Ways to Tell if an Apology Is Sincere

9. The Art of the Nonapology Apology

10. The Worst Apology Ever: “I’m Sorry if You Feel That Way”

11. Sorry, Not Sorry: The World’s Worst Way to Apologize

12. The Worst Way to Apologize Is Also the Most Common

13. The Wrong Way to Apologize

Addendum: And the winner is...