This post is a marketing challenge

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Last month I signed up for a marketing challenge being held by a freelancer group I belong to. I've been in the weeds the last few weeks so this is in a lot of ways the last thing I need--adding, asking for more work on top of too much work already. But I know it's smart to set up work for after I get out of these particular weeds, and it's good practice--who knows, maybe I will find some awesome opportunity through these efforts.

Basically you get a point for every time you market yourself, so by publishing this post and sharing it I get points (finally, after my ad network goes under, I get something for writing this site.)

What's been fun is that I've been brainstorming and prompted to go back into the recycling bin of ideas that didn't quite make it. I have been working so hard on my current stuff I haven't had time to enjoy opening up to new ideas.

Here is where I am trying to plan the chalenge stratecically for myself. You get extra points during the challenge if you pitch and get the assignment, but unless I have a red hot timely idea, I'm holding onto some pitches (and thus being fine with not trying to win the challenge.) Last December I was in the weeds and but fired off a pitch about companies giving back over the holidays. The editor accepted my pitch but then I realized, "Oh crap--I have less than a week--the week before Christmas--to source, report and write this story." I had Christmas presents to wrap and shopping to do, you know? 

So anyway I'm trying to be smart about my ideas and work on marketing projects and contacts that can get me work maybe in the future instead of, like, tomorrow. And maybe I'll fire off one or two red hot pitches, but not all of them. And that's what a marketing challenge is, at least for me, today. On to the next point.