Freelancing Pro Interview: Michael Stelzner, Whitepaper King

If you’ve ever heard of a white paper, you’ve probably heard of Michael A. Stelzner. He wrote the book, —literally—on white papers. (White papers are used by businesses to explain products and services and promote their benefits in detail. They’re one part case study and a whole lot of marketing copywriting…and they can make writers big bucks.

Michael’s website, WritingWhitePapers.com, offers a wealth of information on breaking into this lucrative field. In the writing industry, this 40-year-old San Diego resident is kind of like a legend. So of course I wanted to see how he captured this niche, made it his own and is now sharing the goods with others looking to make a profitable living as a freelance writer.

Whether you write or not, Michael has some useful information for establishing yourself as an expert in your field and securing your spot with large clients.

You’ve acquired the market on white papers, offering writers the tips and tricks they need to create a powerful career writing white papers. Tell us a little about white papers and why this field of writing can be so rewarding.

White papers help businesses secure leads, stand out in a noisy market and close sales. The means businesses place a high value on their production. It also explains why white paper writers are among the highest paid writers.

You’ve created a solid platform for positioning yourself as an expert on white papers. How did you build that up, how long did it take and what mistakes have you made along the way?

It really all started with a white paper I wrote called, “How to Write a White Paper: A White Paper on White Papers.” More than 60,000 people registered for that paper. Still to this day, I get 50 to 100 people each day. That quickly helped secure my spot in this market. That was back in 2002/2003. Since then I have written a lot about the topic and have spoken at very high profile events. But when my book came out is when things really took off. Looking back, I’m not aware of any major mistakes. I’m sure I make thousands of small ones all the time. In the beginning, I was doing it all. Now I have part timers working for me. That made a huge difference.

Do you prefer helping others build careers in white-paper writing or do you still get hands-on with copywriting and white paper writing?

About half of my business is still helping big businesses produce white papers. The other half is training people to do what I do in the form of my books, classes, seminars, and summits.

At Stelzner Consulting, you market yourself to high-technology corporations. Do you have a background in this? How did you break in? Is it a matter of building up clips in an industry over time?

I used to own a creative services agency and focused on high tech (14 years). Nowadays, there really is no such thing as high tech any more as everything involved technology. Prior to the agency I worked as a product marketing manager for a high-tech company. That’s how I “broke in.”

Any tips for other freelancers looking to add more facets to their businesses that they aren’t necessarily experienced in?

Just start small and run little experiments to see if your market bites. I think given the economy it might be wise to specialize in a few things rather than just one thing or to be a generalist in all things.

How have you approached big businesses? Do you send a mailing or use networking to get the “in”? Many freelancers get stuck at the HR gatekeepers. Tell us how you bust on through!

Well, in my case they come to me—we’re talking Microsoft, FedEx, Dow Jones… I know that doesn’t sound very helpful. The trick is to establish yourself as a leader in a niche. Then the big boys line up and want to work with you. I never solicit business.

Tell us how the idea for your book, Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged, came about. What kind of publishing process did you go through (self-publishing, agent, publisher)? Any more plans for books?

The book emerged from the success of that white paper I wrote (which I mentioned above). Through that paper, I was able to build an audience of more than 20,000 readers of my newsletter. I used that to build a portal and then I self-published the book and sold it to my audience. The book is in its third printing and has done much better than expected. There will likely be more books, but nothing in the near future.

You’ve had a lot of success with your e-newsletters. What do you attribute that to and how can people get more valuable contacts on their subscriber lists?

Well, I use my white paper to grow my newsletter list. It is the main way. We publish monthly and include very rich articles. Typically three or four 500+ word articles. It’s been one of the key ways I have kept my position of authority in this market.

What else is on the horizon for you?

Yes I have something very exciting! I am running the White Paper Success Summit 2009. This online event going on right now is designed to teach freelance writers how to make big money producing white papers. We have an all-star lineup of presenters, including Bob Bly, Roger C. Parker, Steve Slaunwhite, Peter Bowerman, and others. There’s a free class available for folks who visit the site. So far, 300 freelancers have dedicated a lot of energy and effort to master this lucrative space. At the end of it, I will be picking one as my apprentice.

Kristen Fischer is the author of Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs. Visit the blog.