🪄Stop saying "I'm just a writer"

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Hey Reader,

"I'm just a writer."

I've heard this phrase so many times lately that I'm starting to twitch when people say it.

And it's always with that emphasis on JUST. As in, it's not enough. Going deeper: I'm not enough.

The self-deprecation continues: "Yeah, I'm good, but there are plenty of us that are good. I'll never earn more than I do. And also, AI will replace me soon."

Freelance writers and content people, we need to talk.

You're not "just" anything

You're not "just" a writer. You're the person who can solve a specific, high-value problem that keeps your clients up at night.

"But," you might say, "I don't know what business impact my writing has. And honestly, I don't really care. I just want to write."

I hear this all the time, and it's the exact mindset that keeps writers trapped in the commodity zone.

Here's why:

If you don't care about the business impact of your work, why should a business care about paying you premium rates?

The brutal reality

Businesses aren't spending money on content because they love words. They're investing in results—more leads, higher conversion rates, increased sales, stronger brand recognition.

Not knowing the impact of your work isn't just a knowledge gap—it's a value gap. And in a world where AI can write "good enough" content, that gap is what makes you replaceable.

When you say "I'm just a writer," you're positioning yourself at the lowest common denominator of your craft.

Writing is powerful!

But the most successful writers and content marketers I know aren't selling writing—they're selling solutions to problems.

They know exactly how their work moves the needle, and they own that impact.

They're not competing with AI or the 296,112 other freelance marketing consultants out there because they've niched down on a problem only they can solve in their unique way.

Stop hiding

So stop hiding behind "just a writer."

You have a perspective on content that nobody else has. You have a process that nobody else follows. You see problems nobody else notices.

Don't believe me?

Start by asking yourself these three questions:

What specific problem do I solve that my clients would actually pay to fix?
How do I articulate that problem better than they can themselves?
What's my unique approach to solving it?

You may believe the answers are:

I don't know
No idea
I don't have one

But you'd be wrong.

Real examples

Sarah Brooks spent four years trying to figure out the answer to the above questions.

She joined Full Stack Solpreneur and, in one month, realized she owns the "Your website doesn't reflect you" problem.

Erin Balsa started working with Nick (my FSS co-founder) to tighten up her offer, and now owns the "Your content is bland" problem:

Brendan Hufford never worked with us, but he's the GOAT and owns the "Checkbox marketing is killing your growth" problem:

Zach Roberts joined Full Stack to stop getting ghosted on sales calls, and now owns the "Your sales collateral isn't working" problem (he closed a $12k deal in the first month in the program):

I could go on. There are 70 people in Full Stack Solo and our members keep having breakthrough after breakthrough about the problems they solve and their unique way of solving them.

So, which problem will you own?

Because when you focus on solving problems instead of selling services, you'll never be "just" anything again.

Cheers,

Erica

PS. A small shift in mindset could completely transform your business. If you're ready to stop being a commodity and start being the only solution to a specific problem, reply and let's chat.

I'm on a mission to help as many content marketers as possible build and launch problem-focused offers.

Or, if you don't need to talk and just wanna get started...

Join Full Stack Solo right now.

PPS. If you're considering Full Stack Solo but feel the price point is too high, please let me know by taking this poll. Nick and I are considering making a low-ticket, self-paced version of our group coaching program. But we're only gonna do it if enough people show interest.

Would you buy a low-ticket version of Full Stack Solopreneur?

Yes