Every freelance writer is capable of improving in one way or the next. This holds true for me as well as everybody else. The important thing is that you realize this to be true, and that you continue to improve as each day goes by.
What could you do better as a freelance writer? This is a question that you should ask on a regular basis – I know I do. Upon starting my career I was disorganized. Although I did not think this was a problem at first, soon enough I realized that I was only fooling myself. While this had nothing to do with my actual writing, in the long run it was holding me back from becoming as successful as possible.
Sometimes it is difficult to admit that you could be doing something better. We all like to think we are perfect, and that everything is falling in place exactly as it should. But is this really the case? Probably not. If you cannot find something that you can improve on, ask clients what they see. There is a good chance that your clients will praise you for the most part, but also point out some details that they would like you to improve upon. This type of feedback from clients is invaluable.
I don’t want this to be an overly long post that confuses you into thinking that you are not doing anything right. Instead, I want it to show you that there is always room for improvement. Even if you like the way your freelance writing career is going, you can always get better at certain things. In the end, this will mean even more success and profits.Â
Over the years I have parted with freelance writing clients time after time. Sometimes I was the one who broke off the relationship. Other times it was the client that decided to move on. Many writers feel that they did something wrong if a client stops sending them work. While this can be the case, it does not always hold true.
Here are three common reasons why a freelance writing client may stop working with you:
1. One and done project. Not every client is going to need your services time and time again. Instead, they have one project available and need you to complete that for them. From there, they have no clue if they will ever need to hire you again. The best thing you can do is stay in touch with clients like this so they think of you for future needs.
2. You did something “wrong.†It may not always be the case, but if you do something wrong there is a good chance that the client will stop working with you. This can be anything from not following their guidelines to missing a deadline. Do your best to avoid any and all mistakes. If something comes up that you do not understand, ask for guidance. Communication can solve a lot of problems and keep a lot of clients in your pocket.
3. Cut costs. There are always going to be clients that have a nice sized freelance writing budget to start, but cut back on this at some point in the future. This has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the fact that the client can no longer afford you. It is up to you to decide if cutting your rates to work with a particular client would be in your best interest.
I have had clients stop working with me for many reasons, including the three detailed above. This is part of being a freelance writer!
With some projects it is easier to hand the reigns over to your client. Relinquishing power may not be something that you are comfortable with, but in the long run you will realize that this is the right thing to do. Let me explain.
There are clients that will expect you to guide the ship and call all the shots. But at the same time, there are those that want to be in control of every facet of a project. Although you may like being in charge, you have to do what is best for the client. After all, they are paying you. If you think that letting your client guide the ship is a bad thing you are wrong. Sure, this brings an entirely different set of dynamics to the forefront but in the long run it is not something that you should run from.
If you are good at taking direction there is no reason why you should be worried about letting your client take over. In fact, I believe that this is the best way of doing things in many cases. There is nothing wrong with having a client tell you what to do every step of the way. This can often times mean more edits, but in the long run the end result is the same: a completed project that the client is happy with.
Believe it or not, there are times when I ask clients for more help. Instead of acting like I know everything and that I have no questions, asking for assistance makes the process easier on both parties. A client that is willing to show you the way, no matter what type of help you need, is one that you definitely want to work with.
Just because a particular client likes to be in charge and hold all the power does not mean that you are going to be seen as less of an authority. As a freelance writer you need to be ready to deal with every type of client. Trust me; there are many of them out there that will want to guide each and every project from start to finish.
At least once or twice per week I receive an email with the subject: Help – I can’t find any real freelance writing clients. As you can imagine, the body of all these messages is pretty much the same. An aspiring freelance writer needs help breaking through to the “next level†of the industry.
When somebody asks me to help them find real clients it always puts me in a difficult spot. First off, what does the word “real†mean? To some, a real client is anybody that is not associated with a content mill. To others, a real client is somebody who pays a particular amount of money (set in their mind) for each project.
When answering this question, time after time, I always start with the same information. What are you doing to market your services? If you want to find the right freelance writing clients you have to market, market, market. Believe it or not, most people end up writing back and saying, “I don’t do much to market my services, but how can I get started.â€
As you can see, those who are not finding the right clients only have themselves to blame. Believe me, there are many webmasters/companies that are willing to pay a lot of money for the services of a professional freelance writer. Just remember that finding these clients takes time and effort. If you are not willing to market your services you will more than likely find yourself wondering why none of the “real†clients want to work with you.Â
One of the main drawbacks of being a freelance writer is that you are the sole person in charge of your business. This means that if you don’t do the work it doesn’t get done. For this reason, there are sure to be times when you have to work additional hours. Even though you may do your best to set your schedule and only take on the work you can complete, things do not always work out as planned.
You never know when a client will want a project completed on short notice, or you land a couple new gigs when you weren’t expecting to do so. When this happens to me, I almost always end up working additional hours in the evening. In some cases, although extreme, I even find myself at the computer on weekends. Again, you want to do your best to avoid this but in some situations it is simply not possible.
Do you turn down projects so you don’t have to work additional hours? While I know freelance writers who do this, it is not a practice that I believe in. If a client I have worked with in the past has a rush job, I do my best to accommodate all their needs – no matter what they may be. Of course, I do so within reason. There is only so much you can do for your clients, but remember one thing: customer service is a big deal. If you help somebody out of a bind you can be rest assured that they will remember this for a long time.
When you decide to become a freelance writer you are taking on a lot of responsibility. You are the only person in charge of making your business a success. In some cases this means working additional hours. Does this bother you? Or are you the type of person who will put in extra time for extra money?
It is inevitable that you will experience slow days as a freelance writer. But just because you do not have much writing to do does not mean that you should sit back and relax. Instead, do something that will improve your chance of future success.
Here are three things to do on slow days:
1. Market, market, market. The more clients you have the less chance there is that things will slow down in the future. It is important to market your services when times are slow, as well as when you have plenty of work keeping you busy. Simply put, marketing is the lifeblood of a successful freelance writing career.
2. Touch base with past clients. Believe it or not, many freelance writers forget about those they have worked with and simply hope that they will come back to them when ready – this is a mistake. From time to time you should contact past clients to see if you can help in any way. Even if you get turned down right now, at the very least it will keep you fresh in the client’s mind.
3. Work on your own projects. Do you have any personal projects that need to be worked on? I know I do. This can range from a blog to creating niche sites and much more.
Even though slow days as a freelance writer are never much fun, you can keep yourself moving forward in many ways. The three ideas above are great ways to spend your time when there is no client work to keep you busy.
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Throughout 2009 my freelance writing course stayed relatively full. Over the course of 12 months I had the chance to work with many aspiring freelancers as well as a few who were already making money. With so much past success, I am hoping for more of the same in 2010.
Are you interested in getting involved with my course? If so, I currently have two openings as a couple members from December decided to head back to the corporate world in the new year.
Spots usually stay available for no longer than a day. If you are interested in joining, get in touch as soon as possible and we can get the ball rolling.
I hope to be working with a couple of you in the very near future!
This post is not meant to scare you away from becoming a freelance writer. Instead, its purpose is to keep you grounded and help you realize that expecting too much early on can lead to disaster. When it comes to achieving your desired results, you will probably find that it takes a little bit of time.
How much freelance writing experience do you have? When I started I had written some pieces in the past but had no clue of what I was getting into. In other words, there was a very large learning curve staring me in the face. For this reason, I went into my new career with an open mind.
In my first month as a freelance writer I pulled in $52. While this was a bit discouraging, as well as scary, I knew that the process would take time. Yes, it would have been easy to give up at this point but I knew that sticking with this career path was going to benefit me in the long run.
If I would have expected more during my first couple months of freelance writing I may have turned away from this career and headed down another road. This is not to say that you should set easily attainable goals or be satisfied with mediocrity. It does mean that you have to be realistic. If you aren’t, there is a good chance that you will scare yourself away from reaching your full potential.
In closing, shoot for the stars while realizing that it will take time to reach your goals.
Are you pondering the idea of taking your freelance career to the next level in 2010? For many, this means going full-time. Although you may think that this is nothing more than a dream, every year many people turn this into reality. There are many things you can do to better your chance of becoming a full-time freelancer in the new year.
Here are a few tips that should get your mind right, if nothing else:
1. Start thinking like a business owner. When you decide to become a full-time freelancer you are deciding to take your entire career into your own hands. For this reason you need to have the mindset of a successful business owner. This means taking your job seriously down to every last detail, no matter how big or small.
2. Find a mentor. This is something that I strongly believe in. If you want to become a full-time web designer, find somebody who already owns a firm and ask them for help. You may be surprised at how many people are willing to help you chase down your dream. With the right mentor in place you will find a smooth transition much more likely.
3. Jump in and believe in yourself. Month after month, year after year, people think about going full-time. But the question still remains: when are you going to take a leap of faith and test the waters? There is always going to be some level of stress involved with changing careers. Until you give full-time freelancing a try you will never know for sure if you can make it.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. Obviously, there is a lot more that goes into expanding your freelance career. If 2010 is the year that you are going to move into a full-time capacity, try to follow the above tips.
As a freelance writer I take as much advice as possible. No matter if it is coming from another writer or a client, I love feedback. This is a great way of seeing what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, etc. Unfortunately, some freelance writers do not feel the same way. Instead, when a client gives feedback they get all bent out of shape and upset.
Why would you possibly want to ignore the advice and feedback of your clients? After all, they know a thing or two about your work because of your current relationship. This is not to say that you have to listen to every word of advice that you receive. But at the very least you want to take it into consideration, see if you can use it, and then move on. You never know when you will receive a morsel of information that can make you a better writer.
Believe it or not, I ask some of my freelance writing clients for advice and feedback from time to time. Instead of waiting for them to come to me, I take the initiative and ask them what I could do better, what they like, if any changes are needed and other similar questions. Not only does this help me as a freelance writer, but it also shows the client that I truly care about them and our working relationship.
You should never ignore sound advice. Sure, there are going to be times when you receive feedback that you simply don’t agree with. But even then, you can take something away from it. If a client is willing to take the time to lend advice, you should open your ears and see what you can learn.
