Have you been 100 percent honest with all of your freelance writing clients in the past? If so, this is a great way of doing business. On the other hand, if you have been stretching the truth for any reason you must change your ways. If you don’t, this will backfire on you soon enough.
Remember this: if a client finds that you are not being honest there is a very good chance that they are going to stop working with you. All good business relationships are built on trust. If you don’t have this you don’t have much.
Why have you been lying? Some freelance writers think that it makes more sense to tell clients what they want to hear, as opposed to the truth. Even though this may work out for you in the short term, most of the time the real truth is exposed sooner rather than later. At this point, you will have some explaining to do.
Also, keep in mind that your clients rely on you for high quality information and advice. You are the professional, and for this reason they are putting a lot of stock in what you have to say. If you are constantly telling lies, you are not doing your client any favor. In fact, you may be steering them down the wrong path which can in turn cost them a lot of time and money.
Even though it is not always easy, it is important to tell the truth anytime you are dealing with a client. In the long run, honesty is always the best policy.
So many people want to become a freelance writer, but for whatever reason many of them never take the leap. Instead, they talk about how great this would be and continually think about all the benefits. While some people just aren’t cut out to be a freelance writer, others should really think about getting past their fears and moving forward.
Here are three common reasons why some people never seem to take the next step:
1. They really aren’t interested. Simply put, some people toy with the idea of becoming a freelance writer but are not really interested in this career path. While there is nothing wrong with this, you may want to think about why you are not quite ready to move forward – there may be a good explanation for the way you feel.
2. They don’t know what step to take next. This is perhaps the most common reason for not becoming a freelance writer. The person in question is 100 percent ready to move forward, but a lack of knowledge is holding them back. If you don’t know what to do next, your best bet is slowing down and figuring out a timeline that suits you. In some cases, you may be able to do this on your own. On the other hand, don’t be opposed to asking other freelancers for help, reading up online (like you are doing now), or purchasing a book.
3. Fear. Let’s face it: it can be scary to become a freelance writer. This is particularly true if you are going to make this your full-time career. You have to decide if your fear is enough to hold you back for good, or if you are capable of overcoming this.
You may or may not be able to identify with one of the reasons above. If something is holding you back, now is the time to pinpoint the problem and decide how to best move forward.
For whatever reason, the last few clients that I landed have all suffered from the same issue: they don’t know exactly what they want. They know they need my services, but are unsure of how to get started, what direction to take, and how much they are willing to pay. Although this can be frustrating as a freelance writer, it is something that I have come to expect over the years.
Simply put, some clients just don’t know what they want. And guess what? Some of them never figure it out until you give them advice. Don’t be shy about stepping to the plate and offering up your knowledge. Not only will this help move the project forward, but it will show the client that you are more than willing to assist them in many ways.
It is easy to get upset with a client that is beating around the bush, trying to determine which direction to take. But if you show this, you are going to lose the deal before it ever starts. The best thing you can do is let the client know that you are on their side, and willing to help as much as you can. With experience as a writer, you should be able to lend advice that your new client will find helpful.
It would be nice if every client knew what they wanted. This way, all you would have to do is take direction and get started. Unfortunately, this is not how things always work out. If you run into a client that is lost, make sure you do your best to clear a path for them. When you do this, you will be seen as a major asset which will in turn allow you to establish a better relationship.
There is nothing worse than digging into a project and getting on the right track, just to have your client change direction. In this case, you are probably going to be asked to stop what you are doing and change along with them. While not as common as some believe, this is something that I run into from time to time.
Here are three things to keep in mind if a client changes direction on you:
1. Explain what you have completed up to that point, and then let the client take a look. This way, they can at least see the progress you have made and realize that a change in project scope is not going to be as simple as it sounds
2. Talk about what this means in terms of payment and deadline. You may be 90 percent finished with a project, just to have the client say that they want to “take a different approach.†While there is nothing wrong with this, they must realize that this will almost always lead to additional payment and an extended deadline.
3. Give your opinion, if asked. You don’t want to jump in and tell the client that they should stay the course. But if you are asked, be sure to tell them what you think based on the portion of the job that you have completed. Many times, freelance writers are relied on for more than content creation. Don’t be shy about giving your opinion if the chance is there.
As long as you are being compensated for your time, there is nothing wrong with changing direction along with the client and doing whatever is asked of you. Just make sure you continue to stay on the same page. As more and more changes are made, it can be difficult to keep a level head.
The title of this post says it all. As a freelance writer, there may be times when you have to communicate with clients in a different time zone. While this may not sound like a big deal, there are some things you have to be aware of.
To start, what is the difference in time? I have some clients that are only an hour behind my time. That being said, there are others, on the other side of the world, who are sleeping when I am working – and vice versa. As you can imagine, this makes communication and staying on the same page a bit more difficult.
Before you ever start working with a client in a different time zone make sure you discuss this potential problem. It is important that both parties are aware of what this will mean for the relationship. By knowing what you are getting into, things will work out much better in the long run. The last thing you want is to be at odds with a client because you cannot find a time to speak, or are having difficulties getting on the same schedule.
For clients that are three to five hours ahead or behind, communication is not much more difficult than usual. You can use email or phone – just make sure you keep the other person’s time zone in mind. A situation in which a client is five or more hours ahead or behind, more planning and discussion is necessary.
You can find a way to communicate with a client, no matter what time zone they are in. You just need to make sure that everybody involved is aware of this difference, and is willing to make the relationship work.
Last month, I did not have any open spots in my freelance writing course. While this was great fun for me and all my students, it meant no opportunity for those hoping to get involved. Fortunately for those who have been waiting, I currently have two open spots for the upcoming month. I am happy to say that both members who left the course are now working as part-time freelancers, with the hope of going full-time in the near future.
If you are interested in nabbing one of these open spots, contact me as soon as possible. I am confident that both of them will be filled by the end of the weekend at the latest.
It is never fun to see a student leave my course, but it does mean they are on the path to future success. Hopefully I have the chance to work with a couple more of you starting next week!
It is a shame, but more and more freelance writers are focusing solely on web content. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this. But at the same time, you do not want to overlook the benefits of writing for magazines and other “offline†publications. This is where I started my career, and to this day I am still involved – even though online work is more prominent than ever.
Breaking into magazine writing is not as difficult as some freelancers make it out to be. As I tell anybody who asks, start with a copy of Writer’s Market. If you don’t want to buy the book version or want to get started right away, you can always sign up for online access. I usually do both, and it works out great in the long run.
Do you really want to get involved with magazine writing? I am not here to tell you that this is something you should definitely be doing. After all, everybody has their own plans. That being said, you should at least consider this type of writing because of the many benefits that it offers. One thing that many people love is seeing their name in print. When you get involved with feature writing for magazines this will happen time and time again.
Along with the notoriety, do not overlook the pay that comes along with being a feature writer. Believe it or not, I have been paid up to $.50/word for some articles. While most gigs start much lower, the ceiling is high.
Even though you may spend a lot of your time generating content for the web, you should never overlook the benefits of becoming a feature writer for print publications.
It is important to have a freelance writing resume that can be quickly forwarded to potential clients. Along with this, you must make sure your resume is perfect in terms of grammar and accuracy. And of course, it should be updated from time to time – this way you are giving out the best possible information.
Despite the fact that it is often times overlooked, it is essential that you update your freelance writing resume on a regular basis. How often you do this depends on your personal situation, the types of jobs that you are applying for, and what you are trying to accomplish.
Every time I add a new client to my list, I consider changing my resume to reflect this. Sometimes I make a change, other times I don’t – it all depends on how things play out. As you begin to consider the same, you will see what I mean. There are times when making a change just isn’t worth it. But at the same time, some things must be included on your resume no matter what needs done to make it happen.
If there are any major changes to your resume you should make them right away. For instance, did your phone number or address change? Did you recently have a book published? Anything that could greatly affect the decision of a potential client should be considered as top-notch importance.
As long as you are open to updating your freelance writing resume, nothing should stop you from making the proper changes when they are called for. Once you do this a few times you will become familiar with which updates are important, as well as those that you can overlook.
As a freelance writer, there are many tools you can use to market your services. Obviously, anything you can do online is going to be beneficial. This leads many aspiring writers to asking this question: do I need to start a freelance writing blog? The answer is no! Every time I tell somebody this they look at me perplexed and wonder if I made a mistake.
If you are going to work as a freelance writer you definitely need a website with information on yourself including a bio, services, testimonials, and anything else that you find to be important. But this does not mean that you also have to blog about freelance writing. There is nothing wrong with having a static website that can help you attract and inform clients and prospects.
Just because you are not blogging about freelance writing does not mean that you have to stay away from this entirely. Many people are stunned when I tell them that ChrisBlogging is not my most popular blog. Sure, it brings in a lot of traffic and I like to think that it helps many people. But over the past few years I have started blogs on other topics, from pets to business, which have become more popular.
Of course, if you want to blog about freelance writing there is nothing wrong with this. Maybe this is your passion, and you enjoy writing about it on a regular basis – I know I do!
In closing, you do not need a freelance writing blog to succeed as a writer. While it can be used as a marketing tool, it is not essential to your overall success.
Every so often a freelancer will contact me with a tough question: is it okay to work for free? Believe it or not, I also receive inquiries from companies and webmasters that want me to work free of charge for a specific period of time. While there are two sides of this story, it is important for you to use your own common sense when making a decision.
It is not difficult to see the downside of working for free. You are spending a lot of your time and not getting compensated for it. Instead, you are making money for somebody else. If you look at it from this point of view, it goes without saying that working for free is a bad idea.
Additionally, when you work for free you will have a more difficult time getting that “client†to pay you in the future. After all, they already know you can do the job without charging. For this reason, they may find it difficult to justify paying your rates when the time comes.
When does the free agreement end? This is something else you have to consider. If you do decide to work for free, you need to have an agreement in place. How long will you do this for? Is there a chance to make real money when the initial time expires? The last thing you want is to provide free services for an indefinite period of time.
What about the benefits? For one, you can build up a nice portfolio. Over the years, I have found this to be the number one reason why some freelancers will offer to work without pay. Although you have to be careful of the arrangement that you agree to, being able to collect some clips and work experience is a definite benefit.
Along with the above, you can also forge some great relationships. But again, make sure the setup is mutually beneficial. It is not in your best interest to work hard, without pay, just to make somebody else money. You have to benefit in some way, shape, or form.
It is impossible for me to say that you should or should not work for free. Instead, you need to consider your situation and decide on a case-by-case basis.
