Following up with Freelance Writing Clients: Are you being ignored?
I have said time and time again that following up with freelance writing clients is very important. After all, if they are not thinking about you they may turn to somebody else for the next job that comes up. But what if you get the feeling that a client is ignoring you? What should you do then?
Simply put, there is a fine line between following up with a client and annoying the heck out of them. Personally, each follow up email that I send is based on my past dealings with that particular client. In other words, there is no standard on how often you should follow up. For the most part, I like to check in with past clients at least once per month. This is nothing more than a quick email letting them know that I am available, and would be glad to help with any new projects.
If you have followed up three times without any response, there is a good chance you are being ignored, to a certain extent that is. At this point, you may simply want to move on. If the client needs something from you, they will get in touch. Until then, you should go about your business with clients that you are actually servicing at the time.
Remember, things do come up from time to time. For instance, I finished a very large ongoing project for a client at the end of June. They told me to follow up every so often, so once a month I would do so. After three months without a response, I pretty much figured that they had moved on. But just when I forgot about them, I received an email explaining a serious situation they had at their office. I replied that it was no big deal, and a couple emails later I had a new $1,000 job on the table.
All in all, following up with your past freelance writing clients is important. Just remember two things:
1. You do not want to go overboard with the number of emails you send.
2. Situations do arise that may hold a client back. Give them time to respond to your follow-ups.
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