Do you value your freelance writing career? If so, you want to avoid anything that may hold you back. Believe it or not, there are many ways to commit freelance writing suicide. And as you can imagine, this is not a good thing. Here are three situations to avoid at all costs:
1. Never plagiarize. If you get caught doing this you are going to run into more issues than you can imagine. Not only is your current client going to turn you away, but you are also going to get a bad reputation within the industry. This is never easy to overcome, and is a sure fire way to commit career suicide. As a freelance writer this is something that you must take seriously every day you sit down at your computer.
2. Don’t be an angry freelancer. Are you the type of person who is always in a bad mood? Do you always see the glass half empty? Nobody wants to do business with a freelancer who is difficult to get along with. You may be able to land clients, but if you show an evil side you will never land long-term gigs. It is your job to not only produce quality content, but to also keep an even disposition so you can form long lasting relationships.
3. Acting like you know more than the client. Even though you may have a lot of knowledge, you don’t want to come across as arrogant. If you do, your clients are going to toss you to the curb sooner rather than later. There is nothing wrong with offering your opinion, but you definitely don’t want to come across as a know-it-all. Simply put, it is your job as a freelance writer to do what the client asks. As long as you are getting paid and not crossing any legal lines you should move ahead with the project as it is outlined for you.
As you can see, you don’t want to commit freelance writing suicide. Instead, avoid the above situations at all costs.Â
As I have said in the past, I enjoy communicating with freelance writing clients via email and telephone. On one side, email is great because it is fast and effective. But on the other side of things, when you use the telephone it is easier to get on the same page. Through my experience, and I think most of you will agree, it is easy to communicate via email. That being said, you need to realize that there are some things to avoid when using email to stay in touch with clients.
It is easy to communicate via email if you provide the right information. If you don’t, you are going to find yourself exchanging email after email for no reason at all. While email is a great tool, it can also be a huge time waster if you let it. To avoid this, use a relevant subject line, and then get to the point in the body of the email. In other words, make it easy for the recipient to understand what you are saying.
While you need to send enough information, you don’t want to go overboard. This can lead to information overload and a situation where the recipient does not understand what you are after. For instance, if you are sending a quote via email make sure you don’t go overboard with other information. This will make it easier on you as well as the recipient. More information is not always better when it comes to email communication.
Don’t say anything via email that you wouldn’t say over the phone or in person. It is easy to hide behind your computer and talk a big game. But if you are not willing to say it in person you should not write it in an email. An example of this would be somebody who has no problem sending angry emails, but would never speak a bad word on the phone with a client. Don’t be one of these people. Keep a friendly, respectful tone with each email you send.
It is easy to communicate via email if you offer the right information and keep an even tone. Do you use this communication tool to your advantage? If you are a freelancer of any kind your answer should be yes.
Do you ever stop and ask why your clients stick around? In other words, why do they rely on you for all their freelance writing needs? This is an interesting question to think about, and one that can help you better understand your career.
In my experience, there are three reasons why clients stick around:
1. Quality. If you offer quality content you are going to keep the majority of your clients happy over the long haul. Believe it or not, there are many so-called freelance writers who don’t offer the best quality. When a client finds a writer who can do the job the way they want, they usually stick with them.
2. Your rates. This is not always true, but if you offer competitive rates your clients are going to stay onboard for the most part. No, this does not mean that you should lower your rates to the bottom of the industry just to attract and hold onto clients. But you should realize that your rates can have a lot to do with whether or not a client continues to work with you.
3. You are easy to work with. Don’t forget about the importance of the writer-client relationship. The way you treat your clients is very important. Even if your rates are higher than the competition, if you get along well with a client they will continue to work with you because the relationship is enjoyable and stress free.
With these three reasons in mind, you should be able to adjust your approach to ensure that your clients come back for more time and time again. Do your best to offer quality content at an affordable price while also being a pleasure to work with.Â
