Freelance Writing|Freelance Writer

Have no Fear, Ask for Help

Even the best freelance writers run into complicated situations that are difficult to overcome. If you are facing an issue with a particular project the best thing you can do is get in touch with the client. Many freelance writers will never do this, but they are making a huge mistake. I strongly believe in asking for help if need be. This does not mean that you should bother clients with questions that you can answer on your own, but if you are truly stumped you should ask for assistance.

Why are some freelance writers afraid to ask for help? Simply put, they are worried that the client will think less of them. In other words, the client will find somebody else who is more knowledgeable to complete the job. In most cases, from my experience, this is not the case. In fact, most of my clients are more than happy to clear up any complications. Remember, both you and the client want to do what is best. There is no reason to believe that your client will become upset and turn away if you ask a question. 

Think about it this way: it is better to ask for help when you run into a problem than to proceed and find out in the end that you made the wrong decision. In this case, the client may become upset because a lot of time has been wasted, etc.

This is a subject that I have talked about before, and one that will continue to come up time after time. It is very important that you keep an open line of communication with all clients, and that you are never afraid to ask for help when need be. Many of the students in my course were afraid to communicate with clients when they started. But guess what? After they asked a few questions and began to communicate on a regular basis, this changed. Once you ask for help one time it will become much easier to do so in the future.

All in all, you are a professional. You should treat your freelance writing as a business while also treating clients with respect. And in this case, respect to both parties means asking for help when you need it. 

Increase your Income by Asking for More Money

So you want to increase your freelance writing income? As you can imagine, there are many ways to do this. That being said, one of the easiest is to ask your clients for more money. This may sound bold, but it will work in your favor time after time if you know what you are doing.

The number one reason that many freelance writers do not ask for more money is fear. In other words, they are afraid that their client will either tell them no or get so mad that they end the relationship. Could this happen? Sure. But the chances, if you say the right things, are slim to none.

As noted above, you need to know how to ask for more money. While this will change with each client, here are some basic tips that you can use:

1. Do not insult the client. You can ask for more money without being overbearing, and coming across as unappreciative. Try this: “At the beginning of next month my rates will be increasing. The increase is nothing major, but I wanted to make you aware so that we can work out a deal that will allow us to work together well into the future.”

2. Be open to negotiating. For instance, if you are earning $.10/word right now, you may want to increase this to $.20/word in the near future. You should ask for $.20/word, but be prepared to negotiate down if the client does not accept. At the very least, you should be able to meet in the middle which is still a nice increase when compared to your starting point. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with negotiating when it comes time to increase your rates.

One of the easiest ways to increase your freelance writing income is by working with the same clients but asking them to pay you more. It is common to get stuck in a rut with long term clients that pay you the same rate month in and month out. When you feel that you are worthy of an increase there is nothing wrong with asking. You may be surprised at how willing your client is to negotiate a higher rate.  

Open Spots in my Freelance Writing Course

As you may have noticed, I have decided to open my freelance writing course to a few more members. More specifically, I am upping the maximum to 20 members as opposed to the previous cap of 10.

Over the past few months I have had a full class, as well as a decent sized waiting list. In order to give more people the opportunity to work with me one-on-one, I am going to cap the membership base at 20 for upcoming months. If this works out well, I may make another increase in the future.

The first few months of the course have been a learning experience. I have pinpointed what the majority of members want to learn, what they expect, and how I should move forward with the course to make it as beneficial as possible. Even though an increased membership base will mean more of a commitment, it will also mean more help for the masses.

With 9 members carrying over from last month and a waiting list of 15 to 20, I am confident that these additional spots will fill up quickly. For this reason, if interested, you will want to act fast and email me as soon as possible.

If you are interested in joining, but are unsure of the benefits, check out the freelance writing course link at the top of the blog. This should answer most of your questions. If not, feel free to contact me with any particular details or questions that may be on your mind.

All in all, I am anxious to take on new students. For those of you interested in getting started, send me a quick email and from there we will be well on our way.