No matter how great of a freelance writer you are, there are going to be times when you receive a rejection letter or email. This happens to the best of us, even when the job seems to be a perfect fit. Although a rejection is disappointing, you can learn quite a bit from it.
Here are three things you can learn from any rejection:
1. Determine what went wrong. If you are lucky, the editor will send back a brief note explaining why your query was rejected. You may find that your article suggestion was not right for that particular publication. Or maybe they loved what you had to say, but they just aren’t looking for freelancers at this time. No matter what, it is important that you know why you were rejected. This way you can better position yourself for future success.
2. Did you do anything right? You may have to dig to find this answer. As noted above, some editors will happily write back, tell you what they do and don’t like, and let you take things from there. But with others, you will have to sift through the rejection and pull out both the good and bad.
3. How to be resilient. The last thing you want is to get down on yourself every time something goes wrong. Freelance writers have to be resilient. No matter how many queries you send out, whether it is a few or 100, you are probably going to receive rejections. This is all part of being a freelance writer.
Don’t get in the habit of ripping up or deleting rejections before you take the time to learn from them. The more you learn the better chance you have of success with the next one.
Over the years I have made many mistakes as a freelance writer. One that you definitely want to avoid is starting a project before you fully understand what your client wants. If you do this, you are making more work for yourself while also wasting a lot of time.
Here are three things you can do to better understand what your client wants:
1. Just ask. If you have any questions, no matter what they are, ask the client for clarification. This way you are both on the same page from the word “go.†You may be surprised at how much easier the project becomes when both parties are chasing the same goals.
2. Get on the phone. In many cases, I have found that communicating solely via email leads to more confusion than there has to be. By getting on the phone and having a five minute conversation you will be able to clear up any potential issues that are standing between you and a successful project.
3. Don’t stop until you get the right answers. While it may be difficult to ask one question after the next, if this is necessary it is something you must do. Even though you may feel awkward, remember this: your client would rather you ask many questions than guess and hope that you are making the right decisions.
Once you fully understand what your client is looking for, you should be ready to start and complete the project without any worries.
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.
