How much writing experience do you have? No matter who you are, there is a very good chance that you have had to write content at some point in the past. This includes anything from an essay for a college course to a sales letter for your job and everything in between. While this may not be exactly the same as the writing you will do as a freelancer, there are some similarities. After all, writing is writing no matter if you are keeping it for yourself or selling it off to a client.
The point of this post is to let you know that you don’t have to be experienced to become a freelance writer. I receive so many emails from aspiring writers who feel that they have no chance of success because they have never freelanced in the past. This is silly if you think about it. Did I have freelance writing experience when I first started? Of course not. Remember, everybody has to start somewhere. Everybody has to take on their first freelance writing gig at some point in time.
Don’t let your lack of formal freelance writing experience hold you back from making this your career. As noted above, you probably have some level of writing experience – even if it is only basic. This is all you need in order to make the transition to the freelance industry.
It is a shame that so many aspiring freelance writers are stopped in their tracks because they feel they are not experienced enough. Don’t let what you have (or haven’t) done in the past stop you from reaching your goals in the future. Chances are that you have enough experience and skills to try your hand at freelance writing.
Do you take regular phone calls from your clients? Do you enjoy this? Do you despise it? Every so often I feel like I should touch on this topic. The reason for this is simple: I am always getting questions about how to best communicate with clients. Along with this, you may be surprised at how many freelance writers hate using the telephone.
Personally, I believe that you should be open to taking phone calls no matter what. This may be a big change for you, but in the long run it is one that will help immensely. Simply put, some clients are more interested in speaking on the phone than using email. Is there anything wrong with this? Not in my book!
So, what is the problem? To start, some freelance writers are terrified at the thought of speaking on the phone with clients. They never liked doing this in past careers, and will continue to avoid it at all costs. It is essential to realize that some clients will only want to communicate via phone. If you don’t agree to this you are going to find it very difficult to keep them onboard.
The other issue is that phone calls to take up a lot of time. I totally agree that this is something to be worried about. The last thing you want is to spend so much time on the phone that you are not getting your work done. To avoid problems in this area, you can do a couple things:
1. Set aside certain times of the day to contact clients and/or return their phone calls. This way you are working on your own schedule.
2. Let your clients know when you are best available via telephone. While this does not always work, it will help cut back on the number of calls you receive when trying to write.
To become a successful freelance writer you need to be willing to speak with clients on the phone. This may not come up very often, but when it does make sure you are ready!
As a freelance writer you are going to run into bad clients from time to time. This happens to me every so often, and you should expect the same at some point. While this is part of the freelance writing industry, it is never fun. That being said, you can learn a lot from a bad client. You might as well take something positive away from this experience.
Here are two things a bad client can teach you:
1. How not to treat people. Is your client in the habit of talking down on you? Does he call at all hours of the day with demands that you have to meet without delay? By sitting back and watching how your client acts you can get a good idea of what you should avoid when dealing with others, no matter who they may be.
2. What to look for in future clients. It goes without saying that you want to avoid bad clients at all costs. Once you work with a few of these you should be able to better avoid them in the future. Do all of your bad clients start out by making demands that are unrealistic? If so, the moment that you recognize this happening you should either put a stop to it or walk away. This way you don’t get too deep, as you did in the past, and find yourself in a worse position.
There is nothing worse than getting involved with a bad client. Unfortunately, this happens even when you are guarding against it. Do yourself a favor and learn from these experiences. This will make you a better freelance writer in the long run.
