As a freelance writer I communicate with clients day after day. Some days I only send emails, others I spend a lot of time on the phone. And from time to time I even meet with clients in person. What does all of this mean to me? Simply put, effective communication can go a long way in avoiding trouble with clients. This is why I strongly suggest to every freelance writer that they make themselves available to clients through various communication methods.
You don’t like talking on the phone, right? I get this a lot from aspiring freelance writers. They prefer to talk with clients via email if at all possible. While email is a great way of communicating with clients, keep in mind that sometimes it just doesn’t cut the slack. You can accomplish more in a quick phone call than you can in a long email chain. On top of all this, there are some clients who will simply prefer to talk on the phone. So if you want to keep the gig you do not really have a choice.
When you effectively communicate with clients you can avoid a lot of trouble. For instance, if you are going to miss a deadline you need to let the client know as soon as possible. Or if you run into a problem this is also something that you should communicate. It is better to get in touch and stay in touch than to disappear and only talk when the job is complete.
Over the years I have found communication to be a very big piece of the freelance writing puzzle. Many people think that being a freelance writer means hiding out, completing jobs without guidance, and moving onto the next task. While some of this is true, communicating with clients is also a very important part of your job description.
If you are open to communicating with clients in many ways you will find yourself running into less trouble. In turn, you will have happy clients that pay on time and send repeat work.Â
This is a difficult topic to approach because every freelance writer is different in their own way. One person may be able to build their freelance writing career for many months before moving onto something else. Another may only have a couple weeks to get up and running. How long you should stick with your freelance writing career is up to you and you alone. That being said, I want to give some basic advice to ensure that you do not give up on yourself too early in the process.
First things first, you need to be realistic when starting your freelance writing career. If you go into the process hoping to make $10k/month right away you are going to be disappointed soon enough. It is important that you set realistic short term goals, as well as long term goals that will keep you working day after day.
Before you give up on your career as a freelance writer you need to ask yourself one question: why am I doing this? If you do not have a good reason you may be making the wrong decision. For some, giving up on freelance writing is a necessity because they need money now. For others, giving up is a result of not liking the work they are doing. If you have a good reason you can at least be confident that you made the right decision.
In my opinion, entirely too many people give up on freelance writing too soon. During my first month as a writer I earned $52. While it would have been easy to give up at that time, I forged ahead and everything quickly settled into place.
Only you know how long you are willing to stick with your freelance writing career. Just remember that quitting too soon could end up being a decision you regret.Â
Over the years I have found that many people don’t become freelance writers for the same reasons. These “freelance writing fears†are not always easy to overcome. In fact, some people don’t even try. Instead, they decide that becoming a freelance writer is not worth it and they in turn put their career on the back burner.
If you want to overcome your fears you have to face them head on. Some that you may run into when trying to become a freelance writer include:
1. General fear of the unknown. Anytime you start a new job you are sure to be a bit scared. Not only will you be scared of what the future holds, but you may also be worried that you do not have what it takes. This is something that all aspiring freelance writers face. Fortunately, once you settle in you will realize that there was nothing to worry about in the first place.
2. Not earning enough money. There are a lot of myths surrounding the freelance writing industry. One of the most common is that freelancers cannot make as much money as those with a more traditional position. This is not the truth now and never will be. You may not have a steady paycheck, but as a freelance writer there is a lot of potential to earn big money.
3. Others will talk about me. Believe it or not, I have heard this “fear†many times over the years. Some people want to please everybody around them, including friends and family. They are afraid of what others will say about becoming a freelance writer, and for this reason they never move forward. You should never feel like you have to please people in your life. Do what is best for you right now. If your friends and family truly care for you, they will support your decision.
If you are worried about becoming a freelance writer you are not alone. The above fears are common, but none of them should stop you from reaching your goals.
