7 Unexpected Lessons From 7 Years of Freelance Writing
“So, how exactly did you get started as a freelance writer?”
This year marks almost a decade of freelance writing for me, and it’s been a timely reminder to reflect on my early beginnings and key learnings. Something that surprises quite a few people when I tell them is: I never set out to be a freelance writer — and I definitely didn’t expect to make money from it.
From writing for free to marginally more than free, to now coveting several clients where I get to write regularly on my favorite topics. Some of whom pay me per piece, at the prices I set, and some who pay me a monthly retainer.
In the past couple of years, I’ve managed to curate a work-life balance that sees me splitting my work week between my two big loves - delivering careers education in schools and freelance writing - without compromising on my financial stability. There’s a lot of guidance out there for those seeking to carve out a freelance career for themselves, but here are seven of the biggest lessons I’ve learned to listen to and live by.
Lesson One: No One Cares About Your Masters In Writing
I’m part of a few different writing groups, both online and offline, and I see a lot of posts in the online forums along the lines of:
‘I’ve just graduated with my MA in Journalism/Creative Writing and have been looking for work but always get turned down. I don’t have any experience or bylines yet, but I don’t want to work for free — what can I do?’
I know it’s a little heartbreaking and many new graduates don’t feel they should work for free after putting in the slog to gain their qualifications but a universal and tough truth: most clients don’t give two hoots about your MA. What they do care about is your ability to produce high-quality content and an understanding of what the industry demands are. If you have no bylines or previous experience to show this, then it’s going to be hard — no matter what industry you work in.
Writing for free gets such a bad rep, but it’s how I, and a lot of other freelance writers I know, got started. About four months after I started writing regular blog articles for free, I got contacted to write for other sites that were paying. Over time I’ve increased my fees and I now have a string of credentials, bylines, and client references to back-up my price points.
Freelance writing is a hugely competitive market. You can either sit around sulking about having to write a few things for free, or you can get stuck in and begin building your track record to success. A lesson I wish knew when I started out was to be selective about where you write for free — there are so many great platforms you can get your words onto if you put the work in. Not all of them are paying markets but they’re great places to start.
Lesson Two: It’s Not Always About the Money
The sad truth is there have been a couple of editors I’ve worked with who were just downright toxic. For one site, I was part of a team of around 5 or so other writers and we would get daily emails from the editor dripping with sarcasm, thinly veiled digs at certain writers, and bizarre ultimatums about our deliverables for content. The site paid well, but after a few months, I decided it just wasn’t worth the harassment.
I dropped the client and spent a month or so writing for free (again) but with a much nicer editor who ended up referring me to an acquaintance who was looking for a staff writer (paid). I still write for free occasionally for the initial site, because I’ve become good friends with the editor and she still refers me onto others she knows in the paying market. It’s a wonderful balance.
Work with good people and the work will always be rewarding — in more ways than one.
Lesson Three: Invest Back Into You
When you freelance, your days can quickly become black holes if you don’t set some ground rules and create some structure for yourself. One thing I’ve definitely noticed is that my busy periods come in waves. When I’m busy, it’s all crashing around me and when I’m not? Well .. all quiet out at sea.
During this time I’ll do a stocktake of the work I’ve been doing and create an evaluation of what’s been working well and what hasn’t. I’ll ask myself what skill areas need addressing or try to identify any knowledge gaps recent work has highlighted that I might need to focus on.
Then I get stuck in. The library becomes my best friend, I find a freelancing colleague to catch up with and pick the brains of, and I check out a relevant online course.
As in any career pathway, a commitment to lifelong learning and self-investment is absolutely crucial to stay fresh, motivated and committed to the course.
Lesson Four: Don’t Be Afraid To Test Your Limits
Once you start writing and build a solid client base, it’s really easy to stick to what you know. I definitely did for the longest time, sticking with blog content, press releases, and newsletters for some small businesses I worked with. I enjoyed the work, knew exactly how to do it and what my clients needed from me.
Then I started to get requests for other content writing. Namely, I was asked to research and write a Whitepaper for a huge business client. I had no clue how to go about writing such a document, and I had sincere doubts that my prowess as a writer could meet the expectations I felt this client would be seeking.
I could have said no and stuck to what I knew, but instead, I put my big girl boots on, said yes and worked my little peachy behind off to learn everything I needed to on how to write a Whitepaper.
Did I get it perfect the first time? Nope. But I learned A LOT. And the client asked me to help out on some other projects too. The great thing about working freelance is you get to set your challenges — so make sure they’re good ones. You never know where they’ll lead.
Lesson Five: Focus on Developing Your EQ
In one of my old jobs, I ran a guest lecture series for students called ‘What I Really Do’. All my students were studying creative subjects, so the speakers were a mix of professionals from various creative walks of life.
One sentiment from a speaker who worked as a Sound Engineer and Musician on how to be successful as a freelancer was this:
“Don’t be an asshole. No one wants to work with them, and everyone in the industry will know you are one. Because we all talk to each other.”
This is such crucial advice in any field. Something I definitely learned when starting out was that people are happy to work with beginners if they demonstrate strong Emotional Intelligence (EQ). But no one will work with a hardcore professional if they don’t.
What does EQ look like in this context?
Timely and professional/friendly communication. ALWAYS.
Seeking clarification, asking questions, and taking the time to get to know your client and their needs before and during your working relationship.
Knowing how to handle delicate situations diplomatically and positively (sometimes invoices get ‘mislaid’, shouting off about it will not helo your cause).
Making suggestions and recommendations if you feel it would benefit your client. Essentially, showing an interest in helping them succeed and how you can help add value to do so.
We all want to work with good people, who understand our role, our business, and who want to help us achieve good things. The more I’ve invested in being able to deliver just that to my clients, the better our working relationship and the more work I get.
Lesson Six: Client Referrals are Gold
Some of the best work I’ve got has come through a current client referring me on to someone they know. The great thing about client referrals is that you’ve already got someone they know and trust 100% backing your work. Those conversations are some of the easiest pitches I’ve ever had to make.
Securing client referrals goes back to lesson number five around making sure you work on your EQ in all your client relationships too. When people genuinely like you and the work you do, they’ll definitely want to help you to keep doing more of it.
Lesson Seven: ‘The Click’ Becomes Your Drug
‘The Click’ is that moment when you’re writing a piece and it all just suddenly clicks together. Maybe I started writing and I didn’t have a strong structure, or I was unsure how to end the piece. Sometimes I’ll start writing and I know the angle is just a little bit off, or boring, or not getting to the heart of the matter I want to write about.
And then, it’s like a switch flips in my head, and I know exactly how the piece is going to come together. At this moment, you’ll see me lean forward as my fingers go to town on my laptop keyboard and I let the process of flow take over my writing.
It’s such a satisfying feeling and one I look forward to every time I get started on a new writing piece.
Freelancing is a competitive field, but as more businesses strive towards working with freelancers, and more people seek to utilize their core skills in ways only a freelancing career can really offer, I think there’s enough work out there for all of us.
As someone who never imagined I’d be walking down this path in life, it’s pretty amazing to reflect on how my journey has transitioned over the years. I’m excited to see what lessons the next ten years bring my way, and if the above lessons help you on your way too, that’s really rather nice.
