Freelance Game Plan: Create a New Routine

October already? Lord, that summer went by quickly. Here we are in our 10th installment of Freelance Game Plan. How are you finding your results for 2021 so far?

You know those moments where you have no work in front of you and you want to be doing something, but you feel more like you’re twisting in the wind?

You do? Good. You’re normal.

I’m a person who lives by a routine. And why not? Routines set the cadence of your day. They keep you grounded when things are flying at you from every direction. A routine can keep you from overbooking, from losing your place, from working well past quitting time. Not that you won’t succumb to the pressure on occasion, but on other days, it’s that little reminder that you can stop working and get away from the screen.

Could you live without that first cup of caffeine each morning? No? Then why not make a routine for your work day that you can rely on just as much?

Maybe you have a routine already, but you just don’t feel you can get anything done. Maybe what you have, then, is more of a direction and less of a formal schedule. And maybe formal would work better for you.

[bctt tweet=”How can you change your #freelancewriting routine to improve your business?” username=”LoriWidmer”]

So let’s look at a hypothetical scenario to see how adopting — or changing — a routine might work for you:

Ellie is a five-year freelance veteran. To date, she has gone through the usual beginner struggles, but has managed to nail down some ongoing client work. Lately her work has been steadier, but there’s a lot of hit-and-miss work and not a ton of regular work.

She finds herself idle for days at a time. Last month, Ellie worked on four projects, which brought in $4000. While she was happy with this, she wants more stability, and she wouldn’t mind having a few more regular clients and fewer of the one-off clients.

Ellie has the right idea on that last point. The one-off clients, while they do provide you with a paycheck, are just as much work to locate as the regular ones. So ask  yourself: which is better? Getting one client that pays you once or getting another client who gives you steady work for a year or more?

So with all that free time, Ellie can create a new routine that helps her find that steady work.

A slow-day routine.

It could look something like this:

The foundation-building routine: Ellie wants to create a list of clients, or a list of industries for which she would like to write. She’s going to find at least 10 potential clients from Twitter or LinkedIn or articles she reads, and that’s going to be the client she researches and pitches her services to.

While she’s at it, Ellie will look at the projects and industries she’s already familiar with. She’s going to ask herself what other industries share the same or similar interests. She writes about travel for consumer publications. But now she’s thinking that writing for a trade magazine could open things up for her. So she lists the travel-related trade areas she could concentrate on.

• Hotel, resorts, RV parks
• Camping equipment manufacturers, RV manufacturers, trailer manufacturers
• Charter companies
• Hospitality management

Wow, right there, if Ellie lists ten potential clients from each of those areas, she wouldn’t have to repeat this exercise for years.  But every time she gets a slow period, Ellie is going to turn to those lists and pitch to those clients, or research them and find the names/contact info and reach out. When the list depletes, she repeats.

The pitch/follow up routine: Ellie may hate follow up, but that’s why she’s making it a routine. The more she does it, the less averse to it she’ll be. She’ll start her routine with creating a good pitch that she can easily personalize (with her background usually the only thing that doesn’t change). She’ll also create her follow-up script, and she’ll decide whether it’s phone or email she’ll use for follow-up, or maybe both.

When she finishes a project, she’s going to pull out her foundation list, and she’s going to send one pitch. And if she has time, she’s going to follow up with one of her previous pitches.

Ellie doesn’t want to wait until she’s idle to pitch, though. And that’s a good decision. So she’s going to make the first five minutes of her day, or that five minutes before lunch, her time to pitch to someone. She’s created a recurring calendar appointment for it, too. That way, it becomes more important, and she’s more likely to stick with it.

The networking routine: Ellie isn’t going to forget about networking, either. Those times after the pitch routine and the foundation list are completed, she’s going to use social media wisely. She’s going to check in with other freelancers, because a writer needs colleagues and friends, but she’s also going to interact with potential and existing clients online. She’s going to start or enter conversations and, instead of being a salesperson, she’s going to be interested. And she’s going to be a resource where she can be.

She’s also intent on staying in touch with clients, both current and past. So she’s going to send a few “How are you?” emails, a few tweets asking how they are, or retweeting something they’ve shared, sharing her own comments. She’s going to interact, not sell.

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Three different routines that Ellie can take on. Three different routines that can be used separately or together. And guess what? These are three routines that you can start using today.

Whatever Ellie does, she’s going to do it consistently. Hit-and-miss gets her the same results she’s had so far. She’s wanting more than that. She’s ready to get serious.

Are you?

Writers, what routines do you have in place for when things are slow?
What are your favorite methods for finding quality clients?