Freelance Game Plan: Planning Your Next Year

It’s November 2021. Do you know where your plan for 2022 is?

I’m a big believer in every day being your best chance to plan your future. You could start today and plan for what next week, next month, next year, or the next decade will look like.  And I contend that you should.

Right now, let’s plan something. Since we have two months left in the year and, at this desk at least, many clients are wrapping up projects and not starting new ones, let’s look to January and beyond.

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Every smart freelancer I know plans well in advance for their next projects, next clients, next earnings goal. Let’s start with that last one, because I think it’s going to be the thing that could be your game-changer.

Earnings Goal

What do you want to earn in 2022? Not what you think you will — what do you want to earn? If you’re at $30,000 a year, go on. Write down $50,000. You’re not that far off. Or hey, shoot for $75,000.  Why not? Start thinking positively, and stop building mental roadblocks between you and where you want to be.

Now break that goal down into 12 increments. That’s your earnings goal per month. I suggest that as your target instead of the larger number or even a weekly number. Weekly numbers are too erratic. One week you make $1,000 the next you make $400. Give yourself a 30-day window for those earnings.

Oh, and you’re giving yourself a raise. If you plan to shoot higher in earnings, make it a little easier on yourself by raising your rate.

Once you figure that out, you move to the next step, which is:

Accountability

Today, get yourself an accountability partner. Ideally, this will be another writer. It could be a friend, but try to stick with someone who’s freelancing in some fashion. At the end of each month, you will call this person or send an email detailing:

• The projects you’ve worked on (number of or type — up to you entirely)
• How/how often you’ve marketed
• Your earnings (I count invoices sent — you might choose invoices paid or some other method)
• Your plan for next month (an example: “I need to reach out to more potential clients, so next month, I’m hoping to send out six more pitches”)

Your accountability partner, by mere existence alone, will propel your results in ways you cannot believe. When Joy Drohan and I became partners, I saw my business results improve because now I had to tell someone what I’d been up to. Sitting around didn’t look so go on paper.

Marketing

I’ve gone on about marketing here for quite a few years. Rather than repeat, I’ll just leave these links to marketing posts that can get you started or help you improve.

Find a few marketing methods that appeal to you. Email, social media, snail mail, phone — whatever it is, make it something you know you’ll do. If it gives you agita to even think about doing it a certain way, that’s not for you. Please, in all of this, remain true to who you are.

Make a marketing schedule. Every day, reach out in some way. A retweet. A comment on a LinkedIn forum. An email pitch. A client follow-up. Every day is the right day to market. And don’t forget — networking is also essential to your survival. Meet people in your chosen area of concentration. Join groups. Take part in conversations. Be seen in those circles. Don’t sell on the first date. Networking should be about making connections. Marketing too, but there’s a sales element to marketing, though again, not on first contact. And please, do not be the person who does this: “I saw you looked at my LinkedIn profile! Are you looking for a writer?” That’s just creepy.

New Directions

You may write about the environment today, but think it would be neat to include a more corporate slant, such as green construction, sustainable products, reducing manufacturing carbon footprint more affordably. Whatever you want to do next, plan it. To make it part of your 2022 freelance writing plan, nail down these things:

• The focus
• The client
• A list of potential clients
• Your pitch to them
• Relevant, related work that shows your experience (if you don’t have this, skip this bullet)

That’s it. You’ve just mapped out your new area of concentration.

And with that last step, you’ve also mapped out where you’ll start on January 2, 2022. And every day.

Know this, too — your plan is a living plan. It’s going to change as your needs, desires, and goals change. Let it. Improve on it as you go, and keep your focus on doing what’s right and best for you. Your freelance writing career — and business — will reward you for it.

Writers, how far out do you plan for your next year?
Do you plan more long term or short term? What works best for you?