Countdown to Freelance Success

Maybe it was the poster on a forum who was asking for advice on whether she should update her 19-year-old manuscript before publishing it. Maybe it was the writer I met recently who, despite being a career veteran, couldn’t make ends meet. Maybe it was the Twitter connection who shunned all advice and clung to the “there are no good freelancing gigs out there” spiel.

All of them have one thing in common:

Inertia.

In each case (maybe most obviously in the first one), someone is hesitant. In a few cases, I’d bet laziness has married inertia. What is certain is that these writers are failing not because of the market or the lack of clients. They’re failing because they’re not really trying to move beyond their current roadblocks.

Bet me if you think it’s not true.

There is no reason any writer should be clinging to the same manuscript for nearly two decades. Only one attempt to publish. And hell yes, you need to update, by the way. There’s no reason why a career writer cannot make ends meet, especially now. There’s work in nearly every corner, from my experience, and clients are doing exactly what so many would-be writers think they do anyway — they’re looking for you instead of you looking for them. Of course, that means they have to know you exist. But if they know, you won’t be idle.

So how are we going to help our hapless freelancers find their way to a successful freelance writing career?

Well, maybe that’s asking for too much. We can give them guidance. They have to do the work. But it takes just a short list of changes in their habits to turn a struggling freelancer into a thriving one.

[bctt tweet=”What does your #freelance countdown to success include?” username=”LoriWidmer”]

My list includes these:

10. Get off your ass.

That work isn’t really going to come to you. You have to seek it. Unless you have a specialty, happy clients, and an active social media presence, no one is coming knocking without an invitation. Waiting for work to appear is no different than waiting for work to appear when you’re not a freelancer — it doesn’t happen without you acting to change something.

9. Get to know your potential clients.

You may think those people you networked with years ago won’t remember you. If you haven’t stayed in touch, you’re probably right. So go on — reach out right now. See how they’re doing, what they’re working on, if they’d enjoy catching up on the phone. Get to know these people and what they do. Ask about family, work, projects, things their company has done recently. Meet them on social media and keep the conversation going.

8. Put yourself out there.

Yep, social media is going to be your best friend. Try writing for LinkedIn or sharing key posts on Twitter that relate to the clients you’re hoping to attract. Comment. Ask questions. Be seen, for crying out loud. If you show interest, if you interact, you’ll build a much stronger network. That network could be where your next client comes from, either through referral or from the network itself.

7. Drop the damn excuses.

If your initial reaction to this post is to respond that I simply don’t understand how tough it is for you, save it. I do understand. I was a struggling writer once, too. Really, for far too long, in fact. But I paid attention to how successful writers were operating. I learned lessons from failure. I grew a business that fit me and fit the kind of work I wanted to do. I did that amid a number of years in which client work eluded me. I switched it up and found a method that worked for me. Do that. That’s much better than making thin excuses.

6. Try something different.

I know you love to write magazine articles or blogs because they’re familiar and within your comfort zone. Or you don’t want to write anything in healthcare beyond “Medicare 101” type of articles. But what if you took those magazine topics as proof to a client in that particular field that you well understand how to present the same kind of material for them? (Pssst: clients often pay more than magazines.) Or you decided to tackle more meaty healthcare topics, such as legislative updates or topics for healthcare management organizations. Those political posts you write can be a great springboard to writing for activist groups, political committees, or even candidates themselves. Look beyond your self-imposed borders.

5. Market, for f*ck sake.

When was the last time you sent a letter of introduction or an email to a potential client asking for a conversation? Never? Then refer to point #10’s title. Send out pitches, reach out to potential clients, tap that network and see if anyone is looking for writing help. And hey, brag a little. Why not send a link to your latest article or client project? Generate interest by showing them what you bring to the table.

4. Stop applying for jobs. You’re not an employee, dammit.

If your primary method of finding clients is to troll job boards, you’ve yet to realize you’re a business owner. Business owners don’t apply for work. They create contacts and reach out to potential clients to offer their services. So when do you apply for a job? When you’re sick of freelancing and want a 9-to-5 again. If you see a killer job that suits you, great. Throw your hat in there. But know that about 10,000 other writers are doing the same thing. Yeah, that job loses its appeal when you look at it that way, right?

3. Emulate the phrase “I’m kind of a big deal.”

Thank Christian Siriano for that phrase. In the most tongue-in-cheek way, he uttered that phrase more than once before winning Project Runway Season 4. And damn if he wasn’t right — he’s now a successful designer and host of Project Runway. He embraced the phrase and worked his ass off to live up to it.

You, freelancer, are a big deal. You committed to this freelancing thing, and you’re damn well not going to let anyone hold you back — most of all, yourself. You have skills. You deserve to be in the room.

2. Ask smart questions.

One writer I knew asked the same broad question for four years. Don’t know if she ever acted on the advice, but I know I stopped responding. Another writer didn’t want anyone to know he was struggling, so instead of tapping into the successful writers in the room, he tried to make his business sound successful. Still another writer decided that whining and begging for work from strangers was better than working to get her business into shape.

Other writers will help you (for free, by the way). Ask a question they can answer in less than a paragraph, and one that shows you tried to learn how to freelance on your own. Anyone who types “Freelance writing” into a search engine knows there are countless pages of content out there that tell you the basics. What you want is the answers that no one is writing about. Like how the writer came to their pricing method. Or what marketing method they’ve found effective and why. Or where they have looked to find clients. Those are questions any writer can, and will, answer.

1. Always improve.

Learn marketing. Perfect your own method. Create opportunities. Teach yourself how to think beyond the project in front of you. Get comfortable with brainstorming with your client. Become that client’s trusted resource and faithful partner. Teach yourself something new and do your best to master it. Go beyond the books and courses and hone your instincts. Watch other writers and adopt those habits that are most successful for them.

Writers, what else can you add to this list? 
How would you advise a writer who’s struggling?