The 2022 Freelance Writing Career Reboot

I hate resolutions. But many of you know that already.

Why they suck —

Resolutions are promises, empty ones at best. We promise to lose five pounds. We promise to get a better job. We promise to find more clients. Notice anything about these promises?

Not one of them is a plan. Not one thing you swear to yourself on January 1st will happen if all you do is say it. “Resolve” is to decide to do it. So you’re just deciding. What you need to make it happen is action.

You need a plan.

[bctt tweet=”Why #resolutions suck and why #freelancewriting plans are the way to go.” username=”@LoriWidmer”]

And plans are the way to go. When you plan to get your clients, you’re going to ask yourself how that’s happening, what you’ll do to attract them, and where you’re going to find them. See? Three questions. And the answers are your plan.

How freaking easy was that?

But you’re not done, no no. You have to act on it. That’s right — you have to work for those clients. Who would have thought?

• How many days a week are you going to reach out to potential clients?
• What are you going to say?
• When are you going to follow up? (And how often because honey, you best be following up or it’s all pointless)

Who said creating a marketing plan was tough?

While we on the topic of attracting clients, let’s talk about a few other things that can realign your freelance career:

Revamp your self-promotion, too.

I noticed on Twitter that some writers who were the absolute worst at promoting themselves have changed their methods. Great! Except that they’re still using hashtags that are not reaching their intended audience but reaching other writers. That’s a big misstep.  Relatively few writers have hired me over the years, and they were writers who knew me and knew my work. It is a rare day when a writer trusts a client project to a stranger. Or it’s a foolish writer. I’m betting on the latter.

Promote, yes. But do so to the right audience.

Retire bad ideas and habits.

I have to mention this one because we all get into some fairly bad habits over time. Mine used to be the overuse of “that.” Now it’s probably my serious addiction to em dashes. There are plenty of bad habits floating around. These have caught my attention in the last month:

• Do you tweet dead links? One writer I know does. I’ve alerted said writer — twice — and a year later, it’s still happening. 404 is not an enticing morsel of your writing capabilities.
• Do you overuse GIFs? They can be funny in the moment, but if they’re stuck at the top of someone’s social media feed, they become a nails-on-chalkboard experience.
• Does your business social media account read like a political argument? I myself am so sick of politics I won’t even read the memes anymore. If you’re trying to get clients, negative political arguments or even showing your bias is a bad idea.
• Are you flouting the rules? That post you want to put in the LinkedIn forum that goes against the forum guidelines is going to be rejected. You’re not the exception to the rule — you’re the reason the rule had to be made. Stop over-promoting in inappropriate places.
• Have you asked, “How do I get started in freelancing?” Know that the question has taken plenty of books to answer. Do your homework first, then come back with more targeted questions.
• Are you answering job postings this way: “check out my profile and get back to me”? If so, you’ve just told the client you don’t follow directions and can’t be bothered to provide even the basic information in order to get the gig.

Treat yourself right.

My friend Paula Hendrickson has just started something good. Really good. She’s calling it “It’s My Monday” (#ItsMyMonday) and it’s her day to write what she wants to write. Scripts for Paula. Poetry for me.

That’s what’s often missing in our freelance writing worlds. We get so wrapped up in client work that we forget to do what we love, to insert those projects that caused us to freelance in the first place. Think of yourself as a client to, well, yourself. Monday is your day. Or Friday. Or whatever day you want it to be. Limit client work on that day. Devote time to your projects. Enrich your own life first — you’ll be a much happier, better writer for it.

Give yourself a raise.

As I mentioned in December, my biggest mistake in 2021 was not giving myself a raise. I haven’t been doing so regularly. Not anymore. As I ease myself into retirement, I’m increasing my rates. The goal is to slide into retirement doing less work for the same or more earnings. Why not? After 21 years of it, I’ve more than earned the higher, specialized rate.

How about you? When was your last raise? Bump yourself up 20 percent. I’d bet that would get you close to what you should be charging.

Treat every day like your new beginning.

What bugs me most about New Year’s is how we wait for it in order to make positive changes. I think January 4th is a good day. So is March 23rd. Or July 17th. Every single day is your chance to make positive changes in your freelance writing business. If today wasn’t stellar, decide how tomorrow will go, set your plan, then put action behind it when you sit down to work.

Writers, what reboots are you putting in place this year? 
What worked last year? What didn’t? What has that taught you?