I love #FreelanceChat on Twitter. The topics are often solid and the discussion gets lively. (Every Thursday at noon ET.) In a recent open-mic chat, someone asked the question: How do you know when that client prospect is not going to hire you? That’s pretty important to know, right? Let’s look at this scenario and…
Author: lwidmer
An AI Target or Irreplaceable: Which Freelancer Are You?
There’s a whole lot being written and discussed right now regarding ChatGPT and other AI applications. Either AI is going to wipe out millions of jobs or AI is going to be the next version of cryptocurrency — pretty hit-and-miss in terms of its value. No matter which camp you’re in, AI is going to…
5 Freelance Writing Biz Improvements
I was in conversation with a beginning freelancer a while ago when I realized that the writer was approaching her freelance writing business as if she were an employee. The signs were all there: Applying for jobs Treating networking like a sales pitch Looking for others to tell her what to do and how to…
Freelancing 2023: Are You Reading Your Client?
In conversation with a colleague the other day, we were discussing a situation in which a business person had introduced a controversial topic and then had continued to push the topic with someone they wanted to do business with who was clearly not interested. As my colleague had said, “They need to learn to read…
The Direct-Action Freelancer
I saw another tweet that echoed pretty much what I once believed — that persistence was the best tool for freelance writers to find new clients. I say I once believed that. Still do to some extent, but these days I know freelancers need more than just persistence to find and keep good clients. Notice…
Winning the Freelance v. Bot War
Anyone else tired of hearing how bots are going to wipe out freelancing? Chat GPT, BARD, whatever. None of that should be of concern to serious freelancers. While there is some truth to the rumor that bots could generate content successfully enough that some writers could be out of work soon, it’s not a done…
3 Facts: Why You Lost the Freelance Gig
There was a great post on LinkedIn last week that every writer should read. Go on. I’ll wait. Why this post matters to every writer: It is written by a person in a position to hire a writer. He’s telling you exactly what he wanted and where most writers who applied failed. I’ll sum up…
6 Habits of $100K Freelancers
Before anyone gets all huffy, thinking this is yet another “How to make $100,000 freelance writing post” just simmer down. I don’t care if you make $100K or $100 at freelancing. What I care about is your improvement over time. That’s what this post is about. If you’ve been around this blog at all, you…
Writers Worth: This Job Not That Job
The title of this post should be This Job and Definitely NOT That Job. Thanks to this post over at Filthy Dreams blog, I think the world has landed on what is possibly the worst job on the planet. I mean, everything I’ve ever shared her could not possibly touch the level of bad this one…
Freelance Files: Is This Client Worth It? #2
A while back we started exploring various client scenarios to see if the offer in front of us was worth it. The reason: If you can get used to vetting them, you can certainly be able to respond accordingly — or at least have a system in place by which you can measure their offer….