Quite a few years ago, I had this client. She handed me an unwieldy project every year and paid me well to tackle it. What she didn’t pay me for was the barrage of emails she sent. Each time she thought of something, she’d send an email. When you’re receiving and answering about 12 emails…
Author: lwidmer
Taking the “Gig” Out of Freelancing
It’s 2022. Do you know where your freelance writing career is? I’ll tell you where it isn’t — in the gig economy. You, my writerly friend, are not a gig worker. Ah, but far too many people writing far too many articles on gig workers tend to lump professional writers (you know, you) in with the…
3 Steps to Winning Freelance Client Work
I’m a Hidden Brain junkie. No surprise then that this idea comes from a Hidden Brain podcast. The episode talked about hidden obstacles: why consumers don’t buy, why people aren’t convinced of facts, etc. It’s all about friction. More to the point, it’s about removing friction. Friction is that thing that stops you from acting….
Freelance Ethical Boundaries (and how to spot attempts to cross them)
Not long ago, I had a conversation with a potential client at a trade show. The prospect was indicating a strong need for my services, and he promised to call me the following week. When that call came, I was prepared. Since the prospect had told me his needs — thought leadership articles — I…
The Biggest Freelance Myth of All Time
Know what I saw the other day? I saw a tweet by someone hiring writers. WriterS — plural. The ad went like this: UX Writer – Up to $35/Hr Copywriter (Health Science) – $25-$29/hr Movie/News Writer – …. The list went on, but the first two listings tell you everything you need to know about…
Finding Freelance Work: How NOT to Do It
This post is a lot like my This Job Not That Job posts. Only difference is that the offender — and ironically, the victim — is none other than the freelance writer. How many times have we seen it? How many times have I blogged about it? (Hint: several times. Several. Times.) How many times…
1 Strategy for Freelance Cover Letters That Don’t Say, “I can write anything”
Holy hell. It’s September. How did that happen? More to the point, how are you situated for ramping up your freelance writing business? Have you been good about marketing all summer, staying in touch with current clients, and reaching out to network with those would-be clients? If not, fear not. While it’s not ideal timing…
1 Freelance Move That Nets More Work
“I liked it a lot. It looks like you have been with this company for years.” That’s feedback that a writer friend received from a new client. One two-hour job that was written in the company’s voice to the audience they’d stated. Know what that does? That small job netted my writer friend some serious…
Writer’s Roundup: Posts to Improve Your Freelancing
How’s your August going? Ready for that post-Labor Day client crush? You do experience that, right? Or does your rush come during the summer months? Whenever your rush is, there’s almost always an opposite drought period. Mine used to be around July 4th, then right before December until mid-January. These days, the work is much…
The Freelance Semi-retired Kinda Life
Did you just start humming this song? The lyrics are on target for those of us who are transitioning out of our freelance writing career and into a slower-paced one. I want somethin’ else To get me through this Semi-charmed kinda life That’s what I want to talk about today — how to get to…