Freelance writing advice | Words on the Page

4 Things All Freelancers Need (but may not have)

Posted on by lwidmer

Have you ever been caught in a voice mail loop of hell with a doctor’s office or other service provider? Recently, I called a doctor’s office to reschedule an appointment. I tried three times. Three times, I advanced only so far into the system before I was referred to the website to make an appointment….

4 Freelance Personas that Don’t Work

Posted on by lwidmer

I’ve been writing professionally since 2000, freelancing since 2003. Friends, I’ve seen some shit. Maybe you’ve struggled with the same issues over your freelance career. Some of the things that frustrated me are pretty universal, I suspect. The know-it-all freelancer I’ve had a lot of people tell me what I’m doing wrong in my freelance…

How You Could be Losing at Freelancing

Posted on by lwidmer

Of all the freelance writing advice (or just plain freelance advice because sweetie, we’re all in this together) out there, some of the most useful isn’t “how to start a freelance writing business” or “where to find freelance clients.” It’s the advice that points out those things you may be doing that are sabotaging your…

Losing the “I Sell Words” Mentality

Posted on by lwidmer

Know those times when you look at someone’s profile on LinkedIn and immediately, that person is in your email asking if you want to hire them? That happened to a writer chum of mine recently. She happened upon someone who claimed to be a writer, so she looked. The response came shortly after. “Hi (person’s…

2025 Guide to Freelance Success

Posted on by lwidmer

This post was going to be about something else. It was going to be advice on how to level the client/writer relationship so that you’re protecting your freelance writing business and positioning yourself as a formidable professional. Funny how things morph, isn’t it? As I started writing, I realized that all of the things I…

Finding New Freelance Income

Posted on by lwidmer

I sit here nearly three years out from the most prolific, stressful writing years of my entire freelance writing career. From 2020 through much of 2022, I was so busy I had no time to enjoy anything. These days, I have pared down the client list to three trusted, long-term clients who are wonderful to…

The In-demand Freelancer Persona

Posted on by lwidmer

I saw an interesting discussion on a LinkedIn forum recently that got me thinking about the way we present ourselves to potential clients. The discussion was around the use of LinkedIn’s “Open to Work” banner that one can put on their profile picture. It is meant to signal to future employers that this is a…

Your Freelance Writing Career: Finding work now, building for the future

Posted on by lwidmer

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Freelancer asks the question: “How can a new freelancer become popular on freelance job websites?” Writers responded. “Create a strong profile.” “Post your portfolio.” “Get good reviews.” “Become a package designer.” Except for the obvious “Huh?” of that last one, these all seem like fair answers. Notice…

How I Boosted my Freelance Career (and how you can, too)

Posted on by lwidmer

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the freelancer I was and the freelancer I am now. They are two different people, my friends. The old me was a hit-and-miss freelancer. I lost my job suddenly and had two kids to support. So my freelance career back then was pasted together. I’d take whatever gig…

6 Revealing Freelance F-Ups

Posted on by lwidmer

Ah, December. A time in which you’re either refreshing your email constantly looking for client work or so busy you forget to wrap presents. Or buy them. No matter what camp you’re in this year, let’s start December with some fun facts. Freelance tells, let’s call them. Observations from some of the shit that’s been…

Jenn Mattern

The lack of basic reading comprehension always gets me.

I frequently have people who subscribe for emailed leads from my job board email me directly. They don’t understand what a job board is and think I’m the hiring party. So I see a lot of lousy pitches.

They range from demanding I tell them more (Dude, there’s a link right in there to more details and telling you how to apply.) to people asking how they can start “posting” (on my site, which is in no way related to the job ads they’re responding to).

It’s exhausting. And I ignore them at this point. If you can’t handle reading and following basic applicant instructions, I’m certainly not interested in hiring you, nor would I ever recommend or wish you on another potential client.

1. lwidmer
  
  Yep, right to my third point, Jenn. If they can’t pay attention to the details, they’ve already lost. Cannot tell you how many marketing people send me article pitches, how many send pitches for experts or topics I’ve no intention of using or covering, how many will bog my inbox down with useless crap that is so far off the mark they’d need a GPS to get there ….
  
  Listening and comprehending IS the first requirement of running a freelance writing business.
Devon Ellington

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but a friend who used to work for a magazine said 85% of the submissions are ditched without being read because they don’t follow the submission guidelines.

I taught a class on submission guidelines once, and some of the students argued about “not wanting to do it that way” and I said, “Well, then you won’t be accepted by that particular publication” and they were angry that the publication wouldn’t change to fit their whims. That’s not how it works, people.

If I see things in an ad that I don’t like, hey, I don’t pitch!

I admit, sometimes I’ve pitched myself in arenas out of my wheelhouse, but I state that I haven’t worked in that field, but this is why I think skills I’ve demonstrated in an adjacent field would translate. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. But I know it’s a stretch/risk going in.

Also, the panic from former clients from whom I did marketing work with the demise of Twitter is astonishing. They want to “know” what will work going forward. I keep telling them, none of us know. WE’re making it up and seeing which factions wind up on which platform, and then we can figure it out. I’ve seen a couple of people positioning themselves as Social Media Marketing Transition Gurus and I’m like WTF?

It’s like those “six figure freelancers” who make their 6 figures by taking money from baby freelancers trying to find a magic formula.

Tangent, sorry.

1. lwidmer
  
  Devon, your tangents are always welcome here. I agree with you on all counts, my friend.
  
  I’ve done the same — pitched to a topic or pub outside of my wheelhouse. But I tend to show the editors how my background can enhance the slant they’re looking for. Like you, sometimes it works, sometimes not. It’s a gamble, but one worth trying if you truly think you can address the topic adequately.
  
  Wow, so someone is already trying to bank on the need to transition out of Twitter? Not hard — find a different platform, work it. LOL
Leigh Morgan

When I was hiring freelancers, an applicant sent me an email that said “Suck my [guess what this word was].” We had enough people for that project, but I might have considered him for the next one…until I got this email, of course!

1. lwidmer
  
  WOW. That’s a good way to burn a bridge! I wonder if he realizes that his idiot behavior is not only juvenile, but destructive to his career? Something tells me he doesn’t care. Or is employed elsewhere.
  
  Good seeing you here, Leigh. 🙂