Yes, Virginia (and Virgil). There is a wrong way to approach that client project. Imagine this scenario: you reach out to Company A with your letter of introduction. You invite them to connect. They do. Now what? Well, if you’re like our first writer, Carl, you’d get on the phone and go down the list…
The Fight for Truth: A Freelancer’s Role
Not long ago, I had an assignment from a client that involved a little bit of research. They wanted some statistics to go along with the article and support their point. I came across a fantastic bit of data. In one sentence, I could have proven their case and made them look like authorities. For…
How to Remove Freelance Payment Problems
F*ck You. Pay Me. It was, and remains, one of my favorite videos talking about freelance payment problems. Mike Monteiro, design director and co-founder of Mule Design Studio, took the internet by storm back in 2011 when his talk from Creative Mornings Creative Guild went viral. As well it should have. Monteiro started his nearly…
A Double Dose of This Job, Not That Job
It’s not rare when a writer friend sends me a lousy offer to post here on the blog. We writers stick up for each other, and part of that includes alerting newer, less experienced writers on bad offers framed as good ones. What is rare is when two writer friends send me two separate lousy…
The Pitch-Every-Day Freelance Writing Business Boost
Boost? Did I hear the word “boost”? Okay, so the word “boost” is becoming almost as hackneyed as the word “slams” in headlines. But there’s only so much space up there in the title bar. Forgive me. I was browsing Twitter and the blogs, as I’m known to do, and I noticed the usual advice…
The Kondo Method of Running a Freelance Writing Career
I’m an organizer. Let me rephrase: I’m addicted to organizing. A number of years back, I decided to tackle one closet each weekend. Out went the stuff I never touched, even the stuff I was saving for when I had time/lost that last five pounds. I cleaned up, hauled it out to Goodwill, and enjoyed…
3 Things to Change That Will Make You Look Like a Professional Writer
Social media browsing is interesting sometimes. Interesting in that “train wreck” sort of way, that is. I was cruising around Twitter and some blogs yesterday, and it’s a bit surprising what shows up that people put out there on purpose. Sure, you get the political opinions, which I try to shy away from (I don’t…
Why Your Hourly Freelance Rate May Be the Wrong Approach
I don’t charge hourly anymore. Let me be more specific: I don’t quote an hourly rate anymore. I don’t really need to. Neither do you. Here’s what I do instead: I quote a per-project rate, or a per-month retainer. Why is that important? Because sometimes the job you’re doing is much, much more than the…
2 Ways to Keep Your Freelance Business Thriving
Huh. Really. That was my reaction yesterday when I saw another How to Start Your Freelance Writing Business post. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen a lot of these kinds of posts over the years. Not one of them yet has said anything new. It’s the same general info — find a niche,…
3 Steps to Finding Better Freelance Clients
It’s February, which means it’s already started for me. Marketing for the upcoming conference, that is. Used to be I’d just blanket the conference lists with email letters of introduction (LOIs). Sure, I got plenty of work out of it. I also wasted a lot of time doing it. From years of marketing to this…