How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer: 15 Writing Business Essentials

How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer: 15 Writing Business Essentials

Reader Comments (13)

  1. As for #1 Stefanie, I have found one of the easiest ways to make more money is to freely advertise your services then to only help folks who pay you first 😉 Meaning, give 100% of your attention and energy to clients, and 0% to non paying folks. This is a bit uncomfortable at first; guilt sets in. Worthiness issues. All that stuff. But with practice it gets easier to realize that it is only money, a means of exchange, causing the feelings.

    I promote my products and services all day long and connect with folks who dig what I do, premium-wise, and keep boosting cash flow.

    Excellent post!

    Ryan

  2. Stefanie–
    Another great post! I really relate to this one. I’ve worked for myself for most of my life, first in manufacturing and now in writing services and consulting. Your checklist is spot on, in my opinion.

    The clearer I make everything with my clients up front, the easier and smoother the process is every step of the way. When that inevitable snag or hitch happens, that transparency already set before them helps clear the air and the issue without anyone suffering in the process.

    Thanks for sharing!
    Jane

    • For sure. Sometimes the level of drama in a situation is directly related to how much you’ve prepared. That’s why gaining experience in your field is so important — it helps you prepare. 🙂

  3. Hey, Stephanie –

    I really appreciate the distinction you made between being friendly with your clients and being friends with them.

    While I have some client relationships that have over time developed into real friendships, knowing where to draw that line is super important for those of us who struggle with drawing boundaries between our work and our personal life.

    Thanks for sharing!
    Eva

    • Once you start taking on clients, I think it’s natural for your work life and personal life to get blurred a bit — and the sooner a service provider recognizes the benefits of establishing boundaries, the better. 🙂

  4. Stefanie, excellent advice! I like the establish the terms of service, policy and payment terms beforehand. I try o set the expectations up as well. And I set them up lower than I anticipate so I can over deliver.
    It’s so important today to set it right from the get go.
    I believe #10 is so important today as things are changing rapidly in most fields. I’m in marketing and it’s changing every day now. You really have to be aware of these changes if you are helping others to increase their bottom lines.

  5. Have a go to plan for common issue!!!

    this totally separates the amateurs from the professionals.
    I’ve freelanced for 10 years. Easily 99.99% of clients get into a project, and when they see the great work you’re doing, can’t help but ask for a little more.

    One thing I’ve found that helps.
    On your quote or agreement, after the final price. Add in a section for common optional extras. An extra page for X dollars, or more rewrites for X dollars.

    I’ve found that being open about what is and isn’t included up front really helps out with those conversations towards the pointy end of the project.

    • Great point!

      I think it always comes back to gauging whether or not your friend is the right fit for your services (if you’ll be able to provide value for where they’re at right now.) If they are, helping them out with free work can be win-win. 🙂

  6. Amen! to getting the client to pay half up front, or at least a portion with part payments throught the project. I am working on implementing this. It means I get something to help with my cash – flow. It is especially useful if there are delays from the client side.

  7. Thanks for the great tips! Getting my first few clients felt so easy, but turning it into a sustainable business was definitely a struggle. It’s a lot of why I started calling myself a content marketer rather than just a freelance writer.

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