I once recorded a podcast episode with Seth Godin where we talked about storytelling. During our conversation, he made a point that I thought was fascinating when it comes to finding better freelance writing clients.
Seth’s version of storytelling isn’t just crafting a plot in the traditional sense — the classic “The queen died, and then the king died of grief.”
He also looks at the implied stories in everything we do. We tell a story with the tone of our voice on a podcast and the color choices on our website. Our pricing, our response time, our About Me page, our “Contact Me” form … they all come together to tell the story of your business.
How to find freelance writing clients
Some businesses tell scary or ugly stories. A lot of businesses tell boring ones. Seth got me thinking about the elements that I believe tell a more inviting story for a writing business — the kind of story that attracts more terrific freelance writing clients and better revenue.
If you’re a professional writer, of course you need to write well. But it isn’t just ability that makes a writer successful — it’s also wise positioning. It’s the implied story that your business tells.
Here are my thoughts on five “story elements” that help you attract the right freelance writing clients, at the right pricing, in the right numbers.
Story element #1: Your Voice
For any business, but particularly for a writer, the voice of your marketing is one of the most important story elements you have.
What does that look like on your site today? Do you sound stiff and formal, or loose and conversational? Like tends to attract like, and the personality you put into your writing voice will tend to attract those qualities in your clients.
The choices you make invite the kind of freelance writing clients you want
Ask yourself what qualities your writing voice is conveying:
- Informally relaxed … or train wreck?
- Reassuringly professional … or uptight?
- Charmingly approachable … or sloppy?
- Attentively detail-oriented … or nit-picky?
- Creatively agile … or distracted?
These are always subjective. What might seem annoyingly uptight and controlling for me might feel appealingly detail-oriented to you.
Because you’re a pro, you have more control over your types of tone in writing than regular people do. Use that skill to convey the kinds of qualities you want to see more of in your clients.
Story element #2: Your Site
Prospects today don’t just want wordsmiths — they also want content marketing strategists. (Whether or not that’s the phrase they would use.) Terrific freelance writing clients want writers who understand how the web works today.
It’s hard to come across as informed and web-savvy when your site design looks 10 years out of date.
You don’t have to chase every design trend, but you do need your site to look current, uncluttered, and fresh.
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Story element #3: Your Pricing
Price is one of the most powerful nonverbal elements of any service business story.
- American Express tells a different story from Visa
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape tells a different story from Two-Buck Chuck
- Mercedes tells a different story from Kia
Now, Visa, Two-Buck Chuck, and Kia are all things that a lot of consumers choose and even like.
But trust me …
You do not want your freelance writing clients to think of you as the Two-Buck Chuck of copywriting
In order to make money as a freelance writer, you sell services … which means you sell your time. Hours of your life — the one thing you can never get any more of. Selling those hours at a discount just doesn’t make sense.
Of course, if you’re new to learning how to become self-employed, you shouldn’t expect to command the same rates as an experienced writer. That’s why your first priority is to work very hard to get very, very good, so you spend as little time in “Two-Buck Chuck” territory as possible.
Crummy clients want cheap writers to produce generic CRaP that, truthfully, no one particularly wants to read anyway.
Terrific freelance writing clients want professional writers to produce wonderful words that delight and serve their customers.
Two very different stories. The second one is much more fun.
Story element #4: Your Specialization
This is where a lot of smart writers start when they’re thinking about their positioning — and it’s a great story element.
None of us is good at everything. What are you great at? What could you become great at?
When I decided to become a freelance writer, I chose to specialize in email newsletters, autoresponders, and other content that nurtured relationships with prospects.
I’m really good at that kind of writing. I have a lot of experience with it, which allows me to work efficiently. I enjoy doing it. And clients wanted it. It was easy for clients to understand that I’d probably do a better job with relationship-building content than an unknown writer on Upwork would.
I found the intersection between what I liked to do, what freelance writing clients wanted, and what I could produce efficiently and well.
Lots of wise freelancers focus on robust topical ecosystems, like healthcare or law or technology. They stay up to speed, so they can write with authority on those topics. And they command fees that are significantly higher than a “jack of all trades” writer can.
Story element #5: Your Professionalism
This one is really old school … and really important.
When clients leave a query on your “Contact Us” form … do you get back to them? How long does it take you? Do you have a solid process to handle those inquiries?
Are you meeting deadlines? Every time? Putting in as much thought and care for a client’s 50th piece with you as you did when you started working together?
Anyone who works with a lot of freelancers will tell you:
Reliability is an issue. When clients find a writer who does what she says she’s going to do, every time, it makes a major impact.
Respond to client inquiries quickly. (This alone will make a significant difference in your revenue over a year.) Follow up. Manage your deadlines.
No bandwidth for new clients right now? Set up a quick waiting list on your site. Add a simple email autoresponder to let them know you’ll connect as soon as you have the time to give them your full professional attention.
When you want to attract and retain terrific freelance writing clients, you need to take care of them like the treasures they are. It will get noticed.
Your writing can be seen as a commodity or as a valued service. The cool thing is — because you’re a professional wordsmith and you’re smart about marketing — you get to choose.
Reader Comments (7)
Great article Sonia, but I was surprised that none of the aforementioned “story elements” mention anything about referral’s. I’ve been freelancing for 10+ years now and I wouldn’t be close to successful without great referrals. I realize this is somewhat different as it doesn’t speak to the specifics of copywriting, but nonetheless I think it’s a highly crucial aspect of attracting and building strong client relationships that last for years.
As always, t’was a great article, thanks for sharing!
Telling the right story with your business is *crucial* to getting referrals, and I agree, referrals are gold for any freelancer.
For people to refer you, they have to talk about you. So what do they say? Do they talk about your great writing chops, that you always meet your deadlines, and that you’re “not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for”? Or do they say something different?
Thanks for connecting that, because making yourself someone clients will want to refer is very much a part of a healthy freelance business.
As you say, professionalism is so important. From my own personal experiences, news travels first. If you reply quickly, meet deadlines and provide tidy copy then your client is likely to tell other and increase your chances of a referral.
Great article, Sonia – as usual!
Another one I’d like to add to the list is “availability”.
Even if it’s just responding to emails quickly or having live chat on your site, I have personally found that by replying as quickly as possible, even at 11 pm at night, it can lead to new client wins and strong relationships.
I know the danger of this is the expectation that you’re available 24/7, but so far haven’t run into an issue with that.
That’s a good one, Michael — for me it probably is an element of professionalism, but it’s such an important one. I don’t think most freelancers realize what it’s like to look for a freelancer. Responding to inquiries quickly is a serious competitive advantage.
I have fallen in love with Copyblogger. I’m currently reading the ‘Content Marketing for Smart People’ ebook. You guys are awesome!
How nice are you, thanks Adam 🙂
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