Freelance Writers as Miracle Workers
This guest post is from Jennifer Mattern, writer of AllFreelanceWriting.com and author of The Web Writer’s Guide ebook.
When you work as a freelance writer, clients expect you to do more than put words on a page. In fact, they’ll sometimes expect you to perform “miracles.” Being able to pull them off occasionally is what separates average writers from the most successful freelancers.
What kinds of “miracles” might clients actually expect you to perform?
Miracle 1: I Needed it Yesterday
Every once in a while one of your clients will approach you wanting something written immediately. It isn’t always possible, depending on your schedule, but if you can complete a solid rush job once in a while, clients will be reminded why they work with a professional writer instead of trying to do it all themselves, and you may find yourself with a client for life.
Tip: I have a strict rule about rush jobs–I only take them on for existing clients that I’m very familiar with (so there isn’t a large amount of background research to do). I don’t suggest doing this for a first-time client. It reeks of irresponsibility on their end to wait until the last minute (not the kind of client you really want), and it sets you up with certain expectations, leaving you to be taken advantage of moving forward.
Miracle 2: I Need You to Read My Mind
This type of situation can be one of the best you’ll experience as a freelance writer, or one of the worst. I have one client in particular who regularly gives me these projects - just a one or two-line email saying something like “I need the attached notes put together into something cohesive for a brochure.” There’s very little guidance.
If it were a client I didn’t know well, I’d be pulling my hair out. But because I’m very familiar with the client’s work, typical projects, past brochures (and Web copy, press releases, promotional video scripts, and everything else I’ve done for them in the past), I can pick up the project and just do it–or do it after asking just a question or two.
Those projects are actually a delight. Occasionally though, they’re not so fun. For example, you may have a client that honestly doesn’t know what they want, and they expect you to keep producing version after version so they can see what they don’t want before they choose (and they won’t often want to pay for all of the excess editing needed).
Tip: This is another situation where you should be careful with new clients. Don’t set yourself up as someone who will make unlimited edits just because the client doesn’t know what they want or can’t adequately explain it. If you do, you’ll become stressed out fairly quickly when the client constantly tells you you’re doing something wrong, even though they have no idea what “right” is yet. Do this for your regular clients though, and you’ll show that you’re dedicated enough to their goals that you understand their market / readers, and you can meet their needs without requiring a lot of extra effort from them–it can make you indispensable.
Miracle 3: I Need You to be my “Everything”
This group of client can be the most frustrating when it comes to expectations of miracles. These are the clients who hire you as a writer (a copywriter let’s say). They’re paying you your standard writing rates. Then you’re suddenly being asked questions just slightly off the beaten path. You figure it’s not a big deal, so you answer. Before you know it, you’ve gone from copywriter to complete marketing consultant (and sometimes more), all for your writing rates as the questions accumulate.
These are “needy” clients who need more hand-holding through the project than others. When they give you a project, time-wise they may only be thinking about the writing (so they’re paying for five hours of your time that week), but the emails, phone calls, and everything else might tack on another two or three. If it’s a regular and you’ve come to expect it, you can account for it in a project quote. It’s often at its worst with a brand new client.
What’s the “miracle” in this case? They expect you to be able to handle several times the amount of work you’re contracted to do, but without any extra time. Good thing we freelance writers have super powers, right?
Tip: This kind of client isn’t the worst overall. Often, they’re asking you for your advice on related things because they respect you and trust you enough to value your consultation. The key is to keep it limited. Going above and beyond once in a while probably won’t hurt you, but it will make the client value you even more. Just prepare yourself to say “no” when you really have to, and if it gets much too demanding, have a heart to heart with the client. On the few occasions where I’ve had to do that, the clients have been immensely understanding, and they do ease up a bit when they get a better picture of everything you’re actually doing for them (sometimes it really isn’t that obvious).
Times will come when you’ll be expected to perform “miracles” of your own. Don’t always shy away, but also don’t always make them happen. You want to build a reputation as someone who can come through in a pinch, but not someone who’s going to be a sucker and give up every moment of your time (and the associated sanity) to make other people happy. Respect yourself enough to know when to say “yes” and when to say “no,” and your clients will respect you as a professional more in the long run.
About the Author
Jennifer Mattern is a freelance business writer and blogger behind AllFreelanceWriting.com and WebWritersGuide.com. She is also the author of the Web Writer’s Guide e-book, designed to help freelance writers launch a successful Web writing career.
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