The Worst Freelance Writing Advice I Saw This Month

Like many of you, I subscribe to a lot of different writing-related ezines. Some focus on things like grammar and word usage, others focus on quick tips, blogging or social media. Most give great advice and often spark ideas for me to elaborate on in the Monday Muse. Others give advice with a perspective or practice that I don’t agree with but nonetheless offer options that are for readers to personally accept or reject.

But this week, I received an issue from an ezine I’ve subscribed to for nearly a year�"and it promoted the worst advice for freelance writers I have read in a long, long time. Here’s a recap of the top three offending statements, why I disagree, and what I would do differently:

Offending Statement #1: Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket

The ezine-that-shall-not-be-named suggested that you should find one client who will feed you a steady stream of work that gives you enough income to get by. In my opinion, this is dangerous advice. When you build your entire business on a single client, you are vulnerable to everything that happens to that company. If that client goes out of business, decides to move writing to an internal function, or dumps you for a competitor who is: a) the boss’ out-of-work nephew, sister, cousin, in-law or parent, b) an intern who works for college credits, or c) willing to do the same work for a dollar less an hour, you’re out of business. Don’t put all of your money-making eggs in one client’s basket.

What to do instead: Your goal should be to put a single egg in several baskets by connecting with a minimum of three clients who need your services on a recurring basis. Freelance work ebbs and flows with the needs of a client. Business-to-consumer clients have busy seasons and plan regularly scheduled promotions or direct mail campaigns. Business-to-business clients prepare quarterly or annual reports, issue white papers and case studies, distribute newsletters and add or revamp marketing materials regularly. When you have several regular clients, if one client has a lull in work available for you�"or suddenly cuts you loose�"your entire business won’t be wiped out and you will continue to have income while searching for another client or project to fill that void.

Offending Statement #2: Work for Peanuts

The ezine-that-shall-not-be-named told readers to “not be particular” about assignments or pay, stating that you can always ask for a “raise” later. Have any of you ever tried to raise rates on established clients? That’s a tough climb, readers, so you need to set rates at something you can live with for a long while. Remember, if a client hires you because you are the cheapest work-for-peanuts writer on the block, that same client will replace you in an instant when a willing-to-work-for-fewer-peanuts writer comes along.

What to do instead: Price your services fairly and demonstrate value. I often tell potential clients that I’m not the cheapest writer who will answer their ad or ask for their business. But I also add that I bring experience, knowledge or expertise in “X, Y, and Z” that the others might not. Figure out what your “X, Y and Z” are and use it as your value add when you approach new clients. If you don’t think you are worth the rate you charge, neither will the client.

Offending Statement #3: Ditch Your Cheapest Marketing Tool

The ezine-that-shall-not-be-named stated, “You can probably get by without business cards.” What?! I’m all for minimizing expenses but, when you can print business cards from your own computer for less than $10 or have them professionally printed for not much more than that, I say, “That’s crazy talk!” If you do not have a simple business card to hand to someone who expresses interest in your writing services, you will leave the impression that you are NOT a “real” writer.

What to do instead: Back in May of this year, I published an entire blog post about using business cards to a writer’s advantage. I can’t think of a better, less expensive marketing tool than a simple business card.

Author's Note

Not all advice you get in ezines is good advice. And, while I think the research paper writers of the ezine-that-shall-not-be-named excels at his specialty (rules of grammar and punctuation), I think he is treading in murky waters when trying to give freelance writing business advice.

Whenever you see advice being given—even the advice you get from me—give it the “what if…” test.

“What if I relied on a single client for most of my business?”
“What if I bid low just to get the business?”
“What if I didn’t have business cards?”
Think of as many answers to your “what if…” test questions as you can–both pros and cons. If you don’t like the answers, don’t follow the advice.

Reviews

[Delmar Cooper]

Offending Statement #2: Work for Peanuts

I'm sure you paraphrased that offending statement a bit, but I understand that however it was originally stated it would put you in a state of high dudgeon. Any customer can understand a price if they first see the value. The tricky part is getting a prospective client to spend some time reviewing your work product samples. If they are undercapitalized to the extent only the cheapest writer need apply, it would not be a long term relationship anyway.