I have changed clients, and life is so much better. It almost feels like getting a promotion. More on that in a second.
I recently wrote a piece about some Marathon Monks in Japan who have to run marathons for seven years or kill themselves if they fail. It is pretty insane. In the final year, they have to run a double marathon every day for 100 days. Only 46 have ever successfully completed the challenge. I found it fascinating, and you can read it here.
Excitingly, I also have new clients. This is something you really have to do as a freelancer every now and then and if you are fresh to the freelancing game. If you are new, I hope the following helps somehow. It is good to share experiences.
What happened was that one of my first ever clients changed ownership, and I found myself working with someone with whom I did not see eye to eye. I was basically asked to write less about renewable energy – which was why I was hired – and more about how great fossil fuels are. Then there were complaints about my fee. So I quit.
I also stopped working for a different client that was really technical and hard work. Each piece required multiple Zoom meetings and different managers asking for slightly different things. It was a huge company, and there was too much time wasted. If you’ve ever worked with managers in a large business, you’ll know what I mean.
In both cases, my main Point of Contact was awesome, and that is why I stayed. I am too nice. Once things changed, it was time to move on. Being freelance is precarious but liberating.
If you are looking to be a freelance writer, you need to realise that you have limited time. If one of your clients dominates your schedule, you have to turn possibly better-paying work away. It sounds mercenary, but there you go.
Calculating who are the better clients
I knew two of my clients seemed to dominate a lot of my time. But I hadn’t realised how much. A third was also quite dominating due to how much research was needed.
I downloaded an app that tracks what I am doing . I had a section for each for each of my clients and at the end of each month, noted how much time I had spent working for them and how much I was paid. It was quite a revelation.
Two of my oldest clients were taking up an absolute ton of time for not much cash. A third one was someone who gave me a lot of work but that resulted in a lot of time spent for less money. Another couple were pretty decent.
I had needed to raise my prices for a while as it is something you need to do, especially if overwhelmed with work. I mentioned it to all my clients and nearly everyone was cool with it.
The big company had a problem – they didn’t have the budget. They were a massive firm but their marketing budget was fixed. Fair enough. I left it up to them and they were nice, but got someone cheaper. Which was totally fine as we were all upfront.
The energy magazine was fine with it, but then the lady I dealt with broke the news that they were changing management. Not only did the new lot complain about my fee, but they also wanted me to write about stuff I find morally wrong. Renewables are good. So I quit.
The other was a client that asks me to write very short pieces every couple of months. They were a small site, really nice, always provided tons of info, and never asked for rewrites. I let them have a discount.
My third oldest and largest client was very happy for me. I offered a discount for a few months and they insisted on pay the new rate immediately. Basically, they’re a keeper.
Getting new clients
Here’s the thing. As I said before, time spent on work should be a major factor when working with clients. When starting out, you should obviously work with anyone. Later on though, you need to be more discerning.
I have been purely freelance as an online writer for about a year and a half. I built a presence on a few platforms by accepting all comers and getting reviews. You then reach a point where you are offered so much work you either have to turn stuff down or rush the work. That is when it is good to raise prices and keep raising them until you hit a level you find fair. I judged this based on what I earned as a print journalist. My fees may go up more in the future, we will see. But for now, I am at a decent level and like my current clients.
I suddenly found myself with time on my hands. So I took a chance and did some work for clients who had been in touch and were ok with my pay. A couple turned out to be really nice. Actually, more than a couple – but I picked two that were different, interesting, and answered questions when asked.
I now have two new superb clients who aren’t time-sucks and happy to pay my higher rate. I also really enjoy the work.
As always, I am writing this to help anyone setting out on the freelance writing journey. It is a slower process than you’d think and there are a lot of decisions to make. I come from a print background and have been doing this a long time. As a trained journalist, the writing aspect hasn’t been an issue. For me, it has been navigating the whole online thing and getting clients. I am awful at things like marketing.
I don’t post all that often, but hopefully this helps someone somewhere trying make some kind of decision about their writing career. I have had a few get in touch, and this post is my response.
Good luck.
