Freelance writers need clients. They are the lifeblood of a strong freelance business. They pay the bills and keep the dream alive. As such, it pays to take care of them and nurture those relationships.
For the purpose of this article, I will lump editors and publishers (both traditional and online) in with clients. The tips below work for anyone who hires you to write for them.
Top 10 Tips for Caring and Feeding Your Clients:
One: Be a Consultant First, Writer Second
Many people can write, or think they can. What will make you stand out as a freelance writer is how you manage your business and how you approach your client’s business. It isn’t enough to write copy and walk away. Be part of the process. Help develop ideas. Step back and see the bigger picture. Look at how what you are being asked to write fits in with the organization’s overall brand messaging. How does this piece further that message? How does it support their needs? Does it do what they are intending it to do?
Ask questions. Get to know your client’s business as well as they do. Learn their mission statement and strategic plans. Then figure out how to develop pieces that enhance their efforts and expand their reach. Be an asset. Don’t just deliver content. Often clients know what they want to accomplish, but not how to get there. Sometimes it is not enough to give them what they ask for without digging deeper and offering alternatives or additional insights.
Two: Build Strong Relationships
Make yourself a valuable asset on the team, instead of a one-off hire. This means building relationships with your clients. Get to know them. Offer more than they ask for and follow up. Make it personal, to an extent. Stay professional, but try to become a part of the team, instead of an outsider. And always follow the three golden rules of freelancing: Be easy to work with (i.e. professional and pleasant), on time, and on budget. That alone will set you apart.
Three: Find Out Who the Real Client Is
Sometimes the hiring person is not the real client. I often work with production companies and agencies that represent the true client. Whenever possible, try to meet the actual client and forge a rapport with that person too. In these types of situations, you have two clients—the agency (who will hire you for multiple clients) and the actual client who has input into who is hired for their projects.
It never hurts to develop a relationship with the true client, plus it will help you do your job better to speak directly to the stakeholder. But follow this absolute rule: Never steal a client from your direct client. In other words, never take an assignment from the actual client without contacting the agency first. This is poor form and considered stealing or poaching clients. Don’t do that. Ever. It is the easiest way to tarnish your name and reputation. Plus it’s unethical and unprofessional.
There is a big difference between getting to know the actual client and poaching them. In the first case, you get a better view of the project and organization so you can do your job better and help secure a future writing for that client through the agency hiring you. Forging a bond with the actual client also strengthens your relationship with the agency since it allows you to make their client happy. When you poach a client, you are doing an end-run around the agency and taking their business, including their markup of your work. Be mindful of both clients and care for both. Stay loyal to the client who hired you.
Four: Forget Your Ego
Freelance work is not about you. You may be the one doing the writing, but you are doing it in service of your client. The work is for them and about them. Not you. Your job is to fulfill their wishes, even if you don’t agree with how they want to accomplish that. If they want to change something in your copy, talk to them about it. It is fine to explain why you did what you did or to gently ask if they understand that what they are asking is ungrammatical or doesn’t fit in with the original stated intent for the project. Point out why you wouldn’t recommend making a particular change, but professionally and kindly. Don’t push. Make your point and then wait to see what they want to do. If they insist on the change, make it. It is their business and their dime. They might know something you do not. There may be internal reasons for their changes. If they insist on something egregious (in your opinion), make the change and then pass on using it as a sample in your portfolio. If it is bad enough, kindly turn down an offer to work with them again. That is your right. But when you sign on to do a job, you must do the job the client wants no matter how you feel about it. Diplomacy is key. The only other option is to forfeit the project, terminate the project, return the money, and take the hit on your reputation. This is a drastic step, so take it only if absolutely necessary.
Five: You Can Only Write as Well as You Listen
The first step in any writing assignment is learning. Research is vital to survival as a writer. When it comes to clients, listening comes in as the most important skill you have. Curiosity helps too. Ask questions. Listen closely to the answers. Follow up with more questions. Ask for more information—brochures, white papers, links to web pages, videos, speeches, whatever you can get to deepen your understanding of both the organization and the subject of whatever you are being asked to write about. Don’t forget to ask for permission to reach out during the writing process with any follow up questions. Inevitably, as you write, you will find holes in your understanding and having the name of a subject-matter expert can save you.
Be a sponge. Your client expects you to become a mini expert in their subject matter, as well as being an expert in writing. It is up to you to absorb the information enough to assimilate the details. The goal is to get to the point where you can distill the message and craft an effective piece of writing, which requires a certain mastery of the material. You can only do that if you are willing to listen, not only to what is said, but to what is implied. This is a talent and skill you will need to develop to succeed as a freelance writer.
The next five tips will come in next week’s blog. Until then, work on your client relationships using the tips above.