Welcome to a new area on my website! I’ve been asked so many questions about freelancing recently, that I thought it’d be easier to get some of the answers out of my head and onto the screen for you. More than that, I also wanted to ask other freelancers advice, because my way of doing things, may not be the same as another’s and if there is ONE thing that I have learned about being a freelancer, it is that you need to sculpt this way of working to what suits you best; whether you are talking about your skill-set, your client process, or the best use of your time.
I also want you to meet freelancers from different industries here. I don’t want to limit the conversation to just marketing. Anyway to start us off I wanted to talk about the 5 things I wish someone had told me before I started freelancing.
5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Freelancing
Here goes.
1. Be clear about what value you offer as a freelancer to avoid being ignored
So far in my working career, I have freelanced in two industries, fashion and marketing. In my first freelance experience I worked as a fashion and textile designer offering my design and production skills to British fashion designers, high street brands and wholesale agents. In the main my work came from the two top agencies at the time and as such my experience in going out and finding my own work was, well, zero. This meant that when I wanted to approach a design house myself, I wasn’t sure how to pitch and talking through my broad range of skills didn't help get me hired. What would have made a difference in my belief is simple - a clear bespoke pitch with the client’s needs in mind.
As I transitioned away from that work into running my own textile craft business, I didn’t see the need to explore what did and didn’t work as a freelancer, because my eggs were moving to a very different basket. But, here I am again, freelancing.
Thirteen years wiser, you’d think. Well yes and no… yes I have years of experience in the huge variety of skills that running your own business calls for, but no, I hadn’t yet learned the lesson that pitching ‘bespoke’ is the key to success.
Eighteen months ago I refocused my business to a full marketing service offer. I made the biggest mistake I could, I didn’t sit down and work out that bringing ‘value’ to a pitch is key, I just pitched basic service offers. I got lucky and my client diary was full by the end of the first week of pitching, but over time I would see that I wasn’t getting the retainer clients I had hoped for. A couple of those original clients are still with me today, but most in the main were just one-off jobs.
I decided to try something new.
In marketing we start with a client’s pain point and offer solutions, which usually leads to either brand awareness, or a lead to purchase. What if I worked my client pitches in that same way. I tried it on the next client pitch and it worked. I tried it again with a second potential client and bingo - success again.
Now I will only pitch to a client with what I can do to turn their (marketing) problem into a lead solution.
You can follow this same advice and pitch it to any industry. Let’s say personal training… start with a client’s personal pain point and then pitch their tailored solution tied into one of your packages.
2. Avoid taking freelance portfolio jobs for less money
In my search for work across two industries I have found something to be true regardless; you should not take less money just to get something great for your portfolio. Now, that’s not to say that you should stop guest blogging, or being interviewed, that is and remains a great way to raise your profile and extend your marketing reach online. What I’m talking about is taking those jobs you know are going to look good in your portfolio for lesser pay.
I attended a webinar run by Pro Copywriters, with Catherine Jones back in July 2021. It was a really interesting take on packaging your services and if ever you get a chance to hear Catherine speak, I recommend it. In that webinar Catherine talked about the importance of getting paid in line with the return on investment the client will likely make. Now of course she was specifically talking about copywriting here, but the idea that we should stand our ground when it comes to pay, is one that transcends any industry niche.
My advice is to enter any pay negotiation before contracts are signed. If the client wants to pay less, then work with them to take out elements of your service offer to fit the clients budget. Keep the negotiation positive by asking the client which elements are most important to them in their budget restrictions, thus ‘tailoring their offer’. I have often found that being flexible, but not stamped down on pricing/services makes you feel and work happier, and it keeps the client in a positive space to move forward. Now of course there will be the odd exception to that rule, and a client may wish to look elsewhere, but sometimes you can only end with a polite ‘no thank you’. That’s quite ok, your work together has to be beneficial to both of you in order to maintain a long term relationship.
3. Make sure you understand your time as a freelancer
When it comes to pricing your freelance services and organising your time between clients, the understanding of how and when you are productive, and how long tasks take is important.
You can do this by working on a portfolio project and use that to both, time your work and to create a strategic approach to elements of that work. Efficiencies and systems are key to managing a portfolio of client accounts.
Think about what you can do to make your workload easier. For me that is simple things, like outlining my onboarding process with pre-designed templates, or using project management tools, like Asana, or using a cloud accounting package for ease of invoicing. It can also be outlining projects before I start, so that I can manage my day-to-day time in a productive way, giving clients a tangible outcome.
Having all of these things in place helps me ultimately price my service offer in a way that is cost-effective for clients and pays me reflective of the productive work I do.
4. Keep your freelance options open
I remember as I switched from my textile product business back to service based work, that an industry ‘guru’ (I hate that term) said something to the effect of “niche down in your client base and offer just one thing to start”. There was no expansion to that. Just “niche down”.
I struggled with that notion as I have always been more successful in offering my services to a wider client base. An example being in fashion. I came from a high-end designer label and it was expected that I would only freelance in this arena, but I didn’t. Some scoffed, but I knew they had weeks for unemployment in between jobs. Opening myself up to more areas of the industry was good for me, I was never without some kind of project to work on. I have kept the same mantra now, I offer a specific set of skills to small business owners, that’s anyone from sole traders, to those with up to 20 staff.
Keep yourself open to work. Make sure you know your skill set and offer packages that a range of clients can buy into. Then tailor your pitch as client queries come in.
5. Diversify your freelance income streams
This is a good tip and something I never had to rely on before now.
The truth is that there are thousands of other freelancers offering similar services to you. They might specialise in some differential, but generally to a client they might feel like carbon copies. They are also easier to find online these days and this is why, quite often you will hear clients say that they have been through a few freelancers before they got to you (and that's’ a whole other story!) With this in mind it is quite possible that you will experience quiet periods. Having another income stream is useful.
There’s also the problem of only being able to work as many hours as you can work each week and so maximising your income with other options is entirely possible.
Now I’m not talking about taking on a whole other job, instead I’m talking about more related passive streams, things like ebooks, template downloads, or even video courses. Products you can create and automate the selling and distribution of, is a great way to make a little (or a lot) extra each month. If they are packaged well, then they will offer quick wins to a client base who you may not have time to service, or who do not have the full budget to hire you on retainer yet.
I hope those five ideas were helpful. If you have any questions or comments, let me know.
Sara x
