Clear communication wards off catastrophe.
Submitting a finished project is thrilling. You spent your precious time writing, editing, polishing and formatting an article for your client. When you send it to her, you should be able to sit back, kick your feet up with a cup of coffee and breathe for a minute while you bathe in the glory of a job well done.
So why is submitting work so terrifying for many freelance writers?
Unfortunately, most freelancers have been burned before. Clients change the project at the last minute. Or they don’t like work that clearly meets the agreed upon expectations. Or, most egregiously, they never pay the freelancer for their work. It’s no wonder so many freelancers become jaded over time.
A breakdown in communication is to blame for these project implosions. Poor communication with your clients could mean catastrophe for your burgeoning freelance writing business.
Good clients are hard to come by. You rely on them for new work, new referrals and new testimonials they could offer at the end of each project. You need a plan to effectively communicate with your clients and avoid project catastrophes. If you follow this simple pre-project process, you’ll be ready to crush every project and make your clients fall in love with your work.
Step 1: Identify Your Client’s Problem
Part of your job as a writer is translating.
Your client may have a great idea but struggle to communicate it in a way that can be written down. Be attentive when your client is talking. Now is not the time to show off your past accomplishments or clients. If you’ve made it this far with a new client, she probably isn’t too concerned about your accolades. She has a problem and she wants to know how you can help her, which you’ll only be able to do if you understand what she’s saying.
Ask questions and listen carefully. What does your client want to accomplish? What is she struggling with? Why does she need your help? The best way for you to show your expertise is to show you care.
Listening carefully is your greatest tool for identifying your new client’s problem. She might describe a bunch of symptoms without really talking about the core issue. When a patient says they have a fever, sore throat, nausea and fatigue, a doctor will actually hear them saying “I might have the flu.” He knows the root cause of those symptoms. Like that doctor, you’ll need to hear your client’s symptoms and diagnose their cause before you can move on with the project.
Step 2: Craft an Action Plan
After you pinpoint your client’s problem, you’ll work with her to build your plan of attack. This is your opportunity to shine, showing your client exactly how you can make her life easier and her business more successful.
What’s the solution? The project details will start coming together in your Action Plan. If you took your time in Step 1 to figure out what needs to be addressed, this step will be a breeze. You and your client should make a rough outline or list of included keywords, calls to action and other structural items for the project.
Now is the time to confirm how much additional research you’ll need to do to make this project rock. Is all the information you need available with a simple Google search? Will you need to interview experts or people who are knowledgable about the topic? Account for tasks like these when building your Action Plan. You should consider the additional time and energy needed before naming your price.
Step 3: Confirm the Project Scope and Set Expectations
Here’s where things get fun. What exactly does this project include? Will you write a one-off blog post or a series of articles? Are you responsible for images and links or will your client take care of that? Will you upload it to WordPress? Promote it on social media? Pitch it to other publications?
The scope of each project will determine the time and money needed to make a project happen, but it is largely determined by your client’s needs and goals. By now, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how much of your time, energy and expertise this project will take.
The project scope is your opportunity to set boundaries. You and your client should talk about clear expectations for each other. Confirm exactly what you will and will not do for her. Agree on how and when you’ll communicate and what kind of additional information you might need from your client.
Finally, determine how you will handle changes and project developments if they come up. Last minute changes are demoralizing. You’ve spent time and energy planning, researching and writing, only to have the project take a different direction. Being upfront with how you handle project changes will keep you sane, your client happy and your project on track. Usually, you’ll want to charge extra and extend your deadline for any substantial changes after your start date. It will incentivize your client to thoroughly plan the project with you before you start, making both of your lives much easier.
Step 4: Agree to Payment and Delivery Terms
If you followed the previous three steps, your client knows you understand her problem and can do something about it. Your goal as a growing freelance writer is to show your client that you are worth your rate. Don’t undersell yourself. Be confident in your skills and your value, then help your client see them.
I wish I could tell you every project that makes it to Step 4 is a slam dunk. However, you’ll get here and realize that you and your client have two radically different numbers in mind. That’s okay. Be willing to walk away from bad deals.
If you and your client are on the same page, however, you’ll be ready to work out the nitty gritty details of how and when you’ll turn in work and get paid. You need to set specific dates for each. By now you should have a good idea of how long the project will take, making setting a date a breeze. Give yourself extra time to complete everything just in case something goes wrong or you get behind. It’s always better to submit an article early rather than late!
Determine if you’ll send a PDF or Word file in an email, share a Google Doc or upload it directly to your client’s content management system. Once you nail that down, figure out how many revisions and edits (if any) you’ll be responsible for, how long your client has to request them and how quickly you will correct any issues.
Finally, you and your client should agree to when and how she will pay you. Will you send her an invoice through your accounting software, request payment with PayPal or a mailed check (delivered by carrier pigeon, of course)? Will your client pay you up front, upon delivery or a number of days after delivery?
Being clear and specific saves both you and your client a lot of trouble. You’ll lower your risk of being burned like so many freelancers before you, and your client won’t have to worry about ruining their reputation by failing to pay her debts. It’s a win-win situation.
Step 5: Write Everything Down
Talking about your terms is great at first, but you should put everything down in writing before you officially begin your project.
Remember, you’re running a business and businesses use written agreements to make working relationships official. You can use a simple Letter of Agreement (LOA) to protect yourself from any kind of problems during or after the project.
When you write your LOA, include all of the information you and your client agreed to in Steps 1-4. You’ll write down the project description, what deliverables are and are not included, any revision provisions, the submission date and payment terms. Leave room at the bottom for you and your client to sign the document.
After you write it up, review it carefully to make sure everything is included. Once you confirm that everything you agreed to is written down, sign it and send it to your client to review and sign. Make sure you both keep a signed copy just in case you need to refer back to it during or after the project.
This article from The Balance Small Business includes an excellent LOA template for editors that can be easily adapted for freelance writers.
Having a signed LOA makes your agreement official. You and your client can (and should) refer back to it if there are questions about the project. Even a simple contract like an LOA protects you from clients who will change the project last minute or won’t pay after your work is complete.
Step 6: Get to Work
Congratulations! You’ve made it through your pre-project process and are ready to get started! Following these steps can be a lot of work for every new project, but they will help you write articles that thrill your clients while giving you the peace of mind needed to focus. Trust the process!
Nailing down the details before you begin will make your life easier once you get started. You’ll already know your client’s problem and have a gameplan to fix it. You’ll know exactly what you’re writing, when you need to finish it and (most importantly) when and how much you’ll be paid. You’ll be free to focus on providing great content for your client rather than the details of the project itself.
Wrapping Up
Don’t get burned. This 6-step pre-project process may take extra time up front, but isn’t thrilling your clients and getting paid on time worth the extra effort? Implementing the process will help you get to know every client and every project. Being thorough will help you weed out bad ones so you only work with clients you love and who love you in return.
Do you already have a pre-project process? If you do, send me a message with your steps and how they work for you!