Deadline and invoicing day, so this is going to be a speedy one. As a follow-up to last week’s post on freelance creatives and impostor syndrome, the first of today’s freelance links is from another freelancer who’d gotten the same sense that chatter on the topic had increased: In “Imposter syndrome and editing,” Katherine Trail suggests using a “win jar” to boost spirits or dispel moments of doubt. I’ve got a bulletin board that serves the same purpose: When a freelance client pays me a compliment, I print it out and tack it up.
The second two freelance links are more on the practical side. 1) How Freelance Writers Land Great Clients on the Phone is exactly what it sounds like, with several essential tips to make calls more effective. I’m a big believer in the phone over email for certain tasks because you hear and can react to nuances that don’t happen in a back-and-forth text exchange. 2) One Marketing Strategy That Can Boost Your Writing Income boils it down to contact volume and quality. My sense—purely anecdotal—is that freelancers worry about “What if all of them come through?!” Well, that’s probably not going to happen. And, if it does happen, you just need to be smart about triage: who you say yes to, and on what terms. Even if you have to turn something down, you’re still on that person’s radar.
The final two aren’t as much freelance links as about how we think about entrepreneurship. Jon Westenberg’s “Working for yourself is not freedom” takes a no-B.S. perspective on flying solo. Don’t be misled by the title, though—his ultimate conclusion is that it’s worth it. In “Build a Business, Not a Financial Machine,” Gary Vaynerchuk talks in terms of the scramble for venture capital, but the concept applies equally to freelance businesses: There are no short cuts.
Join Me at the EFA National Conference
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be speaking at the 2016 Editorial Freelancers Association National Conference in New York City, August 29-30, with one session on pricing and another on freelance marketing. (It’ll also be the launch site for my new book on freelance referrals.) Check out the link for details on the speaker lineup and sessions—and you can grab the early-bird rate if you sign up before April 30!