5 Lessons I Learned in 2016 about Freelance Content Marketing Writing
It’s almost over. And that is a both a good and bad thing. 2016 was a crazy year for my freelance writing business (and my personal life as well). It went nowhere near as planned. But I had some of my worst and best moments as a freelancer within the past 12 months. But as usual when life goes off the rails (both in good and bad ways), I learned (or relearned) some really important lessons.
Here are the 5 things I learned in 2016, in hopes that you don’t have to learn these lessons the hard way as well:
1. It is shocking how quickly you can go from too much work to an empty calendar. When 2015 ended, I was on the top of the world. I had broken six figures for the first time and 2016 looked to be even more lucrative, with a ton of worked lined up. Then something happened with my three anchor clients and I spent six weeks with very little work. It was shocking and upsetting. And a great reminder that you have to keep marketing even when you think you don’t need to. I really hope that this is the last time that I have to learn this lesson, but I’m betting it won’t be since the hallmark of the freelance life seems to be feast or famine.
2. There is plenty of freelance work at top rates. I hear writers complain about having no work or not being able to find high paying work. However, I heard from many writers who had their highest earning year in 2016 and many writers (myself included) who ended the year with more work than they could handle. I personally think that this is the best time to be a freelance writer. I ramped my business up twice this year with new clients, the first after spending January twiddling my thumbs and the second after taking a few months basically off work due to health issues (more on that later). I ended the year with four consecutive months earning over $10,000. To put that in perspective, I had previously only had two months over $10,000 as a freelancer.
And while this may sound harsh, I really believe that if you are not able to find high paying work, then it is something that you are doing or not doing. It is not the state of freelancing or the industry. It is you. Check out my post 10 Reasons you are Not Earning Six Figures as a Freelance Writer for actionable ways to increase your income. And if you are really stuck, send me an email and I’m happy to talk with on the phone (for free) to help you increase your income. Every writer who is willing to be persistent and work their tail off should be able to make a good living as a freelance content marketing writer.
3. Editors are real people and the best strategy during a personal crisis is to be honest. This summer I found myself in chronic pain and dealing with some serious health issues. I always try to keep my personal life and issues private from my editors, but this one was bigger than anything I had dealt with and I found myself needing to take time off. I ended up being honest with my editors and I was shocked by how kind everyone was.
Two editors offered to take back projects I was working on and another even sent me a plant as a ‘get well’ gift. I was worried that I would lose these clients forever, since I was unable to finish assignments I had accepted from two of them, which is something I have never done before. But when I was ready to come back to work, all of my editors were ready with assignments for me. Several of them even checked in with me to see how I was and if I was ready to work. I firmly believe that if I hadn’t been honest and tried to muddle through the crisis that I would have lost clients because my work was definitely sub-par during that time. But instead, I came back from taking time off with my strongest finish to a year yet.
4. Becoming an influencer in your niche can really increase your clients and rates. In 2016, I gained traction toward my goal of becoming an influencer in the content marketing field by increasing my Twitter presence and speaking at Content Marketing World. I was even named one of the top 50 influencers at the conference (yes, I know I’ve mentioned this enough times on the blog to constitute as bragging, but bear with me, I’m really proud of this accolade). The result of this effort was that I developed some very strong connections with others in the industry that results in referrals and work coming to me. I personally think that the effort in becoming an influencer in your niche is well worth the time and effort involved.
5. Having a great network of other freelance writers is really important. I’ve known this for years, but this year I relearned the lesson. The best job leads come from other writers. When I was going through the January slump, it was other writers who emailed me job leads. And when I was on medical leave, I passed on a 20 hr/week, $100/hour project to a writer friend with a household brand name because I wasn’t taking on new clients. I could write a book on this topic alone with countless examples. The best way to develop a network is to join a freelance writing group, such as ASJA and Freelance Success, and to help out other writers whenever possible.
But most importantly, I didn’t want to share my health problems with those in my real life so I leaned on other freelancers and I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through without my writer friends. My email box was filled with sweet messages. One writer texted me jokes and inspirational messages daily. I got several get well care packages. A few dear friends checked on me daily. And one writer did the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me in my life – she made a beautiful quilt for me with messages from my writer friends. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.
So that is my 2016 in less than 1000 words. It was a good year. It was an awful year. But it was a year that changed me in many ways. And I’m really excited about taking all of the lessons I learned this year into 2017 to make it a truly awesome year.
What did you learn in 2016?
I’m so glad that you made it through 2016, Jennifer, and wish you *all* the best for the new year.
I, for one, am gobsmacked at how you continued to soldier on despite the challenges you faced, not only managing your *own* business, but continuing to give and share with other writers in a host of ways throughout the year. You. Are. Amazing.
As for what I learned in 2016, it’s this: my biggest obstacle is *me.* I decided at the beginning of the year that I was going to dream big, push past my fears whenever possible, get outside my comfort zone, all those cliched sayings. And damned if it didn’t work! I had some moments where I was staring over the precipice thinking “Why did I think I could do ‘x’?!,” but each time I took a deep breath, looked to my support network for an ‘atta girl,’ and plunged back in. And ya know what? It worked! This was my best year ever!
My takeaways: you have to know when to say ‘no.’ You have to know when to say ‘I don’t know’ and ask for help. You have to *allow* others to help you. Everything you put out, you get back in spades. You have to believe in yourself. If you’re not failing sometimes, you’re not ‘doing.’ Tomorrow is a new day.
Wishing *you* a blessed and prosperous new year!!
Lori, Thank you SO much for the kind words. It means a lot to me.
I love your lessons from 2016. And huge congratulations for your best year ever. I think you are totally right about ourselves often being the biggest obstacle. I totally believe that you get back what you put out and that if you aren’t failing then you aren’t really trying.
I think many writers are afraid of failing and honestly, that is where your biggest lessons and biggest successes come from – doing something you’ve never come from. And if you look at all the really successful people, most of them have failed many times. When I started Virtual Client Connections (Skyping with Editors) for ASJA, I honestly wasn’t sure it would work. In fact, I thought there was about a 50 percent (maybe higher) chance it would fail dramatically. And the day it launched and actually went off relatively smoothly, I sat in my kitchen and cried for 15 minutes. I was so happy and shocked it worked. When I told people that I honestly thought it might fail, everyone said “well then why did you try?” And my answer was that I didn’t stand to lose anything by trying and I stood to gain a ton if it worked.
2017 will be a truly awesome year for all of us because as freelancers we are typically awesome people!
Jennifer thank you for all your posts this year, packed full of actionable knowledge and wholesome goodness.
I look forward to your insights and thoughts on freelance writing, in the posts which you share with us next year.
While 2016 was good to me, I need to revisit your “10 Reasons You Are Not Making Six Figures as a Freelance Writer” post, as it could have been a lot better.
Aww, thank you for the kind words. And congratulations on having a good year. I hope that 2017 will be even better for you.
2016 was also my best year yet for my small content marketing agency! I learned do not take a high paying gig just because it’s high paying. I started down this road twice this year, but thankfully backed out when I realized the clients were not people I could support/endorse. I have to hustle for new clients in 2017 as a result and I am ok with that. Thanks for all your advice!
I completely agree with you. I have found that if I don’t click with a client then it is likely to not be successful. I only work clients that are a good fit for my strengths and weaknesses as well as ones that I support/endorse. I like to say one of the benefits of freelancing is you don’t have to work for jerks. I only take new clients after talking to them on the phone and this has helped tremendously.
Hi Jennifer,
I guess what I learned this year was basically two things:
1) I’m learning for the first time that Freelancing is something I can take seriously. It was too far away from my picture of reality and I thought my desire to write was going to be a part-time gig at best.
A lot of people think that the job market is going to see a drastic shift towards freelance/contract employment. I actually don’t think that working for “the man” in a big company is a bad thing, but it’s not right for everyone and I think a lot of people stay in that realm because it feels safe.
Or flip it around, I think there’s a lot of fear to be faced when you step out on your own. Internally: Can I get over this Impostor Syndrome? Externally: Can I make a decent living doing something I like?
2) On the actual writing side, I’m learning that there’s plenty of good resources out there. Everything you need to know is out there, so if you’re dedicated to your own education, you can improve your skills and make a mark out there.
Thanks for your blog, and I look forward to reading them in 2017 🙂
-Joshua
Those are both fantastic lessons! I am so glad you decided that freelancing is something that you can do as a serious full time job. I know many freelancers that make over six figures year after year. And many more that fall into the $60 to $80K range. You can definitely do it and we are hear to help you. This blog is a very supportive environment. Please feel free to email as well if you need any other help. I promise that you can do this and be a successful freelance writer. I offer free phone coaching to any writer who asks (I don’t sell anything to writers, just try to help as many people as possible) so I am happy to talk to you on the phone if you need more help.
I will be holding a having a marketing challenge starting the second week of January where I give you a list of marketing ideas and you earn 1 entry into a drawing for a gift card for each one you complete. It was a lot of fun last year.
For me the fear and impostor syndrome is something that I have to continually overcome. Every time I hit a dry spell, I decide that all of my previous success has been a fluke and my career is over. I don’t think that the fear every totally goes away, you just learn that its normal and how to push through it. And the more experience you have under your belt, you have more successes to remind yourself of when you decide that you are a failure as a freelance writer.
Thanks for the response Jennifer 🙂
It’s funny, the best way I’ve come up with to overcome the impostor syndrome is (not so shockingly) more writing.
I actually have a special google doc I write in every day for 15 minutes to get all those gremlins out. Sometimes just a brain dump, other times I do a ‘Challenge/Opportunity’ writing. Basically write out whatever challenge I’m facing as briefly and succinctly as I can, then free flow on how that challenge is actually an opportunity for me. It’s kind of my little trick for rewiring my thinking in a way that’s more useful.
Plus it’s encouraging to get positive feedback from my existing clients. No doubt I should be bottling up all those good vibes for the next time I try to push my freelancing to the next level. 🙂
LOVE your 15 minute brain dump. What a great idea.
And you are totally right, the more your write, the more confidence you gets. Something that works for me is saving all my positive feedback emails from readers and editors in a single folder. When I am doubting myself, I just read this folder. It always helps.
All the best to you Jennifer, and to all the other “Gregorians” who follow you, when they build the Freelancing Hall of Fame, you’ll be an inaugural member…
Aww! Thank you, you made my day! Happy New Year to you and your family as well!