Most freelancing advice is a distraction — here’s what actually matters

Most freelancers are trying to solve the wrong problems. After nearly a decade of freelancing, here's what actually moves the needle.

Photo by Greg Garnhart on Unsplash

At the end of 2019, I decided to try my hand at creating and selling a digital course. I wanted to teach new freelance writers how to earn their first $1,000 a month, primarily using Upwork to find clients like I did. It was kind of controversial at the time since lots of people hated Upwork and insisted it was the absolute worst way to make money as a freelance writer.

In an effort to sell my course, I started doing free 30-minute calls with freelancers. I remember one girl got on the call, and she had never worked with a single client or made any money as a freelance writer. And when I brought up the idea of using Upwork, she shut it down pretty quickly. “I don’t want to give up 20% of the money when I’m doing 100% of the work,” she declared.

Ummm, last I checked, 20% of $0 is still $0, but okay.

But I’ve found that this sort of sentiment is common for freelancers because most spend their time worrying about things that don’t matter. They worry about payment fees before they have a single client. They obsess over contracts and scope creep. They focus on payment terms and how to get a client from Net 30 to Net 15. Meanwhile, the actual work of building a freelance business sits untouched.

I’ve been freelancing since 2016 and have earned over $100K every year for the past six years. So I can say with confidence that most of what gets discussed in freelance communities doesn’t actually matter. So let me tell you what does.

My core 4 as a freelance writer

I promise this article isn’t just going to turn into a rant. Because while most freelancing advice doesn’t matter, the flip side is that a few things matter enormously. In almost a decade of freelancing, I’ve found it really comes down to the following four things.

1. Finding clients

You cannot build a freelance business without clients, and yet this seems to be where freelancers spend the least amount of focused energy. And I think that’s because there’s a genuine disconnect as to what does and what doesn’t lead to a new client.

For example, updating your website is unlikely to lead to a new client. Websites are largely a vanity project, and most clients don’t care about reading through your about page or a description of your services. Your time would actually be much better spent optimizing your LinkedIn profile so clients could potentially find you.

Or even better? Email a previous client, tell them you have some availability, and ask if they need help with anything. Reach out to someone directly on LinkedIn and tell them what kind of services you offer. Ask your current clients to refer you if they hear of anyone looking for a freelance writer.

To be honest, the way you find freelance work also matters a lot less than you think. I got my start on Upwork, which plenty of people told me was a waste of time and a race to the bottom. It wasn’t because it got me in front of real clients who needed real work done. I don’t use it today, but I might if I needed to drum up some new business quickly and other strategies weren’t working.

Cold emailing works too. So does LinkedIn, reaching out to warm leads, referrals, and job boards. What doesn’t work is endlessly debating which method is best while never actually trying any of them. So pick one approach and make it your job to find a client. That’s it.

2. Turning in quality work on time

This point sounds obvious, but it probably doesn’t mean what you think it means. When I say “quality,” I’m not talking about being the best writer — I’m talking about giving clients exactly what they need, on time.

When I first started freelancing in 2016, one of the mental hurdles I had to get past was the fact that I had never graduated from college. I remember the first call I ever got on with a potential client. I was sooo nervous because I was sure he’d ask where I went to college. (Spoiler: he never asked, and neither has anyone else.)

In a way, I think my lack of a degree actually helped me because I knew I couldn’t compete based on experience or credentials. So instead, I focused on being the most helpful and the easiest to work with. And that’s why most of my clients have stayed with me for years — not because I’m the most talented writer they’ve ever worked with, but because working with me is easy.

I read the brief and include any keywords or internal links they asked for. I turn things in on time or early. I accept and implement feedback without getting defensive. I don’t require a lot of managing. That’s what quality actually means to a busy editor or content marketing manager, and it’s more valuable than you realize.

3. Maintaining your current client relationships

Honestly, I could have stopped at those first two points, and I think the article would’ve been complete. If all you focus on is finding the work and doing quality work, you’ll be in good shape. But I’m going to add in these final two points because I really do think they’ve been instrumental to my success.

Your current clients are the most valuable asset you have as a freelance writer, so you should protect these relationships at all costs. A client who trusts you and keeps assigning you work is worth far more than the energy it takes to constantly be pitching someone new.

I’ve gotten some of my best clients through editors I already had relationships with. Either from people referring me or from an editor leaving one job and taking me with them to the next one.

One of the biggest ways I’ve done this is by figuring out what each of my clients really wants in a freelancer. For example, I have one client who wants someone who doesn’t involve a lot of managing. This editor is very to the point and wants someone who will turn in a strong draft the first time and can take feedback.

Another client needs someone who understands SEO and can really stick to the briefs they send. One client often wants quick turnaround articles and is willing to pay more for them. I’ve been their go-to freelancer because I always respond to emails quickly, and if they need a rush assignment that's due tomorrow, I can pretty much always do it.

4. Know your numbers

This one took me longer to figure out, and I think it holds a lot of freelancers back without them even realizing it. In 2019, I was earning around $45K a year and felt pretty stuck. Then I came across a writer who openly talked about earning over $200K, and something shifted for me. I hadn’t been aiming higher because I didn’t know that kind of money was possible. That year, I doubled my income and I earned $90K.

The strategy that actually changed my income was figuring out my daily income goal. For example, let’s say you want to make $100,000. That means you need to earn roughly $8,300 per month. If you work 20 days a month, you need to earn at least $415 each day, which is a very doable rate for most writers.

Once I started hitting my number each day, I stopped worrying about chasing invoices or stressing about when money would come in. The daily goal gave me something concrete to aim at, and everything else followed from that.

The bottom line

In my opinion, those four things are all that really matter for freelance writers. Not your website, not your contract template, and not an Upwork fee. If you can master those four items, you’ll have a long and successful freelance career. The most successful freelancers I know are the ones who ignore the noise and just stay focused on what actually moves the needle.

If you’re not sure which of these four areas is holding you back, that’s exactly what a Freelance Income Audit is for. In one hour, we’ll look at your business together, figure out where the gap is, and map out what to focus on next. You can book your audit here.