My income is up $20K from a year ago — here are 7 things that helped make that happen
Seven lessons from a surprisingly strong year in freelancing.
Recently, someone asked me how freelancing has been going for me. Instead of going off vibes, I checked my P&L and was pleasantly surprised to see that my income is actually up about $20K compared to this time last year. That feels really obnoxious to share when I know there are people reading this who have lost writing work and are struggling to find new work.
But it’s not like things are just always going well for me. About six months ago, I lost a client I’d had for about six years. It wasn’t my biggest client, but the loss of recurring revenue definitely hurt. And a client that was my biggest source of income for years has only assigned me one article so far in 2026.
But I keep trucking along, and somehow, the overall trend seems to be much better than it was a year or two ago. Here are some of the things I believe have helped make that happen.
1. I rarely let go of clients
I rarely let go of clients and have always kept a large client base, even when things were going great. That’s kind of an unpopular opinion, but holding onto a few lower-paying (though not ridiculously low) clients gave me something to lean into when the higher-paying ones pulled back.
For example, in 2021, I had a client who I was considering letting go of. At that point, freelancers seemed to have all the leverage, and the rate this client was paying felt too low given how well things were going for me. But for whatever reason, I decided to just continue to do one or two articles a month for this client. Then, when the Google algorithm updates hit, I was able to lean into doing more work for this client, which really helped minimize the fallout to my business.
I’ve heard freelancers say they will pre-emptively get rid of a client to “make space” for a better client, but that’s never been a strategy that’s made sense to me. For me, letting go of clients has always sort of happened naturally — I focus on adding more work to my business, not getting rid of current clients. When I’m focused on growing and adding better-paying clients, the lower-paying ones naturally get crowded out over time.
2. I’ve always said yes to rush jobs
Being the person who answers emails immediately and never turns down a last-minute assignment has paid off more than almost anything else. I do realize this is a bit of a preference thing. I have always thrived when I feel like my back is up against a wall, so I think part of me likes tight deadlines.
But in general, I just focus on being a “yes” person. Assuming I’m happy with the rate and able to do the work, I try to always say yes to clients, which I think leads many people to see me as their go-to freelancer when they need something done. I can think of one client in particular who has paid me more than $31K over the last year, and I think it’s because I always say yes to them.
3. Cold emailing feels pointless until it isn’t
I’ve sent many cold emails over the last year, and most of them have gone ignored, but the clients I’ve found from it made it all worth it. One client in particular has assigned me about $15K worth of work since the beginning of the year. This client came from a cold email I sent in September 2025.
I have seen lots of debates on LinkedIn about whether cold emailing is actually effective, given the time and effort it takes. Are there easier and more effective strategies? Maybe, but I like cold emailing because it’s a proactive way to look for work.
And what’s funny is that I’ve noticed that even when my cold emails don’t seem to be landing, the work will show up in other ways. For example, I’ve sent probably 25 cold emails over the last two to three weeks, and so far, it hasn’t resulted in any new clients.
But a client I hadn’t worked with in a while suddenly offered me an article, and another client asked if I could work on a new project. When I’m being proactive and putting myself out there for my work, I usually see that effort rewarded, even if it’s not in the way I expect.
4. I’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years
I think it’s important to mention that I’ve been doing this for a long time. I know experience in itself isn’t a guarantee of finding work, but I do think it helps. Because I’ve been doing this for a long time and have written thousands of articles for dozens of clients, I have a pretty large network I can reach out to.
Whenever I see that an editor I know moves to a new company, I don’t feel weird about reaching out and asking if they need any freelance help. Most times, people are happy to say yes. I’m also in a mastermind with other freelance writers, and have found work through that group.
Maybe you haven’t been doing this for 10 years, but I’m guessing you have a larger network and more opportunities than you realize. Look for ways to stay in touch with those individuals on LinkedIn and keep tabs on what they’re doing. This isn’t opportunistic — you’re helping them just as much as they’re helping you.
5. I hide negative posts on LinkedIn
This may be controversial, but every time I see a post from people who got laid off or freelancers talking about how slow things are, I hide it and move on with my day. Not because I don’t feel compassion, but it’s just too much of a drain on my energy if I’m constantly absorbing all these negative messages about the economy and freelancing.
That’s partly why I started the Freelance Income Lab — I feel like I can help people more by sharing what’s working for me. It’s always why I share when things are going well. So many people’s LinkedIn feeds are dominated by freelancers talking about how “weird” freelancing is and how no one is hiring. I think it’s important for people to hear that there are freelancers finding work and hitting their income goals.
6. I’m always asking for more work
Anytime I submit an article to a client, I end the email by saying something like, “Let me know if you need any other work in May — I still have some availability through the end of the month.” I know that seems like obvious advice, but I find a lot of editors are worried about overburdening freelancers, so they don’t always proactively offer more assignments.
But I also think some freelancers don’t do this because they secretly don’t want more work. Not consciously, but there’s some kind of fear lurking beneath the surface. What if I say yes and I can’t handle all this work? What if I get too busy? So instead of asking, they hold back and prevent themselves from getting more work without even realizing it.
Before you go looking for complicated strategies to grow your income, ask yourself, “Am I doing the obvious things I know I could be doing?” Asking for more work from people who already know and trust you is about as low-hanging as it gets.
7. I stopped doing things that don’t work
In 2019, I went to a conference that helped jumpstart my career as a personal finance writer. I walked away with three dream clients, two of whom are still with me today. Then 2020 hit, and in-person conferences obviously didn’t happen.
I’ve been a couple of times since, and the opportunities for freelancers have continued to get worse and worse. The last time I went was in 2024, and I didn’t find any work from it, so I haven’t been back since.
Maybe you don’t go to conferences, but is there some strategy you’re still investing time and money in that’s not giving you the returns you want? How often do you stop to ask yourself, “Is this still working for me?” The freelancing landscape is shifting constantly, and what got you here won’t always get you to the next level. The willingness to honestly audit your own strategy might be the most underrated skill in this business.