10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Freelance Writing

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of my freelance writing career 🙂

Back in July 2012, I decided to dip my toe into the world of freelancing. After several years spent working in the beauty industry, I wanted to pursue something that allowed me to work from home. As a parent, the idea of 9-5 salon life no longer appealed to me. Flexibility was the only way forward.

Freelancing enabled me to combine my professional qualifications and experience with my love of writing. My passion for the beauty industry made it easy for me to specialise in writing about topics related to skincare, nails, cosmetics, aromatherapy and all aspects of holistic health. It was the perfect solution that offered the flexibility and job satisfaction that I craved.

And, after 10 years, I couldn’t be happier with my decision!

How has it been?

Over the past decade, I’ve been lucky enough to work with clients all over the world, from the UK to Singapore, Australia, Canada, Spain, Dubai and the USA.

During that time, I’ve written hundreds of blog posts, piles of product descriptions and loads of SEO sales-focused content. It’s been great to work on such a variety of projects, from one-off jobs to long-term contracts.

As someone who specialises in the world of beauty, it’s been a ball to research and write about so many gorgeous skincare, makeup, aromatherapy and nails-related goodies. Someone has to write all that salesy text – and that person is me 🙂

One of my favourite projects involved coming up with names for 35 new nail polish colours (dream job!)

So, what have I learned over the past 10 years as a freelance copywriter and proofreader?

10 Things I’ve Learned as a Freelance Writer

1. Synonyms are my friend

Many projects will require you to think of creative ways to essentially say the same thing in various different ways. Sometimes this will mean trawling online thesauruses to find every type of way you can describe the word “smooth”!

2. Good, fast, cheap – pick two!

Always remember the Triangle of Compromise – speed, cost and quality. One of these has to be sacrificed – you can’t have all three! Nothing is super fast, super cheap AND super quality. I’ve explained this in more detail in a previous blog post.

Can it be fast AND cheap? Absolutely, but the quality will suffer.

Can it be good quality AND fast? Yes, but you’ll pay more for the privilege!

Can it be good quality AND cheap? Possibly, but it’ll take longer.

So, if you ask a copywriter to lower their rate, be prepared to either wait longer or accept a lower quality of work (or both).

It’s important for both clients and freelancers to bear this in mind. In the early days, I was definitely guilty of trying to satisfy all three points on the triangle. Over time, I’ve learned to make adjustments that lead to a happier work-life balance.

3. I’m happiest at my desk

Freelance writing is often sold as part of the digital nomad dream – you know, the whole “working from your laptop on the beach” vibe. In reality, it didn’t take long for me to realise that the best place to get work done is actually sitting at a desk (preferably in silence). The truth is, all that sand and dazzling sunlight doesn’t pair well with keyboards and monitors.

Sure, you can work from your bed (and I have, in the past) or lounge around like a cool hipster freelancer in Starbucks. In fact, when the weather’s nice, I’ll often take my laptop into the garden to make the most of the sunshine. But after an hour of squinting at the screen and swatting away bugs, I usually end up heading back inside. At the end of the day, it’s hard to beat that good old table-and-chair combo.

4. Say no to the stingy brigade!

Let’s be brutally honest here. In my experience, I have found the stingiest clients to be the most demanding. By “stingy”, I’m referring to the clients with super-low budgets and those who try to knock you down on price. My hourly rate is much lower than the UK average for copywriters, yet I’ve still had potential clients ask for a discount.

These days, I’m better at spotting red flags and knowing when to decline a job offer.

But on the occasions when these projects have gone ahead, I’ve learned (the hard way) that these clients are more likely to:

a) Be harder to please

b) Ask for revisions

c) Make additions to the original agreement (scope creep)

5. The 9-5 is not for me

Don’t feel you need a “day rate”. In 10 years of working as a freelance writer, I’ve never set a day rate, nor have I ever needed to calculate one.

Every copywriter is different, and I appreciate that some writers prefer to work on a “day rate” basis, particularly if they’re dealing with bigger projects. But it’s never really been applicable to the way I work. One of the advantages of this job is that I can be flexible with time. I work on a part-time basis to fit around family commitments, so it’s rare that I’d ever set aside an entire day for work. Personally, it’s much easier for me to quote a fixed fee, based on an estimation of the number of hours I think the job will take. Sometimes I’ll work random hours here and there, just because that’s what works for me.

6. You’re not just a typist

A freelance writing job never just involves writing. It might seem like it shouldn’t take long to write a 5-word tagline or a mini blog post, but the actual text on the page is merely the end result of the process.

A significant amount of time is spent planning and researching before any words are written at all – not to mention the editing and proofreading that follows. In the early days, I didn’t always factor this in when quoting for jobs.

It’s important to take into account ALL the time you’ll be spending on it, including thinking time! Some projects have lived rent-free in my head for days as I brainstormed ideas. In fact, I’d say most jobs have involved far more hours of “thinking” than actual “typing”. The good news is that some of this “thinking time” can be done while you’re washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom or sitting in a boring waiting room! Multitasking FTW.

7. Know your worth, and know you’re worth it

Work out your rate and try to stick to it. It’s easy to fall into the trap of accepting low-paid jobs out of fear and desperation – and most freelancers are probably guilty of doing this at some point (including me). While it’s forgivable when you’re starting from scratch and trying to build up a portfolio, it’s never a good long-term strategy. Ultimately, you’ll end up working long hours for very little pay – often working out to less than minimum wage. This leads to resentment and defeats the object of pursuing your dream career.

Back in 2012, I poured my heart and soul into blog posts that paid peanuts. Now, I cringe when I look back and see how much time and effort I spent on them. For context, I once wrote a batch of 700-word articles that equated to just $18 each (where is a facepalm emoji when I need one?!)

I don’t have regrets, because these jobs really helped me to build my portfolio, improve my copywriting skills and get some great feedback to kick off my freelance career. But my advice would be this: if you’re going to take these jobs, make sure your effort matches the budget. Don’t spend hours on something when it just ain’t worth it! (see The Triangle of Compromise, above)

8. Quoting is hard

It’s not always easy to calculate how long a job will take. Over the years, I’ve certainly been guilty of underestimating the amount of time I’ll spend on a project – especially after I’ve factored in research, planning, proofreading and revisions. As we discussed above, it’s not just about the writing.

When quoting for a job, you need to take into account the inevitable “faff time” that you’ll spend replying to emails and dealing with unexpected delays. Once I allocated four hours for a research project that actually took twice as long. You don’t always know in advance how long it’ll take to find the information you need.

There’s a temptation to err on the low side, particularly if you’re just starting out or struggling to find work. But I can safely say that every time I’ve under-quoted, I’ve ended up massively regretting it!

9. The truth about proofreading

When clients ask for “proofreading”, they often want more than that. Strictly speaking, proofreading only involves correcting spelling and grammar errors. In many cases, the text actually needs copyediting or even rewriting. This takes significantly longer and, therefore, should be priced accordingly.

I’m sure many freelancers can relate to being presented with work that sounds like it’s been written by a 10-year-old and asked to just “give it a quick once over for typos”.

For more on this subject, see Proofreading, Copyediting, Rewriting… What’s the Difference? 

10. Upwork’s not all bad

Like many freelancers, I first started my career on Upwork (then known as Elance). The much-derided online freelancing platform is often dismissed as nothing more than a content mill offering rock-bottom rates of pay.

But while Upwork certainly has its downsides, I think it’s important not to overlook the potential positives. For me, it was a vital stepping stone to begin my freelance career. Over the years, it gave me the opportunity to work on some really interesting projects and make valuable contacts. I built up a decent portfolio and got some wonderful testimonials. It’s certainly worth a try for anyone starting from scratch in the freelance game.

For an in-depth discussion of its pros and cons, check out one of my previous blog posts The Ups and Downs of Upwork.

In conclusion…

So, that’s my summary of things I’ve learned over the past 10 years as a freelance writer.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to see what the future holds for The Write Direction.

Here’s to the next 10! 🙂