Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

I've been speaking to a lot of freelancers this week while I finalise the remaining chapters of my book for pro freelancers. It's been fun and inspiring and, most of all, incredibly thought-provoking.

Excuse me while I sit in a dark room and recover this weekend. Just kidding, I'm finally re-attaching my bathroom ceiling 🎉

P.S. This week on Instagram I posted about how it's not enough to have talent as a freelancer (sad face). Watch it here.

Anyway, here's what I've been up to this week work-wise:

👉 I wrote 4 pieces for clients (including EmailToolTester, Salsify, and a new client)

👉 I refreshed 1 piece for Shopify

👉 I sent all my September invoices

👉 I worked a ton on the book

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~18

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~4

💰 Total revenue this week: £4,520

​
Check out my three practical courses that have helped 500+ people get more clients, earn more money, and create better content.

Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

I’ve heard some variation of “I’m finding it really hard to land clients” pretty much once a week this year. Even the most seasoned freelancers are scrambling to get some semblance of the rosters they used to have.

I’ve noticed it too.

Up until 2022, I’d get the VAST majority of enquiries through my website. At the peak of it all, I was probably getting around 3 or 4 new enquiries a WEEK through my website contact form. Now? It’s few and far between. I’m still ranking high for the search term “freelance SaaS writer”, which perhaps just proves there’s not as much demand as there was.

This is exacerbated by the shitshow that is LinkedIn. When someone posts a freelance job opening, you can bet your firstborn there will be close to 100 responses in the next five minutes. The competition feels fiercer than ever.

It’s scary, and I’ve thought a lot about “what’s next?” and “what the hell is happening?!” over the past few weeks (I’m even writing a book about it).

When we’re living the chaos that is freelancing, it’s hard to step outside of ourselves and really consider what’s going on. I regularly hit the panic button, have a nice little spiral for a week or two, and then reset.

But what if I could stop myself from hitting the panic button in the first place?!

Chance would be a fine thing.

Instead, I have some rigorous routines (both mental and physical) that I employ when things feel a bit flimsy.

(By the way, this isn’t going to be a list of things like “read back through your testimonials” which is cutesy on the surface but, let’s be real, none of us do).

Before I continue, I just want to say that we freelancers are nothing if not resilient. We have been through the fucking ringer over the past few years and, for those of us still standing, this is a testament to how good we are at bouncing back (does a little foot stomp and jazz hands).

We’re under so much pressure to fill our pipelines, stay visible on social media, keep on top of current trends (however much we hate them), and do the actual work.

It can sometimes feel like we’re on a (haunted) merry-go-round that doesn’t have an off button. So when we lose a client or feel like our rosters are pretty flimsy, we really notice it. The gap feels… gaping.

I’m pretty sure the majority of employed people have NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF HELL WE GO THROUGH ON A MONTHLY BASIS.

They just don’t. And it can make everything feel really lonely.

Anyway, I digress.

Back to the cold, hard practical advice.

Fellow freelancers are a lifeline

Look, employed peeps are great, but they just don’t get it.

Sometimes it helps to know we’re not in this alone. I’m part of a monthly meetup of fellow writers where we discuss whatever’s on our minds that month. I also go to coworking spaces 3 or 4 days a week to surround myself with other self-employed people. I’m regularly chatting with freelancers on LinkedIn and book a few virtual coffee chats each month.

I always come away from these meetings feeling like WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER. I would highly recommend scheduling some fellow freelancer time into your schedule.

(Pst. I’ve noticed that my freelance friend Kat Boogaard is running a mastermind starting this month that you might be interested in).

Lean on my existing network

I know I bang on about how important your network is, but in dire times it’s EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. I’m not just talking about fellow freelancers here, I’m talking about existing clients, past clients, colleagues, friends, family—anyone and everyone who knows you and supports what you do.

When things feel flimsy, I take the opportunity to reach out to past clients to check in with them (which sometimes leads to new work), I take time to connect on a deeper level with my existing clients, and I make sure friends, family, and peers know what I do in case they need someone with my skill set.

Go back to basics

I really like to overcomplicate things.

When I’m struggling to land new clients, I always go back to basics. That means making sure my portfolio reflects my work in the best light possible. It means assessing how I landed my last 3-5 clients and going all in on those acquisition methods. It means remembering that I only need to land 1 or 2 clients to fill the gap (I don’t need to convince 100 people to work with me).

This latter thought often gives me respite from the panic. It’s much easier to shoot for one new client than it is to try and get as many as possible at once.

I redefine success (or revisit my notion of success)

Look, for me, freelancing was all about having the freedom to set my own hours and jump on a plane whenever I wanted. I was over the moon when I hit £30k years (which I stayed at for a good 3 years). I was ECSTATIC when I hit £50k years. And when I hit my first £100k year… I genuinely thought it was a complete fluke. Until I did it again. And again.

But when I really think about it, I reached my version of success a loooong time ago. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of that.

I do whatever I have to do

It’s not easy out there at the moment and I’m not going to sit here and sugarcoat it.

Only you know what kind of stress you can cope with and what losing a client looks like for you and your life/finances/morale.

I know plenty of freelancers say you shouldn’t take a pay cut or take work that’s not in your niche. But honestly? If I’m struggling to land clients, I’m doing anything I can to get paying work (whatever that is) to tide me over until things feel less uncertain.

For you, that might mean taking a part-time job. It might mean lowering your rates. It might mean working with brands that aren’t in your niche. It might mean re-skilling. It might mean packing your bags and leaving the country.

The “positive” in it for me comes from knowing I’m in control of how I respond.

Just like we’re in control of how we run our businesses, we’re also in control of how we approach losing clients and business. Sometimes taking back that power feels incredibly liberating.

We need more Freelance Money Diaries entries!

I'm in awe of how many people have been open enough to share their freelance finances with us, but to continue the series we need more submissions.

Just a reminder that you can do this anonymously if you prefer :)

I appreciate every single one of you and I want to continue my mission of financial transparency in the freelance world. Can you help?

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

Interested in sponsoring Friday Freelance Tips? Get your brand, product, or service in front of 5,400+ freelancers, entrepreneurs, and founders. See sponsorship options here.

Follow me on Instagram and on Linkedin, where you can see the behind-the-scenes of my business.