What Should Freelancers Do When the Client Won't Pay?

Image credit: Pixabay

Nearly every freelancer has been there at some point. If you haven't yet, you will be. You did the work and you did it well. You provided any revisions or changes the client asked for. Then you wait. And you wait. And you wait some more.

What do you do when the client won't pay? It's a stressful situation for any freelancer, especially if your freelance income is your only income. We depend on timely payment from our clients to put gas in our cars, pay our rents/mortgages, and put food on the table. So when clients take 60 or 90 days to pay (or don't pay at all), it can be a little frightening.

#1. Don't Be Crazy. Take a Deep Breath. Be Polite.

Image credit: Pixabay

I used to work at a magazine that used freelance writers for most of their content, and there was a writer who didn't get paid as fast as he expected to be. He called our managing editor somewhere north of 10 times in one day, and when she stopped taking his calls, he called every other number on the masthead and yelled at whoever picked up the phone. Each call was laced with so many f-bombs that even I got upset, and I was in the Army. Swearing doesn't usually phase me. Eventually he called the CEO of the publishing company that owned the magazine. Yes, his payment was late (I think it had been 60 days). No, it wasn't on purpose. Yes, his check was sent out the next day. No, we never worked with that guy again.

See my post about not burning bridges. Never behave like that. Editors go to conferences. They talk to each other. The last thing you want is someone pointing you out at a conference and telling five other editors that you're a lunatic. At some point, you may also want a reference. You really just don't want to go down that road.

No, the first follow-up should be polite. Sometimes clients don't forget you on purpose. Maybe they don't use a lot of freelancers and nobody was on top of your payment. Maybe they rely on a finance department to pay their bills for them and have no control over it. Or hell, maybe your invoice just fell between two desks. 

When you reach out, make sure you re-send the invoice in case they've lost it. If you're lucky, one polite e-mail will get a payment generated. You get your money and you maintain a positive relationship. Here's an email I sent just last month after I felt a payment had taken too long:

Dear XXXX, 

Attached please find Invoice #0036 for April.

Also, I haven’t received payment for March. You guys usually have a pretty quick turnaround on payment so I’ve attached Invoice #0034 again just in case you need it or missed it. Thanks!

They sent out a check for both the next day. I got the second payment faster than usual and the first payment came with it. Shit happens. You don't have to start off by being a jerk about it.

#2. Be Firm. Still Be Polite.

Image credit: Pixabay

After that first attempt, one of two things will happen. You'll get a response telling you payment is on the way, or you'll be ignored. Either way, give it a five to seven business days. Make sure they've had time to see your email and take action on it.
If you still haven't received payment, pick up the phone. It's harder to ignore someone in an actual conversation than it is by email. Try once in the morning, and if you don't reach them, try again in the afternoon. Leave a voicemail the second time if necessary, but ideally you can talk to a person. Reiterate that you are owed payment. Tell them you'll follow up by email. Send the invoice again with a note that it is a follow-up to your call.

If they tell you they'll make sure you get paid, wait another week or so. At this point I know it's very frustrating, but you have to allow time for the mail (if you get paid through Venmo or PayPal or direct deposit, you can wait a few days instead of a week). If they tell you they will not pay you, skip straight to step three.

#3. You Can Stop Being Polite. But Stay Professional.

Image credit: Pixabay

It's unprofessional to launch into a tirade of expletives at any client, even one who won't pay. Be the better person, but also remember that if they're going to refuse to pay, you never want to work with this client again. Now you can burn the bridge if it helps put that check in your hand.

At this point ask them to remit payment and be clear that this will be the end of your professional relationship. Give them a deadline at which point you will take legal action. Often the threat will be enough. Giving you the money they owe is cheaper than legal fees.

#4. Don't Just Threaten. Follow Through.

Image credit: Pixabay

Many freelancers will stop at Step #3 and just give up because they don't want to pay for a lawyer. I encourage freelancers not to do this, because you're just setting up the next guy to get screwed by that same client. The only way they might get away without paying you is if there is no contract, but even then you can use verbal agreements and emails as proof of your arrangement.

If you're based in New York, N.Y., like me, consider yourself lucky. As of May 15, 2017, the Freelance Isn't Free Act protects freelancers in exactly this situation, even if the client is located outside of the city or state. In most circumstances, clients are required to pay within 30 days of completed work unless a contract states otherwise. This law also allows you to recoup any legal fees you incur as part of your lawsuit, and clients face fines and damages if they don't meet their obligation to pay you.

If you're not in NYC but still have a contract, you're probably still okay. Of course, I'm not a legal expert. Find a lawyer who does free consultations and see where you stand. You can also seek support and advice from organizations like the Freelancers Union (it's free to join) on their client nonpayment page. Click here to read a post on their blog about hiring a lawyer. 

5 Tips for Cold Pitching Potential Freelance Writing Clients

Photo credit: KeithJJ, Pixabay.com

If you don't know how to properly pitch an editor, your freelance writing career is going to be pretty short-lived. You can only make a first impression once, so you want to take your time and make a careful pitch that will catch an editor's eye.

Now, it's important to understand that more often than not, even with a stellar pitch, you won't get a response. Don't get discouraged just because you don't hear back from an editor or executive. But if you're doing it correctly, you can get a response to one out of twenty, or even one out of ten. If you're racking up stats like that, you're doing pretty well. The following tips will help you get those treasured responses.

4 Sites That Can Help You Kickstart Your Freelance Writing Career

Photo credit, Pixabay user: bykst

There are hundreds of blogs on the internet about freelance writing. Thousands, actually. Google offers about 2,750,000 results to the search "How do I become a freelance writer?" But the answer is simple: You work at it.

Many of those blogs say conflicting things. The bad ones will tell you to spend a dozens of useless hours running around in circles for "clients" on some race-to-the-bottom site like Upwork or Freelancer so some asshole can pay you a penny per word. Others will toot their own horn about how successful they are without really telling you how they got there. And of course, like most things on the internet, the vast majority of them will tell you nothing at all.

So who can you trust? That's why we're here. I want everyone who reads this to know who they can trust when it comes to advice about building their writing brand and career.

1. Jason McDowell at Just About Write. Yes, this is me. Here's the gospel truth, my friend. Every one of us who blogs about writing is doing it for self-promotion, so I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to plug myself. But also know that some of us are doing it to help. My blog on the topic of freelance writing is fairly new, so it's not getting the most traffic or topping the search engines, but I'll tell you this: I will not lie to you. I have been doing this for a couple of years now, and I worked several years at a trade magazine before that. I know this industry and my advice will steer you in the right direction. I promise.

2. Bamidele Onibalusi at Writers in Charge. This site doesn't seem to update much anymore, but there's a lot of valuable evergreen content still sitting on Writers in Charge. It's a great place to go to find lists of magazines and blogs that pay, that accept guest posts, etc. You can Google lists like this and come up with many of them, but they are often way out of date or flat-out inaccurate. Writers in Charge does a pretty good job of vetting these lists to make sure you don't get ripped off.

3. The Write Life. This site provides a constantly updated stream of guest posts from successful freelance writers aimed at guiding you toward a successful writing career. It's definitely a must-stop for those still trying to get their feet and figure out where clients come from. You'll also find a lot of less common advice, such as practical tax tips for writers, or good gmail add-ons that keep writers organized.

4. Jorden Roper at Writing Revolt. Jorden Roper advertises "no-bullshit, in-depth freelance writing advice" and that advertisement is spot on. I particularly enjoy watching her take the content mills and bidding sites to task for taking advantage of writers, and her blog and training sessions offer an endless supply of straightforward, no-frills advice to freelance writers of all levels. In particular, beginning freelancers will get a lot out of her kick-you-in-the-ass style of advice. This is a first stop for any writer trying to figure out how to get started, or anyone who needs a no-nonsense shove in the right direction to help them get their career on track.

These writers and sites won't steer you wrong. You deserve the work/life balance that comes with being a writer, and reaching out to take it shouldn't mean you don't also deserve a good income. We're here to make sure writers like ourselves can succeed. Maybe some day you can return the favor.

4 Places to Look for Freelance Writing Gigs

Photo Credit: Pixabay

So you've done it. You've finally taken the leap and decided to be your own boss. No more suits and ties, no more long commutes. You can wear comfortable shoes and your cat can sleep on your desk. You're a freelance writer now. Congratulations.

That first day you sit down at the computer, open a Google or Word doc, and suddenly realize you have nothing to write. Well, shit.

But never fear. That's what blogs like this one are for. Here are 4 places you can look for freelance writing work:

1. Your own network. This is, first and foremost, the best place to find steady work. Never underestimate the power of personal connections. My first steady freelance work came from a magazine I once worked at. Another client went to the same creative writing MFA program as I did. Take the connections you've made and turn them into strengths. Call up old bosses and see if they need advertising copy, or someone to populate their company blog or social media pages. Many managers and business owners can be sold on the idea of brand help from somebody who actually worked in the trenches.

2. Craigslist. This is highly dependent on where you live. While you can write from anywhere, finding a legit, paying local client on the Craigslist page of Duluth, MN, is far less likely than doing so in New York or LA. That said, not every client needs to be local, and not every Craigslist ad is looking for a local writer. Most of these gigs are going to be for blogs, and if you know a lot about niche areas like food, make-up, or fitness, you'll probably have more luck than most. None of these jobs will pay the rent on their own, but they can be good ways to build up some clips.

3. Freelance websites. Don't go to Fiverr or Freelancer or Upwork. You might find a valuable client once every blue moon on these sites, but the time it takes to do so isn't worth effort. You'll have much better luck on LinkedIn, or on job boards such as BloggingPro Job Board or the freelance section of MediaBistro. You'll still find a lot of shit to wade through (and beware of posts disguising full-time jobs as freelance work), but its less deep and the treasures are much more common.

4. Pitching editors. This is where the real money is. There are two ways to do this, and I've had some success with both, so I won't knock either. The first way is to blanket pitch, offering your writing services to editors and hoping for assignments. For this to work, however, you'll need to provide an impressive portfolio. Editors get enough pitches that they aren't going to go out of their way to work with you unless you give them a good reason.

The other way is to pitch specific story ideas to editors. The downside of this will be spending hours upon hours writing up articles that nobody ever bites on. The best advice I can give here is to find a name. Don't pitch your services into the deep, dark hole that is a general editorial e-mail address. Not only do many of those pitches end up in spam and never get seen, but editors will be more impressed that you took the time to discover their hard to find e-mail address.

PRO TIP #1: Most companies have a format for their email. If you can't find a specific editor's contact info but you have their name, then find someone else at the company and change the email address to the editor's name. Firstname.lastname@company.com should always be the same, no matter which employees name you plug into it.

PRO TIP #2: Know your role. The Editor-in-Chief doesn't want to talk to you. Freelancers are below their pay grade. Instead, send your pitches to Managing Editors or Associate Editors, who more typically handle writers.

There's a lot of money out there, and there are many ways to get your hands on it as a writer. As you begin to find success as a freelance writer, you'll find that your clients come from a combination of these methods above, and probably others that aren't mentioned. If you have more advice about where freelance writers can find paying clients, leave it in the comments below.

Don't Let Clients Take the "Free" Out of Your Freelancing

Photo Credit: Pixabay

I want to address something here that I constantly see on nearly all freelance job boards, LinkedIn, and all the rest. There's a dangerous trend going on in the corporate world as companies move to more flexible work models. For anyone just starting out, I want you to be able to recognize it for what it is.

FedEx just settled a lawsuit for $228 billion over it. Trade in the U.S. came to a standstill several times over the past few years because West Coast ports keep doing it. Hell, even Microsoft has been found guilty of doing it.

What is it, you ask? It's the misclassification of workers. Go ahead, go on LinkedIn right now and do a search for "Freelance Writer" and see what comes up. Almost every job you'll find is a long-term, 40-hour a week gig that expects you to be in their office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday. What does that sound like to you? Because that sounds an awful lot to me like they want you to be an employee.

As you embark on this journey for personal and financial freedom, don't let anyone trick you into being something you're not. Yes, there are certain gigs that require a freelancer to come into an office, but for most freelancers, and for writers especially, that shouldn't be the case. As a freelancer, you should be given a project with a deadline and whatever guidelines the client wants to provide. You should set your own hours, and your relationship with that client should be client/customer, not boss/employee. If you want to do all of your writing for clients at 3 a.m. while eating a huge bowl of ice cream, that's your prerogative. You are your own boss. That's sort of the point. It's their job to tell you what they need, and when they need it by. How you get there is completely up to you. Their only concern should be the quality and timeliness of the work you turn in.

If you find yourself pulling long hours in a cubicle at a company you don't technically work for, and you don't have a fixed end date on the end of your contract, you are being taken advantage of. You should ask to be hired full time if you like it there, or at the very least, you should renegotiate the terms of your contract (specifically, the parts about where you work from and how).

Nobody has the right to use your title of freelancer as an excuse to avoid giving you health insurance or retirement benefits. Believe me, they know the law, even if you didn't.

TL;DR? You're the boss. Clients tell you the what and when. You decide the where and how.

The Lonely World of the Freelance Writer

Photo Credit: Pixabay

There are a lot of really great things about being a freelance writer. A flexible schedule means you never have to struggle to make doctor's appointments or meet a friend for dinner or finding days to go on vacation. After gaining a few steady clients, you can pick and choose who you want to write for based on your personal preferences and worldview. And of course, you get to hang out at home with your pets all day, and I'm a big fan of any job where I can bring my dogs.

But as you sit in your office dreaming of being your own boss, one thing many don't consider is their own personality type. This is not a gig for everyone. While the freedom is great, sitting at home in front of your computer meeting deadlines severely limits your social interaction (even if you do have a dog to talk to). For people who thrive on chats with the person in the next cubicle, transitioning to self-employment can bring on all sorts of unexpected side effects. 

Whether you're struggling with some anxiety, stress, or depression from not seeing other people from days on end, or you're just feeling a little cooped up, or maybe your butt just hurts from planting it in your home office chair all day, here are a few tips to keep you from going stir-crazy.

1. Go out for coffee. Or maybe go out for lunch, or just go for a walk. The solution seems obvious if you're feeling the walls close in around you, but you'd be surprised how many people in this field don't realize that their mood can be affected by being alone and inside. A little sunlight exposure and a chat with the barista down the street can do wonders to improve your mood, not to mention your focus.
   
2. Work from home away from home. If a short stroll isn't enough to break you out of that funk, grab your laptop and find a place with free Wi-Fi to work from for a couple of hours. The best part about being a freelance writer is that you can do it anywhere, so use that to your advantage.
   
3. Get dressed. We've all heard the old stereotype about freelancers working at home in their pajamas or underwear. It's funny, and in many cases it's probably even true. But it's not for everyone. Some of us have trouble getting into work mode without putting on pants, and it's understandable. If you roll out of bed, have a bowl of cereal, throw on a pot of coffee and go straight to work, it can be difficult to switch your brain on. You don't have to dress to the nines, but trading the sweatpants for jeans can do wonders for kickstarting your day.

The longer you do this, the more you'll find what works for you. Do you have other tips to help freelance writers keep their focus? Leave them in the comments below. 

Why You Shouldn't Burn Bridges as a Freelance Writer

We've all been there. We decide to go out on our own, and we want to cut ties with our old life. Maybe grinding away the day at your previous job gave you migraines, or your boss was a jerk, or you just want to start over and have nothing to do with that old life. But before you give someone a piece of your mind on the way out the door, remember that the connections you made there can help you when you branch out on your own.

When I decided to work for myself, my first client was the job I had just left behind. I was accepted into a creative writing MFA program, and the class load combined with my nine-to-five grind as a magazine editor would've been stressful, to say the very least. I was already working frequent overtime combined with a 45-minute one-way NYC commute, and adding studies to that schedule might well have killed me. So I weighed my options and decided to be a freelance writer. But instead of flying out the door waving my middle finger as I went, I sat down with my boss and asked if I could put the knowledge I had gained to use as a freelance writer.

As it turned out, while they were sad to see me go (and a little frustrated that they had to take steps to replace me) not losing me and my skillset entirely was in their best interest. What writer could possibly know what a magazine needs better than a former employee? That publication was in a very niche industry, and writers who know their stuff are hard to come by. I was able to use that to my advantage, and you can too.

Breaking out on your own isn't easy, so it's up to you to use every resource that you have. There are trade publications for everything from manufacturing, to food and dining, to retail, to IT. The list goes on and on. If you're struggling to find clients, don't just look ahead of you, also look behind. Whatever you did for a living before you decided to do this, someone needs a knowledgeable writer to write about it. If you're lucky, you could even get some blogging or content marketing gigs from your old employer.

You didn't spend years in your previous jobs for no reason. Everything you've done to this point can be used to fuel what you do next. You spent years acquiring skills and knowledge that you put to work for someone else. Don't throw that time away. Take that experience and make it work for you.