How can freelance writers optimize their time?

What do Amy Poehler, basic economics, and RBG have to do with freelance writing?

I can't begin to tell you how many times I come across social media posts from fellow busy freelance writers dripping with guilt about hiring help.

Here's a short mom-guilt example I recently saw on ZuckerBook:

Maybe it's human nature to feel guilty about hiring help. I don't know; I'm not a psychologist. But, I am a business owner that hires support for EVERYTHING. Hiring help is the ONLY thing that makes it possible for me to make a living and have a life.

If you're feeling guilty about making your life easier, stop it right now. Not only should you NOT feel guilty, but hiring help is one of the best business decisions you'll ever make.

If you're skeptical about why this is a good idea, here's a proclamation from everyone's favorite comedy queen, Amy Poehler, and a quick dive into one of the basic economic principles, opportunity cost.

1. Amy Poehler says, "every mother needs a wife." (This one is for the moms, but the sentiment applies to every busy person)

Look, the FaceBook user in the comment above is right. Working moms take on a shit-ton of responsibility. If you try and do everything, you'll always feel like you're drowning. The only way to "do it all" is with help. 

Amy Poehler says:

“Do you know how I do it? I can do it because I have a wife. Every mother needs a wife… Some mothers’ wives are their mothers. Some mothers’ wives are their husbands. Some mothers’ wives are their friends and neighbors. Every working person needs a wife who takes care of her and helps her become a better mother… the biggest lie and biggest crime is that we all do this alone and look down on people who can’t."

My advice is to STOP TRYING TO DO IT ALL YOURSELF and get yo'self a wife or four. My wives are my husband, Brandon, Adrienne, Brighton, and Rosa (polygamy style). My wives help me with managing my household, daily childcare, childcare during business travel, and housekeeping. My wives free up my time so that I can work and have enough energy to be a good mom when I'm not working.

2. What is opportunity cost?

Not only is hiring help a good idea, but it's practicing one of the soundest and most basic economic principles, opportunity cost. In short, opportunity cost is the cost of what you give up to do something else. In the context of freelance writing, the opportunity cost is how much money you give up to do X,Y, or Z when you could be writing.

For example, you could spend 2 hours mowing your lawn, but at what cost? In the time you spent mowing your lawn, you could have written a blog post for $1000, and paid the neighbor kid $30 to mow your lawn. The opportunity cost of mowing your lawn, instead of working, is $970.

If hiring a nanny, tutor for your kids, or housekeeper while you work frees up your time to make more money, you shouldn't feel guilty. You should feel great about how awesome you are at managing time and tasks while making a decent living.

3. Opportunity cost and freelance writing

I think it's important to point out that opportunity cost doesn't just apply to hiring help with household chores and childcare. You can factor opportunity cost into your freelance business by asking yourself what is the cost of doing X, Y, or Z myself or hiring someone to help, purchasing a training, or buying tools to help me grow my business faster?

For example, you could:

• Spend hours researching how to set up an LLC, or spend a few hundred bucks hiring a trained accountant to do it for you.

• Try and write a freelance contract yourself, or spend $199 on a legal contract template for freelancers, and have it in your pile of business resources in seconds.

• Set up all your business processes and develop your onboarding materials on your own, or purchase a proven bundle from a freelancer that has spent over 10 years figuring this out for you (check out my store).

Times are rough and busy right now. Don't feel guilty for a second about getting help. It's a great way to stay sane and free up your time to do what you love.

Not to mention, when your time is compartmentalized and you're not multi-tasking every second of the day, you can give more of yourself to your kids when you're with them and more focused attention on your work when you're at your desk. Seriously. Ruth Bader Ginsburg even says so.

"When I started law school my daughter Jane was 14 months, and I attribute my success in law school largely to Jane. I went to class about 8:30 a.m., and I came home at 4:00 p.m., that was children’s hour. It was a total break in my day, and children’s hour continued until Jane went to sleep. Then I was happy to go back to the books, so I felt each part of my life gave me respite from the other.” -RBG

Common freelance writing questions and their answers

Recently, I asked my audience what you would ask a freelance writing consultant if you had one question.

Here are the top questions I received and my rapid-fire answers. I hope it helps.

1. How much should freelance writers charge - $$$?

Knowing what to charge is one of the most difficult things about starting a freelance writing business. You don't want to undercharge and be poor. You also don't want to charge so much that you never get a client.

But, what are those magic numbers?

Last year, I surveyed and interviewed hundreds of freelancers like you and me. I scoured through the data and created a FREE 34-page benchmark report with answers to all your pricing questions. 

This report has been called "so helpful," "well-researched," "baller," "amazing," and only one of those comments came from my mom, so you know it's worth checking out.

Get the report here.

2. What is the most effective lead-generating tactic?

I am taking this to mean what is the best way to get ongoing freelancing clients. Here's what to do:

• Do a good job when you get your first client. Take the lead, give your clients a content brief to fill out, write an outline for approval, deliver quality work, and deliver on time. If you nail the job, you can usually count on additional work. You can also feel comfortable asking the client for referrals. And, do ask for referrals. Say, "Hi! Thank you so much for letting me work on this project. It was so fun to work with you. My business runs on referrals, so if you know of anyone that needs a content marketer, I'd love an introduction."

• Build a community. Freelancing is inherently a bit lonely, but it doesn't have to be completely isolating. Hop on Twitter and start engaging with people that do what you do. If you have a chance to attend an in-person networking event, do it. Your friendships and relationships will help.

• Pick a niche. When I first started freelancing, I wrote about anything for anyone. Most new freelancers do. Over time, find out what you're good at and what you like and focus on that. For example, I personally can write about education, data, and international travel, but I don't. People know me as a SaaS/ecomm long-form writer. When those projects pop up, people think of me. Focusing makes you an expert, makes you "sticky" in others' mind, and it helps you build your portfolio faster.

That's what I got on that for now.

3. How do you track metrics once your work is with the client?

This one is hard. The only way to get metrics is to ask your client to hook you up. I recommend putting together a customer satisfaction survey after you've worked with a client. Ask them how it's going, how to improve, provide a testimonial, and share any relevant results. 

4. What is the best way to secure clients that pay a good rate?

My advice for this question is two-fold. First, don't say "yes" to projects that don't pay well. I have been guilty of this several times (bc anxiety), and it never pans out well. The earlier in your career that you start saying "no" to low-paying projects, the faster you'll start making more money.

My second bit of advice is to tell your clients what you charge, not ask them what their budget is. I tell clients what I charge in the very first email. 

My welcome email goes kinda like this, "Hey, I'm Ashley. This is my process. This is what I charge. If this sounds good, let's chat." 

5. What do you do when you have more work than you can handle?

When I have more work than I can handle, I do one of the following:

1. Refer it to another SaaS/ecomm copywriter friend

2. Hire one of those SaaS/ecomm copywriter friends to tackle it with me

3. Hire a subcontractor

4. Say "no" to bad projects to keep my schedule more open

5. Fire clients that are lame and replace them with new clients

6. Take on the work and then stay up at night working and crying (don't do this one)

Write on!

How do freelance writers make money?

How To Make Money As A Freelance Writer

You have put in a lot of hard work into starting your new business, and now it’s time to make some money. Are you ready to talk about how to get gigs that pay and what gigs to avoid?

How To Get Gigs That Pay

There are plenty of ways to get writing gigs that pay. A lot of your gigs will come from friends, family, local businesses, and word-of-mouth recommendations. 

I would venture to say that once you have solidified a few clients, most of your new clients will come from recommendations.

Even so, there are times when you will experience lulls or want to make a little more money. Here are some of the best resources you can find on the internet to help you find high paying gigs.

Here are some resources:

• We Work Remotely. This is the largest remote community in the world and often has great job listings for writers.

• Who Pays Writers. This is a website where you can get ideas of companies to pitch and how much they pay.

• FreelanceWritingGigs. This website posts a new blog post every day with links to daily new freelance writing assignments. This site is oversaturated, but you can find some gems.

• Freelance Writing. This website is similar to freelancewritinggigs.com, but they segment the new freelance writing jobs into different categories. That way, you can quickly locate the type of freelance writing job you have in mind.

• BloggingPro. I have found some truly great clients here, and they also post new jobs daily.

• ProBlogger. I like the layout of this site, and people respond quickly to your pitches.

• LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn is a gold mine for freelance writers. If you search for freelance writing jobs, you will find many different options. You can even subscribe to the job feed, and receive new emails when new positions become available.

• FreedomWithWriting. This is another favorite website of mine. You have to subscribe to their email to take advantage of great content, but they will email you links to paying gigs almost every day.

Using any of these daily message boards or subscription services is a great way to get freelance writing gigs. Another way to get gigs is to do the research on your own and find blogs within your niche that accept paid guest posts.

For example, I do a lot of travel writing, so I often seek out travel companies to see if they pay for guest travel posts. I have had a lot of success with this option. 

When you guest post, the blog owner will typically let you include an author byline with a link to your website, which will drive more clients to your site.

Gigs To Avoid

It's essential to avoid gigs that pay so horribly that it’s not even worth your time. There are a lot of companies out there who will only pay a penny per word. Unacceptable.

There are also sites where there is so much competition that you only end up getting like $8 for an article. Doubly unacceptable.

Here are the types of websites I don’t recommend:

• SEO Websites. Many SEO content websites will pay you a penny per word for 200-500 word articles. Do the math on that. It’s just not that much if you’re trying to make real money and justify quitting a corporate job.

• Content Mills. Content mills are sites like Upwork. These sites are so oversaturated with freelancers who will do work for ridiculously low prices that it’s not worthwhile to make a pitch.

If you are genuinely looking to make money as a freelancer, stay away from SEO websites and content mills.

Easy Strategies To Get More Clients And Make More Money

It's also important to use strategies that will bring people who are looking for freelance writers to contact you. 

Here are some ideas:

• Author Bylines. It’s okay to ghostwrite if the price is right, but if your client is okay with it, it’s a lot more lucrative to add an author byline to the end of your post with a link to your website. That way, when a business owner reads a post you’ve written for another client, they can click on your link, find your contact page, and hire you.

• Social Media. Every time I write an article, I post it to my business social media profiles. This shows people that I am writing actively and allows them to view my work and hire me. 

• Network. Take the time to build meaningful relationships with other freelancers and marketers. You will get jobs from your network of freelancer friends.

• Guest posting. Sometimes it’s not all about making money from your writing. Sometimes it’s about getting the right kind of exposure to drive people to your website. If you can get an article published on a site with a massive following like Huffington Post, Slate, or something similar, you will end up driving a ton of traffic back to your website. Additionally, you will build your credibility as a killer writer. 

As you actively build your brand, seek out clients, and follow these strategies to bring buyers back to your website, you will grow your freelance writing business to a point where you are living the freelance writer’s dream. That’s the dream of making more money by doing less work, and working from wherever you want and whenever you want.

Want to learn how much freelance writers charge? Check out this 34-page report.

Mary Oliver said this....What are you going to do about it?

Nearly three years ago, my best friend invited me to go on a cruise. I was swamped with work and declined the invitation.

Months later, she was gone.

Mary Oliver beautifully poses the question that rests—sometimes nitpicks—at the back of all of our minds:

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

With your one wild and precious life?

I can say with certainty the pile of extra work I had a few years ago that I chose over time with my bestie means nothing to me now. I don't remember the client. I don't remember the work. I don't remember the check.

I do remember the reget.

Now, I'm not saying that you should quit your job, shirk your responsibilities, and Thoreau yourself (get it?) into the woods to live more deliberately. Although, that would be super cool.

I am saying that if you have the luxury (which sometimes we don't), it's okay to slow down. It's okay sometimes to choose your family, mental health, or plain old fun with a friend.

As an independent business owner and natural over-achiever, slowing down is PAINFULLY hard for me.

While I do intentionally slow down at times, I am also continually looking for ways to work smarter and free up my time. Here's what I've learned so far.

1. Consider the opportunity cost.

That grand old economic principle of "how much will it cost me to do this myself vs. how much will it cost me to hire help?" should be a guiding polestar in life and your freelance writing business.

If I can make $100 in an hour writing an article, it makes more sense to pay the neighborhood kid $20 to mow my lawn and take on another project.

The same sentiment applies to subcontracting to writers you trust and with full disclosure to your clients.

Similarly, if the pay is low on a time-intensive project, it's a better idea to say no to that project and yes to a better client. 

2. Don't waste your time on things other people have already done for you.

If you're learning a new skill or building a new business, you don't have to start from scratch. Several experts and proven resources are available to help you avoid gobs of research and falling down a rabbit hole.

For example, I am continually looking for ways to improve my writing methods and business strategy.

Trial and error work, but it takes so much time to do everything myself.

Looking for help from top industry blogs, good ol' Google, and other freelance professionals saves me time (and headaches). I am always trying to learn what others do to be successful and using their strategies to speed up my work.

3. Raise your prices.

I started freelance writing penny per world articles during downtimes at my 9-5. While I had to decrease my funny cat videos viewing on YouTube, it was a fun way to get my feet wet and learn a new skill.

It would not be good if ten years later, I was still charging .01/word.

I've raised my prices several times since those first days and now I don't look at a project unless it at least starts at $1/word.

4. Create processes and invest in automation.

I cannot stress how important it is to solidify your processes and automate what you can.

Stats show that the average worker spends an additional 4 hours a week on mundane tasks that could be automated.

If you're working 20 hours a week, that means you're wasting 20% of your time--time where you could be making more money or doing something more enjoyable.

Here are some tools that will automate or speed up your work (FYI: some of these links are affiliate links, but I don't recommend crappy tools):

• A content brief

• An automated introduction email

• An automated onboarding email

• Proposal software (e.g., Bonzai or Proposify)

• An easily customizable contract

• An accounting and invoicing software (e.g., Freshbooks or QuickBooks)

• An editing software (e.g., Grammarly and Hemingway)

• A project management tool (e.g., Asana, Basecamp, Monday, etc.)

There are several other tools and processes I use to make writing faster, SEO optimization easier, and work move along more quickly. I'll share more soon.

5. Hire a research assistant or virtual assistant.

I personally haven't hired a research assistant or a VA yet, but I know many successful freelancers that do.

When I scale up my business when my kids are both in school, this will be my next step.

And there you have it

If you can take some time to slow down, do it. If you can't afford a break, then use the strategies listed above to speed up what you're already doing.

Either way, hopefully, you'll experience my favorite benefit of freelancing—flexibility and fewer time constraints. And that you'll take the extra time to take care of yourself in whatever way you need.