Working With Freelancers

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Working with a freelancer should feel like working with a trusted colleague. Freelancers work independently, often serving as our clients’ sounding boards, creative partners, or consultants. Client turn to us for our expertise as much as for our skills. It probably sounds like a cliche, but freelancers succeed when we help our clients succeed. 

What is a Freelancer?

The answer will differ depending on who you ask. To me, freelancers are professionals who are our own bosses. We provide services to clients and collaborate with clients, but are not employed by our clients. Some of us freelance on a part-time basis, but others, like me, are full-time freelancers. 

To me, freelancing means providing professional writing and editing services to clients who might not have enough demand for those services to merit hiring a staffer, or whose in-house staff needs assistance on a large project. The key thing to remember: Freelancers work with clients, not for them.

Reasons Businesses Like Working with Freelancers

Budgets, schedules, and staffing issues are common reasons for working with freelancers. Hiring freelancers can be an efficient and cost-effective way to meet pressing deadlines and manage big projects.

Many print and online publications use freelancers to write feature articles, personality or business profiles, round-ups, or special issues. Editorial staffs may be overwhelmed trying to meet deadlines while planning issues months in advance, so they assign some writing tasks to freelance writers, and often rely on those freelancers to generate story ideas.

Corporations might need white papers, special reports, ad copy, blog posts, TV and radio spots, marketing and promotional materials, or perhaps programs for industry events. Even the largest companies don’t always have employees with the right skill set to tackle special projects, so they turn to freelancers.

When The Vitamin Shoppe decided to publish its 2023 Health and Wellness Trend Report in-house for the first time, they knew it would be a massive undertaking and hired me to help research and write the report. 

How Can Working with Freelancers Benefit You?

Working with freelancers brings fresh perspectives that can reinvigorate your mission and your message. Having input from people with different backgrounds, experiences—and even hobbies—can spark ideas you might not have otherwise considered. 

Different Perspectives Can Reduce Bias 

Let’s say you’re planning an advertorial piece for a trade or consumer publication. Successful advertorial requires some degree of objectivity to get your message out without the copy reading like an overblown sales pitch.

Good advertorial is subtle.

That’s why companies like AppleTV+ and Amazon Prime Video collaborate with editors of their target publications who assign trusted freelance contributors, like me, to write advertorial just as if we were writing for the magazine itself.

The only difference from my end is that the network or streamer I’m writing about has final approval of advertorial copy. 

Outsider’s Input Can Strengthen Thought-Leadership Pieces 

A large number of thought-leadership columns and essays are ghostwritten, often by freelancers. Through an outsider’s perspective, we’re able to translate industry jargon into clear terms any reader can understand. The right ghostwriter will match the voice and tone of the thought leader whose ideas are being expressed.

Best of all, a freelance writer can help you get your message out without it sounding like an ad or a press release.

What to Expect When Working With Me

I don’t know how other freelancers approach their jobs, but I prefer an upfront approach. The first conversation—by phone or email—with a potential client is when I ask about the project, its scope and objectives, the budget, and the timeline. Addressing budgets and timelines right away is vital, since neither of us wants to waste time talking about an exciting project only to later discover that the budget won’t cover the amount of hours it would take to complete the job, or that the prospective client needs it turned around when my calendar is full.

Clear Communication

Once a contract is signed I review the details with my client, breaking everything into simple language to ensure we all understand the scope and details of the job as well as our roles and who my contact will be. I do my best to keep clients updated on my progress or any roadblocks I encounter so we can plan how best to work around those obstacles. After delivering my final copy, I always ask if there’s anything else they need.

Collaboration

Some projects require more collaboration than others. With The Vitamin Shoppe report, I collaborated with their corporate communications department as they collected original survey data and quotes from the company’s executives. Before the survey data and quotes were available, I turned in what I called a “Swiss cheese draft” (full of holes suggesting where the forthcoming information might go). My contact reviewed that draft, decided what information to keep and what to expand, and sent it back. We worked back and forth until the copy was exactly where they wanted it. 

Delivery by Deadline

Respecting deadlines is crucial. Ideally, I like to turn work in a little early, but every so often, events conspire to throw me off track—like when a key source is out of the country and won’t return until after my deadline. Most clients are understanding and offer more time, but if their own deadline is looming I might need to find a different source or rework the piece so the missing source isn’t noticed. I leave the decision on how best to proceed to my clients.

Let’s Get Started

Reach out and tell me about your upcoming project and how I can help you make it a success. 

Contact Me

Paula Hendrickson
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