@natmiletic
Until you spend a few days shovelling animal shit out of the barn or having your cash crop destroyed by a hailstorm… and you think doing a bit of programming for 5 figures in a nice dry room sounds pretty good.
Quick thread on idea generation:
I was a young copywriter at a big ad agency. They paired me with Paul, an experienced art director.
Here’s how we came up with ad concepts... (lessons at the end)
Freelancer resolution:
From now on, I will collect deposits on all projects.
For small jobs, it will be 100% (because it's not worth having more than one invoice on a small project).
For larger jobs, at least 50% up front.
If they say no, they're not my client.
Agree?
@AmandaMGoetz
Once again, 🇨🇦
Kid did a faceplant off his skateboard. Nasty gash on his forehead.
Off to emerg.
20 minutes later, he’s getting four stitches.
Cost $0.
And no our taxes aren’t way higher. Just a bit.
But, no insurance cos or weird bills.
Good deal for everyone.
@rosemary_egbo
With low-paying clients, you get the full package:
Don’t want to pay much
Don’t know what they’re doing
Change their mind frequently
Unhappy no matter what
Job turns to shit—not for portfolio
Take forever, if ever, to pay
If your first talks are about lowering your price, run!
Just start. Don’t “wait for ideas”.
Get to work. Have fun.
The muse likes people who are working. It will show up for them.
Lastly, practice.
Thanks Paul. I still owe you...
End Thread.
@Desincarne
@Stellotape56
@rclarkie
Brings to mind one of my mother’s favorite quotes (from Reader’s Digest I would guess):
You’re not completely useless, you can always serve as a bad example.
😆
Freelancer resolution:
From now on, I will collect deposits on all projects.
For small jobs, it will be 100% (because it's not worth having more than one invoice on a small project).
For larger jobs, at least 50% up front.
If they say no, they're not my client.
Agree?
Here are the clients you DON'T WANT:
One-off project (don't usually market)
No written brief (I'll just tell you)
No defined budget ($0)
No experience marketing (know it when I see it)
No research (too much work)
Needs it done quickly (of course)
What else?
Freelancer resolution:
From now on, I will collect deposits on all projects.
For small jobs, it will be 100% (because it's not worth having more than one invoice on a small project).
For larger jobs, at least 50% up front.
If they say no, they're not my client.
Agree?
@sucantare
Twice. Copywriting for a full set of kitchen appliances (double wall oven, stovetop, fridge, dishwasher, microwave) and at my second agency, a website for office furniture, chairs, filing cabinets.
Happy both times.
But how about work for equity shares?
Did that twice too.
Use a pad of paper and a Sharpie.
I know we work on computers and use stock images for placeholders.
That's way too slow. You'll spend all morning looking for the right image.
It's the wrong time to do that. Scribble, as fast as possible.
Just get the ideas out.
@_interestingguy
Job, job, maybe another job, then startup.
Learn how different businesses work first.
Don’t make every noob mistake yourself.
Your jobs are training for your startup.
Keep your eyes and ears open. Take notes.
Then crush your startup.
Start at the most obvious place.
Go with a minimum of fuss. No editing or fixing.
Always say yes. No criticisms, no second thoughts. Nothing rejected.
At this stage, quantity is more important than quality. 25 is good, 100 is better.
One idea at a time. Move on.
We did this until the floor was littered.
“Next...”
At least 25 sheets of paper.
The first 10 ideas were absolute shit. Trite, boring clichés.
Why did we even bother putting them on paper?
To get them out of our heads.
So we wouldn’t have to think about them again...
@AliTheCFO
There are only two things any creative needs to know about accounting:
The phone number and email address of their accountant.
Focus on your business. Let your accountant deal with the numbers.
The trick is to find the right one for you. So worth it!
@lawrencekingyo
Here’s an unpopular opinion: How about you tax the rich like you tax everyone else, without all the loopholes that were written just for them?
So a flat tax rate, no exceptions.
Have faith. Trust in the process.
Get in the flow. The ideas will come.
Once the “floor is littered” take a break. You’ll be mentally tired. Go for a walk. Take paper and pencil.
Sometimes, when you’re exhausted, more ideas show up. Be ready.
The biggest lesson...
@rohitkokane_
Here's the beer rule:
When a brewery introduces a new beer, they know within 3 months whether it will be a hit or flop.
A percentage of beer drinkers see the ads and try the new beer.
Within 3 months (max), they should have bought a second case.
No second case sales = flop.
Now we could move on. The crap was out of the way.
The next bunch of ideas were much more interesting. We explored different tangents, approaches.
We said yes to every crazy thought. Scribble, scribble.
Never no. Just kept the flow going.
Freelancer resolution:
From now on, I will collect deposits on all projects.
For small jobs, it will be 100% (because it's not worth having more than one invoice on a small project).
For larger jobs, at least 50% up front.
If they say no, they're not my client.
Agree?
@bestinsio
@sjfalard
Uh, no. That’s not a cover letter.
Company doesn’t care what you want. Besides, it’s no different than what everyone wants, a job.
Company cares about what you can do for them and why you can do it better than anyone else.
Say that in your cover letter. Do some research first.
Another benefit of an agency 9-5 before you launch a freelance career.
Your network.
Not just the creatives, but the account people too. Why? Because they often get marketing jobs client-side. Jobs with big budgets.
You want them in your network. They could be your clients.
Don't start writing an estimate until you have these 3 things:
1. A written brief from the client
2. A budget range—is this project $1,000, $5,000, or $25,000?
3. An understanding of any fixed deadline
Clients owe you this. Your time is valuable!
How do you find time to work on your own stuff (update your site, etc.) with all the client work?
Try this: do your own work the first two hours of the day. Client work starts at hour 3. Be ruthless, block that time.
That way, if you're working late, it's client work. Try it!
@BlakieCodes
If you’re a web developer looking for clients:
Your own site should show off your skills
Needs a portfolio with project descriptions
Communicate clearly – what you do, for whom, w/ benefits
Testimonials from happy clients
Contact info
Start there. Drive traffic to your site
Usually I tweet about freelancing, running your own business, how to get paid etc.
But sometimes I go out with my camera. Right now I’m on Canada’s wet coast, so there’s fog. Time to shoot.
Finally, we had enough. We took a break.
Came back, looked at everything, started grouping them, played mix and match.
We then refined three concepts we were proud of.
Spent a day tweaking them, getting ready for presentation.
Here are the lessons...
@AdriSheares
Red flags for freelancers:
No defined budget.
Personal money, not corporate.
No marketing person on their side.
No written brief.
No deadline.
Oh wait, we need it tomorrow.
Hearing you’re the fifth writer they’ve recently hired – the other four were no good.
🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
What do clients value most in a freelancer or small agency?
It’s not lowest price. (That came in 5th out of 5).
It’s not even talent. (That came in 2nd.)
What then?
Reliability!
Someone who meets deadlines, keeps promises, does what they say they’ll do. Surprised?
We’d start. “OK, what if....”
He’d start drawing a layout. Stick figures.
“And the headline could be something like...” and he’d scribble it in.
In a minute, he’d tear it off the pad, throw it on the floor.
“Next...”
Hey, today’s a special day for 3 reasons:
I hit 400 followers 👏👏👏
And
@griner
reminded us it’s the 21st day of the 21st year of the 21st century
If that isn’t fabulous enough, it’s my birthday! 🥂🎉🍰
Do I have any birthday brothers or sisters here?
I’d go into Paul's office (yeah we all had offices), and he’d be sitting with his feet up on his desk, a big newsprint notepad in his lap, and a Sharpie.
Paul: “OK, let’s go....”
Me: “But I don’t have any ideas yet.”
Paul: “I know. Let’s go...”
For freelancer marketer / creatives, there are four ways to bill:
1. Time (hour, day, week)
2. Fixed price per project
3. Value price
4. Retainer
Which way do you use?
One method, or a combination?
Did you start one way and move to another?
Let’s talk money 🚀⏳💰🙏
Freelancers: What are your terms and conditions for revisions?
We would typically say, “Includes up to 2 rounds of revisions. Further revisions will be estimated if necessary."
That limits it. Price it into your estimate.
At revision 2, let the client know. No surprises!
Another tip for copywriters:
If you have a list of 25 bullets, organize them into small groups, separated by subheads and copy. One long list of bullets discourages readership. Readers zone out.
Make it easy for the reader.
If you’re in your late 30s in the marketing / advertising / design business, you should be thinking about owning a part of or all of a company.
This is not a “gold watch after 25 years” business.
It may feel riskier, but having your own business is much safer.
Agree?
Unpopular opinion:
Don't call yourself a freelancer.
Oh, we call ourselves that, but don't use it with clients.
Why not?
There's nothing positive about it. It suggests a lack of commitment.
What to call yourself? A writer, designer, developer.
You work for clients. Fini.
Freelancers:
Always remember you're running a business. Businesses have processes for achieving results.
How are your processes? Do they work for you and the client, or is it time to revise them?
Clients respect processes. You'll get paid more.
Time for a sales report:
After 1 day on Amazon Kindle, I sold 8 copies of my book!
Not topping the bestseller lists yet, but I’m thrilled 🙌
Sales in USA, Canada, UK and Germany.
Thank you! 🙏
@ClaireSuellen
Could I make a suggestion? Try to avoid quoting hourly rates. Quote by defined project. Include lots of details in your estimate to limit it.
Yes, you need an internal rate to calculate. So, is a $10K project 100 hrs at $100/ hr or 50 hrs at $200/hr?
None of their business.
Today I spent 2 hours on a video call with a young entrepreneur from NJ.
He bought my book because he’s starting an agency. He had questions and ideas he wanted to explore.
He made a ton of notes and has lots to think about.
Yeah, it was gratis. Thanks for buying my book. 🙏
Some people think the world is working against them.
It’s not.
The world barely knows you exist.
What’s working against you?
Your mindset, your thoughts.
Change your mindset, change your life.
It’s not easy. It won’t happen in a day. But you can do it.
For new freelancers:
Don't worry about your niche too soon. It will come to you.
As you do more projects that are similar to each other, the niche will appear.
It finds you. You don't need to go looking for it.
Let’s talk about client retention.
Holding onto clients for years. Getting job after job with no competition.
What is the longest you’ve worked with a client? Years? Months?
I have an unfair advantage. I’m an old guy.
One client: 20 yrs+. Another 15 yrs+.
Start bragging!
Freelancers and small agency owners:
Let’s talk about rates. Or rather, let’s not.
At my agencies we never talked rates with clients.
We asked for a briefing and provided an estimate.
We never discussed hourly rates, # of hours. Worked for us.
You?
@iamhaileylucas
Freelancing is:
• 90% not giving up and saying yes to the right opportunities
• 10% saying no to the bottom feeders who don’t know what they’re doing and don’t value your time and expertise
• 100% the way to control your own destiny
@thepatwalls
What kind of a hair shirt life is that?
Life is short and unpredictable. Do what brings you genuine pleasure.
Don’t let it take over your life. If you enjoy coffee and alcohol, then fine.
If it causes you grief, stop. Simple.
@PRisUs
A2
#FreelanceChat
"I'd do it myself if I weren't so busy."
"We only pay when the job is done and we're 100% happy."
"I don't have much of a budget for this project, but for future projects $$$."
"We're very budget-conscious, but we have lots of projects."
"You're the 6th writer"
If you’re in your late 30s in the marketing / advertising / design business, you should be thinking about owning a part of or all of a company.
This is not a “gold watch after 25 years” business.
It may feel riskier, but having your own business is much safer.
Agree?
Freelancers: What are your terms and conditions for revisions?
We would typically say, “Includes up to 2 rounds of revisions. Further revisions will be estimated if necessary."
That limits it. Price it into your estimate.
At revision 2, let the client know. No surprises!
@SuzMcBrideBooks
Thankful to be living in Toronto.
Perhaps Canadians are overly cautious but here you can’t go into any store/building without a mask. You just can’t. It’s the law. 100% compliance.
Even the anti-mask, anti-vaxx crowd follows the rules.
I see Vegas is in party mode. Good luck!
The question was:
Multiple small clients or
A few big clients?
My answer:
A few big clients every time. Why?
~ Bigger projects, more money
~ Likely to have repeat business
~ Work more professionally
~ More referrals
~ Portfolio with bigger names
Read about it in my book 👆
@davegerhardt
Here’s the trick: buy a car coming off a 3-year lease. It will have low mileage and be dealer maintained.
It’s barely broken in. Bought like that two years ago.
New, it would have cost $75K CDN.
Like new, $27K CDN.
Very happy with it. Paid cash. No payments.
The question was:
Multiple small clients or
A few big clients?
My answer:
A few big clients every time. Why?
~ Bigger projects, more money
~ Likely to have repeat business
~ Work more professionally
~ More referrals
~ Portfolio with bigger names
Read about it in my book 👆
If you’re in your late 30s in the marketing / advertising / design business, you should be thinking about owning a part of or all of a company.
This is not a “gold watch after 25 years” business.
It may feel riskier, but having your own business is much safer.
Agree?
Your goal as a freelance copywriter should be to get a few good clients who give you project after project without competition.
That’s the tweet.
What do you think?
Brand designers and anyone presenting creative concepts…
Here’s a good look at how a small agency created distinct brand options for a new company.
Worth your time. 👀
(1/8) Last week we launched a very special brand for our friends at Superorganism—the first venture firm for biodiversity. To celebrate, we’re sharing the full process we took to get here with an in-depth look behind the brand.
Read the full post here:
When you’re in the café of the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, you have to go with the Mozart torte for dessert.
I think it’s mandatory 🤷♂️
(It was delicious 🍰)
Some days, you just have to hold back and not post what you really think.
Just saw a guy with 51K followers post the worst fluffy “advice” for beginning freelancers.
Sounded great, but totally impractical and useless.
Such a disservice to anyone wanting to freelance. 😡
Oh hey, it’s Friday again.
But if you’re a freelancer, working for yourself, does it really matter?
You could work Saturday and take off Monday and / or Tuesday.
Funny how conditioned we are to the 9 - 5 world even if we don’t live there.
Freelancers: have you ever been scammed by a truly evil “client”?
Someone who gets you to do a job but then has no intention of paying?
They make excuses or just plain ghost 👻 you?
Let’s hear the stories, especially if you did finally collect.
Everyone advises you to have a niche. There's more $$$ in a niche. You can define a niche two ways:
In a vertical niche, you specialize in a market segment, eg, fashion or packaged goods.
In a horizontal niche, you focus on a technology such as email marketing.
Either work.
What do clients value most in a freelancer or small agency?
It’s not lowest price. (That came in 5th out of 5).
It’s not even talent. (That came in 2nd.)
What then?
Reliability!
Someone who meets deadlines, keeps promises, does what they say they’ll do. Surprised?
Oh look what finally arrived... author’s copies of my book.
Took a while but nice to hold it. Like the way it turned out.
Although I have a lot of digital books, still love them in paper too.
If you are a freelance creator, you are a business owner.
You are in service to your clients. But you're not a servant.
Set your terms. Create processes that work for you. Stick to them.
@thejustinwelsh
If you want it very business focused, form a “virtual agency”.
If you’re a copywriter, find a designer and developer to work with.
Now you can deliver complete projects.
Each of you bring appropriate work to the group.
Clients love it. You take care of the whole job.
@HayleyCMaguire
Write your headline last. Write the copy, get it roughly where you want it, then write the headline. You may have to re-write your first sentence to go with the head.
@realBrookNash
Advice for freelancers:
Make sure you practice your craft at a level that is “good enough” for your clients.
Get a 9-5 to learn your craft while someone else is paying you.
Set up processes for your business.
Choose clients wisely. Be prepared to say no.
Keep learning.