Disclaimer: This blog makes money through affiliate links. It costs you nothing but means we get a small amount to help keep the blog going. All affiliate links are denoted clearly with the asterisk.
You want your writing business to be a success. One of the best ways to do that is to find private clients. Here are five signs it’s time to do just that.
One of the best ways to grow your writing business is to find private clients. I’m not saying don’t do residual income writing sites or have your own blog. You can still do all that on the side, but you want to build your client base. You get to charge what you want, and you can take on as much or as little work as you want.
Not sure it’s time to find private clients to grow your writing business? I held back for a while, too, but here are the top five signs you need to do it now.
You’re ready to have retainer clients
You’ve heard all about the other writers who have retainer clients. Or maybe you’ve heard about other lines of work with retainer clients. Whatever it is, you’ve heard about retainer clients.
Retainer clients give you the chance to rely on a set amount of income each month. Some will offer you more stability than others, and what you need is a contract that ensures income for a set amount of time. I recommend 90-day contracts that are renewed for 90 days at a time, especially at the start so you can see if you and the client are suited for each other.
Are you ready for retainer clients? This could be something you’ve been considering for a while. If that’s the case, it’s time to find them.
You want a more stable income
Maybe you’re looking at buying a home soon. Or you could be looking at other financial decisions in the future. That means you need a stable income, and that’s hard to do as a freelance writer. So, you need to find private clients who will give you that stable income.
Retainer clients are the way to do it. You can show the contracts that you have in place. Contracts are legally enforceable, so you have more stability than you would with the likes of blogging income or money from residual writing sites.
Even if you’re not looking at making some big financial decisions, you still want stability. Especially right now. Finding private clients is the way to do that.
You want to write in specific niches
What about building your writing business in a particular direction? You may want to work within specific niches, and not necessarily just in one. I love working in entertainment, but I also enjoy writing about wedding, lifestyle, and finance. So, I would want to find private clients within those niches.
When you want to work in specific niches, it’s time to find some private clients. This is going to be the quickest way to build your business. Make sure you have some samples to share for the individual niches as that’s what private clients will want to see.
You can write in specific niches with your own blog or via residual income sites. Just remember that you need to stick to one niche per blog, and that can end up being costly and time consuming. At least with private clients, you know how much you’re getting paid each month because of the rate you’ve agreed on.
You have the time available to find private clients
What is your time like when it comes to your writing business? Do you find that you have a few extra hours in the day when you’re not doing much. You could spend that time on building a blog, but you could also spend it finding private clients and doing that work.
If you have free time, you don’t want to waste it. I don’t mean that you should use your non-working time as hours to find writing clients. I mean using the free time in your working day more wisely.
Of course, you don’t want to appear desperate. If someone is looking for a writer and I know I have the time for it, I often say “I have availability for a new client right now.” That makes it clear that the time is available but I’m not going to accept the lowest offer because I’m not desperate.
You’re done with the bidding sites
Do you spend a lot of time on the likes of Fiverr and UpWork? They used to be good for finding clients, but they’ve really gone downhill in recent years. Buyers want the lowest rates, and there are people from other parts of the world who are happy to work at the low rates.
You need to get yourself off these sites. It’s time to focus on finding good private clients. You’ll want those retainer clients who are willing to pay your rate. That means getting away from the bidding sites.
Plus, when you get away from the bidding sites, you get to keep all the money. Remember that Fiverr, UpWork, and others take a cut of your pay. Wouldn’t you rather have the full amount?
MORE: How to manage freelance writing around a full-time job
What are you struggling with when it comes to growing your freelance business? Do you need help to find private clients? Get in touch to find out how I can help.
Get all your shopping needs in one place with Amazon Business*.