Long-term Clients: The Secret to Steady Income as a Freelance Writer

For most freelance writers, the "feast and famine cycle" is forever. This month you have more jobs than you can handle, and in the next two months, you barely get two gigs.

I've been there, and darling, it's not fun.

Getting out of this cycle is one of the most challenging things to do as a freelancer, but it's necessary. You don't want to spend the rest of your time worrying about next month - that's not fun.

Fortunately, I have the solution to the "feast and famine" cycle, which I realized last year: Long-term clients.

When I started my content writing, I was able to land a few fantastic clients. But they were just quick projects; 500-1000 word articles, and if I were lucky, I'd get to do 2000 words.

It was nice doing these short projects because it meant I could have as many clients as I wanted, but I wasn't thinking about the financial implications.

Yes, I was getting clients, but they'd leave after one or two projects which meant no more money. So I could get ten clients this month, and I'd be lucky to have one the next month.?

This frustrated me.?

Until I decided to reach out to my previous clients and see if they needed more articles, guess what? They did!?

That was the beginning of building long-term clients for me.

After building long-term client relationships with most of my clients (most of them stayed about 20 months with me), I successfully broke out of the 'feast and famine cycle.

However, it's not about getting long-term clients. Can you maintain them? Most of my clients stayed that long with me because I maintained a good relationship - that's the hard part.

But don't fret. I'll share with you some ways I created and maintained long-term client relationships.

• Set clear expectations

Some freelancers take everything that comes their way because they need a job desperately. I've been there before; trust me, it's not worth it.

Before signing an agreement with your client, communicate and determine your expectations. There was a time I had a writing client that wanted me to create images and publish them on WordPress, and I didn't know this because I didn't ask.

After I was done with his work, I sent him the word document so he could check it out, and he asked, 'where are the images, and why isn't this on the WordPress?' and I was shocked, 'What images? What WordPress?'

I then realized that the client expected me to create images and publish them on WordPress, but I didn't ask him about his expectations, hence the confusion.

You should always ask questions and set clear expectations. If your client wants you to do something you can't do, say it upfront. Confusion is not good for long-term relationships.

• Do your work well!

You can only keep your clients if you do your work well.?

If you deliver a low-quality article to a client, would they want to work with you again? No!?

• Wow your clients

It's one thing to do your work well, and it's another thing to wow your clients.

I had a long-term client for which I did content writing, and we were discussing creating a lead magnet to generate more leads.

Instead of waiting for her to tell me to create something, I decided to be proactive and created a checklist, which she loved. I did it for free, but she insisted on paying me. After she paid me, she was still excited that I did that for her, and she still sent me money for Christmas and checked up every time, even after the contract was over.?

Always do something to wow your clients. You don't have to write anything as I did, it can be something much smaller, but it'd go a long way.

• Upsell your services

Let's say a client hired you to write blog posts, and you're also great at email copywriting - you can easily upsell email copywriting services to your clients.

If you know what you're doing, your client will likely say yes, and you'll earn more money.

• Show gratitude!

Your clients are not doing you a favor because you're rendering service. But they could have hired someone else instead of you.

So a little thank you card/note doesn't hurt anyone. It will help you strengthen your relationships with your clients.

And there you have it!

Five tips help you build a long-term client relationship and earn a steady income.?

So tell me, do you have long-term clients? If yes, how did you get them and nurture the relationship? I'd love to hear your tips.

See you next time!