On paper it looked like I was a perfect fit for the gig. It was for a custom publication for a law firm. In fact, with industry experience, the editor gave me an assignment within an hour of getting my letter of introduction. But after completing two assignments for the publication, it was obvious to both me and the client that I just wasn’t the right fit. I was frustrated at the lack of direction and the high revisions. And the client was frustrated because my drafts simply were not what he was looking for.

I felt like a failure. I declared myself a fraud and was convinced that all my previous success had been luck. And had a moment where I decided that I should switch careers. Then a fellow writer friend reminded me that even if you are a good writer, you are not going to be a fit for every client who hires you. She helped me remember that there are many factors that go into a gig being a match between client and writer.

However, there are other reasons why a gig doesn’t work out that are sometimes the fault of the writer, such as not meeting deadlines, producing sloppy work and not following directions regarding word count, scope and sources. But that is a different post. Today I am assuming that you have done all of those things and the gig still isn’t working out.

Here are three reasons why you might not be a fit for a specific content marketing client:

1. No matter how hard you try, you can’t nail the tone. This was my problem with the legal custom publication. The editor wanted snappy and catchy writing, but that just isn’t my writing style. No matter how hard I tried to emulate the tone, I just couldn’t get it, and my results sounded forced. The information was relevant to the audience. The story was structured in a logical manner. The writing was solid. But no matter how hard I tried, I simply could not write in the “voice of the brand.”

Paige Taylor has some great tips for how to capture a client’s tone on her excellent blog My Life as Freelancer. However, I do think that are limits to our ability (at least mine) to write in a tone that is totally opposite from our natural style. I know that I can emulate a client’s tone to a point, but I have realized that if someone wants snappy copy, then I am most likely not the best writer for the job. But if they want either a professional tone or a conversational storytelling style then I can give them what they want.

2. You don’t know the industry well enough for the project. Last year I shared how I thought I knew a lot about fish, but it ended up being nowhere near enough knowledge for the project. I have a fish tank. I know how to research. I really thought I could do it. But it was a disaster. There are some projects where a solid knowledge of the topic is totally fine, especially if you are writing for a beginner audience or customers learning about a topic. But if you are writing for an expert audience on the subject, then you pretty much need to be an expert yourself. The problem is that it is often not obvious the level of knowledge that you need and how much you can learn through research before you start a project.

Since the fish writing debacle, I have done a much better job of trying to flesh out the exact level of expertise needed for a job during the initial phone call. And yes, there have been two cases where I realized before the project started that I was not the best writer for the job and instead of taking the job myself gave the client referrals for other writers. I have learned the hard way that it’s a lose-lose situation (plus you end up wasting a lot of billable hours on research and revisions), and I no longer claim expertise in topics unless I truly am I an expert.

 3. Your strengths don’t match up with the client’s needs. Each of us has different strengths. And each client has different expectations of writers (beyond the basics of well-written researched articles turned in on time). I am not a detail person (as I’m sure you can tell by the occasional typo) and that no matter hard I try I will never turn in perfectly clean copy. Although I work my tail off and even hire a virtual assistant to copy edit to get it as close as I possibly can. Most of my clients are totally fine with fixing the occasional typo because of the other strengths I bring to the table. But I never even apply to job ads where they want a detail-oriented writer with perfect copy. That is just never going to be me.

But if a client wants a writer who can track down great sources, get interesting quotes, tell a good story and come up with a ton of new article ideas, then they are going to be pleased with me. I know other writers who struggle to come up with story ideas and often aren’t a match for a client who expects idea generation from their writers. But I can literally come up with good ideas on most every topic and now look for clients who are willing to correct the occasional typo in return for me filling their editorial calendar.

What reasons have clients not worked out for you? What have you done to avoid the situation in the future? Anyone willing to share their failures is greatly appreciated since it was hard to put my dirty laundry in print :>)