Freelancing during the pandemic has been an adventure – one that I would happily have passed on experiencing. It’s been overwhelming, rewarding and frustrating – often in the same 60 seconds. Not to mention, it often takes twice (or sometimes three) times as long to finish something because focusing on work during a pandemic is not a piece of cake. 

As I shared in my post earlier this week, 59% of the writers who took my survey about how the first half of 2020 stacked up reported earning more in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019, with 38% earning significantly more. But the question everyone wanted to know (even the writers who are earning more) is: what the most effective way is to land work during this crazy pandemic?

And since none of us were alive in 1917, we are all figuring this out as we go. Regardless of how your income from the first part of 2020 turned out, now is a good time to pause and make a plan for the second half of 2020.

Successful Marketing Strategies for 2020 Part 1

I asked this question: “What marketing strategies are you finding successful for landing new work during the first part of 2020? Check all that apply.” Here are the answers: 

After mulling over the results, I have two ginormous takeaways – staying in touch with clients and building relationships. 

1. Staying in Touch with Clients is Key 

By far and away, the most successful tactic was staying in touch with clients and asking for work. 79% of the writers who earned the same or more in 2020 compared to 2019 said that they got work from proactively reaching out to clients. That is super duper high.

Very early in the pandemic, I wrote this post and heard from probably at least 50 writers in the first few weeks sharing what they got from following my advice. As I shared last week, this tactic recently worked to turn an occasional client into an anchor client. Even beyond that client, I have seen firsthand that this tactic works. It is honestly the only reason that my income is not in the toilet right now.

And I think it is working for the reason I wrote back in March, clients are managing so much right now both at work and home, that staying in touch keeps you top of mind, meaning you are making their life easier. 

So the next question I know you want to ask is: how often? Currently, I’ve been staying in touch with the clients that have been regularly assigning me work about every 2 to 3 weeks. And I’ve been checking in with other clients about once a month. Yes, it feels a bit awkward. But you have to remember that you are helping them out by letting them know you are available.

As long as your check-ins are on target, professional, adding value and not every 37 minutes, then you are helping them do their job. Even better, check in when you know they are going to be assigning work, such as when an issue is wrapping up or the beginning of a new month of blog content. 

Here is a sample email that I recently sent to a client who has been assigning me regularly, but almost always after I check in:

Hi Claire,

Let me know if you have any revisions to the story for the September issue and I can get changes back to you ASAP. 

I also wanted to check in about the October issue and see if you had any stories you needed help with. You mentioned the theme for the issue is cybersecurity. I have written recently on the topic for Microsoft and am a regular contributor for a data privacy/security company.  

I have availability and can get started as soon as possible. Look forward to working with you on the next issue. 

2. Relationships are the Cornerstone of Freelancing in a Pandemic 

As I studied the survey results, I realized that the top three ways writers are landing work – staying in touch with clients, referrals from writers and referrals from editors – all revolve around relationships. I’ve always said relationships are the key to freelancing, but right now even more so. 

In the early days of the pandemic, I moderated a webinar for ASJA and Clare McDermott, co-founder of Mantis Research and former EIC of The Content Marketing Institutes magazine said that right now editors and clients were much more comfortable with writers that they know personally or have a personal connection, such as a referral. 

While I think people are a little more open to new writers than in March (the survey shows that people have landed totally new clients), I think that this theory still holds water. People don’t have the time or emotional energy to deal with a freelancer who flakes or doesn’t do a good job, especially with shorter editorial calendars. 

Yes, relationships take time to form, but odds are high that you already have at least a few solid client and writer relationships. Since it looks like pandemic freelancing is not a one-night stand or even a brief fling, now is a great time to nurture your current relationships and look for new writer relationships. I am going to write an upcoming post on freelancing relationships, but I wanted to give you a few ideas that you can put into action. 

Here are four things that you can do now to build your relationships: 

1. Ask for referrals from current clients. This post walks you through the steps of exactly how to do it and even gives you a template. 
2. Help other writer friends with referrals and advice. If you see a job that is a fit for a writer friend, send them the link. If you have more work than you can handle, refer it to a writer friend. And then other writers will do the same for you in the future.  Here is a post on how to refer work to other writers. 
3. Actively nurture your current writer friend relationships. Reach out, set up a call, or start a weekly virtual group. I will share more in my upcoming post but wanted to get you thinking. 
4. Begin creating new writer relationships. Take the first step and reach out. 

Surprises from the Survey 

A number of writers wrote that they got work and the most common response was Facebook groups, but the theme was that not all Facebook groups are created equal. You want to be frequenting groups that are a match for your skills and rates, but also don’t cause you stress with excess drama. 

The other happy surprise I noted from the survey is that LOIs are working for some freelancers right now. While I think you should focus mainly on referrals and current clients for immediate work, I think that it’s important to continue sending LOIs to create a pipeline for the future. But the most important thing to remember is to follow up and don’t be discouraged by the ‘we will keep your information on file’ responses – they will likely net you work in the future. 

I was also surprised that almost 20% of writers surveyed were getting work from job boards. I would be interested to know if these were high or low paying gigs. Typically, landing work from job boards is challenging and most of it is low paying. But I have landed some great gigs from job boards in the past and I’m sure I will in the future. Check out this post for tips on successfully landing gigs from job postings. 

Words of Wisdom from Fellow Freelancers 

Here are some more great nuggets of advice related to finding work that freelancers shared in the survey:

• I’ve made it a point to stay in touch with past clients and other writers, even if there’s no work on the horizon. I find that I am also in the position to be giving several referrals now that a few former editors of mine have been laid off.
• Specific Facebook groups have granted me two agency anchors in the last two months, so the latter half of 2020 is looking really promising. I lost low paying clients during the pandemic but made room for these. 
• LOIs work. Staying in touch with old contacts has also resulted in a lot of work for me now.
• Keep the lines of communication open with your clients. I had to put a couple of clients on pause as I wrapped my arms around having kids home, school from home, and working. I was honest with my clients, many of whom understood the overwhelm I was feeling because they were feeling it too. 
• Keeping doing networking and marketing with fellow writers and industry experts on LinkedIn, sending LOIs etc. Creating content on LinkedIn and social media platform to showcase your personal branding and strengths
• Don’t assume there isn’t work out there. There is. You need to stay relevant to the times. Be thinking a month or two ahead to anticipate the types of stories editors will need. Be a source of ideas, and don’t flake. Now is not the time to be difficult. Editors are under pressure to hit deadlines and fill pages. If they know they can count on you, you will be on their short list for more work. 
• Leave no stone unturned. Work your network as hard as you can, and don’t overlook sectors that you might not have worked in before. 
• Diversify your marketing tactics. I don’t see a lot of people talking about Facebook groups, but joining and participating in the RIGHT job boards has earned me thousands. 
• Keep marketing, harder than you’ve ever done before. It will eventually pay off. 

Yes, pandemic freelancing is hard and unnerving. Actually living through a pandemic sucks in general. But I promise that, when all this is over, the skills you learned from freelancing during a pandemic will serve you well – at least that’s what I keep telling myself. By the time this is all over, we will be masters in flexibility, persistence, networking, and marketing. And regular freelancing will seem like a breeze.

But in the meantime, it’s hard. It just is. The pandemic pretty much affects every aspect of your life. Writing requires emotional energy and its hard to find that when your regular life is full of stress and loss. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace. You can do this. I promise.

Do the results of the survey surprise you? What is working well for you?