• What Clients Want

    Posted on October 20, 2010 by in Business of Freelance Writing

    {photo credit}

    Okay I’ll admit. I’ve been kind of lackadaisical lately about LinkedIn. Frankly, I just didn’t know what the excitement was all about. That is, until a few days ago when I tried asking a question on there about freelance writing.

    I realized, if you’re wondering what your clients want, isn’t it best to go straight to the source and ask them?

    Surprisingly, I got quick, informative answers that gave me a greater understanding of what entrepreneurs and companies want. Things I wish I knew earlier in my career and what you newbie writers can learn now to provide both future and potential clients.

    Here they are:

    “A good writer will ask a lot of questions, and will listen as well. Without the background and prep work, all the spelling and grammar in the world will not help a writer.” – Greg Poulos, Bluefin Productions

    “Ad agency point of view. Ability is #1 of course. I also look for someone who will work with me through revisions, changing message nuances or even about face direction changes without being irritated, resentful or sullen. Once we are working together, speed can be a true delight factor.” – Brenda K.

    “Assuming the writer has demonstrated ability, I would say the number-one quality to ascertain is timeliness with regard to deadlines. I recommend asking about this when checking references.” – Lisa Yoon

    “I would say knowledge of your target market and an ability to comprehend the industry they are being asked to write for. There are many talented writers, but only a few that can really connect with an audience and MAKE them want to read what they have written.” – markrmorris2

    What do you think?

    Are there any other qualities or experiences that are important to you when hiring a freelance writer?

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  • http://www.inkyclean.com/soapbox_blog Natalia M. Sylvester

    Thanks for sharing this, Brandi. It’s so great to see this kind of feedback, and to know that clients do appreciate things like asking tons of questions and revising. Sometimes the questions we have to ask clients as writers seem obvious (like: what do you do? Who is your target audience?) but they need to be asked, and the answers need to be truly thought out. And of course such a huge part of writing is revision, so it’s good to know that there are clients who understand it’s a process, and that we don’t always get it right the first time, but with some communication, we get can definitely get it right.
    Natalia M. Sylvester recently posted..Is Your Cool Showing Words of Wisdom from The Social Network

  • brandiwplogin

    Hi Natalia! Glad you liked it. I was impressed with the answers I got from LinkedIn. And now realize I can use it as a resource to connect with people that I’d love to work with one day. It was also insightful to find out just what qualities are important to those looking to hire freelancers. And I definitely agree with you that communication is key. Thanks for your comment and your RT too!

  • http://simplystatedbusiness.com Cathy Miller

    Hi Brandi:

    I have been a promoter of LinkedIn for some time. Put that as a keyword in my blog and you’ll see several posts.

    It’s not for everyone, but in my niche, it really works. I like the professional networking aspect of it. It’s also a great source for blog post ideas and to get a pulse on what’s important to clients.

    Since I am a freelance writer, and I doubt you received a response that they wanted was someone exactly like Cathy Miller, :-) I’ll let others answer the question of what they look for in a freelance writer.
    Cathy Miller recently posted..5 Steps to Add a Retweet Button to Your PDF

  • brandiwplogin

    Hi Cathy! I’ll go take a look at your website. I kind of abandoned LinkedIn. But now that I know I can use it as a resource, I’ll definitely be visiting more often.

hi there

I am a full-time freelance writer, associate editor for Psych Central and a columnist for The Writer and Beliefnet Health. Contact me with questions, comments, and to find out more about what I can do for you at bauyemura at gmail dot com.

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