Tag / Portfolio

by caitlyncallahan14

pitching your business

Is one of your goals this year to grow your book of business?

In order to do this, you’re going to have to perfect the art of pitching and bidding for contracts.

While I wouldn’t classify myself as an expert, I have personally submitted hundreds of pitches and done quite a bit of reading/research on how to win a contract. This is especially important when I’m bidding on contracts through Upwork since there is no limit on how many others can also bid, and I could be competing with tens of others.

When you pitch work to a company or bid for a contract, the keys are to:

  • Stand out
  • Be memorable
  • Quickly showcase your qualifications and why you are the best fit

This includes whether you’re bidding for a posted contract or pitching your business to a prospective client.

So, how do you do this? Especially within just a few sentences or short paragraphs? Here are a few things I’ve learned and recommend.

Bidding for a Posted Contract

If you’re using a freelancer service such as Upwork, or applying for jobs posted on a job network like LinkedIn, these tips may be applicable to you.

Carefully read the job description.
Make sure you understand everything the client is looking for. Not only do you want to ensure it’s something you’re actually interested in, but also something you’re qualified for. Sometimes clients are looking for specific expertise or tasks that may not be applicable to you.

Look to see if the client included a proposed rate in the description, which can either encourage or deter you from applying. Check for links to their website or additional information. Finally, some clients will include words/phrases to include in your pitch (to ensure you read the job description), or questions they want you to answer ahead of time.

Tailor your pitch to the job specifics.
I, like I’d imagine many other freelancers, have a generic pitch typed and saved on my computer. Whenever I’m applying for contracts, I copy and paste that into the application. While I’ll talk later about what I actually include in it, one thing I do for each job is tailor the pitch to the job.

If the client is looking for a blogger, I focus on my blog experience and expertise. If they are in need of a social media manager, I share my experience in social. Same with proofreading or digital marketing consulting.

Then, I try to take it one step further. If the client is a pet food business, I share something personal about my pets at home. If they need insurance content, I highlight my experience specifically with insurance. The point is to get the job, so make sure the client knows you are the one for their specific job.

Highlight specific qualities.
This goes hand in hand with tailoring your pitch to the job, but focuses on specifics about you and your experience. Is there a particular client you’ve worked with or experience you have that makes you more qualified than others? Can you share statistics you have on ROI or engagement with content you created? Be specific about why you are best for the job.

Link to your website or portfolio.
This is an important step in setting yourself apart from other applicants. First, if a client sees your website or portfolio in your pitch, they may see you in a more professional light.

You also give them an opportunity to screen you before wasting each other’s time with follow up communications or interviews. They can look at your site or experience and determine whether or not you are right for their brand or job, and decide whether or not to move forward.

Consider including your rate.
Whether or not you do this can be subject to change based on the job. If the client asks for your rate, you should probably include it. If not, you can decide based on information you have about the client, or proposed rate they have in the job description, whether or not you’d like to include rate out front.

The key is to find the sweet spot that doesn’t scare the client away, but also doesn’t let them think they can take advantage of you. Perhaps try to avoid including a specific rate, and instead give a range. Or, my go to statement is: I’m happy to negotiate a per word or per article rate. This gives us both flexibility but keeps the ball in my court, because I can say yes or no to what they say.

Pitching Your Business to a Prospect Client

If you’re at the point in your career where you’re “cold-selling” yourself to businesses to bring them on as new clients, that’s great! Many freelancers start small with people they know, or businesses in their local community. Or, perhaps you’re ready to expand to those you don’t know or who are larger or even national. These tips may help with your endeavors.

Do your research.
One of the worst things you can do is pitch to a prospective client without having done research on their brand. While you’re doing research for yourself, much like prepping for a job interview, you also want to know the exact areas where you can help.

  • Understand as much as you can about their products/services. Learn about their values and brand, including the tone and feel.
  • Spend time on their website and check out their blog.
  • Visit their pages on different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. What type of content do they post? How do they engage with their customers? How do customers engage with them?
  • Search them on Google. Does their website appear? Do they have any Google reviews? Are there any articles about them?
  • Find the important people on LinkedIn and Google. This may include the owner, CEO, CMO, someone from HR, or whomever you are pitching to or want to talk to. What is their experience? How long have they been with the company? Can you find out anything personal that you can relate to?

Tailor your pitch to the client.
Similar to pitching for a specific job, you want to tailor your pitch to the client. The client shouldn’t feel like you just blasted out the same pitch to 10 different businesses. Help them understand their business is important to you, and make them feel like they are the only client that matters. Also try referencing things you learned about them or their brand in your research.

Be specific.
This is two-fold to answer two questions: How can you help them, and why should they hire you?

It’s critical that you do not criticize the brand. Don’t list what they are doing wrong. Instead, encourage them that you can help it be even better. Maybe you can help with training the current marketing person. Or, perhaps marketing is being done by the owner of the business and you can simply free up their time for more important things. Be positive about what you reference and how you phrase how you can help.

Additionally, be specific about why they should hire you. Talk about your experience, involvement with the community, past experiences with the company. Include stats or information that provides context or support to your experience.

Be personable.
You’re hoping to build a long-term working relationship with this client, so make sure they see you as a person they can work with. Include something about yourself, or how the company personally interests you. For example, you love this locally-owned pet store and have made several purchases from there yourself for your own fur baby.

People like working with people, and since they don’t know you and didn’t approach your first, you want to make sure they know you mean well, you can help them improve their customer acquisition/retention/whatever goal you want to help with, and that you are a great person to work with.

Link to your website, portfolio, and client testimonials.
Again, this gives a sense of professionalism right off the bat. Plus, the prospective client likely doesn’t know you or exactly what you can provide. By linking to your site, you give them the opportunity to research you and understand what your business is all about to help decide whether or not they want to hire you.

What to Include in Your Pitch

Keeping the above tips in mind, here are a few things I try to include in every pitch. Typically, I try to keep mine between 250-300 words – short, sweet and to the point. Yours may be shorter or longer depending on the client or job.

  • A brief explanation of my experience, including college education and years in the industry.
  • A brief overview of the type of clients I’ve had and industries I’ve worked in (specific to the job, such as blog writing or social media marketing).
  • One sentence about where my specific expertise lies.
  • One to two sentences specific to the job/client and specific experience I have related to it. Or, a short narrative that makes me relatable.
  • A link to my portfolio.
  • One sentence about certifications I hold.
  • If applicable, one sentence about rate.
  • A closing, encouraging reach out to me with any questions, thanking them for their time, and sharing my excitement about discussing next steps.
by caitlyncallahan14

ghostwriting

Let me preface this post by stating that ghostwriting isn’t “bad,” and there’s nothing “wrong” with doing it. However, it may not be for everyone, so being aware of what it is and determining whether or not you want to do it is an important step in your freelance career.

Ghostwriting is when something you write or produce is credited to another author. For example, though you, Jane Doe, may write the blog post, it may be published on the client’s website under the CEO’s name “John Smith.”

Pros

  • It’s experience.
  • You can gain experience in a variety of industries and niches, some of which you wouldn’t get if you were credited.
  • You can write about topics that you aren’t necessarily an “expert” in and aren’t your primary focus. You can also write about new topics without having to worry about public perceptions tied to your name attached to them.
  • You can work on a secret passion.

Cons

  • You don’t get credit for writing a piece.
  • In most cases, you can’t include ghostwritten pieces in a portfolio or on a resume. You may even be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and can’t claim or share involvement with the project or client.
  • You give up ownership of the work.

In some cases, it doesn’t matter if your name is attached to work. For example, perhaps you write press releases, copy for client websites and landing pages, or social media posts. The important thing here (if it’s important to you) is to understand if you can list the client as a client in your portfolio, and reference the work you complete.

However, in most cases, if you’re contributing to a book, writing blog pieces, articles or other content, producing art or graphics, etc., it can be beneficial to have your name in the byline. This way you can list or link to those pieces in your portfolio, share them with prospective future clients, and build your brand and reputation around your name.

If you ask some freelancers, or do a quick internet search, many consider ghostwriting to be a form of plagiarism because someone is claiming someone else’s work as their own.

If you sign up to be a ghostwriter, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, if you don’t, it could be.

Personally I don’t bid for or accept ghostwriting jobs because it’s important to me to be able to build my portfolio, brand and company. (There are exceptions, of course, for jobs in which I can reference the client and work, such as running a company’s social media account.)

However, I recently realized some of my work for clients is being published under other names – turns out, I was hired as a ghostwriter. This wasn’t disclosed up front. But this isn’t illegal.

Clients don’t have to tell you that you’re ghostwriting for them, and that’s fine.

Moving forward, it will become part of my regular practice to ask up front:

  • Can I list you as a client in my portfolio?
  • Will I be getting credit for this work?
  • Can I link to this work in my portfolio/share it in the future?

I used to do this when I first started. I worked with some amazing clients, and became lax with my clarification. No longer, because as proud as I am of the work I’m producing, I can’t claim it and I can’t use it.

Again, if you don’t mind not having your name attached to something, or perhaps you prefer anonymity, ghostwriting can be a great opportunity.

TIP: If those things are important to you, be sure to clarify with the client up front what your relationship can be with the work you produce. Don’t be afraid to ask if you’ll be getting credit, or how you can use the work in the future. If you’re working with clients outside of a freelancer service (like Upwork) always include copyright, future use and client relationship information in your contract. Or, be sure to understand what the client’s contract states about these before entering the agreement.

by caitlyncallahan14

full-time freelancing

Week 26

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the challenge of finding balance between working full time and freelancing the hours I’m contracted for, let alone adding additional clients. Recently I’ve been analyzing my goals for 2019, business goals and career goals and thinking about how I will be able to accomplish all of them – especially because one goal is to have the ability to freelance full time by the end of 2019.

Over the weekend I worked through a budgeting exercise to learn what I need to do to make this possible. Here are the steps I took.

First, I added together:

  1. Cost of my reoccurring monthly bills
  2. Estimated monthly cost for health insurance (since I would no longer have employer health insurance)
  3. Estimated monthly “set aside” dollars (money I’d set aside and not access, like a 401k)
  4. Estimated “other” charges

Once I added #1-4 together, I estimated how much salary I’d have to make to meet those needs.

Then, I added 43% for taxes, which is what I would have to pay in Kentucky as an LLC.

Once I had that total, I divided it by 52 to learn how much I would have to make weekly.

Finally, I divided by 25, 30 and 40 to learn how much I would have to charge hourly to make these ends meet.

Here’s an example*:

  1. Bills: $800/mo – $9,600/year
  2. Health insurance: $200/mo – $2,400/year
  3. Set aside: $500/mo – $6,000/year
  4. “Other”: $2,000 – $24,000/year

Total: $3,500 per month (about $1,175 per week)
Minimum annual salary before taxes: $42,000
Minimum annual salary plus taxes: around $61,000

  • To make $1,175 per week, working 40 hours per week, I’d charge a minimum of $29.38 per hour.
  • To work 30 hours per week, I’d have to charge $39.16 per hour.
  • To work 25 hours per week, I’d have to charge $47 per hour.

Currently, I have one client at $30 per hour (20 hours per week) and another at $35 per hour (5 hours per week). If I logged all 25, I’d currently clock in around $700 per week (subtracting Upwork fees). Using the above scenario, that leaves me with a gap of $475, which at $45 per hour, I’d have to tack on an additional 10.5 hours to my week. That’s 35 hours per week – 5 less than I’m currently working with my full-time job.

To make this a reality, I’d only have to work one more client at $45 per hour.

The goal would then be to secure higher-paying hourly jobs, end the lower-paying contracts, and be able to work less hours while also charging more money.

The other goal would be to charge on a per-project basis, where I’m charging closer to $100 per hour, and work even fewer hours while making more money.

It’s challenging to balance current clients while working full time. To build my business, I need either 1. More hours in the day or 2. To give up sleep and/or any/all free time. While I can’t grow without bringing on more clients, I also can’t bring on more clients with my current workload.

Sometimes I wonder if now is the time to take the chance. If I’m able to add on just one more client, is that a sign? In my head, worst case scenario, I can’t make ends meet, I have to tap into savings, and I have to get back into a full-time job.

But, it doesn’t seem so daunting once it’s broken down into smaller numbers!

So, questions for my readers:

  1. How did you know you were ready to take the jump and freelance full time?
  2. What mistakes did you make that you learned from?
  3. What advice do you have for someone looking to make the leap?
*Note: I am not a math whiz. Some of these calculations may be inaccurate or estimates. But it helps prove my point!