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Perfect sentences don't sell.
Perfect sentences don't persuade.
Perfect sentences sit in your portfolio while clients hire someone else.

#freelance

Imagine billing for 10 hours when the emotional labor was clearly 30.

Life is unfair.

#freelance

Said yes to a scope that felt slightly off.

Knew it.
Felt it.
Still did it.

Now living with the consequences in the form of 87 tiny unclear tasks spread across Slack, email, and one random Loom. 😭

#freelance

Client says “we just want your brain on this.”

3 weeks later, you’re redoing the thing their brain didn’t like.

Cool.

#freelance

The weird guilt of finishing something faster than expected and then debating whether to send it now or wait a fake amount of time so it looks like “enough” work. 😶

#freelance

There’s a specific kind of rage that lives in the space between “I thought we agreed on the brief” and “This isn’t quite what I had in mind.”

#freelance

The more energy you spend convincing clients to work with you, the worse the project usually goes.

If the close feels heavy, the work will too.

#freelance

Nobody trains you for the emotional whiplash of:

- Selling your value all day
- Still feeling replaceable at 10pm
- Rereading feedback that was technically positive but somehow felt like a warning

#freelance

Sometimes “work-life balance” just means turning off notifications so you can spiral in peace without the Slack bubble lighting up.

#freelance

Underrated skill: Pretending like their email didn’t just subtly change the entire scope of the project. 🙃

#freelance

You want better inbound leads?

Here's the test:

Would your dream client send your portfolio around internally to make a case for hiring you?

If not, it’s not a portfolio. It’s a scrapbook.

#freelance

Every service provider has that one “referral” they regret accepting.

Wrong vibe. Wrong budget. Wrong everything.

But it came from someone important, so you said yes.

And now you’re suffering in silence, wondering how to make it end politely.

#freelance

If you're not losing at least a few prospects at the pricing stage, your price is too low.

If you’re losing all of them, your pitch is too vague.

And if you’re losing the ones who say yes... your delivery process is broken.

Different problems. Don’t confuse them.

#freelance

No one really teaches what to do when a client says: “We’ll loop back next quarter.”

Is that code for no?
Should you follow up?
Are they just being polite?
Are they lying?

Great. Now spiral for 6 weeks.

#freelance

You think you’re being ghosted.

But really—you sent a 14-slide proposal, 2 PDFs, a Calendly link, and a 900-word “next steps” email.

They’re not ghosting. They’re overwhelmed.

Simplify. Shorten. Send less.

#freelance

Bad clients don’t look bad upfront.

They show up as:

- “We’re flexible”
- “You’re the expert”
- “We’ll keep this simple”

If they say all three before a contract’s signed, congrats—you're walking into chaos.

#freelance

Someone justifies underpaying contractors by saying “We could just do this in-house.”

Brother in Christ, then do it in-house.

#freelance

You keep telling yourself:
“I’ll increase my prices after this next project.”

It’s been a year.
Your work got better.
Your rates didn’t.

What exactly are you waiting for—permission?

#freelance

Nobody talks about this enough:
The middle of a project is the most dangerous part.

Not the start.
Not the delivery.
The part where momentum dips, feedback gets vague, and clarity disappears.

This is where scope creep sneaks in.

Build checkpoints. Force check-ins. Prevent the drift.

#freelance

Clients pay more when you reduce decision fatigue.

- “Here’s the package I recommend for you”
- “Here’s the exact scope that aligns with your goals”
- “Here’s why this timeline works best”

Confidence ≠ upselling.

It’s giving them less to overthink.

#freelance

“We want to keep this collaborative.”

Cool.

Love a group edit doc with 6 authors and 14 unresolved comments about the intro sentence. smh

#writer

Here’s a simple way to spot bad-fit clients early:

They ask for proposals before hopping on a call.

That means:

- They’re mass-shopping
- They want pricing, not partnership
- They don’t care how you work

Don’t compete for clients who aren’t evaluating quality.

#freelance

There’s a difference between “busy” and “booked.”

Busy = lots of work.
Booked = fewer clients, better pay, clearer systems.

Don’t chase full calendars.
Chase fewer inputs, higher yield.

#freelance

Before you charge more:

Ask what you're really selling.

You’re not selling:
- A retainer
- A deliverable
- A service

You're selling:
- Speed
- Certainty
- Simplicity
- Risk reduction
- Not having to think about it

Price that.

#freelance

Projects fall apart for one of two reasons:

(1) The client didn’t know what they wanted

(2) You didn’t ask enough to find out

A good operator doesn’t just execute. They extract clarity.

#freelance

A weak CTA at the end of your proposal: “Let me know your thoughts.”

A stronger one: “If this looks good, I’ll send the invoice and project timeline.”

Control the close. Don’t leave it open-ended.

#freelance

There’s a silent tax on working with low-paying clients:
Time. Energy. Confidence.

And worst of all?

They keep you too busy to look for better ones.

Escape tip:

- Drop your lowest-paying client
- Use those hours to pitch 5 better prospects
- Repeat every 2 months

That’s how you outgrow the trap

The easiest way to be remembered by a client:

- Submit clean drafts
- Name files properly
- Deliver before deadline

Sounds basic. Rarely done.

#freelance

Before every discovery call, check these 3 things:

- Who’s their customer?
- What does their existing content fail to do?
- What’s their next growth goal?

Most writers walk in ready to talk about writing.

Walk in ready to talk about their business.

#writer

Most writing portfolios aren’t bad. They’re just forgettable.

No bylines, no outcomes, no context.

Feels like a talent show application. Not a sales tool.

Fix it:

- Add revenue or traffic results
- Add recognizable brand names
- Add your thinking, not just your output

That’s what sells.