Being a freelance writer can be overwhelming. Between finding work, writing blog posts, and handling communication with clients, it can feel like you’re getting pulled in ten different directions at once.
Luckily, there’s an option to help lessen your workload: joining a freelance agency. There are many benefits of working with an agency: they often have writers of all types on-hand to fulfill client needs, they handle the bidding process for you, and they allow you to focus on what you do best: writing!
Also, working with a freelance agency is sometimes a necessary evil. If you’ve ever wondered if it’s for you, here are 19 things to remember before deciding to join one.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Research the agency thoroughly before committing to join. |
| 2. Understand the agency’s reputation and track record. |
| 3. Consider the agency’s specialization and if it aligns with your skills. |
| 4. Assess the agency’s client base and the types of projects they handle. |
| 5. Evaluate the agency’s communication and support systems. |
| 6. Look into the agency’s payment terms and rates for freelancers. |
| 7. Understand the agency’s expectations regarding availability and workload. |
| 8. Consider the agency’s location and how it may impact your work. |
| 9. Assess the agency’s work culture and compatibility with your own values. |
| 10. Seek feedback from current or previous freelancers who worked with the agency. |
| 11. Understand the agency’s policies regarding contracts and intellectual property. |
| 12. Consider the agency’s marketing and promotion efforts for freelancers. |
| 13. Evaluate the agency’s reputation for timely payments to freelancers. |
| 14. Research the agency’s approach to handling conflicts or disputes. |
| 15. Understand the agency’s expectations regarding client interactions. |
| 16. Assess the agency’s potential for career growth and development. |
| 17. Consider the agency’s level of transparency and openness in their operations. |
| 18. Evaluate the agency’s support for freelancers’ professional growth and training. |
| 19. Trust your instincts and make an informed decision before joining any freelance agency. |
1. Research The Company As Much As You Can
When joining a freelance agency, there are several things you should do before signing the contract. Here are ten things to consider:
- Research the company’s history and clientele.
- Study the company’s competitors and compare them with your work, especially if you feel that they have been copying your style or content in some way.
This is also important if you don’t plan on following their guidelines as closely as possible because you want to create something unique enough so that no one would even notice who copied who (or if they did, they wouldn’t care).
- Read all of their values and mission statements so that each project will align with those beliefs before starting any work at all!
Understanding why US freelancers charge higher than others is crucial for aspiring freelancers. Check out our article on Why Do US Freelancers Charge Higher Than Others? to gain insights into the factors influencing freelancer rates in the US.
2. Make Sure To Use A Proper Website For Finding The Clients
If you are serious about your freelance career and want to earn money from it, then you must choose a website that has a good reputation. You should find out about the site’s history and how many clients they have provided jobs for.
The best way to find out about these things is by talking with other freelancers who have used them in the past or by reading reviews online on different platforms (such as Yelp).
3. Ask Questions In The Interview
The interview is the best time to ask questions. You want to know what kind of company you’re joining and whether they align with your values and goals.
Ask about the company’s vision, mission, and values. What problems are they trying to solve? How do they plan on doing it, and why do they think this is important? What sets them apart from other companies? Why should I work here instead of somewhere else? These types of questions will help you determine whether this job has long-term potential or if it’s just going to be another paycheck without any future growth opportunities.
Ask about the goals for growth within your department/role over the next year or two years (depending on how quickly things move at whatever agency). If there aren’t clear paths for advancement within an agency and plenty of places offer upward movement then why bother working there in the first place?
4. Don’t Take It Personally If You Are Not Selected For A Project
You’re not going to be selected for every project, and that’s just the way it is. You can’t control what other people do or think, so don’t take it personally! It’s just business. You should always remember:
- You can’t control what other people do or say.
- You can’t control what other people think of you (unless they tell you directly).
- You can only do your best and put your heart into everything that comes along.
5. Don’t Quit Your Full-Time Job Early On
You may want to quit your full-time job as soon as you sign up for an agency, but don’t do it. The moment you quit your full-time job, you will be in a very vulnerable position.
You might have some clients lined up through the agency, but they won’t be paying in cash right away and there’s no guarantee these clients will continue working with you once they find out that they can get cheaper freelancers online.
And even if they do pay you regularly at first and continue their services with you, things could still go south fast if they start flaking on payments or stop giving jobs altogether.
In addition to being financially vulnerable during those first few months of freelancing independently (or whatever term people use these days), quitting your day job also puts more pressure on the relationships in your life we’re talking about spouses/partners/children here who might not understand why someone would put their career before family obligations or personal happiness
A well-crafted portfolio can significantly increase your chances of landing freelance jobs. Learn how to create a portfolio that stands out with our guide on How to Make a Portfolio That Gets You the Job, and showcase your skills and expertise effectively.
6. Track Your Expenses
Once you start tracking your expenses, it’s important to do so consistently. It’s easy to forget or lose track of how much money you’re spending on something if you don’t keep track of it regularly.
If you don’t track your expenses at all, then how else will know how much money is coming in and going out? You need a way to understand what’s working and what isn’t so that you can make smart decisions about which parts of your business are working well or could be improved upon.
7. Don’t Worry About Other Freelancers Too Much
You might be wondering if you’re charging too little or if other freelancers are charging more than you. Don’t worry about that! Focus on your work and your clients.
If a client asks you what your rates are, simply tell them as they ask; don’t give them an answer based on what other freelancers charge or don’t charge. You need to value yourself and the work that you do first before anyone else can do so for you (or at least until people start respecting it more).
If someone doesn’t respect what you’re doing, then they probably aren’t worth working with anyway because there’s no mutual benefit for both parties involved in that relationship!
8. Stay Focused And Keep A Positive Attitude
- Stay focused on the goal.
- Be motivated to achieve your goals.
- Be positive about what you’re doing and don’t give up too easily when things go wrong; there will be obstacles along the way, but if you keep working hard, eventually you’ll find a solution or someone who can help you solve it.
- Be patient with yourself and others. Good things take time to develop, so don’t expect them overnight!
- Stay humble; no matter how good we are at something, we can always improve our skills by learning more about what we do best (and making sure other people know how awesome we are).
- Be grateful for everything that comes your way good or bad experiences because they all teach us valuable lessons which enable us to continue improving ourselves over time without getting stuck in any one rut forever!
9. Don’t Compare Yourself To Other Freelancers
You aren’t the first or only freelancer to take this route. You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, especially your colleagues. The fact is, everyone has a different set of skills and experiences that allow them to succeed in their way. So don’t worry about what other people are doing or earning focus on your own goals instead!
After all, if you want to earn $10 per hour as an online writer, but one of your colleagues makes $15 per hour because he can charge more for his work than you can for yours, then it could be a good idea for you to find out why he charges more and whether there are ways for you to do the same thing with less effort on his part (or even none at all!).
Quitting your day job to pursue freelance work requires careful consideration. Discover the key factors you should think about before making the leap in our article on 13 Things to Consider Before You Quit Your Day Job, and ensure a smooth transition to freelancing.
10. Always Learn New Skills And Develop Old Ones Further
As a freelancer, there are many skills you will need to learn. You will have to learn how to market yourself and your projects. You will also have to learn how to manage your time effectively, as well as how to perform the tasks that come with the job description.
These are just some of the most common skills required by freelancers of all kinds. However, other creative fields require a bit more training than others for one’s career path as a freelancer to prosper; these include coding and design work both of which require an understanding of certain software programs or languages (like HTML5).
The best thing about becoming a freelancer is that it gives you plenty of time on your hands while still allowing you benefits like flexible schedules and higher pay rates compared with full-time employees at large companies; however, this doesn’t mean there aren’t hurdles along this path either!
11. Paycheck
Before you join an agency, you should know how much you can expect to earn. It’s important to understand how much money they’ll be taking out of your paycheck. When considering whether or not it’s worth it, here are the typical fees that agencies charge:
- 1-3% of the client-billed amount (for example, if a project cost $50,000 and the agency takes 3%, then they would get $1,500)
- 15% of gross revenue (so if they billed $50,000 and got paid 15%, then they’d make $7,500 after expenses)
12. Have A Best Friend By Your Side
When you go out on your own, you have a lot to think about. You have to manage your time and finances, communicate with clients, and make sure that your work is being done well. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you don’t have anyone to help keep things in perspective.
But if there’s one thing we know about freelancing, it’s that it can be lonely sometimes. You need someone who will be there for you when things get tough and remind you of what matters most: eating lunch outside on nice days or going out for drinks with friends after work every once in a while.
That person should also be able to tell you when something isn’t working out or give some advice on where they think changes could be made and not just because they want their friend back at the agency!
13. Be Prepared For The Worst
The worst-case scenario is that you might not be able to make ends meet, and you’ll have to move back in with your parents. The best-case scenario is that you get a bunch of new clients, but don’t know how to handle the workload, which leads to stress and even more reduced sleep than normal.
While it’s easy enough to plan for these possibilities and I would encourage you to do so other things may come up that are harder to anticipate.
For example: what if one night while working at Starbucks on your laptop after hours someone steals it? What if the bus takes off without waiting for everyone in line? What if there’s an earthquake and no one’s around because they’re all home looking at their phones? You might have designed contingency plans for each of these scenarios, but what about all those weird ones no one ever thought about?
14. Talk To The Employers
If you’re new to the freelance world, you should talk to employers who already use the agency. They can give you a good idea of what they’re looking for and how they like to work with people.
By talking with those who have hired freelancers before, you can get an idea of what kind of work they do and what their expectations are. It’s also helpful if they could tell you what sort of personality traits previous freelancers had that made them successful this will help guide your approach as well!
15. Do Not Be Bossy
If you are a bossy type of person and tend to get on people’s nerves, it is best not to join a freelance agency. There are many reasons why this is so:
- You will have clients who don’t appreciate your attitude of authority and control. They might even leave your services if they feel that you are bossing them around all the time instead of giving them what they need in terms of advice or guidance.
- Your colleagues at the office will also hate working with someone who behaves like an authoritative figure all the time because they can become quite annoying at times (especially when they work alone).
- Your bosses will also dislike having such types onboard as well because it makes their job harder, especially when dealing with other staff members who are not used to being told what to do every step along their way while performing tasks assigned by management-level employees like yourself
If you’ve had a negative experience freelancing on platforms like Upwork and Freelancer, you’re not alone. Find out why these platforms can be challenging and explore alternatives in our insightful piece on Why Is Freelancing on Upwork and Freelancer So Terrible?.
16. Maintain A Decent Attitude
- Keep a good attitude. You’re not just selling yourself, you’re also selling your work and your service to the agency. If they see that you have an open mind, are friendly and polite, and are willing to take on tasks that others might shy away from then they’ll be more likely to keep you on their books.
- Be a team player. When working as part of a larger group (whether it’s with one or multiple freelancers) there are going to be times when someone else has been given the job of head honcho for a project.
You must respect this person’s position by listening carefully when they speak, asking questions if necessary, and accepting instructions without complaint – even if sometimes these don’t make sense at first glance!
- Be reliable: Your clients will rely on you so make sure that everything about how much notice is provided before starting/finishing off any task is clear from the beginning – so there are no nasty surprises later down the line.
It may sound obvious but this also means sticking around until all jobs are done regardless whether this takes longer than expected because something went wrong (and happens more often than we think).
17. Choose An Agency That Is Reputed Enough
- You will want to look for an agency that is well established and has a good reputation.
- Ask other freelancers who they recommend, and why.
- Look for agencies that are recommended by industry experts or organizations like the Freelancers Union.
- Do some research on the agency’s website to make sure it’s reputable the website should have a professional design and be easy to navigate, with clear information about what services they provide (and how much they cost). If you find any red flags in your research, spend some time thinking about why these might be present before deciding whether or not an agency is right for you.
18. Be Honest About Your Work Experience And Skills
If you don’t have any work experience, then it’s best, to be honest about that with the agency and let them know that you’re willing to learn new things. If they are willing to take on a newbie (which is not always the case), then they will likely want to assign projects that are more entry-level so as not to overwhelm or frustrate them.
If you do have some experience but perhaps haven’t been working in this industry for very long, then it’s also important to be upfront about what skillsets and areas of expertise you have. This way they can help guide your career path within the agency by recommending projects which match up with those skill sets and hopefully lead towards building a great portfolio!
It’s also important not to be afraid of asking for help if needed or saying no when necessary even if it means turning down clients who aren’t within your wheelhouse or accepting less than ideal job assignments at first.
19. Never Give Up On Yourself
It is very important to never give up on yourself. This is not just a saying, it is the truth. When you feel down, or that things are not going your way, keep in mind that this feeling will pass eventually and everything will turn out fine. Don’t give in to negativity it only makes things worse.
If you have failed at something, don’t take it personally; instead, look for ways how to improve and move forward from there. You can always go back to where you were before but you can never go back again once something has changed for good so make sure that every decision counts!
You should also be aware of what kind of people surround themselves with because their influence could bring either positive outcomes or negative consequences depending on how much trust they inspire within us – both professionally as well as personally speaking (or maybe even both).
When outsourcing work on Upwork, following best practices can improve your chances of success. Learn about the top strategies for effective outsourcing in our comprehensive guide on Top 10 Best Practices for Outsourcing Your Work on Upwork, and optimize your freelancing experience.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, it is important to remember that when you are working with a freelance agency, your job is to get hired on by clients. There may be some frustrations along the way. You might have to take a client that you don’t particularly enjoy but don’t let this stop you from pursuing your dream of being an entrepreneur.
Just remember there are plenty more opportunities out there and if one doesn’t work out then another will. It takes time and patience but eventually those dreams will become reality.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further explore the topic of going freelance:
10 Things You Need to Know Before Going Freelance: Discover essential tips and insights to help you prepare for the freelancing journey.
Seven Things to Consider When Going Freelance: Gain valuable advice on important factors to consider before transitioning to a freelance career.
21 Tips for First-Time Freelancers: Explore a comprehensive list of tips and recommendations for individuals embarking on their freelance journey.
People Also Ask
What Is A Freelance Agency?
A freelance agency is an organization that offers services for clients who need to hire freelancers. The clients can be businesses, individuals, or other agencies.
How Do I Find A Freelance Agency?
You can search online for “freelance agencies” and see if any come up in your area; if not, don’t worry. There’s always more than one way to find what you’re looking for in life (and this applies especially well when it comes time to find work). Just keep trying different search terms until something clicks it may take some time but eventually something will turn up and then all will be right with the world again!
How Do I Apply To Join One?
You’ll want some basic info on hand like where exactly this potential employer lives/works at which point they’ll know exactly who they’re dealing with before making any promises about future employment opportunities or otherwise getting caught off-guard by surprise questions like “what’s his name” which wouldn’t make sense since no one ever asks those kinds of questions unless there’s something wrong.”
What Does It Mean To Be A Freelance Writer?
A freelance writer is someone who is hired to write content for a variety of companies and organizations. In some cases, there will be a contract that outlines the terms of your employment. In other cases, you’ll be paid based on the number of words or hours you work.
How Much Money Can I Make As A Freelance Writer?
The amount you make as a freelance writer depends on how good your writing is and how much demand there is for your services. The more in-demand you are, the more money you can command.
How Can I Make Sure That The Freelance Agency I’m Working With Is A Good Fit For Me?
It’s important to choose an agency that you feel comfortable with, so we recommend researching each agency you’re considering to make sure they’re a good match for you. You should look at their portfolio of work and talk to some of their past clients to get a sense of how well they work together as a team and understand what kind of clients they’re able to serve.
How Do I Know If An Agency Is Right For Me?
This depends on what kind of work you want to do and whether or not it aligns with the skillsets that an agency brings to the table. If you’re looking for something specific like web development or graphic design, make sure that the agencies in your area offer those services before signing up with them.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.