A Guide To Communications Etiquette For Freelance Writers

If you are a freelance writer, and you have an e-mail address, I bet you have received more than your fair share of spammy, annoying messages. Communication etiquette on the Internet is a real problem. 

Though it can be tempting to ignore the ill-mannered or rude e-mails we receive, this article will give both freelance writers and those who hire us some tips for dealing with things like bad spelling, begging for links, and other ways freelancers and their employers can improve how they communicate with each other via e-mail.

This article outlines the best practices for communicating with your clients. We’ll explore some of the most common scenarios you’re likely to encounter in your work as a freelancer, including:

Enthusiasm

As a freelancer, you may be accustomed to communicating largely on your own terms. If you’re like most writers, it’s likely that you prefer to work quietly and independently for much of the day. However, when you are communicating with clients or coworkers, professional enthusiasm is always appreciated.

Some freelance writers worry that over-enthusiasm in an email will come off as insincere or immature. But there’s a way to be professionally enthusiastic without seeming fake. For instance, it helps to use positive language whenever possible looking forward” rather than “apprehensive about,” “improving” instead of “changing,” and so on. 

Your tone can also indicate enthusiasm; try adding some emojis if your boss frequently uses them in communications with you (though be wary of using too many emojis).

Be sure to let people know that you’re excited about working with the company, meeting new people they introduce you to, and learning more about the industry in general, and then follow through! It’s okay if not every single aspect of your job makes your heart sing; after all, even writing can get tedious at times. 

But when projects do excite you (or even just interest you), make it known.

Professionalism

If you’re going to be a successful freelance writer, you need to be professional in all your interactions with clients and other contractors. You also need to avoid damaging your reputation in your dealings with others on social media, forums, and blogs. 

Your professionalism will determine whether people take you seriously as a freelance writer or if they think that you’re an amateur who never got around to getting a ‘real’ job.

One of the best ways to project professionalism is by writing clearly. Use proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and punctuation marks. Avoid using slang unless it’s something very common such as “lol.” In other words, don’t write like a teenager even if you are one.

Customer Service

When you are working as a freelance writer, it is also important to follow certain protocols when it comes to communicating with your boss, co-workers, and customers. You are expected to be helpful, accommodating, and patient at all times. 

When you receive a request or question from your boss or customer, it is best if you can respond immediately. However, if this is not possible for some reason, you should respond as soon as possible after receiving the message.

It is also important that you respect your co-workers and maintain positive relationships with them. In addition to keeping up professional conversations about company matters, make sure to ask about their personal lives and interests whenever appropriate. This will help build positive rapport within the company and keep tensions at a minimum between co-workers.

One final thing: After you finish a task for your boss or customer, be sure to send them an email letting them know that the task has been finished and asking if they have any questions about your work or need anything else done by you before they can sign off on the project. 

This will show them that you are responsible enough to follow through with tasks in a timely manner without being asked twice; plus it will help ensure there are no misunderstandings between yourself and the client regarding what needs to happen next before payment can be issued

Patience

The quality of being patient is an admirable trait in any circumstance, and as a writer, you’ll learn that patience is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Being patient with your clients will enable you to maintain strong relationships with them. 

You’ll have the ability to understand that delays may be out of their control and accept it without getting angry or upset. Being patient with yourself will give you the tolerance to go through several iterations of edits on your work and still feel happy about what you’ve produced. Patience truly is a virtue, but luckily it’s one that can be learned or developed over time.

As much as possible, try to maintain good relationships with all your clients. By being patient and understanding, you might find yourself working on more projects than if you were overly demanding or impatient when things don’t go according to plan and as we all know, writing isn’t always a profession full of black-and-white answers. 

If there are missed deadlines or confusing instructions, try your best not to let these pitfalls affect how courteous and professional you are while communicating with your client(s).

You’d be surprised at how often the attitude we take in different situations can make us look like better professionals than our actual qualifications do, so don’t underestimate the power of politeness when dealing with tricky client interactions. 

I’ve found that if I keep my head up and my tone friendly during what could otherwise become unpleasant exchanges, I’m able to resolve conflicts quickly which makes everyone involved happy in the end!

Be A Problem Solver, Not A Complainer

The way you handle mistakes and setbacks is critical to your success as a freelancer. It’s not entirely possible to avoid drama with editors, but it is up to you how you respond when it happens. A good rule of thumb is to focus on the issue at hand instead of placing blame on others for the situation. 

If an editor has asked you for an unreasonable change or published an article before it was ready, try saying something like this: “Some of these changes will be difficult to make because of the structure I’ve already set up in the piece.

Instead of saying You can’t change this article now because I already spent so much time on it, which could make your editor feel defensive, explain why changes are hard for you and how long they will take. 

This approach lets your boss know what exactly needs to happen to fix the problem without expressing anger or frustration towards them or at least allows that anger and frustration to be more fully understood by them.

Focus On The Issue, Not The Person

If there’s an ongoing issue with tone or direction in your communications for example if an editor constantly wants your pieces to have more snark than you think they need it may help to talk with them about their preferences directly in order to improve future articles together. 

Bring up specific problems like these when they happen: “I’m having trouble getting this section right; do you have any suggestions?” Or “I’m not sure what tone would work best here; can we talk about it?” These types of questions are less likely than general complaints about difficulty communicating or lack of guidance from management

Listen To Your Boss

You don’t have to do exactly what your boss says, but you should always listen. Usually, they have more experience than you and know what will work best but that’s not always the case.

A good rule of thumb is this: if your boss has an opinion about a piece of writing that doesn’t make sense to you, ask them for clarification before you do anything else. Ask questions about why they want things done in a certain way, or if there are specific guidelines (like word count) that need to be followed. 

If you still don’t understand after this conversation, bring up your concerns respectfully: “Are you sure XYZ is the right choice? I’ve found other sources that say ABC.” Then let them make the final decision based on your feedback, after all, they’re the boss!

Whatever happens in those conversations, it’s important not to annoy your boss with constant emails or questions about their requests: try not to bother them more than once every few weeks at most (unless circumstances change drastically). That way, both parties stay happy and productive!

Be Proactive

Being proactive means taking initiative. Don’t wait for your client to tell you what to do; instead, read their mind and get it done before they even have to ask. This is easier said than done, of course, but there are a few ways in which you can be proactive with your communication style.

For example, if you’re new to a client’s project or have taken on a new task that the client hasn’t given much direction on yet, make sure you’re asking lots of questions! It’s better to ask questions than get them wrong the first time. 

A good writer will take this approach every time, but many writers think that asking too many questions is annoying when in reality it shows your professionalism and earnestness about doing the job right.

Asking questions is absolutely critical when communicating as a freelancer because as an independent contractor you don’t work in person with most of your clients; by asking thoughtful questions upfront, you’ll ensure that both parties understand each other and are on the same page from the very start.

Be Positive And Encourage Others

At times, you may encounter frustrating pieces of work when working on a project. If you’re in a position to do so, encourage others and remind them that they are part of a team—this will make them feel more productive as they work on their own pieces.

When we were working on the book research process, we found ourselves struggling with ideas for the various sections that would constitute our book’s content. We were tasked with researching articles pertaining to long-term relationships and what it means to be single or coupled up in the 21st century. 

Even though this was our niche subject matter, there were so many different perspectives and articles that it proved difficult to narrow down which ones were relevant enough for inclusion (and which weren’t). 

The feeling of not being able to complete something as important as our book made us feel discouraged at times, but every time we tried to let go of one idea and think about another one instead, it ended up being less relevant overall (and so we kept going back to the first one).

Finally, after several weeks of frustration and little progress, an idea occurred to us: why don’t we just ask people who have been dating for years (or even close friends) how they feel about each other versus singles? There was already plenty written about these subjects out there; why should we take the time away from our own research when all these other people had devoted hours upon hours to their responses? This led us back into action and enabled us to get much closer to completing our book by assessing how “singles” felt or thought compared with those who were in long-term relationships.

Conclusion

You can be just as professional, diligent, and helpful as those who work in an office by sticking to the things that matter most things like following instructions, being proactive, delivering on time, and simply being a good person. A positive attitude often goes further than a fancy degree or brand new laptop (though these can help too!).

Just remember: If you ever feel overwhelmed or unsure of what to do next, never hesitate to ask your boss for advice!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are The Best Ways To Communicate With Your Boss?

Communication etiquette is a good thing no matter where you work, but it’s especially important when you’re a freelancer working from home and communicating remotely. 

Email, Slack, and texting are all great ways to stay in touch or send a quick update about what you’re working on but if you don’t have some sort of set schedule for checking in with your boss, then it can be easy for things to get lost in the shuffle. 

Having regular video calls or phone conversations ensures that your boss won’t have to go hunting through email threads looking for that progress report you sent last week because he or she will know exactly where it is: in the discussion from your last check-in call. 

Using one form of communication consistently also makes it easier for both parties to keep track of everything going on with an assignment instead of constantly switching back and forth between different methods (for example, text messages are not ideal for detailed discussions).

Is It Ok To Complain About Your Job?

No matter how well they treat their employees, every company has something that drives its workers crazy so yes, complaining about the job is quite common and perfectly acceptable behavior among coworkers (as long as it doesn’t get out of hand). 

In addition to being totally normal, venting about work-related annoyances can actually be good for morale as long as everyone knows not to take things too far. 

However, complaining about your boss isn’t always appropriate: if you feel like you need to talk something out with someone else before bringing up an issue directly with them, pick someone who won’t take sides or make things worse by spreading gossip around the office.

If A Client Asks Me To Write An Article, Can I Say No?

Of course! Freelancers are not obligated to accept every job that comes their way. However, if you have already accepted a job and then decide to back out of it, it is important that you notify your client of your decision as soon as possible.

What Should I Do If My Client Asks Me To Change My Writing Style?

It is important that all freelance writers know how to write in a variety of styles. However, if you feel uncomfortable with a request from your client, you can always politely decline and offer them alternatives.

How Much Should I Charge For My Services?

Every writer has their own rate structure, but the most common method used by freelancers is the word count or page count (we’ll explain later).