Being a self-employed freelancer usually means you’re wearing so many hats that it can be easy to skip something. Forgetting to share a social media post or pushing back a self-imposed deadline might seem harmless, but there are other more critical things that shouldn’t be overlooked.

For some freelancers, creating contracts of work can be one of those things you keep high on your priority list and share with every client you have. After all, a well-drafted freelance contract can often support smooth working relationships, align expectations and protect your business in case any issues arise.

We share our tips and tricks on what a freelance contract is, what it should contain and why it’s so important, including agreeing on deadlines, payment dates and legal terms and conditions.
 

What is a freelance contract?

You’ll normally draw up a freelance contract when you start working with a new client. It’s a legally binding document that details the terms and conditions of the project or the working arrangement.

In a similar way to an employment contract, a freelance contract outlines important information and agreements made with a client so that everybody involved is, quite literally, on the same page.

Your freelancing contract might not need to look like a long and wordy document, and could instead be something as straightforward as an email agreement which outlines what work will be undertaken, timeframes, and costs.

Both the freelancer and the client should digest and sign the contract before working together on a new project or if there are any changes to an existing setup. Each party should have a copy of the contract stored somewhere securely for the duration of the project and after.
 

Why are contracts important for freelancers?

Although freelance contracts are legally binding, they aren’t legally obligated. In other words, you won’t get in trouble with anybody if you work without contracts in place, providing everything runs smoothly. But if any problems arise with a project or a client, you might regret not covering yourself with a contract.

The benefits of a carefully crafted freelance contract include:

• Providing clarity for both parties on what is expected in terms of things like scope of work and deadlines
• Providing legal protection for both parties in case of any problems
• Helping to ensure you get paid on time and in full, by setting out expectations
• Protecting your Intellectual Property (IP) so your work can’t be used unlawfully or without payment
• Creating and maintaining a professional impression
• Supporting the tricky process of cutting ties with a client if this situation should arise

What should be included in a freelance contract?

Hopefully the benefits of freelance contracts are now clear. The next thing to clarify is what you need to include in a freelance contract to really reap the rewards of having one. The document needs all of the key elements in order for it to be a valuable and functional tool.

Below are the key points a freelance contract should include, whether you’re creating one from scratch or looking to update your existing document.
 

Personal details

Before you get stuck into laying out all the other information in your contract, start by providing the following information about you, such as:

• Full name
• Business name and address
• Website, if applicable
• Email address
• Contact details

Scope of the project

The first clause you should create in the main part of your contract is the scope of the project and the agreed deliverables. In other words – what are you doing for the client? Don’t be afraid to get specific here – the more detail you go into, the less chance there is of misunderstandings between you and your client.

If possible, itemise the parts of the project you plan to undertake and deliver and give a rough time estimate for each. Not only will this help manage expectations, but the client will also appreciate being able to see where and how their budget is being spent.
 

Rates and payment terms

The rates and payment sections are arguably the most important part of a freelance contract because it outlines how, when and how much the client has agreed to pay you for your services.

This section of the contract should include details about:

• The agreed rates you are charging by day, hour, flat fee, etc.
• Your preferred payment method and payment details
• Payment terms (typically 30 days), which should match your invoice document, and the details of any late payment fees you might charge
• Whether or not you plan to take a portion of the fee upfront or in installments
• Whether or not the agreed cost includes amends or changes. If not, include information about the additional charges for this.

Agreed deadlines, milestones and timeline

Prior to signing the contract, you will already have had a conversation with the client about the desired timeline and your availability. So, when writing the contract, include what you agreed in a clause about deadlines and planned milestones. You should also provide a date for when work officially commences.

It’s worth adding a line about flexibility around delivery deadlines in this clause. You never know what the future holds, and you may need a certain amount of slack. Committing to a specific date, unless the client really needs you to, too far in advance can cause problems further down the line.
 

Cancellation terms

In some rare cases, a client may decide to cancel the project before the full scope of work is complete. A cancellation terms clause in your contract will ensure you’re still paid and not left out of pocket.

The cancellation form should clearly state what your ‘kill fee’ is, which is the amount the client will have to pay on top of what they owe so far for cancelling the project midway.

In this section, you should also include details about what will happen if you need to cancel the project or if you can’t complete it due to unforeseen circumstances.
 

Information regarding your IP

If you have any details about your Intellectual Property (IP) terms, you should share these in your contract. It will help make sure your work is being used how you want it to be and will also prevent clients from being able to use your work without paying for it first.

Normally, the freelancer retains the rights to work until the client’s bill has been settled. After that, you won’t be able to use or resell the same work to any other client. It would be worth noting this so the client knows you have considered ownership.
 

Dated signatures from all parties

To seal the deal, both you, your client(s) and anybody else involved should print and sign the document, e-sign in, or send email confirmation. You will need this for the contract to be officially legally binding.
 

Staying IR35 compliant

When creating your contract, you should make clear that you’re working in a freelance capacity. This needs to be obvious so you don’t look like you’re an employee in disguise, which would trigger the IR35 rules.
 

What is an employee in disguise?

An employee in disguise is a contractor (or freelancer) who has been hired on a self-employed basis, but the nature of the working arrangement is more like permanent employment. This is what IR35 rules and regulations are designed to clamp down on.

Disguised employment occurs because employers hire contractors and brief them to work like permanent employees but pay them invoices rather than through payroll. This means the employer gets to avoid paying National Insurance and other contributions and employee benefits.

Non-compliance can sometimes be the result of an honest lack of awareness, but failing to comply with IR35 rules runs the risk of hefty financial penalties so it’s important to ensure you’re ticking all the right boxes.
 

What to include in your freelance contract

If your relationship with a client is authentically in a freelance capacity and you are operating as an autonomous self-employed contractor, you are what’s referred to as being ‘outside IR35’.

Demonstrate your ‘outside IR35’ status on your contract by detailing your freelance working processes and working arrangements with your client. This will show HMRC that you are indeed a freelancer and not an employee – or a disguised employee.

 
Head over to our freelancer information hub for more guides, news and advice.

As a freelancer, your time is your own. This is great when it comes to setting your own schedule and managing your own time. You don’t need to worry about things like core working hours or set office hours, but it also means you don’t get paid for a contracted number of hours like an employee does. Read More

Blogging is dead, right? Wrong. Blogging is very much alive and well, and can actually be a vital part of your digital marketing strategy when done right. Your customers are still searching for information and a blog is a great way to ensure you’re there to save the day with answers. You reading this blog post is the perfect example.

This almost certainly won’t be the first time a blog has been recommended for your freelance business – and it probably won’t be the last. So, let’s explore the benefits of having a blog as a freelancer in more detail and why it’s worth your precious time and effort.

What is a blog?

Where a freelance business is concerned, a blog is a space dedicated to sharing articles, guides, information, or news updates. It’s a more dynamic and flexible way to share content and information that doesn’t live on your regular website landing pages.

A blog typically sits on the business website itself and isn’t usually on its own separate site – unless, of course, that’s the way you’d prefer it to be. In fact, you might not even have a website for your freelance business, and instead host your blog elsewhere.

Does every business need a blog?

Not every single type of business will necessarily benefit from a blog. Or, at least, the time and effort required to run a blog won’t return a sufficient amount of income for all types of businesses or industries.

That said any company could benefit from the search engine optimisation (SEO) boost that an active blog can unlock. The more the business appears on Google, the more chance you have that your customers will be able to find it.

So, while a blog is not mandatory to success, most, if not all businesses, can benefit from having one in some way – including freelancers.

Why should I have a business blog as a freelancer?

We’ve already touched on some of the key benefits of having a business blog as a freelancer, such as improving your position in search results, and having a more flexible space to share your content.

But if you still need persuading, here are some tip-top reasons you should be blogging.

Educate your customers

Very rarely does a client become your client without asking questions or doing research first. When they turn to the internet with their questions, a business blog is a great way to ensure you’re there with the answers they need.

That’s why, when thinking about what to blog about on your freelance website, you should take a strategic, customer-focused approach to your content. Taking this approach means your customers will find more value in your blog.

High-quality, original content will build trust and credibility in you and your business.

Showcase your skills and services

Hard-sell tactics have a time and place at various stages of the marketing funnel when you’re trying to convert a lead into a paying customer. That said, people don’t always appreciate being sold to quite so directly all the time. So, instead of telling them what you can do, show them.

A blog is a great way to showcase and sell your skills and services to people without them really knowing it. A photographer, for example, could blog about a new editing tool they’ve just started using but, in the blog post, display their photography work simultaneously.

Stay ahead of your competitors

Sharing insights, expertise and knowledge through original content is an effective way to set yourself apart from your competitors. Making your content well-researched and well-written will also help establish you as a reputable source of information and guidance.

An important part of this is establishing your own unique tone of voice (or ‘brand voice’) so that when somebody is reading your blog posts, they recognise the author as you.

It gives your marketing plan structure

Coming up with ideas for regular social media content and topics is tough, especially when you’re dealing with all of the other ups and downs of running your own freelance business.

Blog posts help you kill two birds with one stone because you can absorb all of the other benefits of having a blog while having a bank of content to use for social posts and emails. You could even use one of your strongest or most relevant blog posts as a cold outreach topic.

Plus, once you publish a piece of content, it will be live on your blog until you decide to take it down. If you add some internal links to service pages on your website and include a strong ‘get in touch’ call-to-action, blog posts can serve as passive lead-generation streams.

With a blog, you can reap the rewards of other marketing tactics like guest posts, backlinks, affiliate links, sponsored content and on-page ads.

Are there any alternatives to blogging?

While we do believe blogging can add value to pretty much any type of business, we don’t want to pile on the pressure.

If you simply don’t have the time or resources to gather content ideas and write and edit regular blog posts, that’s okay. Servicing clients and finding work as a freelancer takes up many hours and a lot of headspace, after all.

A blog is something you could think about as a long-term goal. In the meantime, here are some other ways you can sustain and grow your freelance business.

LinkedIn posts

LinkedIn is a brilliant social media platform to invest your time in if you want to share longer-form content with your professional network. Instead of committing to running a blog, use your LinkedIn page to share original, engaging and informative content that adds value and sets you apart in the market.

Other social media platforms

While LinkedIn is perfect for interacting with your professional network and building your personal brand as a freelancer, other social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are great places to share brand content.

These platforms are also a great place to experiment with other forms of content (like video) if writing long blog posts is what puts you off exploring that particular channel.

Networking (online and in-person)

That’s right – a great way to expand your brand reach, show off your knowledge and market your business is some good old-fashioned networking. Whether it’s joining an online workshop or webinar or heading off to an in-person event with some business cards, make time in your hectic schedule for networking.

Looking for more advice on all things freelancing? Head over to our hub, where we’ve got a whole host of handy guides ready to help you out.

Outreach sounds scary, we get it. Especially when outreach is so often associated with old-fashioned methods like cold calling or door-knocking that make you wonder if you’ll need a rejection therapist on speed dial to execute.

However, lots of freelancers – your competitors included – are using outreach strategies to engage and win new clients and keep their calendars full of projects. Plus, while cold methods still have their place, the world has evolved and outreach has become far more diverse and versatile.

So, fear not, we’re here to steer you in the right direction, help you nail your outreach strategy and save you money on rejection therapy bills.

What is an outreach strategy?

Essentially, an outreach strategy is a dedicated plan of action designed to find, engage and hopefully onboard new customers. It’s all about devising a way to reach new prospects and generate leads so you can, in an ideal world, nurture them into becoming a client of yours.

How you approach and build your outreach plan will depend on things like:

• How much time you have to dedicate to it
• The type of industry you’re in
• Your budget
• The capacity you have to take on new clients
• Where your target audience is in terms of the platforms and communication methods they use

There’s no one-size-fits-all template and of course, big companies have dedicated sales or marketing teams to take on the task. However, the principles of outreach strategy remain the same for a freelancer flying solo.

What different methods of outreach can you use?

Below are some tried-and-tested outreach methods you could try out. It’s worth exploring which one is worth the investment in terms of time, effort, and money. For example, if your customers don’t really use a certain social media platform, skip that one!

Email outreach

Email is a great platform for connecting with prospects, whether it’s part of an email marketing flow to your current customers or a cold email campaign to people who aren’t your customers (yet).

When sending your emails, be as personal as you possibly can and tailor your communications as much as you have time for. Recipients are far more likely to take notice if they feel like they’re receiving a message written just for them as opposed to a blanket email, especially in the subject line.

Pro tip: Check out Mailshake and Woodpecker, which are both brilliant tools to help automate your email outreach to make your strategy more streamlined, efficient and trackable.

Social media outreach

Social media is an effective way to engage in digital outreach. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok are great places to engage with prospects directly with targeted ads, organic content and even cold communications (direct messages).

Expert tip: Before you press go on any LinkedIn outreach, give your own freelancer LinkedIn profile a refresh. First impressions are powerful and you want to make sure that you’re having the right impact on anybody who clicks on your page.

Blog outreach

Blog outreach is in the same family as content marketing and involves reaching out to other business owners with a blog, website owners and/or influencers for mutual gain.

For example, you could swap guest posts on each other’s blogs or give each other backlinks to expand your reach and drive more traffic to your site. Aim to get your content on websites with high domain authority to put you in Google’s good books and help you climb the search results pages.

Top tip: Check out Pitchbox, a great tool for supporting your outreach efforts, especially if you’re looking into link-building or working with influencers.

Cold outreach

Yes, the dreaded cold outreach methods do still have a time and place in modern-day growth marketing – sometimes. If you feel up to the challenge, cold calls, emails, social media messages and even visits to customers you’d like to work with could be fruitful.

Done right, good old-fashioned cold outreach could set you apart from your competitors who shy away from it. Plus, you never know, customers might even enjoy the more direct approach and remember you for it.

Customer outreach

This involves connecting with your existing customer base in strategic ways to:

• Prevent them from churning
• Increase the chances of word-of-mouth recommendations
• Boost loyalty to your business. This could be a giveaway or a special promotion, for instance.

Outreach is also a great way to upsell to existing customers, i.e., get them to spend more money on your products/services.

Don’t forget, you don’t just have to pour all of your efforts into one outreach tactic. In fact, the strongest outreach strategies combine the potential of multiple methods.

Tips for creating a strong outreach strategy

Ready and raring to outreach? Before you get started on your strategy, here are a few pointers to set you up for success.

Set clear goals

Whatever outreach methods you choose, you’re going to need to know if it works. That way, you know which avenues to continue down and which ones aren’t delivering the ROI you really want. The way to do this is by setting yourself clear goals – preferably measurable objectives that you can track.

Great examples of goals or objectives to set for your outreach plan include:

• Lead generation: More interest in what you have to offer
• Boost brand awareness: Make more people aware of your product/service
• Increase sales: More billable work
• Expand reach: Such as tapping into new demographics or locations

Meet your customers where they are

It’s a simple tip, but only deploy your outreach tactics where you know there is potential. It’s a waste of resources if you outreach in places where your customers won’t be found.

Do some research to figure out where your customers are hanging out online and what types of offline communication they’re most responsive to, as well.

It’s also worth building some target audience personas and researching their preferred communication methods. Create a profile of your ideal customer(s), research them extensively and then let that guide your choice of outreach methods.

Always stay on brand

Keep your outreach communications in line with your brand in terms of tone, visual identity and values. If you’re going to pique the interest of a lead and spark trust in your business, they’ll want to see that your brand is strong and consistent.

Customers (new and existing) feel far more at ease with a brand they recognise as familiar wherever they see you, whether that’s on their social media platforms or in their email inbox.

Plus, a solid brand identity will boost brand retention and support your own personal brand as a freelancer.

Have a strong CTA

Make sure you have a strong call-to-action (CTA), i.e. make sure the person reading or listening to the outreach communications knows exactly what you want them to do next.

Whether it’s signing up to your newsletter (to get them on your email list), getting in touch for a free consultation or following your business on social media, the best way to get the outcome you want is to guide clearly.

You can get creative with this too and lead with the benefit to them and not just the hard-sell instruction. For example, you could use ‘Unlock the latest insights’ as your newsletter signup CTA instead of the bog standard ‘Sign up’ copy.

 
Head over to our freelancer information hub for more guides, tips, and advice.

It’s an understatement when we say being a freelancer can be tough. And once you’ve added Christmas into the mix, think clients’ hours all over the place, the pressure to hit your own personal goals before the New Year, etc – it can all feel a bit too much. Read More

All too often the word ‘brand’ is only associated with big, established companies or particular types of businesses and industries, when branding is an essential key to success no matter how big (or small) your business is.

We explore why even as a solo-flying freelancer, it’s important to build and maintain a strong personal brand.

What is a personal brand?

Your personal brand is essentially your business’s personality and identity. It’s rather like the way you choose what to wear, speak, and conduct yourself in order to convey a particular image to the world.

Much like with regular business branding, a personal brand is the culmination of your unique selling point (USP), your values, and your position in your market.

It’s all about constructing and communicating how you want to be perceived by your customers, competitors, and business partners.

Why is having a personal brand important for my freelance business?

You can start and run a freelance business without first establishing a personal brand, but there are a whole host of ways in which personal branding can boost your success. As a freelancer, you are the business, which is why perfecting your personal brand is so important.

According to a report published by LinkedIn on the value of personal brands, 70% of hiring managers agreed that a solid personal brand is more critical than any CV.

Passive promotion

As a freelancer, you don’t have the luxury of a dedicated sales and marketing team working away in the background to drum up business.

While you’re servicing clients and doing all the other things freelancers do, your personal brand can act as a way to promote your business through things like your website, social media platforms and ads.

In other words, your brand can speak for you about who you are, what you do, and who you work with – at least until you’re available to elaborate in conversation.

A competitive edge

Your personal brand is what is going to help you stand out from the crowd in your competitive landscape.

Even if you offer exactly the same services as somebody else for pretty much the same prices, your brand can be the deciding factor for a new customer choosing you over them.

If you have a strong, memorable brand that resonates with the customer, but your competitor doesn’t, the customer will more than likely spend their cash with you.

That’s why, when building your personal brand, it’s essential to check out your competition. Figure out what you do and don’t like about their brand and then use that to gauge how you can differentiate yourself.

Reaching the right people

A strategic and well-executed personal brand will ensure you’re reaching the right customers and making the desired connections.

For example, if you’re an alternative wedding photographer who specialises in a quirky aesthetic, your branding will tell couples looking for a photographer if they’re in the right place or not.

Your personal brand will also help ensure that you’re working with the right business partners and investors for you.

Plus, if you ever get to a point where you need to hire employees, your personal brand will help you connect with the right kinds of people in that sense too.

A stronger reputation

A personal brand will make you more recognisable and memorable and according to the same LinkedIn study, 92% of customers have a desire for relatability when it comes to the brands they align with.

A strong personal brand will also boost your reputation and credibility. People can be guilty of thinking that you’re ‘just a freelancer’ but a clear and consistent brand can enhance how professional and trustworthy you are perceived to be.

How do you build a personal brand?

A key thing to remember when building your personal brand is that it needs to be something that can be translated into lots of different formats. This includes digital, print, moving image, static image, small business cards, large posters, written word, scripts – the list goes on.

Where branding is concerned, consistency really is key.

Another super important thing to realise is that branding goes way beyond the name of your business and the colours in your logo.

Sure, those things matter but for a personal brand to be built on solid foundations, you also need to go deeper and consider things like your goals and your business mission too. This will help you tell your full story and produce the authenticity and relatability that customers are looking for these days.

What components do I need to build a personal brand?

Below are the most significant pieces of the personal brand puzzle that you’ll need to consider.

Your USP

What makes you different from everybody else in your industry, and why? This is the first question you need to answer before crafting your personal brand. The answer will help everything else fall into place.

Find the reason(s) that somebody should choose you over any of your competitors and then devise a way to reflect this in how you portray your business to the world.

Brand values

Brand values are guiding principles that influence everything else you do, from how you communicate to customers and how you present in public speaking, to the quality of service you provide and your marketing approach.

Think of them as your core beliefs and refine them into three or four pillars. You can share these in your brand guidelines, but you could also consider communicating them publicly as part of your pitch for work, or on a website.

Examples of brand values from some big names you might recognise:

• Nike: Empowerment, performance, and inspiration.
• Patagonia: Environmental responsibility, sustainability, and social justice.
• Coca-Cola: Happiness, optimism, and shared experiences.
• Apple: Innovation, simplicity, and elegance.

A consistent tone of voice (TOV)

A brand tone of voice describes the way in which you communicate, whether it’s written, spoken, or copy-led visuals. Your TOV encompasses:

• Language (the words you choose)
• Communication style
• Emotional tone

Below are some examples of brand TOVs that demonstrate how voice and tone can differ depending on the business and its product, values, market position, etc.

• Nike – The way Nike communicates is inspirational, motivational, and empowering. You’ll notice it uses short, punchy sentences to encourage action.
• IKEA – IKEA’s language is always simple, straightforward, and practical. This is to reflect its mission to make life as simple and helpful as possible through easy-to-build, everyday products.
• Mailchimp – Mailchimp uses laidback language with a casual tone and hints of humour, which helps the brand make complex marketing tools feel more accessible and user-friendly.

A clear visual identity

As well as what your brand stands for (your values) and sounds like (your tone of voice), it’s also important to consider how it looks. This is known as your personal brand’s visual identity and includes things like your logo, your colour palette, the type of imagery you use, etc.

Just like your TOV, you need to ensure that your visual identity is clear and consistent whenever you’re communicating with customers so that your brand is recognisable and familiar.

Do I need to hire a professional brand expert?

No, you absolutely don’t need to hire a professional to build a personal brand. If you’ve got the skills and the desire to do it yourself, go for it. But if you do have the budget then getting an expert to help could boost things to a whole new level.

Either way, the great thing about building a personal brand is that you’re in full control and you can exercise complete artistic license.
 
Head over to our freelancer information hub for more guides, news and advice.

Collaborate with the competition? Fraternise with the enemy more like. That’s what you might be thinking about the suggestion of working with other freelancers, so we’re here to open your mind to the potential pros of doing so.

Being your own boss as a freelancer doesn’t mean you have to go it alone all the time. Joining forces with other like-minded professionals has the potential to boost your income, expand your connections and open new doors for your business.
 

Reasons to collaborate with other freelancers

Although being a freelancer is innately solitary, sometimes strength really does come in numbers. Below are some of the key benefits you could take advantage of when teaming up with fellow freelancers.
 

Taking on bigger projects

You want to take on a project but it’s just not feasible with the time you have available. There are only so many hours in the day, but that doesn’t mean you have to bypass opportunities.

Rather than miss out on the work and client connection entirely, you could split the project with another freelancer in your field. That way, you still generate some income, and you get to add the client and finished project to your portfolio.

By collaborating with other freelancers, you could also start taking on projects with a wider scope that call for other skill sets or specialisms alongside your own to deliver the brief.

If you work in digital content creation but specialise in video, for example, you could collaborate with a copywriter who can write scripts and campaign copy, and a graphic designer for static imagery. That way, you could offer clients a more comprehensive, full-spec service.

When you choose who you collaborate with, you get to keep more control of the project and give the client a smoother experience.
 

Strengthening your own business

Collaborating with other freelancers doesn’t always have to mean servicing clients together. You could also enlist the expertise of a freelancer if you require their services to improve your own business in some way.

If you make and sell pottery online, for example, you might want to collaborate with a freelance photographer to help showcase your products in the most polished way possible.

You might even consider looking for a freelance assistant if you’re schedule starts to get particularly hectic.
 

Making new connections

Not only does making new connections expand your reach, but it also provides you with a network of people you can trust and call on if you need client cover.

If you’re a wedding photographer who is unavailable on a specific date, for example, you can draft in another freelance wedding photographer as a subcontractor or a replacement. That way, the client still has a positive experience of your service.

This works the other way around too; if a freelancer can’t take on a job, they can call you to take it instead.
 

Learning new skills

If you collaborate with a freelancer who does the same thing as you, you have an opportunity to develop your skills and deepen your knowledge. They may be able to show you some tricks of the trade you didn’t know! It’s experience you might otherwise miss out on without having colleagues or a team around you.

Even if their freelance discipline is very different, it’s still an excellent opportunity to learn more about their industry and how it works in practice.
 

Unlocking new ideas

When flying solo as a freelancer, it’s easy to get comfortable in an echo chamber of your own thoughts and stuck in your tried-and-tested ways of working.

Collaborating with others is a great way to experience new ideas, fresh perspectives and different ways of doing things. Opening your eyes and mind to this is often the best way to take your business to new heights.
 

Helping to combat loneliness

Freelancing can get pretty lonely at times, especially if you tend to work from home a lot.

Collaborating with other freelancers, whether in a co-working space or on-site with a client, can burst the solo bubble for a while, which can have a positive impact on your wellbeing and productivity.
 

Things to consider when working with other freelancers

Hopefully we’ve managed to convince you that there are many benefits to collaborating with other freelancers. Below are some important things to consider helping you ensure any co-working relationship runs smoothly and in the best interest of your business.
 

Contractual agreements

When working with other freelancers, it’s advisable to each sign a contract to protect your work, your Intellectual Property (IP) and your confidential information – and to prevent your clients from being poached.

Ideally, you’ll only ever collaborate with people you trust, but it still can’t hurt to take protective precautionary measures.
 

Transparent communication with clients

You don’t have to tell your clients all the ins and outs of your working relationships but there might come a point when it would be considerate to let a client know if there is someone else involved in a project of theirs – if they aren’t already aware. Client communications are important!

Common courtesy is one reason but there may also be legal reasons why the client should know. If they’re working on a project that hasn’t been launched yet, they may require everybody involved to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
 

Be selective about who you collaborate with

Even when you collaborate with somebody on a project or piece of work, you’re still putting your name to it. This means you need to make sure any freelancer you team up with is going to uphold the standards you want clients to associate you with.

Who you work with can have a positive or negative impact on your reputation as a freelancer in your industry. The onus is on you to ensure you’ve done sufficient background research before embarking on any kind of collaborative working relationship!
 
Head over to our freelancer information hub for more guides, tips, and advice.

Email marketing is a popular form of digital marketing that involves sending promotional email communications to people on your mailing list. These could be existing clients, or connections who aren’t customers yet but have subscribed to your email comms via your website or some other means of data capture.

Email marketing is a heavyweight when it comes to marketing, with its revenue expected to grow by 287% between 2024 and 2032, according to a study by popular email marketing platform, Mailchimp.

Sent straight to the reader’s inbox, it’s a direct way to engage with them – as long as they open the email in the first place!

What are the benefits of email marketing for freelancers?

You might be thinking that it sounds like something more suited to big businesses with thousands of customers and long mailing lists, but email marketing is an invaluable tool freelancers can use for all sorts of reasons:

• Helping you find the right clients and build real connections with people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say and offer
• Working at all stages of the marketing funnel, from brand awareness to lead conversion, email marketing is a versatile and effective way to reach out to people wherever they are on their journey with you
• Automating tasks like client onboarding, follow-ups with leads, project progress updates, milestone reminders, post-project feedback gathering and testimonial requests
• It’s a relatively inexpensive form of digital marketing, and the ROI for email marketing has the potential to be as high as 4400%, which means the money, time and energy you spend on it could be seriously well-invested
• Boosts customer retention by keeping you on their radar

How do I build and grow an email list?

Building and growing an email list requires strategy and patience. Sending inconsistent communications or too many blanket messages won’t nurture an engaged group of subscribers!

So, whether you’re starting from scratch or building on what you’ve already got, here are key steps to help you set your email marketing efforts up for success.

Set clear goals

The first thing you need to do is consider your goals and set yourself some clear objectives. What is it you want to get out of your email marketing? More clients? Better client retention? More brand awareness?

A clear understanding of your goals will lead the way and help you come up with a strategy that will support the growth of your business.

Define and segment your target audience

Different people on your mailing list will require different kinds of communication. An existing customer will receive different emails from non-customers you’re trying to convert.

Segment your audience as specifically as you like and plan your email marketing content plan around those target groups.

Find the right email service provider for you

An email service provider will allow you to upload all your contacts and do everything in one place, from segmenting recipients and designing emails to monitoring the success of your campaigns and everything in between.

Mailchimp, HubSpot and Omnisend are popular email platforms, so do your own research to make sure you’re choosing a provider that has all the features you need within your particular budget.

Entice people to join your email list

In order for email marketing to deliver, you need people on your mailing list to actually get eyes on your emails.

Some effective ways to incentivise people to sign up for email communications from you include:

• A gated lead magnet, such as a guide, report or eBook, that people have to share their email address with you to receive
• Offering a discount if somebody signs up for your mailing list

Create email flows

Instead of just sending one solitary email, set up email flows (AKA email sequences or drip campaigns) with multiple emails in. This way, the recipient is fed a number of emails over a set period of time to keep them engaged.

Just be sure not to send too many emails too often or this could be considered spamming (and pretty annoying) and lead people to unsubscribe from your communications.

Keep it as personal as possible

The more personal a piece of communication feels, the more likely somebody is to engage with and remember it.

• Use the recipient’s first name or business name. This is usually super simple to do if you choose an email service provider that has dynamic text options
• Send automated emails on client’s birthdays or other special occasions
• Segment your recipients and share content and information with them that is directly relevant to their specific niche or industry

Start a newsletter

A newsletter is an effective way to send the same email to your whole mailing list, without needing to segment audiences or create multiple versions of targeted content. Plus, it helps people get to know you and your business better to build trust and awareness.

The great thing about being a freelancer is that you don’t need to worry about racking up hundreds or thousands of email recipients in the same way a big ecommerce business would, for example.

As long as you have a decent number of engaged recipients, you should start to see some positive results.

How often should I send emails and when?

There really is no definitive answer to the question of how many times you should email your customers. Too often and too little both risk negative effects, so it’s a tricky one. The marketing world changes all the time and patterns in how customers consume content shift constantly.

According to research by Mailerlite, Thursdays and Mondays yield the best open rates, while 11am – 12pm, 6 – 7pm, and 2am are the most promising times for email engagement.

The most important thing to do is analyse how your readers are responding to your email communications and adapt according to that. If you don’t see any positive engagement, it might be time to reduce the frequency of your contact or reconsider your sending times.

Measuring the success of email campaigns

Getting to grips with when and how often to send emails isn’t the only reason you should be measuring the success of your email comms. It will also help you figure out if you’re sending the right kinds of content to the right audiences and give you a steer on the kind of length, tone and format your recipients like most.

For example, if your open rates aren’t great, you could try testing a few different types of email subject lines. Or, if your click rates are poor, you might need to rethink how engaging your call-to-actions are.

It’s all about trial and error and finding out what works for your target audience.

 
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