Just a quick one. I had a client contact me yesterday due to my recent invoice being over their allocated monthly retainer. This is an agency I've worked for 3 years, so I'd prefer to maintain the relationship and in this current climate, I don't think it's worth making a fuss when many are struggling to find work and I've lost some accounts from another agency recently due to business downturn on their side.

I invoiced earlier than usual last month due to the Xmas period and, their client I'm allocated the account too had recently dropped their allocated writing per week from January. I did some work for the last few days of December in the January invoice based on the days I worked between taking time off for Xmas and new year. Unfortunately, this account has issues with their website url, which meant something I had prepared and clocked in time for had to be scrapped and something else prepared as a replacement. I also prepared work for the first week of feb, due to the deadline for it needing to be sent to them falling on the first few days of the month.

My agency emailed me yesterday to ask why the hours were higher despite the retainer being reduced. I explained that the invoice for December was sent earlier, so this included items for the last few days of Dec when writing work was due (I always detail if this is the case on invoices too such as 5 writing projects total etc) and also the scrapped writing wed discussed and one for next week due to deadline timings requiring it to be completed before the end of January. I offered to just be paid the retainer amount (it worked out like 20 pounds less) and refund the difference as they already paid me. I am going to just deduct it off the next bill to maintain the relationship as they said it wasn't an issue, but obviously they wouldn't have raised it if it was.

I tend to track my work hourly and charge on this basis, meaning some months I am way under the retainer they allocate for me to use based on how deadlines fall or workload amount, and others it may be slightly over or close to the full amount. However, my agencies only seem to notice when it is close to the higher side, often forgetting the month prior the bill I charged them was significantly lower.

I am considering moving to retainer charge basis only, and only tracking hours for my own personal monitoring of time spent on projects. Has anyone done this? I always detail hours spent on task on my invoices, but I'm considering just putting it to a set figure of the retainer going forward.

Thanks in advance.

I’ve been noticing that a lot of independent writers I talk to are frustrated with how difficult it has become to find reliable sources for their stories. HARO used to be great, but it was closed, Qwoted it’s flooded with irrelevant pitches, self-promoters, and low-quality responses.

Do you still find it useful, or have you switched to something else? Are there better ways to connect with credible sources without spending hours sifting through noise?

I’ve been really deep into this topic lately, trying to figure out what actually works and I might have a solution for it. If anyone’s interested in discussing this more, I’ve shared some of my findings on my profile. Would love to hear your experiences!

Hi all, I'm new here (super intimidated ) and I've been out of the writing game for a while and was looking for tips to jump back in. I started out writing for The Mighty just as a hobby and was later employed by DogTime where it was my part time gig and I loved it. Health issues and well, life happened and I had to get a job with better pay, benefits, etc. My undergrad degree is in Biology, but I also did journalism for a year and a half beforehand. I know I have a very eclectic resume as well but my interests include animals, medicine, and chronic illness so any guidance as to where to even begin to look for work is appreciated!

I got scouted to work for this fashion company. It’s only been around for a few years. I’ve met people who volunteer there, and I’ve seen the videos and articles they produce. They go to fashion weeks and events. So it seems some what legit. However, there’s a few things that just make me think it’s a waste of time pursuing them.

First of all, they’re very anti any body type that isn’t stick thin (I’m thin, but the fact that these people are so obsessed with looks just leaves a bad taste in my mouth). Secondly, they say, because they’re a new company they can’t properly pay the team members yet. But they want us to pay a fee every year for the upkeep of the website.

The guy who runs it is very weird. I’ll try and ask a question and he’ll answer with something completely off topic, and then. When I try and clarify something he thinks I’m arguing. People on the team have been getting into fashion weeks straight away. And reporting. And I’ve seen the videos to prove it. But the way they are acting just doesn’t seem professional. I’m a writer first and foremost, and I take it seriously. I’d love to join this team for the experience, but … idk I just wonder if it’s worth all the fuss.

There’s so much more. Idk if this makes sense. But what do you guys think? Is this normal?

Hi! I've done a little bit of freelance news and feature writing, and my current "permalance" job is somewhere between news and content writing. I'm really hoping to branch out and further my career as a freelance arts and culture writer this year. Since I'm pretty new to pitching, though, I have a question.

If I want to pitch a magazine a story about an artist (say, an indie band, or a local craftsman), should I try to reach out to the artist (or their team) first, so that I know an interview is possible? Or should I pitch the publication first, so that I have their clout behind me when I reach out to the artist? Or maybe it's more context dependent?

Sorry if this question has already been asked. Thanks for your help!

I've been freelance copywriting for a single client over the past year, and during that time, all the blogs I've written for this brand have been published under a different name (usually their content manager who is my main contact with the company). I assume it's because they use the blog in part to gain thought leadership visibility/credibility for members of the team, and I'm not an employee. I don't really care, except that they've just cut my hours back a bunch and I am now trying to build out my portfolio to drum up some new business. Any ideas about how to link to these articles without it looking like I'm trying to claim someone's work as my own? Unfortunately their blog layout has the byline right at the top and quite obvious too, so it's one of the first things you see.

As a side note, she also tends to make some edits and publish without having me do a final proofread, and she's very sloppy so there's ALWAYS typos in the finished blogs that did not come from me and which I would have caught. I point them out after the fact when they're egregious, but I feel bad bringing this up all the time. It's all just annoying because I have done some pretty decent work for this brand and I'd like to show it off in my portfolio, but the finished, published product often doesn't reflect my standards (along with the byline issue).

I've thought about just linking to the original Google Docs of these pieces but that also seems unprofessional.

Would love any ideas from the community, thanks! :)

Hi Guys

I freelance for copywriting company and they have asked me to do a white paper.

I have never done one but I do have a Masters and will be happy to learn. They asked for 4000 words. What would be the going rate. It requires alot of research

I write for Static Media, and despite the many horror stories about it, I have been doing it for three years and its been fine for me. The pay rate has not changed since at least 2021 when I started while the cost of everything has gone up by huge margins. Because of this I've been looking for other writing work with little success. I have other work I do, but I would like to write more but get paid better.

So my question is about the rate. Is this common? Are other similar sites and similar jobs paying the same as 3 years ago? I spoke to my editor a while back about a raise and he found out that nobody gets a raise, everyone is the same rate, and that no raise is on the horizon. That was about a year ago. Anybody have some insight on this?

I've been doing landing pages for a client that wants each page to follow a very specific format while covering the same ground, but they also want each page to be significantly different. It's difficult for me to avoid repeating the same phrases over and over again at this point (I've written 40ish landing pages for them over the past year).

I know this is just a block on my part - if anyone in the world except me were asked to write one of these landing pages, their version would be very different from mine. But I'm not able to access other people's brains, so I'm really struggling here.

Thanks for any advice.

So that's how my day is going. What about you?

Thanks in advance for any replies. I write for multiple agencies, among other clients. I'm thinking of running a promotion for my agency clients that boils down to:

"If you'd like me to help out on other client accounts, I can give you $50 off the first project on each new account as long as there's at least one project per month."

Thoughts? Or, if you guys offer promotions, what's worked well for you? Thanks again.

Edit: wording

You know the crazy thing about AI-phobia in writing and editing? They tell us to avoid a block of words and phrases. Not that hard?

When you consider copywriting is only limited to "simple words," and that AI learned from the most common words used, the challenge becomes a hurdle few can jump over.

Just now, someone told me to avoid the words "Navigate, Dive, Unveil, Master, tailor, Unlock, Elevate, discover, embark, Ultimate, debunk, allure."

A non-native speaker tells me to avoid some of the most common words used in copywriting. You might say "well, we should just ignore those words because they now sound AI. It would make us all better writers and editors."

To that I'll say:

No. You don't get it.

We use those words not because we failed "Fancy Words 101" in college, but because those words convert. They are low-hanging fruit phrases and terms that makes the reader engage with the content or click "subscribe" "follow" and "buy."

If we ignore all "AI words," then your copy runs the risk of having low conversion.

Yes, you passed the AI detector and yes, your copy doesn't use any AI words, but at the cost of your revenue or leads.

I've compiled a big list of "AI words and phrases" to avoid according to reddit and linkedin, and even the phrases "however," "furthermore," and "therefore" are now red flags. Even "streamline" is a no-no.

How do you write effective copy when you've essentially (banned AI word detected) caged yourself with terms and phrases no one ever uses?

You can't.

List of Banned Terms According to the Internet

Not just about, it's about, all about, meticulous, meticulously, navigating, navigate, complexities, realm, bespoke, tailored, tailoring, towards, underpins, underpinning, ever changing, ever evolving, the world of, not only, more than just, designed to enhance, it’s not merely, our suite, it is advisable, daunting, in the heart of, when it comes to, in the realm of, unlock the secrets, unveil the secrets, dive into, robust, delve into, delve, every step of the way, journey, delving into, unlocking, diving into, dive into, seeking to, seek to, in conclusion, in summary, akin, a leap towards, paramount, journeyed, boon, crucial, foster, whether, formidable, enhance, crown jewels, facilitate, train wreck, flat-footed, get a grip, fiddling, unsung hero, ensure, MVP, gold, low-down, underscores, delve, unique, essential, beacon, meticulous, meticulously, navigating, complexities, realm, understanding, realm, dive, shall, , tailored, towards, underpins, everchanging, ever-evolving, treasure, the world of, not only, designed to enhance, it is advisable, daunting, when it comes to, in the realm of, amongst unlock the secrets, unveil the secrets, and robust. Firstly, Moreover, Furthermore, However, Therefore, Additionally, Specifically, Generally, Consequently, Importantly, Similarly, Nonetheless, As a result, Indeed, Thus, Alternatively, Notably, As well as, Despite, Essentially, While, Unless, Also, Even though, Because, In contrast, Although, In order to, Due to, Even if, Given that, Arguably, To consider, Ensure, Vibrant, Bustling, Essential, Vital, Out of the box, Underscores, Landscape, Tapestry, Soul, Crucible, It depends on, That being said, You may want to, It's important to note, This is not an exhaustive list, You could consider, In summary, On the other hand, As previously mentioned, It's worth noting that, In conclusion, To summarize, In contrast, Ultimately, To put it simply, Pesky, Promptly, Dive into, In today's digital era, Importantly, Reverberate, Enhance, Emphasise, Ensure, Enable, Delve, Hustle and bustle, Revolutionize, Folks, Foster, Sure, Labyrinthine, Moist, Remnant, As a professional, Subsequently, Nestled, Game changer, Symphony, Labyrinth, Gossamer, Enigma, Whispering, Sights unseen, Sounds unheard, A testament to, Dance, Metamorphosis, Indelible.

I’m considering starting working at a site that pays you a certain amount per thousand views. How much do y’all think is reasonable?

so I want to start writing articles and posting/publishing etc. but the problem is i dont know where to start, ofc i have written some stuff but i am not sure about where to post them. should i make a blog or website or should i just send them to sites like medium. i want to have a portfolio that is on the internet

thank youus

Since the start of 2024, I’ve been working on fine-tuning and improving my freelance workflow.

My main focus has been to build a solid foundation to level up my freelance content writing business, and one big part of that was launching my own professional website.

Of course, I couldn’t afford to hire specialists for every step, so I handled the initial setup myself. I managed to install a basic theme — nothing too fancy, but it worked.

Later on, I hired freelancers through an online platform to help with technical SEO and design my service pages. It was my first time searching for freelancers for my own needs. So I posted a job, and suddenly, I was flooded with proposals. But then the real question hit me: how do I pick the right one? What if I spend all this money and end up disappointed with the results?

That’s when it dawned on me — I’ve been freelancing for years, but I’d never really seen things from the client’s side.

I hired a designer for simple tasks, but I didn’t want to waste days trying to do it all myself either.

After the first phase is completed, I sent my revisions, and the next day, the designer told me he finished everything. But when I checked, most of my requested changes hadn’t been made. The worst part? He didn’t even respond to my comments about whether those revisions were doable.

I started second-guessing myself: Did I hire the wrong person? Did I mess something up? The designer had good reviews, and his communication was polite, but the end result just wasn’t what I expected.

So, if everyone has good reviews, how do you decide? Here’s what I figured out — good reviews don’t always guarantee quality because everyone’s standards are different, and reviews don’t always tell the full story.

Maybe I could’ve written a better brief? My requests were simple, and I thought I explained them clearly. I think part of the issue wasn’t gauging the designer’s creativity. I was hoping for some guidance from him, but he didn’t offer any. This is something I could’ve tested during the hiring process by asking more about their creative approach.

As a freelancer, here’s the lesson I learned: when your client seems unsure, step in with ideas and examples. It shows your expertise and reassures them they’re in capable hands.

In the end, most of the portfolios didn’t quite align with what I had envisioned, but I had to make a choice. Freelancers who show relevant examples to clients help build trust and give them a clearer picture of what to expect.

One key takeaway: If you want top-notch results, sometimes you need to stretch your budget a little. Don’t automatically choose the cheapest option to save money. If a portfolio really resonates with you but costs more, it’s worth finding a way to make it work. Otherwise, you risk spending more money and time working with multiple people and still not getting what you want.

I am currently a freelance writer working in local news, military/veterans and aviation. I have been asked to seek & write grant proposals for a veterans nonprofit, Warrior Rescue. I appreciate any insight and tips on finding and writing grant proposals for a nonprofit. Thanks!

As the title says. Trump put a freeze on grants, among other things. Any idea how the future looks for grant writing, or to early to tell?

For example, when do you consider an outline weak?

How do you find out the tone of voice in writing without using AI at all? What are the things that you look at specifically that indicates the tone of voice?

Hi,

I’m newer to freelance writing. I’m a Nurse Practitioner in Women’s Health and got into this because I like writing and want to get out evidence based medical articles to women. I have been finding women's health/health based websites and blogs to pitch to. When there is an email listed on the site, that is where I send it. For websites that don't have an email listed, is it best to use the general "contact us" form (I feel like this is almost pointless) or try to find one of the editors on linkedin?
I wasn't sure how appropriate it would be to contact editors on linkedin.

I work in a clinic for my full time job, so this is all completely new to me - sorry if I sound naïve in asking these questions.

Thanks!

You’ll struggle. I struggled, sometimes still.

I know, it’s challenging, but it’s a journey worth taking.

What about writing in native? That doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and rainbows.

Struggles will always be there. You always improve yourself.

It’s, however, more about confidence than writing skills. Because you can learn grammar, you can learn phrases, you can learn fancy words…

But self-confidence can sometimes be a difficult obstacle. Once you overcome, everything starts to fall into place.

Here are some insights from my experience to help you improve your writing skills and boost your confidence:

1. Writing in a second language can feel like a constant struggle to express yourself clearly. Remember Ludwig Wittgenstein’s words: “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Expand your vocabulary and language structures to express a broader world. I have Notion page to take notes about words, phrases which I find catchy ones from movies, books, articles, etc.
2. In communication, entropy (unpredictability of information) creates confusion. In writing, minimize redundancy and keep your content concise and clear to reduce entropy and improve clarity.
3. Different languages have unique structures that can lead to common mistakes in English. Learn to identify these differences and avoid direct translations from your native language.
4. Writing and editing require different mindsets. Write freely and focus on content first. Later, edit with a critical eye to refine grammar, style, and flow.
5. Practice with translating: it can help you understand the nuances and expressions unique to English. Also, watching TV series in English subtitles helps you learn contemporary expressions, slang, and cultural references. One more, a mentor who understands your challenges can provide valuable guidance and motivation in a shorter time. You can overcome by yourself, but it’ll take time.
6. Keep a daily journal on Notion, or even give a presentation to your friends or a mirror. The more you practice, the more confident and proficient you’ll become.

Remember: It’s a continuous learning process. Enjoy the journey, celebrate small victories, and keep pushing your boundaries.

Feel free to share your own experiences or tips in the comments below.

Let’s learn and grow together.

I am a B2B freelance writer with 10 years' experience, based in the UK. A potential new client has asked me for a rate card. I've never made one before but I think it's about time I do.

I normally charge $0.30-$0.50 per word.

What format should my rate card be (pdf, shared spreadsheet, etc) and what should I include on it?

Should I include exact prices ($400 for 1000 word blog post) or a range ($300-$500 for 1000 word blog post).

Any other tips for making rate cards?

Thank you!

Hey guys I am new to this subreddit, read some things, great stuff! I started freelance writing in 2016. I founded my website in 2021, and it worked well, then HCU 2023 came around, now I need some gigs on the side. But here I go:

I consider myself a pretty fast writer. On my website where I knew the steps for writing, research, images and so on I could write and optimize a 400-word article within 30 minutes. On the gigs I work now, I need sooo much longer.

I started recording every step of the process and measuring how long it takes me. From here on, I optimized the workflow. Give it, the topics I currently write about is my hobby gaming, which makes research way easier. But as some here probably know, you get paid like trash in gaming.

(I am from Germany, where we get paid better than US. I got an offer from Gamerant to write news for 5 $ each. In Germany, I get about 30 € for a News - 15 € base + Performance-based compensation)

But it is still not that much, when you think of writing 600 words and it takes 1,5 hrs.

My goal was and is to write 2 News per hour (2 News = 72 Minutes = 50 €/hr) So I have 36 Minutes for News that are 300 words long. And I overshoot that by like 10 to 20 Minutes almost every time. Which never happened on my site. And the sites I work for are way better optimized, with better tools and so on.

Here is the Question:

What are your tips on working faster and/or more efficient? What are your findings with this? Are there any tools that help work faster? Do you have a special workflow?

In 2016-2017, I used to get clients via Fiverr frequently. For about two years now, I've been thinking about getting back at it.

Fiverr writers, I want to know something:

HOW HAS AI AFFECTED THE WRITING MARKETS ON FIVERR?

Would you say that there are more or fewer clients on average? Are prices better for you or has AI made you poorer?

I've been wanting to take up writing as a career for a while now, but have been hesitant to do so. Now in my mid-twenties, I realize it is one of the only things I seem to truly enjoy doing, so I've decided I'd try my hand at freelance writing- but like a lot of people, I seem to have trouble figuring out where to even begin.

I'm mostly scared at the fact that I lack experience (professional writing pieces) that I can add to my portfolio to showcase my writing skills. I was wondering if there were any websites where I could take up any form of writing gigs for free- simply so I can start building my portfolio.

Hi all, very curious if any of you have good recommendations for prose about, well, happy times. Being happy. The act of joy.

I find it very difficult to write compellingly and, along with my nonfiction that I entreat in, am working on a chapter for a fiction project where I wanted, for one chapter, my characters to be truly happy for a bit of future dramatic edge.

Would love to hear your thoughts and see if you have any examples!

Okay, so 20 f here, I like writing, but I'm not good... like at all, I can come up with one good sentence, and it makes me want to write a story for it. But I can never think of begging middle end for something, and I can get less than a paragraph in before I'm like this sucks. So what do you guys do, how did you learn, did you watch videos, what got you started, what inspired you? All those questions. Anything answered or said is helpful!

Thank you for all the help in the comments. I will take all of them to heart, and I appreciate the help. That means alot to me

I’m interested in learning this skill and have some questions about what the process of freelance press release writing looks like

Do you, as the writer, look for the news worthy story to write about, or do the clients you write for come to you with them? ( “Hey, we’re doing XYZ and need a press release to spread the message?” )

Do you, as the writer, spread the PR to various media outlets to get the word out? Or do you just write the release and the client is responsible for sharing it?

Sorry if these are dumb lol I’m just trying to learn

Hello,

I've been a freelance writer and PR pro for the past four years. I've made it work, but I need more financial stability and would like to eventually be able to leave the United States as a digital nomad or just travel purely between working periods.

Does anyone have experience with temporary/contract work, especially remote work (for now)? I like the idea of working full time for a few months at a time and saving money but not going back to full-time permanently.

I have one ongoing PR job (which I'd eventually like to drop, but I need the money), and I write for several different news outlets - including a major daily - but the writing jobs don't pay well enough, and it's too inconsistent. I just feel like I'm hustling all the time, but it's never enough to feel comfortable.

TLDR: Does anyone know where I can find full or part-time temporary/contract jobs for a writer and P?R pro?

Thanks!

I had someone approach me about wiring scripts for a new YouTube channel that discusses psychology and sociology while using notable figures as examples. It’s very interesting and I’m pretty excited.

However, the pay seems really low…? The scripts will be between 2000-4000 words. They will provide the topic and a loose outline. Each video will require about an hour or two of research in addition to the writing and editing. They want to pay $.05 a word.

I want to start at $.10 a word but that’s still a pretty basic starter rate. Would I be out of line to request a $.05 raise per word for every 25,000 subscribers? They have a goal of 100,000 so it would cap my pay at $0.30 once they are successful.

I am genuinely excited about this job - the first in a long time - and it will only take a couple days a week. But I can’t put myself in the position of working less than minimum wage either.