Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

There are just 3 days left to get The Promo Playbook before the doors close until 2025.

​Join us here!

If you'd rather spread the payment out, you can do the payment plan here.

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The Promo Playbook is full of practical activities you can do ASAP to start landing well-aligned, well-paying clients without selling your soul on freelance platforms or job boards.

• Learn what makes your business unique and how to present that to potential clients.
• Discover the three core types of promo posts and how they slot together to turn conversations into actual signed contracts.
• Explore the many ways you can promote your business in a way that feels wildly and authentically YOU.
• Understand the funnel freelance clients go through so you can keep your pipeline full All. The. Damn. Time.

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2025 you will thank 2024 you, I promise.

This is your final, FINAL chance to join 50+ fellow freelancers before the end of the year.

This is also the last email I'll send about it.

P.S. This week on Instagram, I shared some ways you can find work quickly if you're in a bind. See them here.

Here's what I've been up to this week work-wise:

👉 I wrote 4 pieces for clients (including NumeralHQ, Experlogix, and Whop)

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I had an exciting call about reworking the Freelance Magic website

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~20

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~2

💰 Total revenue this week: £5,840

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Check out my three practical courses that have helped 500+ people get more clients, earn more money, and create better content.

Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

Things have dramatically changed over the past couple of years.

Even the past year has really shaken up the whole freelancing world.

What used to work for me 5 or even 3 years ago isn't working anymore. And this is something I've seen echoing around the freelance world.

It was the fireside chat I did with Sarah Greesonbach where it all finally clicked.

We're struggling because a) the economy is in flux and b) the client acquisition methods and ways of running our business that used to work so well are no longer working.

And yet, we still do them.

I've seen plenty of freelancers doggedly trying to run their businesses circa three years ago and not getting the same results.

And that's because things have shifted. It hasn't been a monumental shift - more of a sneaky tremor, if you will. But things have definitely changed.

I've spent the last week trying to put my finger on exactly what has changed, and this is what I've come up with.

What used to work

Cold pitching

Human connections are more important than ever. Reaching out cold to people isn’t having the same effect it used to.

Freelance job boards

Freelance job boards are inundated with competition. This is driving the prices down which means you’re essentially entering a race to the bottom.

Choosing your niche ASAP

It’s hard to choose a niche from the get-go. What if you don’t like it? What if there’s no work? It feels like you can’t move forward until you’ve specialised.

Charging hourly

Charging hourly works in some cases, but most of the time it punishes you for being quick and experienced at what you do.

Generic portfolios

It’s great to have all your work in one place, but clients don’t want to trawl through reams of past projects to find something relevant.

Not having an online presence

Honestly, I didn’t have an online presence until about 4 years into freelancing and I did just fine. Now... not so much.

What works now

Warm pitching

Put the feelers out with people who already know you - past clients, existing clients, fellow freelancers, and people already in your network.

Networking

Make connections with content leads and fellow freelancers. Use Slack channels and LinkedIn to form real, human relationships with real, humans.

Developing a niche over time

You’ll find your niche in your own time. Work with as many brands on as many projects at the start to see what you like, dislike, and what pays well.

Project-based rates

Charging per project or per piece lets you get paid for your expertise, experience, and skills, NOT how quickly you do something!

Cherry-picked portfolios

The better practice now is to cherry-pick 2-3 really relevant portfolio pieces to send to new prospects. Or, at the bare minimum, group your past work together by niche.

Having an online presence

To get in front of high-paying, well-aligned clients these days, you have to put yourself out there. Hiding away doesn’t work anymore.

I think the biggest difference is that it's no longer enough to just "scrape by".

To be a successful freelancer today, you can't just be a "lacky for hire". You have to be a "business". And that means showing up online, positioning yourself to the right type of clients, and owning your project-based rates.

Back in the day (I'm talking 10+ years ago here), it was enough to send a few pitches on UpWork a day to generate ongoing work. These days, the competition is so fierce that you have to do more.

But, it's also about relationships.

Those "lacky for hires" and people bidding to the bottom on UpWork aren't building long-lasting relationships with clients. And that's how they become replaceable. You're just a faceless entity behind a screen.

When you work hard to create connections with potential clients and build a warm network, it's much easier to keep your pipeline full.

If you haven't already watched my 30-minute training on warm pitching and networking, I highly recommend you do (watch it here)!

This is the new age of freelancing and it's actually a lot more wholesome!

This week, we have Hava Salsi, sharing her finances with us.

Where are you based? Switzerland

How long have you been freelancing? A little more than a year.

What do you do? I’m a B2B writer.

What was your 2023 revenue? 17’059.32 CHF From August 2023 till December 2023 (about £15,000).

Hava freelances full time and this was not her highest earning year.

How much did you take as a salary?

I'm a sole trader, so I get paid the money left over after expenses and various taxes.

How much did you pay in taxes? Still not clear, since in Switzerland, we pay taxes retrospectively for the year before. But I set aside about 31.8% of every invoice paid for various taxes. In Switzerland, we pay a communal, cantonal, and federal tax. Plus social contributions etc.

What are your business expenses? ~ £2,060

In 2023, my expenses were minimal since I was just getting started. In 2024, I paid about 2340 CHF in expenses. My only recurring expense right now is for ChatGPT premium, and I paid for a course I didn't even use for 3 months! Rookie mistake.

Do you contribute to a pension?

Not really. In Switzerland, we have 3 ways to save for retirement. The 2nd and 3rd pillars are non-existent for me since I don't have an employer that contributes to it. And with living expenses being as high as they are, I save very little after paying taxes etc.

What else do you do with the money you earn freelancing?

Nothing yet, but I'm looking to start investing in 2025!

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

While you should be responsible with your money, don't panic about other freelancers' savings/spending/investing methods. We all live in various parts of the world, with different costs of living and different responsibilities. Just try to do your best, every day, and save as much as possible. Whatever that means to you!

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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