Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

An update on the second-round interview I had last week: they went with someone more junior to fit with their budget. You win some, you lose some, right?!

Anyway, as is usually the case with these things, enquiries are like buses. After a slow-ish start to the year, I've had 4 new enquiries in the past 2 weeks. I think it's because I'm going away, and that always seems to happen - the enquiries a-creep out the woodwork as soon as I even THINK about putting my out of office on!

P.S. This week on Instagram, I shared the hills I will die on as a freelancer with 13 years experience. Check it out here. And don't forget to give me a follow for regular tips and tricks!

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

👉 I worked on a positioning framework for a new client

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I did more outreach, LinkedIn posts, and a newsletter for a client

👉 I had 2 calls with potential new clients

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~14

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

💰 Total revenue this week: £2,625

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Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

I had a call with a potential client earlier this week (not the same one as the second-round interview).

Before we got into things, they wanted to know about my experience in the ecommerce industry. This was the most important thing to them. They said they'd worked with a handful on content marketing folk over the past 3 years, but they were all at a pretty junior level without much knowledge of the ecom space.

The client said they didn't have the time to get them fully up to speed on all the ins and outs of the industry, and they wanted someone who was already au-fait with most of the jargon, challenges, goals, etc.

This got me thinking about positioning.

I get asked a lot how I manage to "get away" with charging so much. And the honest answer is it's partly down to my seniority and experience, and partly down to having a deep understanding of the industry I work in.

Almost all of my clients fall into the ecommerce tech bracket. And yes, they all have very different products, but their audiences are largely the same: business owners looking to sell more products/build better relationships with their customers.

When you put it like this, I'm not just a "content writer for ecommerce tech brands", I'm a "content expert who also has seriously deep knowledge of the ecommerce space and all the struggles that come with it".

Yes, the latter is a massive mouthful, but when you start drilling into like this, you get much closer to what clients actually want and need from you.

MOST of the time, they don't just need a "writer". They need someone who can present their thoughts and perspectives in a way that resonates with their audience. Or they need someone who can jump on industry trends and spin a unique angle.

This reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my mentees last month. We spoke about how she could position herself as a freelancer after having worked in an employed role for so long.

She felt very new to things because she'd never freelanced before, but when we got into it, we realised she had such rich experience that was easily, easily transferable.

One of the activities I gave her in our follow-up action plan was to brainstorm some role titles and taglines she could use that demonstrated her experience AND the services she offered.

For many freelancers, there's this common fear that niching down means turning away work. That by saying "I specialise in brand voice for food and hospitality brands," you're closing a door on everyone else... but the opposite tends to be true in practice.

The idea behind positioning isn't to pop yourself in a box. Instead, it's to help the right clients recognise themselves in your messaging. That recognition makes it easier and quicker to build trust and have conversations.

Meanwhile, the clients who don't fit your positioning were unlikely to be great clients anyway (they'd probably be comparing you to whoever was cheapest, not whoever was best for the job).

You can also hold more than one area at once, especially early on. Testing two or three spaces to see where demand is strongest, where the work energises you, and where you can genuinely deliver results is a smart way to let positioning emerge from experience rather than forcing a decision from thin air.

Start with what you've already done

The best place to find your positioning is in your back catalogue.

I know I hark on about this activity a LOT, but I think it's just so valuable for us freelancers to do on a regular basis.

Go through every project you've worked on over the past year or two. Note what it was, what you genuinely enjoyed, and what you didn't. Look for patterns, e.g. in the industries you kept returning to, the types of problems you were solving, the moments where you felt like you were doing your best work.

From there, ask yourself:

• What kind of client do I want more of?
• What work would I be excited to talk about?
• Who do I actually understand at a level beyond the brief?

The answers won't always align perfectly, but they'll narrow the field considerably.

Positioning shapes everything downstream

Once you're clear on who you're for and what you do best, everything becomes a whole lot easier. It's easier to write good content for LinkedIn. It's easier to pitch. It's easier to start conversations. It's easier to find the right clients

Positioning isn't a one-time exercise either. It evolves. You'll take on work that teaches you something about what you want, and work that confirms what you don't.

I thought I had my positioning down pat, but talking to that potential client earlier in the week reminded me that we're often too close to our own work and businesses to see the true value we bring.

I might have thought clients are looking for the best writer in the whole world, but really they want someone who deeply understands their industry AND can string a sentence or two together.

This week, we have a content strategist from Oregon.

Where are you based? Oregon, US.

How long have you been freelancing? 4 years.

What do you do? I'm a generalist, but the bulk of my work is definitely SaaS and tech.

What's your revenue? $68,000 USD.

This freelancer freelances full time and this was not their highest earning year.

How much did you take as a salary?

Around $45,000 after the money I set aside for taxes.

How much did you pay in taxes?

I set aside 35% of every paid invoice for taxes, though that is higher than I need. That gives me a significant buffer for a rainy day.

What are your business expenses?

About $150, when I compiled everything from car travel to meetings, gas, etc. This writer also bought my Workflow Wizard Notion package 🥰
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Do you contribute to a pension or invest?

Yes, I contribute to an SEP, a type of IRA here in the US that self-employed folks can use

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

Set aside more than you think you need for taxes so you don't have a heart attack at tax time!

We need more Freelance Money Diaries entries! I'm forever grateful to anyone who shares their finances with us (you can do it totally anonymously!).

Click the button below to do yours!

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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