“I really need to start freelancing. I’m so broke.”
“I need to freelance because I need a little extra cash to spend on the weekends.”
“I want to freelance because I just don’t like the idea of working for one place full -time.”
“How did you get your freelance gigs? I keep emailing places and not hearing back.”
This is just a sampling of some ridiculous quotes I’ve heard from peers regarding their responses to my freelancing endeavours. But I can’t blame them. That’s often how freelancing is made out to be, an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy one-click solution to solving your financial woes and the guarantee that you’ll never have to work for one company.
My experience, however, has shown me otherwise. Freelancing requires lots of hard work, and many unpaid gigs before you start accumulating paid ones. And I certainly don’t perceive it as a simple solution to make a little extra cash when you’re struggling. It takes time, energy, and even luck to start building up clientele.
So I thought I’d share the story of how I earned my first freelance client and what I’ve learned.
Here’s what happened.
I was taking a journalism writing class my sophomore year of college. The class consisted mostly of upperclassmen in their last or second-to-last semesters of college. As a second-year student, I was definitely on the younger side in this upper- level journalism class.
We were required to write feature stories for the class. Four total. All roughly 8 pages. Three sources minimum (which was later increased to four). Active voice. AP Style required (duh).
At a complete loss as to what I should write about, I gravitated toward an industry which has always fascinated me: fashion.
I reached out to a local designer boutique tucked away in one of the nicer areas of Nashville. It held a reputable stance in the designer sphere and offered one-of-a-kind fashion, jewelry, and trunk shows unavailable anywhere else in around a 500 mile radius.
In a nutshell, the business had a lot going on. It was very impressive.
The owner’s son and the sales associates were more than happy to speak with me and allow me to write about the business. As a college student from out of town, I was stoked. This was the first time I dipped my toe into the luxury retail scene in Nashville. It was something I was new to but drawn to.
Furthermore, this was the first in-depth highlight covering the business in a long time that did not include some kind of breaking news-worthy spin. It was simply a feature story highlighting an exquisite boutique in the Nashville area and why it is so prestigious. With the increasing population in Nashville, I hoped the piece would catch the attention of some Nashville newbies.
Once the piece was completed, my professor urged me to pitch the piece to local luxury publications. There was one title specifically she continuously recommended, but I wanted to fine-tune the piece before sending it out to editors.
In the midst of the editing process, I was thrown a major curveball.
The boutique abruptly closed its doors.
My article held no value any more. The piece I worked so hard on that I planned on using as a sample to pitch myself as a freelancer turned out to be a waste — or so I thought.
I was back at square one.
Despite the sudden closure of the boutique, my journalism professor still arranged a coffee date between me and the editor from the local luxury publication she wanted me to pitch the story to.
“Just bring it, see if they like your writing, and go from there,” she said.
I brought the story, along with other writing samples, to my coffee date with the magazine editor. She graciously looked over the article closely and pointed out all the aspects of the story she was drawn to.
“This is wonderful,” I remember her saying. “You’re an incredible writer.”
To the editor, it didn’t matter if the business was still open or not — she was looking for excellence in active voice, AP Style, sentence structure, photography, interviewing, so on and so forth.
She hired me as a freelancer for their publication on the spot.
I felt like I had hit the jackpot. I was scheduled to join her, along with some other colleagues from the publication to a series of interviews the following week for an upcoming story. My name would be on the byline in the glossy magazine.
I was elated. And on top of it all, I was getting paid.
But let’s backtrack into how I landed the coffee date in the first place: my instructor. My instructor arranged the introduction between me and the editor.
I was leapfrogging upperclassmen journalism majors who had only dabbled in the school newspaper and were lackadaisical about submitting their best work into class.
I was earning a paycheck for my writing as graduating seniors walked across the stage to their diplomas with nothing to their name but some required unpaid internships.
Yes, my instructor was the lifeline that solidified the business relationship I have now. However, I had to prove myself to my professor in order for her to open that door for me.
The opportunity did not fall into my lap. This was nearly three years and 80% of the way through my journalism and PR curriculum. I spent countless hours outside of class perfecting my writing, meeting with my professors, and juggling as many classes as I could to make my writing better.
My point is, never underestimate the power of having genuine relationships with people in your industry, including your professors. They are the foundation of the professional network you should be building in your undergraduate years.
Show up to class. Be on time. Give them your best work. Go in during office hours and talk to them about your assignments. Ask for feedback.
Once you prove you are hardworking, reliable, and ambitious, it will be much easier for them to steer you in the right direction in regards to paid opportunities, and, if needed, those pesky unpaid internships for school credit, which my professor also helped arrange (bless her!)
And once you land a client, stay on top of your schoolwork. Set out the expectations with the boss from the get-go. Return your work with your invoice promptly. Speak up when something is not going the way it should.
Last, be grateful for every opportunity, even if they are far and few between. My initial freelance client didn’t ask me back for the same job until nearly ten months later, but had asked me to do smaller jobs in between to maintain our business relationship. Understand they might appreciate you, but might not have room for you 24/7.
I am graduating from college in less than two months. I am not banking on working as a full-time freelancer. I’m just not. It is not the lifestyle I want for myself. But I will continue to use it as a part-time side hustle in addition to whatever full-time gig I end up pursuing.
I hope sharing my experiences with you has helped you discern if freelancing is something you’d like to pursue. Perhaps it’s cleared up any previous misconceptions you’ve had surrounding it.
If you have any other thoughts or questions you’d like to share, please feel free to reach out in the Contact form above. I’d love to hear your thoughts or answer any questions you may have.
Until next time,
-M
