“Stop calling yourself a freelancer!”
In typical Internet fashion, there’s plenty of bad information and scare-tactic hooks.
That “stop calling yourself a freelancer” is just one of the examples Kate recently saw when she was on LinkedIn.
In a video posted on the site, a marketing “expert” calls on freelance writers to stop calling themselves “freelance writers.”
Huh?
On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I decided to join this conversation to add a little nuance.
The crux of the message in the video is that using the term “freelance” signals to clients that it’s lower-quality work.
But is there any truth to this?
Listen to this episode to hear Kate and I share our take.
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Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[01:32] If you say that you are a freelance copywriter, does that mean people expect certain things or certain levels of quality? Or is it saying something about you that potentially you don’t want said. Whether you need to use this term or not.
[04:47] This idea of freelancing connoting low quality is a very effective hook, but I don’t think carries through to reality. The idea of someone who is looking for work on Fiverr or Upwork etc., generally you’re gonna find a lot of low quality freelancers on there with a few higher quality sprinkled throughout.
[05:22] People go on those websites looking to hire someone the best that they can get for the cheapest that they can get. And there’s a whole spectrum, a range of things, but people are looking to pay as little as possible for as good as they can get.
[06:28] Someone who has more money to invest. They’re willing to pay for quality. Use the terms that people are actually looking for. They’re not looking to hire someone on staff. So what they’re gonna be looking for is a freelance copywriter. And in that scenario, not using the term freelance is going to work against you.
[07:37] If you are on LinkedIn and you are specifically only open to freelance work, and I know that you can check that in various places on LinkedIn. But to have that in your title area where you can put that, I think mine actually currently has that, because that’s all I’m looking for.
[08:59] It’s not the place for creativity and voice. Don’t make people think. They need to be really clear who you are and what you do. In the same way as copywriters, we use the words that our clients’ customers use. If our client’s customers use a certain word, we’re gonna use that word in our copy.
[09:21] You need to use the words that your potential clients will use. And they’re going to be using the word copywriter. They’re going to be using the word freelance copywriter.
[10:35] Whether you wanna include that on your portfolio website or not. Does it make a difference? Not necessarily. If someone’s already on your website, it’s likely from client. Remember how they’re getting there essentially.
[11:02] There’s a pretty good idea in understanding that you’re working on a project basis. And so I would say it’s less important to think through and have this debate of do I need to include this word on my website or not? Can you? Sure. If you don’t, it’s also okay.
[12:16] It used to be that freelance was code for unemployed, in between jobs. People are just gonna think I’m unemployed and I don’t have work. Which quite frankly is a mindset thing. After the pandemic, that is completely all changed. And if you look at the number of people freelancing, it’s such a far more common thing now than it was,
[13:30] When you couldn’t connect with people as easily on the internet, find people and connect with people on the internet, it was a lot harder. So people would try to do it, not be able to do it, and then go back and get a full-time job. But now that it is so much easier to build up a thriving, very, very successful freelance career, nobody raises an eyebrow at it anymore.
[14:41] This is from explodingtopics.com. Around 9 in 20 workers are self-employed currently. I know we’re coming up on the end of 2024, so I’m sure these numbers will change with Gen Z is the generation most likely to freelance. And so the number of millions of freelancers that change expected year over year by 2020 is 3 million plus each year through 2028 increasing.
[15:42] It is so much more common than it is ever been. It’s not that easy. But at the same time, it does not have to be hard by any stretch of the imagination. You just have to have a process. You have to have the steps to follow. And as our students have seen those steps work.
[16:26] You think freelancing is hard versus the opposite way. It might seem hard to do outreach on your own because you gotta put in some work, not just throw up a listing on Upwork. But it actually turns out to be easier in the long run.
[17:40] Think about it in terms of any occupation really. Teacher, firefighter, freelancer, there’s gonna be low quality folks doing that role and there’s gonna be high quality folks. It is the same.
[19:15] This is an opportunity to be discerning about the things that we see on the internet, right? And to put some real thought behind it in the net. You can absolutely use the word freelancer and stand behind that and be proud of the work that you do and the lifestyle that you lead.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
” I want freelance work. And so that is in my title because that is what potential clients are searching for. LinkedIn is one of the places that I would recommend if you are looking for freelance work.” – Kate
” Keep it simple. Don’t make people figure out what it is you do because they’re not gonna bother. If someone gets to your website or they get your profile on LinkedIn and they take a look at you and they don’t understand what it is that you do, they’re not gonna take the time to dig in and figure it out. They’re just not.” – Nicki
” LinkedIn is one of the most important place to include that word because search is such a key component of how people find other people on LinkedIn and you wanna give them what they’re looking for on your website.” – Kate
” It is an acceptable and often enviable way of living your life. I think when we say, oh, I’m freelance. I think you get a lot of people that go, oh wow, that’s cool.” – Nicki
Mentioned in the Episode
- The Summer Freelance Summit
- explodingtopics.com
- Ep. 7: Freelance Job Sites Are Bad News
Related Links
- Ep. 195: Freelance vs. Contract: Which is Better?
- Ep. 98: Why Freelance Copywriters Should Still Apply to Full-Time Jobs
- Freelance Copywriter Business FAQs
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
