“How do we get started?”
This is one of the most daunting parts of the process in hiring or being hired as a freelance blogger. After all, there are so many things to consider – deadlines, scope, payment… the list goes on.
There are a lot of ways to establish a brand new working relationship between entrepreneur and freelancer. Today, I’m going to walk you through my own process.
Whether you’re a small business owner looking to hire your first freelance blogger, or a new freelancer trying to figure out your own on-boarding process, this article should give you some clarity on how it works – at least for me.
Step 1: Clearly establish the terms of the project
This is the first thing I do when I start working with a new client, and it sets the stage for everything that follows.
We may set up a quick 30-minute video chat via Zoom, or we may do all of our communication via email. It all depends on the client and what they’re most comfortable with.
Unless a prospective client is a referral from another long-term client, I almost always start with a single blog post rather than a package or a retainer agreement. This reassures both myself and the client that we do, in fact, work well together and that I’m a good fit for their business’s long-term marketing strategy.
Before I write a single word for the client, I need to know the following things, which determine all the steps forward:
What is the article about?
Knowing the intended subject matter is an essential starting point for planning, researching, and writing. This may be as specific as a title and series of headers to be used in the post, or as vague as a basic writing prompt (to use this article as an example, the prompt would be “what is your new client on-boarding process?”)
What is the goal of this article?
Blogs are powerful marketing tools, and each post needs to have a single clear goal. This could be “establish market authority and trust by helping the reader solve a problem,” or “establish authority and trust by sharing a case study or testimonial,” or “promote an existing product or service,” or “build hype ahead of a launch of a new product or service,” among others.
What is the deadline?
This is an area where boundaries are incredibly important for both the client and the freelancer. And it’s essential to be clear what the deadline means. Is it the day the final copy of the article needs to be in the client’s inbox? Is it when the client expects to publish it on their blog? Is it when they expect the draft of the article in their inbox, so they can have time to ask for any necessary edits and changes?
When in doubt, I always leave a couple of days of wiggle room if possible, in case my client needs me to edit the post before they publish it. A short deadline (within the next day or two) will almost always increase the cost of the project, since I’ll have to make sure it’s polished with very little lead time to make adjustments or edits.
Who are we trying to reach?
Most blog posts are written for a business’s “ideal customer,” but sometimes, posts are written for those in their periphery. Examples include “myth busting” blog posts, “gift guides,” and “getting started” posts – ones that can help people new to a business begin their customer journey.
What resources should I use when writing?
This goes for image files the client wishes me to include (or free image repositories to pull from as appropriate), but also includes research reference links and materials.
If I’m writing a case study or a promotional piece, I need all the information the client has at their disposal. If I’m referencing local events, I need as much information as the client already has on it. The less time I need to spend finding reliable sources, the more smoothly the entire process goes.
Additionally, the client needs to know the following things:
How and when will payment be rendered?
For new clients, I never start working without a non-refundable deposit. This is a portion of the total amount I expect to charge for the article.
After the project is finished – when I’ve submitted the final, formatted copy to them and any requested edits have been done – I send an invoice for the remaining amount. Usually, that invoice is due immediately, but I may allow a little wiggle room if it’s negotiated in advance. I also outline how I calculate and charge late fees, should that become an issue.
How will I deliver the work?
This is up to the client. Most often, I link them to a read-only copy on Google Drive for review and requests for edits, before sending them the final copy with the invoice for the remaining balance due.
And we both need to know:
How and when can we reach out to each other during the work process?
Usually, once we’ve outlined everything above and the initial deposit is paid, we don’t have to get in touch with each other again until I deliver the article to them for review.
However, it’s good to know how to get in touch in case something urgent happens – whether an urgent development in the industry that will change the direction of the article, or a true emergency for either myself or my client.
No panicking necessary.
Step 2: The client pays the initial deposit
Once we’ve hashed out all of the details above, I send the invoice for the deposit to their preferred contact (whether themselves or their accounting department) through Stripe. Some freelancers use PayPal or other payment processing services, but I prefer Stripe.
Once I receive confirmation that the payment is made, we move to step 3.
Step 3: I do the work as outlined
This part of the process almost always goes entirely according to the plan we laid out in step 1. I write the article according to the client’s requirements, submit it for review, make any necessary edits, and then move on to step 4.
Step 4: We finish the project
Once I’ve finished any requested edits, I submit the final copy of the blog post to them in the way they prefer (whether attached document file, or via Google Drive) along with the invoice for any remaining balance due.
Step 5: Make a plan going forward
In the email I send the client at the end of the project, I usually include an invitation for them to work with me again. This might be a few suggested subjects for future blog posts that came to me as I was working on their project, or it may be a simple open invitation.
Either way, establishing long-term relationships with clients is always my goal. If we work well together, it makes life easier for everyone to continue working together.
Because at the end of the day, I’m in the business of making life easier for my clients.
Interested in how my blogging services might work for your business? Click here to send me an email, or use the contact form below to reach out to me.
I look forward to connecting with you!
~Bea