Are You Taking Too Many Freelance Writing Clients?

When you first embark on your new career as a freelancer, your primary concern isn’t likely to be whether you have too many clients—if anything, it’s more likely to be the opposite! Once you’ve started attracting clients for your writing, it’s easy to assume that you can take on any amount of work that comes your way. There may come a point, though, when you find that you’ve taken on a greater workload than you can comfortably handle. How can you tell when that time has come, and what should you do when it happens?

Here are some signs that you may be trying to take on too many clients as a freelancer:

You’re rushing through your writing projects.

Once you’ve become an accomplished freelancer, you may find that some of your projects don’t take as long as others. If you find that you’re rushing through one assignment after another, however, it likely means that you aren’t spending as much time on each of them as they deserve. This often leads to substandard work, and it could mean that you end up losing clients. Not overburdening yourself with too many clients will help to ensure that the quality of your writing stays strong.

You’re having trouble finishing all of your assignments on time.

It’s perfectly natural for first-time freelance writers to spend some time getting their schedules on track and learning to juggle multiple clients. If you’re finding yourself repeatedly falling behind schedule and coming close to missing your deadlines, however, it could mean that you’ve bitten off more than you’re ready to chew. This is a dangerous trend, since missing deadlines is a sure way to guarantee that you don’t work with a client again.

You can’t keep your clients straight.

Can you name all of your current clients and give a detailed description of each of them? If you find yourself struggling to distinguish between one client and another, it could indicate that you’re taking on so many clients at once that you’re failing to take the time to really focus on each of them. When this happens, you run the risk of simply writing generic content for your clients, rather than creating the customized content that they deserve.

You don’t have time to look for new projects.

It’s important for freelance writers to have the option to look for new work, both to keep their skills versatile and to ensure that they aren’t putting all of their eggs in one basket. If you’re kept so busy by your current clients that you don’t have time even to research new projects, it’s a warning sign that your schedule may be overbooked. It’s fine to be busy, but don’t fill up your schedule to the extent that you can’t keep your options open.

You’re fatigued after every workday.

Freelance writing is a job, and you can expect to spend many of your days working as hard as you would in any office. If you’re usually feeling exhausted and burned out after finishing work for the day, however, it could mean that you’re trying to take on too many projects at once. Not only can this affect the quality of your work, but it can also take the fun out of freelancing. If writing isn’t fun for you anymore, it may be time to consider refining your current schedule.

If you’ve decided that you currently have too many clients, it raises the obvious question: What should you do about it? You may feel concerned about the idea of cutting ties with a proven client who can provide you with work. It’s important to be careful about how you approach this.

Here are the steps you can take:

Evaluate your current clients carefully.

Your first step will be to decide which client you want to rein in your current professional relationship with. Make a chart that lists each of your regular clients, and list as many of the factors that will affect your decision as possible. You might consider how much they are paying you for each story, how much time it takes you to write each story, how much you enjoy working with them, how reliable they are, and how visible they are.

Be forthright with your client.

When you do reach out to the client you decide to end your current relationship with, it’s best to do it with a friendly but polite email. You can simply say that you’re focusing on other priorities in your life or that you’re trying to balance your work schedule. If you think that you may want to try to work for them again in the future when you have fewer obligations, be sure to mention that in your message.

Offer to meet any current obligations.

If you’ve already committed to providing your client with content in the immediate future, make sure that you offer to finish that and submit it. You don’t want to leave your client in the lurch, even if you’re ready to move on. If possible, you should alert your client that you will be ending your relationship with them a few weeks before you actually do. That way, they will be able to find someone else to provide them with the content they need.

Remember to be a professional.

Ending a relationship with one of your clients doesn’t mean that you have to burn any bridges. Don’t badmouth your client to anybody and continue to stay connected with them on social media. Keep in mind that you may find yourself needing to reach out to this client again in the future! Maintaining a good reputation with all of the clients you’ve written for is important for any freelancer.

If you want to start connecting with clients who will give you the kind of high-quality writing jobs you deserve, it’s time to discover Writers Work! We’ve set out to provide freelancers with access to the resources they need to pursue successful writing careers, whether on a full-time basis or as a side hustle. If you’d like to learn more about us, visit our website and check out our introductory video today!