If you’ve taken on clients as a freelance writer, you know that it’s not always a smooth experience. Sometimes, you run into clients that are difficult to deal with.

Often, you can catch this early on, but you need to know what to look for. Here are the 3 red flags to watch out for:

There’s a lot more to these red flags than you might think. Each one tells you a lot about a prospective client.

Here’s an in-depth look at each warning sign:

1. The client is vague and unclear.

As I mentioned in the video, lack of clarity means communication issues, and that means it’s harder for you to do your job. But it can also result in client dissatisfaction, and they might even blame you for it (even though you don’t deserve it).

Why? Because most times, clients think they’re giving you sufficient information, but a lot of what they should actually say just stays in their heads. If you don’t make it clear that you’re not on the same page, the client could end up being disappointed and pointing the finger at you. Don’t be afraid to ask for more detail!

2. The client asks a ton of questions.

While this is an obvious sign of micromanagement, it’s also a sign of communication problems. Clients who ask you a lot of questions will expect a lot of answers, sometimes more than you can give. Sometimes, they’ll expect way too much. If you don’t answer their every question immediately, they’ll stop trusting you, which is very manipulative behavior. This is a serious red flag that shouldn’t be overlooked.

3. The client won’t pay you upfront.

More than anything, this signals a lack of trust. Of course, you should have a contract ready for your clients to sign (and we provide an example in our No B.S. Course on Freelance Writing), but if your client still isn’t willing to pay upfront, that’s a huge warning sign that they have reservations about you, and that’s not the best way to start a working relationship.

Remember, you’re a seller of a product––you’re selling the client your writing services. Can you imagine going into a bookstore, buying a book, and telling the person behind the counter that you’ll pay half now and half once you’ve read the book? It’s the same concept, but many clients don’t think of it this way.

Your turn: What red flags have you seen from troublesome clients and/or prospects?

Just as you don’t want anyone to steal your work, you don’t want to steal anyone else’s work. Even if you’re already taking precautions against plagiarizing anyone, you might have wondered if you’re doing enough.

I answer this question in Episode 10 of Freelance FAQ. Check it out:

In short, unless you’re copying large portions of text without citing, you’ll be fine. In most cases, all you need to do is include a link to your source.

Specifically, the typical convention here is to hyperlink the relevant text. For example, if I wanted to reference our blog post on getting paid as a freelance writer, it would look something like this. It’s really that simple!

Of course, you’ll want to check the editorial guidelines of the publication or client you’re writing for. Virtually everyone uses this style, but it does still depend on the publication. It never hurts to go through the writer’s guidelines and check out other posts as well.

Your turn: Have you ever written for a publication or client who required extensive citations?

We get a lot of questions from writers asking how they can protect their work from being plagiarized.

Technically, nothing’s stopping people from simply copying and pasting your work and trying to pass it off as their own.

But is this really something you need to worry about? Check out our latest FAQ video for the answer:

You might be thinking, “But what about work that doesn’t have my name on it? Is that safe?” This is a great question because there are many cases in which you won’t get a byline. A good example is writing website copy for a small business.

In situations like that, plagiarism is still very uncommon. And since most non-bylined work is done for someone else, if a writer or business rips that off, then it’s your client who will suffer, not you.

All in all, plagiarism just isn’t a real threat anymore. Of course, it’s good to take all the precautions you can, but the idea of someone stealing your work doesn’t need to keep you up at night.

Your turn: Has your freelance writing work ever been plagiarized? How did you find out and what did you do?

If you’re interested in ghostwriting, you may have wondered whether it’s possible to use ghostwritten work in your portfolio. It seems like the answer is obviously no, but this isn’t always the case.

In this FAQ episode, I talk about using ghostwriting in your portfolio and answer some tough questions on the topic. Check it out here:

As a thank you for visiting our blog and supporting us, I’ll let you in on a secret.

There’s another big consideration when it comes to using ghostwriting work in your portfolio, and it’s often a deal breaker.

If you’ve watched some of our other videos, you may have heard me talk about social proof. As a writer, you need social proof, and that usually comes in the form of being published on reputable, trustworthy sites. Just like a restaurant wants lots of good reviews, you want lots of good bylines.

When you ghostwrite, your work isn’t published under your own name, which means you don’t get explicit credit for the work. And even if you can use it in your portfolio, ghostwritten work can often have far less social proof than a bylined article.

Also, if no name is on a piece of writing, then anyone could have written it. On the other hand, if your name is credited, then it’s undoubtedly your work.

This doesn’t mean that ghostwriting is worthless––it can be extremely lucrative. However, if you want to build a portfolio, you’ll need to think critically before including any ghostwritten work.

Your turn: Do you have any ghostwritten work in your portfolio? Why or why not?

I’ve gotten a few questions about ghostwriting, and I decided to make that this week’s Freelance FAQ topic.

In today’s video, I cover the benefits of ghostwriting. Check it out:

As I mention in the video, ghostwriting isn’t for everyone. But it’s a very lucrative career path, and you can end up getting a lot of experience.

The majority of my writing work over the last few years has been ghostwriting, and I’ve gotten a lot of knowledge and skills from that experience. I’ve been published in some of the top publications in the world, and while it’s not under my name, I now know what it takes to get there.

Of course, writing under someone else’s name might be a deal breaker. If you’re looking to build authority in your niche, then ghostwriting is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you’re not out to build authority and just want to get more writing jobs, ghostwriting has a lot to offer.

Your turn: What questions do you have about ghostwriting?

In the last episode of Freelance FAQ, I discussed why you shouldn’t use unpublished work in your portfolio, but that’s just one aspect of portfolio curation. While you don’t want to use unpublished work, you also shouldn’t use just everything you have published.

When you’re choosing pieces for your portfolio, you need to have certain factors in mind. The three big factors are quality, relevancy, and authority. Watch the video below to learn more about these, and stick around below for some extra discussion.

To illustrate these concepts, I’ll discuss how I chose pieces for my portfolio.

First of all, take a look at my portfolio. (You don’t have to read the articles––just take a peek at what pieces I’ve included.)

Here’s why I included those pieces:

1. Quality

These pieces represent my best writing, and that’s a big reason why I chose them. But to really understand this, you need to see a comparison.

Here’s one piece from my portfolio that I particularly like. It’s packed full of useful information, and I wrote it quite recently, so it reflects the skills I’ve polished over the last five years.

In comparison, here’s a piece I’ve written that I didn’t include in my portfolio. It’s not bad writing, but it doesn’t exactly match the tone I have now. I also don’t think it’s as well written as the pieces in my portfolio. Again, it’s not bad, but it doesn’t meet my current quality standards.

2. Relevancy

There are many pieces I’ve written that just aren’t relevant to my career as a writer today. As you’ve seen, I’ve developed a professional, informative tone, and I almost always use that tone no matter the topic.

However, in the past, I didn’t always use that style. Here’s an article I wrote that features a far more casual style. I use anecdotes and the first person heavily, and those elements don’t really appear in my writing anymore.

3. Authority

Other pieces I’ve written, like this one, are simply on sites that almost no one has ever heard of. I should mention that this isn’t a deal breaker––I still have articles in my portfolio that were written for smaller sites––but it’s still a factor I consider. If a piece isn’t on an authority site and doesn’t match my current style, it doesn’t make the cut.

And here’s one bonus tip: Don’t use too many pieces in your portfolio. I’ve seen portfolios with hundreds of pieces, and at that point, you’re not showcasing your absolute best work. By slimming it down, you’ll prioritize quality over quantity. I have 19 right now, and I think that’s plenty. I don’t intend to go over 20 at any point. If I want to include new pieces in my portfolio, I’ll simply remove some old ones.

Your turn: How have you selected pieces for your portfolio? We want to hear from you, so tell us in the comments below.

Whenever we hold a Q&A session, we almost always get this question. It’s on a lot of new writers’ minds, and so I wanted to answer it conclusively in this video.

While having a large portfolio and lots of experience is great, you don’t need any of that to get started. You can get published without any prior experience––you just need to find the right publications.

Typically, you’ll want to look at small- to medium-sized blogs. There’s a certain sweet spot to look for. You want to find blogs that don’t require previous experience, and ideally, you should get paid for your work. (If you’re still working for free, watch this.)

If you’re struggling to get started, don’t worry––we’re here to help! Here are 3 tips for getting published without any experience at all.

1. Refine your search.

When most writers start out, they don’t exactly know where to look, so they end up looking all over the place.

However, it’s much better to take a targeted approach. This will save you a lot of time and effort, and you’ll have a higher chance of getting published.

First, consider your niche. Try to find blogs that are directly in your niche to start with.

Second, don’t consider the top tier of publications. I’m talking about publications like the New York Times and Better Homes & Gardens. (I’m not saying that you can’t ever get published at this level, but when you’re starting out, these kinds of places are simply out of your reach.)

Third, make use of keywords and search operators. (I go over these in the webinar linked at the bottom of this post.)

2. Browse blog lists.

Many writing-based sites will compile tens and sometimes even hundreds of blogs into one big list. This makes it much cleaner and easier to find the right blog for you. Many of these lists are even organized by industry, so you can easily find blogs in your niche.

Freedom With Writing has hundreds of blog lists, and it’s a wonderful place to start your blog hunt. Our members also have access to a database of over 1,200 publishers.

Also – if you sign up for Thursday’s webinar, we’ll be sending you a very relevant bonus after the webinar. (Yes, you’ll have to wait a bit!)

Sign Up Here.

3. Don’t make a big deal out of your lack of experience.

When you pitch your ideas, it might be tempting to include a note explaining your lack of publication, but don’t do it!

As I mentioned earlier, many editors don’t mind if you don’t have experience. If you draw attention to it, you’ll only be needlessly emphasizing your shortcomings.

Instead, lead with a fantastic pitch. If your pitch is compelling, it’ll do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

So don’t be discouraged! You don’t need years of experience to get published.

One last thing: Pitching is mostly a numbers game. You have to do it over and over to get good at it. Even great writers can get rejected 9 times out of 10. The more you pitch, the better off you’ll be, so get out there and start pitching!

If you’d like to learn more about blog writing, check out our free hour-long webinar:

If you pitch to publications on a regular basis, you might have run into some roadblocks.

One of the most common issues is being unable to find which editor you should pitch. On the other hand, sometimes you know which department to pitch but can’t find the name of the specific editor to pitch.

Here are a few tips for finding the right editor:

You might be thinking, “But what if I can’t find anything at all?”

If you’ve tried the 3 tips in the video and still can’t find a name, then don’t worry about it. While you should always do your homework, it’s ultimately on the publication to provide submission information. If they don’t list the editor’s name, you can’t be expected to know it.

Now, you should still try––it’s a good practice to know who you’re pitching to, and it can set you apart from other writers. At the same time, there’s only so much you can do.

This raises another question: What greeting do you use if you can’t find a name? There’s not one right answer, but there are some generally accepted greetings you can use:

• “Dear editor” – This is a good standard greeting if you can’t find the name of an editor.
• “Hello!” – A bit less formal and more enthusiastic, this mostly neutral greeting is good for most blogs.
• “Hello _____ editors!” or “Hello _____ team!” – Slightly chummier, these greetings are good for more informal publications with fun styles.
• “Greetings!” – This is a more generic greeting, but it might suit your writing style more closely.

There is only one big NO: Never use “to whom it may concern” or “dear sir or madam.” These greetings are severely dated, impersonal, and frankly a bit lazy. You need to do everything you can to catch an editor’s attention, and that includes your email greeting. The “to whom it may concern” alternatives above are much better and will work in your favor.

Your Turn: Which of these email greetings is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below.