Hello hello! This week I have another installment in the series “8 Questions With ...” featuring one of my favorite — and one of the most helpful — freelancers around, Kat Boogaard.
I’m extremely excited to chat with Kat this week because her freelance world is slightly different from the one I live in, but it’s one that I know so many people want to get more into but aren’t sure how. Thankfully, Kat dishes the goods and then some on how to expand your freelance business beyond journalistic and news writing. (Spoiler: Just email people! Reach out! LinkedIn is your friend!)
Read on, then follow Kat on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and subscribe to her wonderful newsletter that’s full of super useful advice and tips that cover all types of freelancing — and how to find that work.
But before we get there: I'm putting together a database of rates freelancers have been paid recently. If you wanna throw in a rate or two you got recently, I would love for you to fill out this quick little survey! I'll publish a regularly updated database weekly so we can all get a little more insight into who pays what and what we should be asking for. Click here to share some rates!
First things first: Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Kat, a Wisconsin-based freelance writer. I’ve been freelancing full-time for about 9-and-a-half years, and, at this point, I focus mostly on SEO blog posts/content marketing for software clients in the “world of work” space — anything from project management platforms to employee engagement solutions. I did what you’d consider more true “journalism” work earlier in my career (including working with Tim on a short piece for Smarter Living!). But for the past several years, it’s been pretty much all “content.”
1. How did you find one of your anchor gigs?
Honestly, anchor gigs feel more out of reach than they used to. I spent the bulk of my career working with anchor clients — submitting work every month on a consistent, predictable schedule. That’s all shifted right along with the economy and tech industry, though. Several of the clients I worked with the longest went through layoffs or other internal chaos and halted content operations, which meant that work dried up. I’m finding ways to replace it, but it’s still a grind out there right now!
But with all that said, when I look back on my steadiest and longest-running gigs, I got them all either through referrals or cold outreach. I landed the client I wrote for the longest (a whopping seven years, which is practically unheard of at this point) by sliding into the content manager’s LinkedIn DMs with a personalized pitch. Some of my other best opportunities have come through current clients who recommend or introduce me to other people in their network.
2. What’s a favorite recent story or project of yours, and how did you land it? What was your pitch process like?
I’m still working on the story right now, but it’s a piece about how supporting women at work doesn’t automatically equate to supporting mothers at work. I think so much of the existing research and information about empowering women in the workplace either directly or subtly ties back to being a mother (think about all of the stuff you see that’s like, “Women need better work-life balance to meet the demands of their family!” or, “Women need pumping rooms and adequate maternity leave!”). And I’ve noticed that women in the workforce who aren’t mothers seem to get completely overlooked and left out of the conversation. So, I’m excited to dig into that.
As far as the pitch process, it was a little different than what you’d usually expect. I’m writing the story for a current, long-running client of mine. We recently had a call to review the upcoming content calendar and brainstorm fresh takes or ideas, and I pitched this story. They loved it, so I got to move forward with it.
It was definitely a little easier than the typical pitch process since I’m already actively working with the client. I didn’t need to work to get their attention.
3. When was the last time you negotiated a rate, and were you successful? How did you do it?
I just raised my rates with several of my recurring clients at the start of the year! I was nervous about it, especially given the state of everything right now (picture me gesticulating wildly).
But I knew that I was overdue for a price hike. Plus, I’m feelin’ inflation and the crazy cost of living just like everybody else, so I knew a raise was warranted.
I kept it pretty simple. I sent an email to notify them that my prices were increasing and to let me know if they had any questions. They all approved the price increase without batting an eye (which is always a relief). I try to do moderate increases (only $50 or $100 or so) somewhat regularly, as I think that’s always easier for clients to stomach than a major price hike. You know, the ol’ boiling a frog thing.
I also recently had an interesting experience where I increased my rate mid-project (something I’ve never done before!). I wrote about that here.
4. Where do you generally find work?
It varies! Referrals have played a huge role in helping me land new opportunities. Otherwise, I occasionally search X and LinkedIn for key terms (like “hiring a freelance writer” or “looking for a freelance writer”) to see what comes up. That’s how I find many of the gigs I include in my newsletter. However, those often have a lot of competition — the same is true with job boards.
I’ve had the most success with cold outreach. In reality, it’s not all that cold. I’ll find an editor or content manager on LinkedIn, send a connection request with a personalized message, and then spend some time over the next few weeks or so engaging with their content. When I eventually summon my courage and swoop into their DMs with a pitch or a “hire me!” plea, at least we have some existing rapport.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing to the free or paid version of this newsletter. Paid subs get access to all past and future paid-only posts, the archive of recorded Zoom panels, a guide on the only pitch format you'll (mostly) ever need, tips for diversifying your freelance income, 50% off all Zoom workshops, and more. (Thursday’s newsletter: What editors *really* want.)
5. Can you talk about your process of generating story ideas?
I’m in a position where I don’t actually have to come up with a lot of story ideas; most of my pieces are assigned as part of a larger, existing content and keyword strategy.
I do occasionally like to bring some ideas to the table for my clients, though. I find it most helpful to stay in touch with what’s happening in my niche (in my case, the world of work). I subscribe to a lot of relevant newsletters, listen to related podcasts, and keep an eye on social media to see the current trends that people are talking about at work.
6. What are the different types of freelance writing you do, and what portion does each make up?
At this point, I’m focused almost exclusively on SEO content/content marketing. It’s all long-form content (blogs and ebooks) as opposed to copywriting. If I had to put a number on it, it makes up 95% of my workload. The other 5% is random, somewhat writing-adjacent projects. I just recently helped a client create a large content repository (a spreadsheet that details all of their existing content), as just one example.
7. How can people new to freelancing develop working relationships with editors and/or places that commission freelance work?
I know everybody rolls their eyes at the mention of LinkedIn (believe me, I get it), but it really is powerful for building relationships. Search for editors or content managers you want to connect with and then send them a personalized request. Periodically engage with their content by liking or commenting, send a friendly DM … you get the idea. Lay the groundwork.
I’ve also found some value in posting regularly to my own profiles, especially on LinkedIn. It helps you build or reinforce your brand (another “blegh” term, I know) and establish some credibility. I recently had a content manager I’ve been connected with on LinkedIn for three years reach out about working together. He mentioned wanting to work with me because he loves the tone of voice I use in my posts.
8. What’s one or two things you wish you had known at the start of your freelance career?
People aren’t thinking about you as much as you think they are. It’s so easy to overanalyze every little thing that happens — like why that person isn’t responding to your LinkedIn message or why your pitch was rejected — and assign ill intent to nearly anything.
In reality, people forget. Or they lose track of things. Or they never saw it. Or the calendar is already full. Or a million other reasons that have nothing to do with you being obnoxious/a shitty writer/any of the other lies you’re telling yourself.
Also, get an accountant that you like and trust.
Oh, a few other things …
Want to learn how to write the perfect pitch or structure a longform narrative feature? Great! I have workshops on exactly those topics coming up. Register here (and remember that paid subscribers get 50% off all Zoom events!):
April 11 @ 4 p.m. Eastern: Pitch perfect: Everything to know about pitching stories. Join me for a deep dive on strengthening your pitches, structuring them effectively, finding the right places to pitch your stories, how to follow up with editors, and much more.
April 15 @ 4 p.m. Eastern: The art of structuring a longform feature. Come along as I lead a deconstruction exercise of a longform narrative feature and give you tips on how to use those tools in your writing.
I am open for one-on-one coaching! Book a 30- or 60-minute Zoom call to cover anything you want, including pitch feedback, writing and/or editing coaching, story development, story editing, social strategy, and anything else. Book a timeslot here.
Psst … I’m (very) soft-launching the beta version of the FWT Slack. Eventually this will be a paid-only feature, but I would love for you to join and start participating! Once you’re in you’ll have access forever, whether you’re a paid sub or not, so join now and you’ll always have a place. Click here to join. (And I’d love any and all feedback you might have!)
Okay bye ily!
-Tim ❤️
As much as I've been hating cold emails lately (primarily because no one is replying lol), they're still such a good way to get work/land pitches!
Also such a great conversation with Kat! She's always got such great insights.
I got my first NYT commission from a cold email! Can confirm it's a gr8 strategy