Member-only story
5 Pitfalls To Avoid as a New Freelance Writer
Learn from my misadventures and avoid these mistakes
Some details of this story have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.
When you’re starting out as a freelance writer, the world seems full of possibilities. Unfortunately, inexperienced freelancers can become vulnerable to exploitation or fall victim to miscommunication and end up burning bridges with clients. Here’s my cautionary tale and pitfalls to avoid.
A few months ago, a marketing executive found me on Medium and asked if I would be interested in writing content for his company. I had only been writing regularly on Medium for six months, and this was the first time anyone had approached me about doing work off-platform.
In his email, he said he’d like me to create personal growth content (articles, YouTube videos, etc.) for his company’s website. I assumed he had read my learned optimism article in Human Parts and was interested in similar content. I was flattered and agreed to a Zoom call to flesh out the details.
Before the Zoom call, a VP from the company joined the email chain and said he would be stepping in to meet with me instead. I didn’t think much about the switch.
