If you have a client who you have written for and who always seemed to like your work but who hasn’t sent you any work in a while, it can be hard to know how to reach out to them. You want to ask that client if they have work for you, but you need to figure out how to do that in the most effective way. Here are some of our favorite tips for freelancers who want to successfully secure more work from an old client.
Communicate
Start off new communication with your old client by asking them how they are doing. You are not going to be doing any work for them if they have cut you off because of health or financial issues that they are dealing with. Let them know that you have been thinking of them and that you hope that they are doing well.
Flatter
After you have asked the client how they are doing, then you can bring up the fact that you enjoyed working with them in the past. You might even want to get detailed and let them know what it was that you enjoyed most about writing for them. Share the fact that you always put all of your effort into the work that you did for them.
Remind
Make sure that you leave your contact information so that the old client knows how to get into touch with you if they decide that they need your help. They are likely busy with their own lives and forgot to reach out. A simple reminder may just be what they need.
Sometimes, clients won’t come back with more work and this is okay. They may have stopped needing freelance writing services, opted to go with a different freelancer or lack the money to pay you. Just because they don’t need you now, doesn’t mean that they won’t in the future. So keep it cordial.
One of my most popular services is Manuscript Editing, where I closely edit novels, non-fiction books, and other long forms of text. Very often, clients will come to me to edit book 1, book 3, book 4 and so on. For many clients, they tried a low-cost service for book 2. They ended up spending more on hourly rates, frustrated themselves with poor customer service, and got a worse end result. By making a note to follow up with them and put the relationship first, they very often come back. It just takes time.