Hello, My Reader 👋
When we start freelancing, we barely know the fundamentals, just move with the generic details like the budget, the domain, and when we can start.
When I Started Freelancing, I had only a few questions
“What’s your budget?”
“What’s the domain?”
“How many blogs do you want?”
That’s it.That was my entire discovery call.
Not:
What’s your website about?
What domain are you in?
How many blogs do you need?
Will you provide keywords, or should I handle it?
What tone do you want?
How many revisions are included?
What exactly are your expectations?
I didn’t know a single thing about project clarity, scoping, or content strategy.I just had a writer mindset.And when you enter freelancing with a writer mindset, you only think like a writer — not like a service provider.
Why This Happens to Every New Freelancer
We don’t know what “real work” looks like behind the scenes.No one teaches us about:
How client calls work
What to ask before quoting
How to build a proposal
What deliverables need to be clarified?
How to position ourselves beyond “I write content”
So we keep saying yes, yes, yes… without knowing what we’re saying yes to.
And honestly? You can’t ask the right questions unless someone teaches you what those questions even are.
How did I Learnt About These Questions?
If I talk about myself, I was lucky enough to have the guidance of Viraj sir, who taught us:
How to be a salesperson in this world?
How to convert a client with your positioning skills?
How to deal with a client with a low budget?
How to negotiate your rates?
How to go beyond the mindset of a writer?
And many other things in the writing world, whether you’re freelancing or full-time.
So I knew more than those who start with zero tips or learnings.
What I Do Now
I don’t jump into the price first.I start with the project.
Before speaking to a client, I check:
Their website
Their existing content
Their tone and target audience
What’s missing and what can be improved
If I can suggest anything additional
And now… I have a fixed question set that I ask my clients, or I sometimes tailor it based on the project.
I ask about:
Scope of work, like no of blogs, word count, etc
The strategy they are following has any
Expectations in terms of content, tone, results, responsibilities, etc (there I pitch my other services based on their needs)
Who is going to do keyword research
Content Briefs
Content formats
No of Revisions
Timeline for each piece
Metrics they want to hit
How they plan to use the content
When you ask the right questions…You position yourself differently.Clients see that you understand the work.And suddenly you’re not “just a writer” — you’re someone who can take ownership.
The Truth? My Network Taught Me This
I really wish someone had told me all this earlier.
But most of my learning happened because of my network.When you talk to experienced freelancers, founders, and creators — you get to know the mistakes you’re making before and how they become costly.
If you’re freelancing: build a good network.Your growth becomes 10× faster and brings you referrals.
Freelancing is not something that comes easily and runs smoothly.
It requires constant efforts, learning, hunting, pitching, outreach, and facing rejections, even after sending 10 pitches a day, and still showing up daily because consistency and hard work beat everything.
So if you’re a freelancer who has just started or someone who is still building, please know, you’re not alone. We are sailing in the same boat.
Well, I hope this edition will be helpful in your next client call if you’re struggling with the same problem. And if you know someone who’s facing the same issue, share this edition with them.
Also Check:
This month was no less than a roller coaster ride, packed with lots of learning, work, and some new stuff (will share in the next edition)
Also, I’m working on something interesting and might reveal it on LinkedIn as well as here later. So you'd better hit the subscribe button not to miss any further editions.
If my questions or this edition helps you in any way, let me know by replying to this newsletter or by sliding in my DM 👀
Have an amazing weekend,
See you in the next edition,
Take care!!
With Love,
Divya ✍️