Rejection is a part of life. But when you’re a freelancer, every “no” can dent your pocketbook just as much as your ego. And let’s face it. Writing is a deeply personal profession.

You may be writing about a toaster, but part of your job is to connect with the reader. That means you have to develop a personal relationship with the toaster and really like it. In some ways, the copy you write about the toaster becomes one of your babies and you’re not going to like it if someone tells you they think your baby is ugly.

But it’s going to happen. You can’t avoid rejection, but you can learn to deal with it better. First, don’t take it personally, because it’s not personal, it’s business. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. It does mean you just weren’t the right fit. Here are some of the main reasons clients don’t hire you.

• Price – another writer may have been cheaper
• Experience – another writer may have more experience 
• Nepotism – they may have interviewed other writers because of company policy, then given the job to a family member, friend or writer they’ve worked with previously
• Fit – you (either because of your workflow or voice/style) may not have been the right type of writer to work with their company

There are as many reasons as there are clients. Understanding these reasons exist won’t change the facts, but it will help you stop telling yourself you suck. Now let’s look at some tips for taking the sting out.

Remember: It’s Not You, It’s Them

Author J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter manuscript was rejected by 14 publishers before it was finally picked up by U.K. publishing house Bloomsbury (bet those other guys are kicking themselves now!). The brand (including books, films and tie-in merchandise) is now worth $15 billion. If such a prolific novel by such a talented author could be rejected over a dozen times, your rejection is certainly not proof you’re a hack.

Solicit Three More Clients for Every One Who Says “No”

According to veteran copywriter James Lindsey, “NO” stands for “New Opportunity.” I’ll let you read his article for more details, but my takeaway is this: if the customer thought you weren’t the right fit, they were probably right. Don’t spend time worrying about what you did wrong. Throw yourself into finding another one… one you’ll probably like better, anyway. 

After my last rejection, I began working soon after for a major online women’s magazine, a job I wouldn’t have had time to take had I accepted a weighty assignment from the other client. Not only is working for for the women’s magazine a lot more fun than a whitepaper for a financial services firm, it turned out to be more money in the long-run because they kept hiring me.

Celebrate Your Rejection

You heard me! Rejection is a badge of honor for freelancers. You’re not really one of us until it’s happened at least three times (if not 100). Call a friend, go for a coffee or beer and toast to the client who gave you another battle scar to brag about!

If All Else Fails…

Rejection often hurts the most when you feel like the client meeting went really well. In those situations, it’s hard not to over-analyze the meeting. “Did he hate my joke about zebras and just laughed to be nice?” “Did she call one of my other clients who secretly hates me?” You’ll drive yourself crazy!

For the next time you can’t get the noise to stop, bookmark this video from BruBearBaby, who posted a video of his 8-year-old son, Micah, laughing hysterically as daddy rips up a rejection letter. If you aren’t in a great mood after this, you should probably seek professional help.

Just noticed this post at Men with Pens about how to get more from your freelancer. I hope all my clients read this (though most already abide by it, I'm happy to say). As guest blogger James Hipkins points out, we freelancers are only asking for what every business professional wants.

The only comment I'd add is about item three. I expect to get paid fairly for the work I do and have set my rates based on local market value, my level of experience, etc., but I don't mind haggling within reason. Asking me to give you half off a $200 project the first time I work with you isn't kosher. But asking me to come down $50 on a $750 project in order to fit into the budget your boss gave you isn't unreasonable (nor do I think that's what James was trying to say).

If you don't already, I highly recommend you subscribe to the Men with Pens feed. Either way, take a look at the article in question at Men with Pens.

I read an interesting article last week on the importance of copywriting in design. Graphic designer Joshua Johnson, the article's author, made a great point about many designers' attitudes about copywriting. You can read the whole blog here, but his conclusion was that copy is at least as important, if not more important, than design and that a lot of freelance designers ignore it. Basically, Johnson encourages freelance designers to learn to write copy. I agree with Johnson wholeheartedly. But... 

The Solution

 Your clients are paying for copywriting whether you do it or a copywriter does it. So why not hire a pro and focus on killer design? Find one or more copywriters online or in your area to be your go-to source(s). You can just quote the writing (with the writer's input, of course) as part of the design package and outsource it or simply encourage your client to hire one of the writers from your list. 

The result will be better quality work for your client because both of the people working on the project do one thing... really, really well.  

Ah, the good ol' Flux Capacitor, that opus creation of Dr. Emmett Brown, enabling an ordinary DeLorean to travel through time in a flash of fire and light. Only one problem -- it doesn't exist. They made it up.

When your writing is intended to sell or explain a product or service, that kind of creativity can backfire. Your audience knows who's in charge – and it isn't you. They'll change the channel or hit the "delete" or "back" button the instant they decide they have no interest in what you're trying to say. And this is where flux capacitors can get you into trouble.

When you're trying to connect with your audience (and ultimately, get them to buy from you), every word or phrase has to be carefully crafted and considered. You have to decide what you're trying to make them take away and then say it in no uncertain terms. It doesn't matter how clever a turn of phrase is if it makes your reader stop reading. By now, you have to be wondering what flux capacitors have to do with copywriting. Think of it in terms of someone who's never seen Back to the Future. "What's a flux capacitor? Sure, it sounds like a real word, but what does it have to do with me? Am I stupid? Behind the times? Or is this email newsletter just not intended for me?" *Delete*

What's That Buzzing Noise?

Sometimes, flux capacitors come in the form of buzzwords. The problem with buzzwords is that half the time they're so overused they lose all real meaning and the other half, they're not words your audience would have any reason to know (industry-specific terms, for instance).

For example, a lot of my business clients really like the phrase "outside the box." It's one I'm frequently asked to work into their project. But, it's hard to work that into the copy when nothing they're doing really is "outside the box." If you say it's "outside the box" and it's not, you've lost all credibility. And to be sure, others have used it so often when it's not true, some readers dismiss that phrase altogether, so it may even be a bad idea when your concept really is "outside the box."

This is pretty common when people try to integrate their favorite marketing- or business-related buzzwords into their advertising copy. In general, if any word you're using sounds too much like "marketing speak" or fits in any way shape or form into a well-crafted human resources goal matrix, you should reconsider (unless those are the audiences you're targeting). And if your 12-year-old has no idea what you mean by…

our solution will create synergy within your customer-centric paradigms, increasing core competency and accountability management  with incremental learning metrics and outside-the-box approaches to…" (you get the picture)

…neither will most of your target audience. They may not be 12, but they don't have all day to work out your flowchart of modifiers and adjuncts, either. (And is it just me, or does that not actually mean anything?)

Alien Nation

Sometimes you can lose readers by using language they just don't know. They may be perfectly legitimate words. They aren't hateful or biased words. They're just words that most people don't use in their daily vocabulary. Maybe it's a word you found when you looked up "teamwork" in the thesaurus and found "synergy" and thought that would make you sound really smart. Maybe it's a word you use frequently because of your familiarity with a particular industry (e.g., ROI, parse, ratline).

For example, I have one client who really likes the word "cadre." He uses it frequently in communications with long-time colleagues. There's nothing wrong with that word in general. It has a very specific meaning with connotations you can't often find with similar words or phrases like "crew" or "work force." A majority of his long-time contacts have a similar background, so they all know what he means.

However, it has a distinctly military connotation overall. Indeed, as a Vietnam veteran, that's likely where he added that phrase to his daily vocabulary. Unfortunately, it probably means very little to most people in his more general target audience. Had we used that word on his website, he probably would've lost a large portion of his audience as they either a) went to a more customer-friendly website for the information they needed or b) rushed off to Dictionary.com to look it up and realized they must be on the wrong website if a military term is being tossed around. Think of all the lost potential sales!

Don't Dumb it Down, Just Simplify

The best advice here is to keep it simple and use the same words you'd use if you were explaining your job or company to an outsider (because you are). Don't get fancy with your thesaurus and the vocabulary words from your advanced aviation class. Just talk to people in a language they understand. There's no need to dumb it down. People just don't have time to painstakingly read every single thing trying to find the relevant information (and there are other devices to help with that, but we'll discuss that in another blog). Simplifying won't make you relevant if you're not, but it will give you a shot at the people who really need you.

I won’t lie. When I became a freelance writer, I had delusions of grandeur. I imagined myself sitting on the beach with my laptop and a Mai-Tai. I’d spend a few hours writing major television campaigns for thousands of dollars then move to the next vacation spot and the next well-paying client. By now, my fellow seasoned freelancers have probably snorted* your beverages of choice all over your keyboards (sorry).

The reality of freelancing is much different. Now you’re a business. You’re not just the talent, anymore; you’re the marketer, the salesperson, the bookkeeper, the receptionist and the janitor (among other things). Being a freelancer is hard work. Running a business is hard work – which brings me to the purpose of this blog...

In an ideal world, you'd hire experts to do everything for you. All businesspeople would have a writer and writers would have bookkeepers and business advisors and receptionists (etc.). But we don't live in an ideal world and sometimes you need a little help to DIY. In this blog, I’ll post about:

• Writing (for pros, laypeople and everyone in between)
• Working effectively with creative professionals (since they seemed to have skipped that class in most MBA programs)
• Business tips for creative professionals
• Handy (or just plain fun) technology and gadgets for freelancers, independents and small businesses

This blog is for creative freelancers and independent and small business professionals (or anyone else who's interested in the information). The primary goal is to give you useful, practical, executable advice to help you make your business grow (and hopefully, to entertain you).

If you have any specific topics you’d like to see me address (or just want to drop me a line), send me an email at heather@writinginredink.com.

*Editor’s Note: I have to say, when I started working on my blog, I never imagined I’d use the word “snorted” in my first post.