Why Private Client Work Is My Priority

With private clients, this will look like pocket change!

All freelance writers want to earn more money for the same quantity and quality of work. All freelance writers want to write less, and earn more for their valuable time. Therefore, all freelance writers want work from private clients, and not content mills.

Unlike content mills, private clients are able to compensate you properly for your work. Instead of earning a meager $15 per article, you could be earning double, triple, or even 10 times this amount! 

Unfortunately, not everyone has clients that pay this much. While you're marketing and creating a brand for yourself, you might have to take lower-paying work from private clients, so you can pay all your bills on time. But what happens when you take on private clients that pay less than some content mills?

My Situation

When I first started freelance writing, I was very happy to take on private clients who paid $8 to $13 per article. This was more than what I made at content mills like Textbroker. Well, one month after getting my first and second clients, I got accepted into Demand Media Studios. 

I was actually making more at a content mill than for a private client. The moment I was accepted into Demand Media Studios, the less encouraged I felt to continue writing for my private clients. Right now, I still love writing for my two private clients, and I don't want to let them go. Yet I prefer writing for Demand Media Studios. 

Writing for Demand Studios takes more thought than writing for my private clients, but I do manage to write their articles in less time. Therefore, my hourly rate is always higher when I work for Demand Media Studios instead of my private clients. Because of the higher hourly rate, I write for Demand Media Studios during the week, and then write my private client articles last minute.

The Problem

Yesterday, I realized that starting and completing client work the same day that it's due is not very smart or business-like. In the afternoon, I finished a Demand Media Studios article and submitted it right on the spot. Instead of being taken to my Demand Media Studios Workdesk, my browser took me to an error page.

Fortunately, I wrote my article in Microsoft Word and just copied and pasted it into the template. Of course, I was very irritated with the idea of copying and pasting the article into the template again. I hated doing it once, why would I want to do it again?

I soon found out it wasn't an error, but that my Internet access was being wacky. Slightly worried, I simply thought that it was my Wi-Fi, and I went to work on my desktop that was connected to the router. No success accessing the Internet.

I didn't depend on my part-time freelance writing to pay the bills, but I still had butterflies in my stomach. I had yet to write any of the six articles that my two private clients require me to write every week. Just the idea of missing a deadline killed my spirit.

The Solution

Fortunately, I got the Internet to start working again after resetting the router. (I'm brilliant, aren't I?) Even though I had access to the Internet, I still felt very nervous. What if it happened again? What would I do then?

As soon as I submitted the Demand Media Studios article, I began to work on my private client work. Fortunately, I finished and submitted all the articles in one day. Never again would I wait until the last day to write my articles like a college student who has a dear friend named procrastination.

Ever since that day, I vowed to complete all my private client work before working on a single Demand Media Studios article.