When the Client Hates Your Writing

By Dana Prince

In my last post I talked about the need for a thick freelance writing skin but let’s delve a bit deeper. Beyond being able to take it on the chin once in a while, there will be times when you need to act after being criticised. What should a writer do when a freelance client hates the work they’ve turned in?

If everything you write is getting rejected that’s a bigger problem than I’m prepared to deal with here but if you’re like most freelance writers you get it right most of the time but have the odd occasion crop up where a client doesn’t beam with joy after you’ve sent them your work. An important first question to ask is “Why?”

Why might the writing piece not be what they want?

• Did the client not communicate clearly?

• Did you have an ‘off’ day?

• Was your chosen writing voice wrong for the client’s project?

• Is the client just difficult? Maybe even Bob Bly wouldn’t have impressed them much. (hey, I bet it even happens to Bob once in a while)

What should you do?

1. Try to make it right.

That’s it. No alternatives.

How do you make it right? Ask the client how. Very often, their response will immediately tell you which of the above categories fits and then you can decide how to move forward. There are times when a simple revision will help, and there are going to be times when you need to spend a lot of time on rewrites. There will also be the odd occasion where you’ll both decide to move on and probably won’t work together again. If you do your best to try to make it right, you can walk away looking and feeling like a professional.

How you make things right is going to depend on the scenario. It might involve a quick fix. Or, you could work tirelessly until they’re happy. You could discount the project so they can hire a rewriter themselves (not typically advisable). Or, you could tell the client your rewrite fee (because you clearly followed their directions and now they’re trying to ask for things outside the scope of the original writing contract) and see if they’re willing to pay for a revision before you touch the work again. Try to take a careful look at each situation before reacting.

Tips for Reducing the Likelihood of the Client Hating Your Writing Work

-Adequate research. Make sure you write with the appropriate amount of authority and that will usually take at least some research. The amount of research should be reflected in your price quote. No one should be willing to spend all day searching for a $15 article. Are you quoting based on the required effort? If you quote a client too low, chances are that you won’t deliver what they want because you won’t spend an adequate amount of time on it. In your mind, you’ve probably assigned a time value to the piece of work because of the dollar value you’ve quoted.

-Ask the client for examples of the writing style they like. They may have a white paper or an article somewhere that could help you find the perfect voice and style for their project.

-Ask explicit questions about the project before you write. (I always say, “Better questions now than rewrites later.”)Too many writers don’t ask questions to find out what their client wants. I have a questionnaire that I give new clients for their projects. Your client questionnaire is probably going to be a living document as it’ll change based on your offerings and your experience. Hopefully you don’t deal with negative client reactions often but each difficult project you have will probably teach you something about yourself, your skills, and about how to handle client problems in the future.

Don’t Get Frustrated. Get Prepared Instead

Here’s my advice: Be prepared for a rewrite every time. If you find yourself feeling like you are getting frustrated about rewrite requests, it’s a good idea to consider when sending in a project that it’s always going to be a first draft. If you always anticipate at least one rewrite in terms of planning your time and pricing out the project, you’ll feel much less frustration when you’re asked for a rewrite. If you have any sage words of advice for dealing with clients that hate something you’ve written, please share!