Increase your writing income by subcontracting
I've made thousands of dollars in some months by subcontracting, and you can too
Hi friend,
I love subcontracting. I’ve been on both ends of subcontracting agreements—I’ve been the person doing the outsourcing and the person who was subcontracted to—and it is an arrangement that has been very lucrative. Today, I want to talk about being the subcontractor.
Some of my clients who outsourced work to me have sent me several thousand dollars worth of work in a month. They know what I love doing (blog posts for firms in the financial and legal industries) and whenever they have such clients come in, they reach out to me.
While it might seem counterintuitive—why would a freelancer or an agency hire me to do work they can do?—there are many reasons to outsource.
Why freelancers outsource
They’ve had a new project come in and they’re too busy to do all the work but they don’t want to give up the income (or they’re trying to scale their business).
They’ve had a request for a quote for work that isn’t in their niche but they still want to be involved in the project and possibly learn from it to build a new niche.
They’ve begun work on a project but something’s come up—maybe an illness in the family or something that pulls their time—and they need a subcontractor to enable them to get on top of their workload or complete work by deadline.
They have a skill in one area (say, writing) but they know they lack in another area (such as editing). This is an area I often hire in because I know I have difficulty editing documents I’ve written.
Why agencies outsource
They have a big client or project they want to take on but none of their in-house staff has the expertise to carry out the work and they don’t want to hire someone full-time.
They have a big client or project they want to take on but their current in-house staff is overworked and they need someone to take it off their hands.
They have a small amount of work on a short-term project, so they don’t want to hire full-time staff to take it on.
They work internationally and they need someone in the country their audience is in to do the writing or editing for them. Among my best clients is an American firm who provides marketing for American businesses in Canada. They need someone here who knows our lingo and our conventions.
How outsourcing works
A freelancer or agency is hired by a client to take on a project. That person or company then hires you on a short-term basis to carry out some or all of the terms of the project. They are responsible for overseeing the entire project, letting you know what they need, and ensuring the client pays them. You are responsible for carrying out your end of the project and making sure your client pays you.
Being a subcontractor is great for freelancers who
Are new to the industry and looking to build their portfolio (freelancers will typically hire someone with less experience so they can pay a little less in exchange—but don’t let them pay you less than you’re worth!)
Love collaborating with others.
Don’t want to bother with project management or client communications. Yes, you still have to deal with your client but you don’t have to set the terms of the project.
Have expertise in a field.
How to get into subcontracting
Join associations and network. Get to know other writers and editors and let them know you’d be willing to work with them on their projects.
Reach out to marketing agencies to let them know about your services.
Post about it on social media, so people know to reach out to you if they have short-term projects they need to outsource. Maintain those relationships.
Let your current clients and others in your network know you’re willing to subcontract. If you have a niche or speciality, let them know what it is.
Most of my subcontracting work has come to me in one of two ways: either through my network when a writer or editor I know reached out to see if I could help them; or through LinkedIn, where project managers at marketing agencies saw my posts and reached out to see if I could take on projects.
Some of my subcontracting relationships have lasted years. They haven’t always been consistent—after all, they only come to me when they have projects for me to work on—but generally speaking once they’ve hired me for one project, they think of me for future work as well.
How to protect yourself as a subcontractor
Because you’re reliant on someone else to manage the relationship and the project, you’ll need to take steps to protect yourself. This is true of any relationship, but some of the framing of the issue shifts when you’re a subcontractor.
If your contact at an agency leaves their role, the new person might have their own freelancers they want to work with—or may not want to work with freelancers at all. Some strategies for dealing with this are to maintain a relationship with the original person, as they may still be able to hire freelancers in their new role; ask for an introduction to the new person taking over the role; and diversify your income so you’re not overly reliant on one person in one position at one company.
Make sure you get paid enough for the work you do. Even as a new freelancer, you should be paid at least a livable amount to do the work as a subcontractor. Whatever your regular rate is, charge it. If the person you’re working for hasn’t charged enough for the project, that’s not your issue, that’s theirs. Don’t let it stop you from charging your regular rate.
Also important is to make sure your payment isn’t contingent on the person hiring you getting paid. Some clients will put off paying you until they get paid, but you should be paid regardless. After all, you’ve done the work and you have no control over whether they charge a deposit or how effective they are at collecting payment. Make sure you have clear payment terms that aren’t dependent on their terms.
Have a contract (or letter of agreement) in place so both sides are protected in case of a disagreement, whether that’s over pay, scope of work, deadlines, or anything else you could disagree about.
Remember that as a subcontractor you likely won’t get any bylines for the work you’re doing. This doesn’t mean you can’t use it in your portfolio, but you’ll need to check with your client before using it. If you can’t use the work in a portfolio, ask your client if they’ll write a testimonial for you to go on your website and social media.
If you’re looking to build your portfolio, gain experience, move into a new niche, or just earn more money, being a subcontractor can be highly worthwhile.
Here’s to your freelance success,
Heidi