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Not every client opportunity is worth saying yes to, and if you’ve been doing this for a few years, that "PITA” (pain in the @ss) client factor will be something you’ll feel in your gut on prospecting calls.

The more you learn to spot the sketchy clients—or the ones who are going to pile on the score creep — the better off your freelance business will be and the more money you’ll save on headache medicine.

Here are four red flags to watch for before you onboard a new freelance client:

They want it ALL for a very, very low price.

A client who loads up your plate but lowballs your rate is not the one you want a long-term relationship with. Your skills have a price tag, and it's not up for negotiation.

The scope keeps going and going without any further discussion of money.

You agreed to three blog posts. Now there's a CEO bio, seven social posts, and a "quick" style guide creation on the list. If the work keeps growing but the pay stays the same, that's a hard no.

They treat you like a 9-to-5 employee—but you don’t have the benefits to warrant that.

Weekend texts, mandatory team meetings a few times a week, all-day Slack availability... you didn't go freelance so you could be stuck at a desk all day.

If they want that kind of access—they might be looking for a fractional marketing role—make sure they’re paying for it. (If they ask for Slack or a similar messaging platform for communication, that’s not necessarily a red flag; just be upfront about your availability.)

They don’t have clear goals.

I try to get clients to share their KPIs (key performance indicators) of a project before we agree to work together. If they don’t know how they’ll manage the success of our working relationship, how will we know if we should keep going once the engagement is up.

Having questions like these (and their budget) answered before we get on a call through my Client Intake Form makes sure we’re all aligned on how to have a successful partnership. (AND it saves time.)

What I’m reading: Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (fiction) Main Street Millionaire by Codie Sanchez (nonfiction)

What I’m reading online: Your Career Isn’t a Side Hustle, It’s a Portfolio (Forbes)

What I published on LinkedIn: 3 Things Marketers Get Wrong about AI (according to an AI Educator)

What I published on Inc.com: AI Won’t Replace Marketers, but AI Savvy Employees Will

What I’m watching: Nashville on Netflix

If you’re enjoying the content I put out and want to support this newsletter that takes me about two hours a week to write, send $$ support via Buy me a coffee.

Every little bit helps me keep this going every week and share free advice on my blog.

Big Desk Energy: A newsletter from Beehiiv’s founder, Tyler Denk, which includes startup stories and relevant industry news

Kaitlyn Arford’s Freelance Opportunities: Kaitlyn does the hard work of sourcing WAY more jobs than I do and sends them out a few times a week. Hopefully you’ll find some gigs between her newsletter or mine.

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Here’s a roundup of creative, full-time, part-time, freelance, remote, and hybrid jobs in the editorial, copywriting, content writing, and creative fields. Good luck.

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