These Two Words Keep My Business Going

And freelance jobs that pay up to $90/hour

Author

Diana Kelly Levey
June 11, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

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Yes, you guessed it.

The words are “Thank You.”

But before you jump to the freelance jobs below, I encourage you to keep reading to learn how I use this phase in my business in a way that keeps clients, sources, and their network wanting to work with me.

The phrase is on my mind because my Littles are having ‘moving up’ ceremonies, “graduating” pre-K, and the oldest performed this Patty Shukla ‘Thank You’ graduation song last week.

I say “thank you” all the time in my business, and I’m guessing you do, too.

I think saying it more often than you think of is what can make you stand out to an editor.

Here are some phrases you can borrow:

Try it: “Thank you for your thoughtful edits.”

Why it works: I’m letting the editor know I appreciate the time and work they are doing to make my article the best it can be. Editing can be a thankless job and sometimes they come across haughty writers who are offended by every edit. I’m letting them know: I see you.

Try it: “Thank you for the assignment.”

Why it works: No one had to give me this assignment. The projects and assignments my editors give me help me pay for my mortgage, childcare, food bills, electricity, retirement, and everything in between. They could have given the assignment to another writer but they gave it to me and I let them know how much I appreciate that.

Try it: “Thank you for the work you do.”

Why it works: I share this phrase with sources. They're almost always giving me an interview for free — and yes, maybe it includes a link to their site or gets their name out — but their time is valuable. I thank them for the work they’re doing, whether it’s for the animal community and pet parents, for food safety for public health, for scientific research, and for risking their lives (when I used to interview Firefighters for the FDNY).

People ALWAYS like to hear this. How many of us have someone say “thank you for what you do” each day at work? It’s rare. Stand out to sources. They’ll appreciate it and be more likely to want to work with you again.

Try it: “Thank you for processing the invoice.”

Why it works: Whether you’re sending an invoice to your editor, someone in the accounting department or what seems to be a generic inbox (AP @ SOMETHING), just say “thank you for processing.” It takes an extra three seconds and it’s courteous.

I’m not trying to sound like your mother — and maybe this comes off sounding that way because I remind two little boys to say it all the time — but in a crowded space, being nice and easy to work with will make you stand out.

Are there other times you say thank you that I didn’t address? Reply back to me. I love to hear from you.

Here’s a blog I wrote for Squarespace’s blog on how to manage business relationships. 👉

Thank you for reading. If you create a poll on the platform, tag me so I can vote in it, too.

Diana

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What’s Happening In My Business

Freelance / Content / Media Jobs I Found

I’m no longer limiting this roundup to freelance or remote jobs I found. You’ll see some full-time jobs in here, too. If I see something that sounds cool for a writer, editor, creative, freelancer, I’ll put it in here. Some freelancers are contemplating going back to FT work, so why not see what’s out there?

Let’s Work Together!

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