What's your 5 p.m . Costco pizza offering to clients?

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At my local Costco, there’s always that one hero around dinnertime.

You’re waiting in the checkout line, tired and ready to leave. And here comes a worker, gliding through the crowd with a tray of steaming, boxed pizzas.

They call out: “Grab one now and skip the food court line.”

It’s hot, it smells amazing, and it’s right there.

You didn’t plan to get a pizza, but now? You’re thinking, “Why not?”

Costco made the decision for you. Easy. Convenient. No extra work. You don’t even have to walk the 10’ to the food court checkout for a pizza.

I watch some customers add it to their cart.

I think about this a lot when I’m defining the scope of a freelance client’s project and giving them some added value while also driving up my income.

I’ve learned that clients really appreciate the equivalent of hot pizza at the end of a long day.

They love it when freelancers anticipate their needs and offer helpful extras before they even ask.

So now I build these little “pizza add-ons” into my process.

Here’s what it might look like:

• Want social post ideas to promote this?

• Need a quick draft of the CTA?

• Would image suggestions help?

• Should I send three more headline options?

• Want me to brainstorm next month’s blog topics?

These aren’t big lifts. But they make a huge difference.

And, if I’m pricing the project correctly, I’ve built them into my freelance rate.

That way, I feel in control and not miffed if they ask for something later and they appreciate a “done for you” article, social post, and easy-to-publish piece.

It helps clients feel like they can trust me to think ahead and bring more value.

I asked a previous anchor client if they’d like a Facebook post and X/Twitter writeup copy to accompany each post I turned in for an extra $50. They said yes. It reduced extra ‘thinking’ on their part.

And it took me about 5 to 10 more minutes per assignment.

Not a bad way to make an extra $600 a year, right?

Offer your version of the Costco pizza. Be the person circling the checkout line with something warm, useful, and irresistible.

You might just become the client’s favorite go-to writer.

Diana

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