How to communicate as a freelancer: effective comms beyond a brief

What’s the hardest kind of comms to get right?

For many freelance charity comms professionals it isn’t tricky annual reports or fiddly Facebook ads. It’s actually everyday communications like client emails.

That’s because we tend to put all our creative energy into commissioned content and copy. So much so that comms to a client, or fellow freelancer, can be an after-thought.

It’s taken me over ten years as a freelancer to work this out. So if you’re just starting out, here’s some tips on nailing comms outside of the brief.

Communicating with clients

Every single client is different. Some love long Zoom calls to talk through a project. Others simply send a simple brief and a deadline.

This isn’t just about mirroring what they do (maybe you need more information beyond that two-line email, or can’t do a long call every day). It’s your job to understand their communication style and complement it so you can do the best work possible.

Often, after nailing the brief, getting feedback is the stage you’ll communicate most closely with your clients. Always ask them how they prefer to do this (on a call or through tracked changes, for instance).

Also, bear in mind that they might have professional motives they can’t communicate with you. For example, you may be aiming to ensure that you understand all the amends and can incorporate them given the scope of the project. They may be driven by making sure a ‘tricky’ senior staff member has their say. Together, find an approach where you both get your needs met.

Accept that a few clients use external contractors as sounding boards to discuss frustrations about their job. Sympathise where you can (they might be under a lot of pressure) but beware of getting involved in office politics – especially if you can’t see the whole picture.

Boundary-setting is useful here too. Always be flexible, but just because an urgent email comes in at 9pm doesn’t mean you have to answer it there and then.

Think about a tone of voice you can use across your client comms and marketing. Polite, clear and enthusiastic could be building blocks to start from.

Communicating about money

To support their beneficiaries, organisations need to be upfront about money – and so should you.

When starting a job everyone needs to fully understand how much it’s expected to cost and what needs to be produced by the deadline. This is your responsibility.

To achieve this, communicate the details in the clearest language possible. If you favour a cute ‘Innocent smoothies-style’ tone of voice this isn’t the time to apply it. Never hide behind jargon or the small print, which makes you look sketchy.

Keep a record of everything. All verbal agreements need to be confirmed by email so everyone has a ‘paper trail’ of what’s agreed. Naturally, sometimes the scope of a project will change. If this is going to alter the cost, communicate it at the earliest possible opportunity. Remember details like VAT and payment terms (i.e. when you expect to be paid).

Always provide incredible value for money while delivering what you promised. If you’re exploiting a charity in any way, shape or form, please stop reading and leave the sector immediately.

If you’re starting out, ask someone to recommend an accountant. A good one will save you money while ensuring you don’t get any nasty financial surprises down the line.

Communicating with fellow freelancers

Every freelancer has their war stories of eccentric CEOs and drafts that extended way into double figures. These can be massively entertaining shared behind closed doors. But never openly criticise anyone: especially in a public forum or a group email. If you’re yet to find your freelance tribe try searching LinkedIn for relevant groups or join the brilliant Third Sector PR & Comms Network on Facebook [though be aware this isn’t a place to market yourself directly to clients].

Always be kind and remember that working in-house can be extremely stressful, especially over the last few years.

Even when on a tight deadline be courteous to other freelancers. If we work together we raise the whole sector’s game. Never knowingly under-cut anyone on price, or seek to ‘steal’ anyone else’s gig behind their back. Freelancer karma exists – so don’t mess with it. 

Equally, don’t be that person you meet at a networking do who fires you a LinkedIn message the next day demanding you share all your hard-won contacts. Never exploit others who may be less experienced than you. If you’ve climbed a little up the ladder look for opportunities to hoist other people up, especially if they don’t look like you (mentoring can be a great way to do this).

Finally, don’t stress too much over whether you sign off emails using ‘best’, ‘all the best’ or ‘Thanks in advance’. But never add a kiss (‘x’) unless you’ve cried on each shoulders following a stressful client call in the British Library Members’ Room. And even then, think twice.

Why CEO letters suck (and how to make them better)

What’s the point of CEO letters in annual and impact reports?

They’re supposed to be a friendly bridge between your charity and your supporters. An opportunity to sum up the contents of a new strategy or annual report below a head and shoulders pic of your leader looking respectable in a suit.

Well, that’s the idea. But all too often the reality is a huge block of text that no-one reads (not even the CEO in question).

Not that you’d want to. Sadly, it’s often where plain English goes to die. A dead zone where inspiring messages get lost in a fog of impenetrable jargon and sentences that make Henry James’ look pithy.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to pimp your CEO letter and ensure your charity’s all-important key messages shine through.

Problem 1: they’re often packed with clichés

You’re probably already brilliant at banishing clichés from your copy. However, for some reason, CEO letters are a breeding ground for the blighters.

It’s all too easy to play cliché bingo. Did you really have “a year of opportunities and challenges” (spoiler: so did everyone). And is it right to say you’re all “moving forwards” – as if moving backwards was an option?

This isn’t about being a pedant. Clichés kill good comms: they turn off readers and make what you’ve got to say seem bland and boring. Who wants that?

Solution: be super-clear

Seek out the truth behind the cliché. Were the ‘challenges’ the tabloids put you on their hit-list and your funding was cut? Then say that instead, readers will love you for it. And if the cliché doesn’t convey any information but is just there to take up space, then cut it. No-one will miss it.

Problem 2: your CEO is another white guy in a suit

Remember you had that meeting about being a more diverse charity (your CEO may even have written a blog about it!)?

Well, stats show many charities are run by white men. That’s not necessarily your CEO’s fault (blame patriarchy/institutional racism). But ask yourself: would you have more impact giving the page over for someone different to have a say?

Solution: put another voice front and centre

Who says it has to be your CEO introducing the report? From a service user talking about their experiences to a frontline worker – there’s lots of people who could better explain what you’re all about.

Problem 3: it’s a boring format

When was the last time you read an actual letter?

The format itself seems wedded to the past. Comms professionals are highly creative – and it’s time we gave some thought to reinventing the format.

Solution: try something new

Why not try a Q&A format instead? Or mash it up with the ‘Our year in figures’ section and have a page of amazing stats beautifully visualised?

You could even take the whole thing online and shoot a video featuring your supporters, CEO and service-users telling readers what’s been going on.

Problem 4: they can be very long

Charity comms professionals are happy slashing copy down until we’re achieving the maximum impact with minimum words. So why let CEOs get away with long-winded waffle?

I’ve seen letters that push 1000 words. That’s way more commentary than any supporter wants, or needs, to read in one go. Time to reach for the red pencil…

Solution: cut, cut, cut

Challenge yourself to edit the letter down to the bare minimum by chopping the waffle. Could it be 250 words – or even 150? Help yourself by making sure no line is longer than 30 words, shorter if you can.

Bullet points are brilliant here. A few at-a-glance points are more likely to be read when they’re not buried in a double spread of 55-word sentences.

Problem 5: they’re impersonal

CEOs sometimes feel that to be credible they need a formal tone – but lose any warmth in the process. Many CEO letters feel about as warm and personal as a missive from your credit card company. And without warmth or human interest, it’s hard for readers to care.

Solution: create a connection

Try and shake off formal language to create a personal connection with the reader. Thinking of it as a blog rather than a letter can help.

Start with a story – what moved or inspired your CEO about your work this year? Maybe there’s an inspiring story about a service-user to be told here.

There’s a danger this approach can morph into ‘Thought for the Day’ moralizing. But that’s got to be better than peddling out the same party line year after year.