How To Upsell Your Services As A Freelance Writer

If you’re looking to make more money from your freelance writing business, it might be time to learn how to upsell.

Upselling is a staple marketing technique and one that freelance writers can adopt to generate a more stable income and stronger client relationships.

From understanding your client’s needs to offering bundle packages, learn how you can upsell your freelance writing services.

What Is Upselling?

Upselling is the process of encouraging a client to purchase an upgraded or additional service on top of the one they have already committed to.

Upselling can look like:

• Being offered a first-class seat on public transport for a slightly higher price
• Having the option to add extra toppings to your pizza at a restaurant
• Being recommended an item of clothing in a higher-quality fabric at a store

The purpose of upselling is to increase the income you earn from an individual client while also increasing the value that client receives.

Some definitions of upselling define it as a separate process to that of cross-selling (selling a different product or service to the same customer, rather than an upgraded version of the same product), but for the purposes of this post, we will treat upselling and cross-selling as the same technique.

What Are the Benefits of Upselling for Freelancers?

As far as freelancing goes, the most obvious advantage of upselling is that you can earn more from your current clients, meaning you don’t have to spend valuable time looking for new ones.

But it’s not just about the immediate financial benefit. Upselling can also allow you to demonstrate the breadth of your expertise, plus help you develop better relationships with your clients, which can lead to further work and networking opportunities.

How to Upsell Your Services

Upselling can seem like a difficult process, but as long as you understand your clients, your services, and how to pitch them, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of upselling and increase your freelance income.

Take a look at our tips below to help you get started.

Recognize Your Client’s Needs

There’s no point trying to upsell a service that your client doesn’t need. At best, they’ll politely turn you down. At worst, they might consider you too pushy and even decide not to work with you again!

The services you offer as an upgrade should depend on what you know about your client. So take some time to ask them about:

• The scope of their current project
• Any concerns they have about that project
• Future work they might have in mind

Once you’ve identified your client’s needs, you can offer to solve any potential problems they might encounter by upselling your relevant services.

Make sure to pitch your upsell properly by explaining how your services can help your client and what value they’ll get out of purchasing a more expensive option.

Remember, you’re not just letting your client know about a service you offer; you’re selling it to them specifically according to the needs of their project.

Use Different Upselling Techniques

As we’ve already explored, the way you upsell as a freelancer will rely largely on your client’s needs and the context of their project.

That said, there are several types of upsells commonly employed by freelance writers that you can adapt for your clients. We’ve outlined some of these techniques below.

1. Offer a Faster Turnaround

As the adage goes, time is money.

If your clients have a tight deadline and want work to be completed as soon as possible, you can offer an express option on your services for a small fee.

Just make sure that your workload and schedule leave room for you to complete the work on time!

2. Include Extra Revisions

When you complete a piece of writing, your client might want you to make revisions to your first draft.

It’s not unusual to include one or two rounds of editing in your base fee as a freelance writer, but if your client expects to request more, you can upsell further revisions as necessary.

3. Create Bundle Packages

If you’re working with clients who require multiple documents, consider offering discounts for bulk work.

A client who has already committed to paying for three blog posts could be convinced to upgrade to a five-post package if they’re getting a good deal out of it.

4. Provide Social Media and SEO Add-ons

For a lot of digital content writing, the work doesn’t end with just the content itself. Social media tie-in posts, search engine optimization, and metadata management are all additional services that you could be providing to your clients.

So, as long as you have the relevant skills, don’t be afraid to upsell digital marketing upgrades such as these.

5. Suggest a Retainer Agreement

Freelance retainer agreements are a great way to guarantee work for a longer period of time.

Upsell the benefits of a retainer agreement to your clients, and you could end up with a more secure income and a stronger working relationship.

Becoming a Freelance Writer

Need a career with more flexibility and the power to set your own rates? Freelance writing could be for you.

Get started with our Becoming A Freelance Writer course and discover how expert training and on-the-job experience will equip you with an in-demand skillset.