✅ TikTok ban becomes law

Author

Jim Hamilton
April 26, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Friday! This is the Freelance Gig, where we share news, tools, tips, and tricks to help grow your freelance business.

Welcome to the 215 subscribers who’ve joined us since the last edition.

Mentioned in today’s email: TikTok, Threads, Google, and Upwork.  Plus how to make unpaid invoices slightly less painful, and the 20-20-20 rule to protect your eyes when working remotely.

Read time: 2 minutes and 48 seconds

Together with Black Crow AI

Generate more repeat purchases with Black Crow AI

Black Crow AI helps merchants recognize 100% of returning users and predicts shopping behavior patterns so you can effortlessly acquire more sales.

Their Shopify app plugs into your tech stack with zero development work required. And everything is set up for you to see clear incremental revenue so you can judge the value for yourself during a 30-day free trial. 

Their team is so confident you’ll see 5-8X ROI that they’re offering a $100 Amazon gift card to Shopify brands with $2M+ in annual revenue just to get a demo.

Making the Rounds

Working With Clients

How to Make Unpaid Invoices Slightly Less Painful

If you’ve ever had to chase down a client just to collect on an unpaid invoice…

Then here’s a simple tip to soften the blow next time:

Ask for a deposit up front.

It can be 25%, 50%, or even more. 

Use your judgment, of course. 

But the more established you are (and the bigger the project is), the more you should be asking for up front. 

So even if the project drags on, or you have trouble getting the rest of your fee paid in a timely fashion…

At least you’ve collected some cash up front.

Plus, if a prospective client scoffs at the idea of putting down a deposit, that’s a red flag.

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Working For Yourself

Protect Your Eyesight With the 20-20-20 Rule

Fun fact:

Did you know your eyes are an extension of your brain?

Well, it’s true.

And while we’re on the topic of your eyes, it may also shock you to learn that staring into the abyss a screen all day isn’t good for them.

Eye strain, mental fatigue, and dry eyes are just a few of the potential consequences you have to look forward to.

So… how do you protect them?

Blue-light glasses are one approach — and one we certainly endorse.

But another no-cost way to preserve your peepers is the 20-20-20 rule:

Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

This gives your eyes a timeout from the pixelated onslaught they’re normally subjected to…

Which has been proven to help reduce eye strain and mental fatigue.

So if you’re looking to take preventative action before your eyes become a problem…

Then give this new rule a try.

AI Prompts For Freelancers

Prompt of the Week: The Proposal Builder

This AI prompt is designed to help you create a clear proposal to send to clients.

Here is the prompt:

❝

Create a detailed fill-in-the-blanks proposal template for a freelance project in [your field]. Include sections for project overview, deliverables, timeline, and pricing.

Example:

❝

Create a detailed fill-in-the-blanks proposal template for a freelance project in graphic design. Include sections for project overview, deliverables, timeline, and pricing.

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My Favorite Newsletter: Stay ahead on the business of AI

Have you heard of Prompts Daily? I recently came across it and absolutely love it.

AI news, tools and workflows. It has it all.

Read by executives from industry-leading companies like Google, Hubspot, Meta, and more.

Tool of the Week

Harness the newsletter platform built for growth with Beehiiv

Looking to start your own email newsletter?

(HINT: you should be)

And if so, we strongly recommend Beehiiv.

At this point, it’s basically an entire newsletter business-in-a-box.

With it, you can replace:

  • WordPress (or any other content management system)

  • Website hosting (like Siteground or HostGator)

  • Email service provider (like Active Campaign or ConvertKit)

  • Recommendation widget (like SparkLoop)

That’s why they’re trusted by many of the fastest-growing newsletters in the world, including Exec Sum, Miss Excel, Milk Road, and lots more.

As a freelancer, having an email newsletter is a great way to establish authority and set yourself apart from the competition.

So if you’re ready to start building an audience you actually own…

Bonus Points

📩 Newsletters: Avoid these 7 deadly sins of email marketing (link)

🤝 Interviewing: Steal this 6-figure virtual job interview checklist (link)

🤓 Learning: The 10-day YouTube MBA (link)

📲 Content: How to create viral content in 60 seconds with AI (link)