If you want a stable income as a freelance writer, this is for you. Imagine, for a second, that you find a client who will pay you $100 to write an article. While that might be fantastic news, I encourage you to think about it another way. What if that client was worth more like $10,000 to you?

If you play your cards right, they just might be. If you can convince them to pay you $100 an article to write 100 articles, then you will have reached $10,000. It might take a year, or more, to write that many articles, but it will be a lot less work than writing 100 articles for 100 different clients.

Your goal, as a freelance writer, should be to find as many quality long-term clients as you can.

Think about it this way: Would you rather have someone pay you $200 to write one article, or $10,000 to write one hundred articles? If you’re like me, you would jump at the income provided by a long term client.

Clients come and go in the content industry. Writers often find that when one client comes their way, many more tend to follow. And then when one client says goodbye, several others will too. This doesn’t necessarily happen because of something the writer did. It’s moreso because the freelance writing world maintains a clients come-clients go type of flow.

But what if you could get a client who never said goodbye? To do this, you’ll need to convince this client that losing you would be like losing their favorite teddy bear as a child — heartbreaking. Here’s a quick look at five tips you need to follow to ensure you keep your clients around for as long as possible.

A discount now and then is much appreciated

When you land a client that’s worth keeping around, you must prove that you’re worth hanging onto. I have found that offering a 10 percent discount on every fourth batch of articles that I complete for a client is an excellent way to keep them coming back for more. Sure, I lose out on money, but then again, these clients continue to ask me for more content, so in all actuality, I’m boosting my overall income. I also think that it’s pertinent to offer an introductory discount — such as 20% off the first article. This entices a client to try your services, and this provides you with the opportunity to show the clients why you should be their go-to writer.

Show you care by blogging about relevant topics

The blog on my business website talks about everything under the sun. From vacationing in Cancun to buying a new mattress, my topics are very broad; however, they are relevant to the clients that I create content for. Within the postings that I make, I always link back to a client’s website, and trust me, clients love it when their sites get linked to. I have one client who pays me $25 for every posting I create that has a link to his site. This means I’m getting paid to write on my own blog, and not only do I profit by creating relevant blog postings for my clients, but this also keeps them from saying goodbye because they enjoy swapping links.

Being social helps strengthen the client-writer relationship

As a freelance writer, you provide a service to your clients, and while the relationship is primarily business-based, it’s still valuable to connect with them on a more personable level. I like connecting with my private clients on social media platforms because it allows us to see beyond the business relationship. We can see that we’re real people, with real lives, which creates a valuable bond. Some of my clients even send me free products because of the postings I have on my profiles. I’ve also had a couple of clients who have asked for content based on a social media posting that I’ve made.

Always be honest

If you find yourself sitting on a content project that just doesn’t come together like you had hoped for, you’ll need to be honest with the client. All you have to say is you don’t feel comfortable with the project and that you think a few things need to be tweaked. Or if you prefer, you can even let the client know that perhaps another writer would be more suitable. If you take this route, make sure to inform the client that you are more than willing to find a different writer. Clients appreciate honesty, and they will respect the fact that you are upfront about the projects you can and cannot handle.

Have a strict guarantee policy

Even the best of writers have an off day now and then. If a client isn’t satisfied with your work, then he shouldn’t have to pay. It wasn’t that long ago that I sent a batch of articles to my most profitable client only to discover that I had completely not met her expectations. Instead of arguing with the client, I asked for feedback and told her that I was exceptionally sorry. I also told her that I did not expect payment for the content (I of course kept the articles for myself). She apologized profusely because she felt bad that I had already wrote the articles; however, she said it was very professional of me to provide a guarantee on my work. She immediately asked for another batch of articles on a different topic.

The Takeaway

As you progress in your career as a freelance writer, you’ll come in contact with thousands of clients. Most of them will probably ask for only a few pieces of content, and then you’ll never hear from them again. But by following the tips mentioned above, you can be well on your way to landing long-lasting clients who never say goodbye.