Do you work for copywriting clients? Do you find it challenging to move past the ones who insist on hiring you, but then disrespect you as an expert? Or they don’t take your advice… or they argue constantly?

If you can’t get over your difficult copywriting clients, and know you should if you want to see success, something needs to change. You can’t usually change them, but you can change you. Here’s how to detach and work through it.

Difficult Copywriting Clients: What Does That Even Mean?

Not every copywriting client is difficult. Some are gems. Many will bring great joy and satisfaction in your work together. But others will cause stress and headaches. So let’s take a look at what this means, exactly.

Here are some ways that difficult copywriting clients typically conduct themselves:

They ask you to write on their behalf. Then they rewrite because it’s not how they would have said it.
They don’t respect or consider your expertise.
They go outside the scope of the project.
They don’t pay on time.
Their communication leaves room to be desired.
They go over your boundaries.

“My Clients are Super High Maintenance. What Do I Do??”

You have some options for what to do when copywriting clients overstep boundaries or cause problems in your working life. Below, find some coping skills to try.

Overlook their deficiencies and instead focus on the financial end game
Limit your time working for said clients
Try to “retrain” how they work

Overlooking a client’s deficiencies means you’re just accepting that this is how they are, and moving on to complete the job. Being able to do this successfully will depend on how difficult the client is, and how well you’re able to overlook it.

Limiting your time means restricing their access to you. Let’s say you have one client that you know as soon as you pick up the phone, they’re going to have your ear long past the time it takes to discuss the issue, or they’ll spend hours texting you their every thought.

If you can deal with this person for a while, and you know they’ll pay you to work, then you might consider taking a few small jobs of theirs and that’s it. Or you could decide ONLY to work with them in times of scarcity, or some such thing.

“Retraining” how a client works could look like improving your onboarding process, or implementing a timeline and project milestone reviews, to reel them in. This could actually help you improve productivity, which holds value despite the client’s troublesome conduct.

Difficult Clients and How to Deal With Them

You can’t always fix your toughest clients. But you can fix you, and how you cope. Let’s explore how to do that now.

Change the way you think.
Open your eyes to the infinite possibilities.
Remember what you’re being paid for: to serve the client.
Modify the way you work.
Be the converse.
Create on your own time.
Remember, it’s not worth getting worked up over.

Let’s explore these concepts in more detail, so you stop worrying about your bruised creative person’s ego, and get back to business!

If your copywriting clients always change what you wrote, you must change the way you think and work with them.

When copywriting clients get on your last nerve by changing what you wrote for them, it’s frustrating. But it’s also something you can cope with, if you learn to change your mindset and attitude.

This means controlling your emotions… not becoming attached to what you produce… because, after all, you’re here to deliver for the client and therefore they get the final creative say.

Start seeing writing itself for its infinite possibilities.

Consider the manner in which content gets shared on the web and the proliferation of ideas… the viralness of the internet, if you will.

Think about going viral, and you’ll recognize the infinite potential of content in becoming.

A single idea, as it passes from mouth to ear, mind to mind, has the capacity to morph, grow, pivot…. meander side paths, go into hiding, stay dormant… and finally, burst forth to evolve.

When you consider the limitless potential of an idea, you will realize that the work you do for clients, the words you write that end up being altered… mean nothing in the grand scheme.

Copyright exists, but it’s just a warning bark not to directly swipe words verbatim. Meanwhile, true creative license is always free, because of the endlessly morphing, viral nature of an idea…

Remember that your ultimate function as a copywriter is to serve the client.

Keep in mind that when you’re working with clients, even though you’re supposedly there to advise, they’re not always going to listen or follow your lead.

If a client professes to know better, or prefers to go with their own inclination despite your suggestions, you kind of just have to give them what they want.

Modify the way you work with certain clients.

It’s worth changing your approach to copywriting projects when you work for particular clients. Why? Because if you don’t, you’ll be working against their general tendencies. As a result, you could end up wasting a lot of time.

Wasting time impacts your bottom line and drives down your hourly worth. So figure out how each client works… and if you can, adjust your methods to flow with their projects the way that they best need, and that makes the most sense for productivity’s sake.

If the client always functions a certain way, be the converse of that.

Get good at predicting the client’s actions. This way, you can provide whatever they may need… the unspoken part of why they need you, that goes well beyond writing.

Many people reach out to solicit the services of a copywriter, thinking that a writing expert will help them get more done in less time.

What ends up happening, not necessarily consciously, is that their need for a collaborative partner is met.

You must come to terms with this reality of working with clients. Decide what they need, and function as such.

Create on your own time.

If you feel the urge to express yourself, and the client doesn’t seem to be honoring that… it’s okay. Your time will come.

This is why as a copywriter, you must protect your own work… save your best ideas for your own projects, done on your own time.

Don’t worry. It’s not worth getting worked up over.

You’re paid by the hour, so the more head space your client manages to take up, the less time you have left to produce income in other ways.

After the computer is shut down for the night, focus on doing things for you — and draw that mental and emotional boundary.

Whatever is bugging you can be resolved in the morning… and you do not owe the client this “extra” space that they’ve managed to occupy in your head. So take it back, and worry no more.

If it’s really not a match, let it go.

Nobody said that you had to say yes to every client that comes knocking. There could be any reason why you and the client arean’t a great productivity match. You could be too different or too alike from each other. You could be in a constant power struggle that makes you incompatible. You could have conflicting schedules. Anything is possible.

As long as you make your exist strategy with grace and style, it’s okay. Just try to refrain from telling the client off, if possible. Chances are good that you’ll meet again in another time and place, within the creative space.

Difficult Copywriting Client Dynamics: Key Takeaways

Write without ego when working for clients.
Know your role as they need you to function. Get good at predicting outcomes: “If I do A, client will do B.”
Know the process for each client- this will vary from one copywriting client to the next.
Be ready to work with the client in whatever way they need you to.
Express yourself creatively on your own time.
Stop worrying, and don’t overthink things.
If it’s not a match, let it go.

Again — you’re serving the clients… so just be okay with that. There are ten million and one other ways to creatively flourish thanks to the internet, and you’re free to pursue this at will.

Launch your own projects, run your own content-based business, and create passive profits online with YOU at the helm of the creative, if that’s what lights you up.

BUT in the meantime… if you work for clients, decide to serve those clients in the way they need, and pursue your own passions on your own time.

REMEMBER… as long as you’re helping someone be more productive… as long as they’re making sales and you’re making money… then you’re doing your job as a freelance service provider, and that’s all that matters.

In your freelancing life, some clients will be unforgettable. Some will be unremarkable. Some will be relentless. Some will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about yourself.

They will ALL help you grow, in their own special way. Embrace it!

Stay in touch for more copywriting and freelancing tips!

Hope these tips for new copywriters helped you out! I’ll have lots more for you, and some copywriting courses coming soon, too.