Mistakes to Avoid With These Key Tips can be rewarding and flexible—but it’s easy to make mistakes that slow down your growth or stop you before you really begin.
Whether you’re new to freelancing or just passionate about writing letters, this guide will help you avoid the most common mistakes beginners make and set your side hustle up for success.
🚫 1. Waiting for “Perfect” Experience
The Mistake: Thinking you need formal writing qualifications or paid experience before offering your services.
Why It Hurts: You delay starting, doubt your skills, and miss out on potential income.
What to Do Instead:
Start with sample letters, build a small portfolio, and focus on one or two letter types you feel confident writing. Real experience comes from real practice.
🚫 2. Offering Every Type of Letter From Day One
The Mistake: Trying to write every kind of letter—love, business, cover letters, poems, and more—without a clear focus.
Why It Hurts: Your message becomes confusing, and you struggle to stand out.
What to Do Instead:
Pick 2–3 letter types you enjoy and specialize in them first. Become the “go-to” writer for that style before expanding.
🚫 3. Charging Too Little (or Nothing)
The Mistake: Pricing your work too low because you’re new or afraid no one will pay more.
Why It Hurts: You attract clients who don’t value your time, and you burn out quickly.
What to Do Instead:
Start with fair pricing based on the value of your work. Even if you’re new, your time, creativity, and effort have worth. As you grow, increase your rates.
🚫 4. Not Creating a Portfolio
The Mistake: Waiting to get paid work before building a writing portfolio.
Why It Hurts: Clients don’t know what you can do, so they skip over your services.
What to Do Instead:
Write mock samples for different scenarios and build a clean, easy-to-access portfolio—even with no clients. This builds trust and shows off your skills.
🚫 5. Skipping Client Communication Skills
The Mistake: Focusing only on the writing, and not on how you interact with clients.
Why It Hurts: Misunderstandings, unmet expectations, and bad reviews can follow.
What to Do Instead:
Be clear about your process, timelines, revisions, and pricing. Always ask good questions to understand what the client really wants before you start writing.
Read Also : How to Sell Handwritten Letters Online
🚫 6. Ignoring SEO and Visibility
The Mistake: Not promoting your work or optimizing it for search engines (if you have a blog or website).
Why It Hurts: Even great work stays hidden if no one sees it.
What to Do Instead:
Use keywords like “letter writing services,” “custom love letters,” or “hire a letter writer” in your content and gig descriptions. Promote on platforms like Pinterest, social media, or blog posts to get found.
🚫 7. Copying Others Too Closely
The Mistake: Taking too much “inspiration” from other freelancers’ letter samples, profiles, or blog content.
Why It Hurts: You risk being unoriginal—or worse, getting flagged for plagiarism.
What to Do Instead:
Let others inspire you, but always write your own original samples and descriptions. Your unique voice is what makes your work stand out.
🚫 8. Not Learning From Feedback
The Mistake: Ignoring feedback or taking criticism personally.
Why It Hurts: You miss valuable chances to improve and grow as a writer.
What to Do Instead:
Ask for feedback, even from friends or early clients. Use every suggestion as a tool to improve your writing style, tone, or delivery process.
🚫 9. Rushing Every Letter
The Mistake: Trying to write quickly to deliver faster (or make more money), even if quality drops.
Why It Hurts: Low-quality letters get bad reviews, refunds, and lost clients.
What to Do Instead:
Take the time to understand each client’s needs. Quality wins in the long run—and leads to repeat clients and higher rates.
🚫 10. Giving Up Too Early
The Mistake: Expecting instant results or feeling discouraged after your first few tries.
Why It Hurts: You might quit before your hard work starts paying off.
What to Do Instead:
Stick with it. Success often builds slowly. One happy client leads to another. One blog post or gig can suddenly gain traction. Stay consistent.
✅ Bonus: Mindset Shift for Success
Don’t think of yourself as “just a letter writer.”
You are:
- A communicator
- A storyteller
- A helper who puts words to feelings others can’t express
Treat your side hustle like a real business—even if it’s part-time—and success will follow.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Avoiding beginner mistakes is the fastest way to grow your letter writing side hustle. Focus on clarity, quality, and professionalism. Stay patient, improve your skills, and market yourself with confidence.
Every letter you write brings you closer to steady income and long-term success.