How Freelancers Can Use the Pareto Principle
Learning how freelancers can use the Pareto Principle to level up their marketing game offers great business-building wisdom.
How Freelancers Can Use the Pareto Principle
The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a ratio used to describe certain economic and business situations, such as 20 percent of the people have 80 percent of the wealth, or 80 percent of your revenue comes from 20 percent of your customers. If you knew which 20 percent of your customers to focus on, you could forget the rest, do well, and have fewer demands on your resources.
What the 80/20 Rule Means for Marketing
If you’re trying to make a living as a freelance editor—or even just make some side income—then you know that you’re supposed to do a ton of things to market yourself. You’re supposed to have a website and a blog, but not just any old website and blog, a GREAT website and a blog with 5.3 million unique views each month (and each day would be better!). And you also need to be on Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and five other social media sites of your choice. You need to be able to write sales copy and sales pitches and know exactly who to send them to and when. And that’s before you even start your first edit.
Trying to do it all can quickly lead to burnout, the feeling that you’re doing nothing well, or the abandonment of the attempt. You end up wondering why freelancing is not working out like you hoped it would.
Instead, focus your efforts on those areas that bring the greatest rewards. If you enjoy Pinterest, follow lots of boards, and have lots of followers, and these followers turn into clients from time to time, your effort will be rewarded. So, there is no need to overextend yourself by also trying to be on Twitter and Facebook.
If you have a website that clearly says what you do and how people can get in touch with you, then do you really need to spend five thousand bucks and a hundred hours making it a little splashier? If you’re not interested in blogging on a daily or at least a regular basis, then try putting that idea aside and focusing your attention on other matters.
Do a few things well, see what happens, adjust your strategy as needed, and don’t beat yourself up for not having a clone. Look for what brings results and do more of that and less of everything else.
Tips for Editors & Writers
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Happy New Year!
I ate my grapes (a Spanish tradition for the new year), said “Feliz año!” to everyone in the neighborhood, and snuggled up with a good book, feeling grateful as I embark on my second year in Spain. May your 2026 be filled with happiness and adventure!
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Reading Books for a Living
I discourage editors from saying that our work is “reading books for a living” because that diminishes our expertise and experience. Editing is not reading books for a living; it’s understanding stories and storytelling techniques, cultivating judgment and discernment, practicing effective editorial methodologies and more. But some days, like today, I look around my office…
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Happy Holidays!
Here in Spain they take Christmas very seriously, and so that’s what I’m doing, too. I’m taking time off to spend with family and friends. We’ll gather for a meal and a walk among the Christmas lights. Then I’ll read a good book before bed. (Perhaps next year I’ll say, “We take Christmas very seriously.”)…
