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Just read that 70% of freelance writers have a client ghost them at least once.
Found that stat in a survey from a freelance writer's blog. It made me feel a bit better about the guy who vanished after I sent his first draft. How do you handle a client who just stops replying?
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kair651mo ago
Hang on, are we actually surprised that clients ghost freelancers? I mean, think about it from their side. They probably hired you because they were overwhelmed or lazy, and once they have that draft, they realize they don't actually want to pay for polish or changes. Sending a final invoice is just a formality anyway. It's not like a judge is gonna enforce it over a few hundred bucks. And honestly, if you spent weeks on a project without any payment upfront or a contract that really protects you, that's kind of on you for trusting a stranger that much. Maybe ghosting is just the market telling us we need better upfront agreements instead of chasing smoke.
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Ever have a client just vanish after you did all the work? My friend had this happen with a big project she spent weeks on. She sent three polite follow-ups over a month, then finally sent a final invoice with a note saying she was closing the project. She never heard back, but it helped her mentally move on. What's the longest you've waited before giving up on a ghost?
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hill.christopher3mo ago
Notice how common ghosting has become in all sorts of basic interactions. People just stop answering texts, emails, even job offers, with no word at all. It feels like a low grade social skill everyone is forgetting. That stat makes sense because it's not just a client thing, it's an everyone thing now. You just have to send a final invoice and move on, because chasing them almost never works.
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