Surviving the Feast or Famine Cycle of Freelance Writing

If you’ve been freelancing for more than five minutes, you know the drill.

One month, you’re drowning in client projects. Deadlines everywhere, invoices stacking up, late nights at the keyboard. You barely have time to breathe, let alone think about marketing.

And then… silence.

Your inbox goes quiet. The messenger stops dinging. Suddenly, you’re refreshing job boards at 2 AM, wondering if your career is over.

Welcome to the feast-or-famine cycle.

It’s one of the hardest parts of freelancing, especially as a writer. But it’s also something you can learn to manage, plan for, and even use to your advantage.

Why the Feast-or-Famine Cycle Happens

Freelancing is unpredictable by nature. Clients have their own busy seasons, budgets shift, and projects wrap up. And because you’re not on a traditional salary, your income is directly tied to the work coming in.

Here’s the trap. During “feast” months, when you’re buried in client work, you stop pitching. You stop marketing. You stop networking. Then, when those projects wrap, you’re left with nothing lined up... cue the famine.

But here’s the good news: with a little planning, you can smooth out the rollercoaster.

Strategy 1: Budget Ahead (Your Feast Fuels Your Famine)

When you’re in feast mode, it’s tempting to spend like you’re rolling in it. But remember, freelancing income ebbs and flows.

• Set aside 25–30% of each invoice. This isn’t just for taxes. It’s also your buffer for slow months.

• Create a separate savings account. Treat it like your “steady paycheck” fund. On famine months, you can draw from it without panic.

• Budget on your average, not your best. If you made $8,000 one month but your average is closer to $4,000, budget like it’s $4,000.

Pro Tip: Automate transfers into savings as soon as invoices are paid. Out of sight, out of mind.

Strategy 2: Always Be Pitching (Even When You’re Busy)

Think of pitching like planting seeds. You don’t wait until you’re starving to plant a garden. You plant now so you have food later.

• Dedicate time each week. Even during feast months, carve out an hour or two for outreach.

• Keep a pitch template ready. Customize it, but don’t reinvent the wheel every time.

• Mix direct pitches with networking. A quick LinkedIn post or email to your network counts as marketing, too.

Remember: pitching when you’re busy feels impossible, but it’s what prevents the famine.

Strategy 3: Ask for Referrals + References

One of the fastest ways to fill your pipeline? Ask the people already happy with your work.

• At project wrap-up, ask for referrals. “Do you know anyone else who needs content help?”

• Request testimonials. Post them on your site or LinkedIn. They act as silent salespeople.

• Offer a referral incentive. Even a small gift card or discount can nudge clients to spread your name.

Pro Tip: Referrals tend to be higher-quality leads than cold pitches because they come with trust built in.

Strategy 4: Get Help During Feast Months

When client work piles up, your instinct might be to grind harder. But overloading yourself doesn’t help long-term. It just leaves you too drained to market or manage the famine that follows.

Instead:

• Outsource small tasks. Hire a VA for admin, a designer for visuals, or another writer to subcontract pieces of a project.

• Use tools to streamline. Automate invoices, use AI for outlining or research, and simplify your workflows.

• Protect your energy. If you burn out in feast mode, you won’t have the bandwidth to pitch or plan for the next cycle.

Strategy 5: Don’t Forget Your Past Clients

Your best clients are the ones who’ve already hired you. Yet so many freelancers forget to circle back.

• Follow up every few months. A quick, “Hey there, just checking in to see if you need new content this quarter,” works wonders.

• Pitch fresh ideas. “I noticed you haven’t posted on your blog lately. Here are three topics I think would resonate with your audience.”

• Stay top-of-mind. Send past clients your updated portfolio, share relevant articles, or simply congratulate them on LinkedIn milestones.

Pro Tip: Past clients often bring you work faster than cold outreach because the trust is already there.

My Own Feast-or-Famine Story

I’ve been through both extremes. There were months I made more money than I ever thought possible and months where I stared at my empty inbox, wondering if freelancing was a mistake.

What changed things for me wasn’t luck. It was systems. Budgeting ahead. Pitching consistently. Staying connected with past clients. And learning to ask for help during those overwhelming feast months.

Do I still hit quiet stretches sometimes? Sure. But now I have a plan. And that’s the difference between panic and confidence.

The Takeaway for Anyone Just Starting Out

Feast-or-famine cycles don’t mean freelancing is broken. They mean you need strategies to manage the highs and lows.

• Budget during feast months to protect yourself in famine months.

• Keep pitching and marketing, even when you’re busy.

• Ask for referrals and keep in touch with past clients.

• Get help so you don’t burn out when you’re overloaded.

With the right habits, you can turn freelance writing into a steady, sustainable business, one that supports you in every season.

Build a Freelance Business That Doesn’t Depend on Luck

You don’t have to live at the mercy of feast-or-famine cycles. With the right systems, you can smooth out the ups and downs and create consistent income you can rely on.

👉 Grab my downloads and tools to:

• Learn how to pitch like a pro

• Create contracts that protect your time

• Build repeatable systems for finding and keeping clients

Because freelancing should feel like freedom, not like riding a rollercoaster without a seatbelt.