How To Respond To “Can I Pick Your Brain?” Requests as a Freelance Writer

When you’re an established freelance writer, you’ll frequently get “Can I pick your brain?” requests.

If you’re like us, you love to help people and share what you know, but if you’re not efficient in how you respond to these requests, you may end up with little time to do your job—writing.

“It’s important to have a self-preservation instinct.”

Most “pick your brain” requests are vague and lack context, and when these requests start to stack up, the time commitment involved in engaging them becomes significant.

Here are a few ways to respond to these requests:

Share free resources (like an eBook or blog posts)
Answer asynchronously (like a Loom video)
Charge for your expertise (like a coaching program)

Decide now how you want to respond to these requests, and then implement a process that helps you engage in an efficient and helpful way for both parties. Let’s look at each of these options in more detail.

Share free resources

Free resources can range from basic FAQs on your website to a list of helpful videos, eBooks, podcasts episodes, or blogs about specific topics (like this one of Kaleigh’s on writing an outline.) This should be your go-to option in most cases. With these free resources, you provide a next step for their learning journey in a self-service format.

Answer asynchronously

Sometimes, there will be requests you’ll want to respond more personally to. Or maybe you don’t have any resources that address the questions asked. Instead of playing schedule tag to set up a call, consider answering those asynchronously. Ask them what it is they need help with and offer the solution. This can be via email, connecting them with a fellow writer, or a quick Loom video recording talking through your answer.

Charge for your expertise

Paid resources can come in the form of a downloadable PDF, an email course, or a video course. Having a paid option to refer to when asked for your expertise is an option for experienced freelancers who want to address requests without sacrificing billable hours. If they see value in collaboration with you and learning from you, they’ll likely be willing to pay you for your time and expertise.

Another option: one-to-one consulting sessions for many freelance writers. As requests increase, in-depth paid resources (like courses or cohort-based teaching) will become essential tools that you’ll want to have available to those who want to learn from you.

Hop on a call

Your goal is to protect your time, not necessarily to make money from offering occasional advice. So, how can we discern when it’s right to hop on a call to answer someone’s questions?

That’s for you to ultimately decide. What relationships are important for you to invest your time in? Apart from family and friends, they might be subcontractors who work with you or students from your alma mater. They might be former clients or customers who have already used your paid services and who have a small query.

It’s important to give back, but there is no one size fits all recipe for what that looks like.

“People mentor in their own ways, but are picky and choosy in the way that they do it.”

It’s important to keep in mind that you are not obligated to offer your expertise in any of these aforementioned ways. It’s not every freelance writers’ job to educate other freelance writers. You can choose to protect your time by exclusively prioritizing client work. At the very least, compile a small list of resources from other freelancers and offer them when you decline requests.

Tips for people reaching out

If you are a new freelance writer looking to chat with a veteran freelancer, keep these things in your mind before you ask them for their time:

Do your homework. Peruse their website and look through the free resources they provide.
Study their work. Read articles they have written and understand why they are the right person for the query you have.
Ask a specific question. Don’t be vague or ask generic questions. Make it easy for them to want to help you by being specific.
Email first. Write a thoughtful, personal email rather than sliding into their DMs on social media.

This will help your request be much more compelling than a simple: “Hey, can I pick your brain?”