The freelancer glossary

In marketing, an editorial calendar is a publishing schedule that offers one place for planning, assigning, and checking the status of upcoming content (like blogs, emails, and/or social posts).

An electronic funds transfer (EFT) refers to any method of transferring funds from one bank to another via digital means. It is an umbrella term that includes ACH and wire transfers.

Email marketing is when you use email to engage a list of contacts who have consented to receiving commercial messages from a brand.

An email newsletter is a type of communication that’s sent to people who have specifically subscribed to your email list. Newsletters can have various purposes and target readers.

End of day usually means the end of business hours on any given day. It is often used to describe the deadline for payment or a project e.g., “I will have the document done by EOD.”

End of month usually means the last day of any given month. It is often used to describe the deadline for payment or a project e.g., “we will have all the deliverables ready by EOM.”

The end user refers to the intended user of a product. As an example, the end user of a bookkeeping software is a member of the finance team at a company.

Estimated tax is a quarterly payment generally required of U.S. taxpayers who earn income that isn’t subject to withholding. This includes income from self-employment, capital gains, and more.

Evergreen content is SEO-friendly content that doesn't have a clear expiration date. The information within the article will remain relevant for many years to come.

An exit strategy refers to a founder’s plan for how and when to sell the company. It could involve an acquisition, IPO, or other event.

Experiential marketing entails campaigns in which you engage directly with prospects, either virtually or in person. For example, a business may choose to host a pop-up shop where people can test their products.

In SaaS, a feature request refers to a suggestion for how to improve or grow the software platform. Feature requests can be made by customers, employees, prospects, or other stakeholders.

First-mover advantage (FMA) refers to a situation in which a company is one of the first companies to operate in a new market and therefore has a leg up over its competition.

Fiverr is a platform where freelancers can post “gigs” for buyers to purchase. Fiverr is best known for offering services that cost as low as $5, but also offers premium services.

A flexpert is a slang term for freelancers who have a wide range of skills that allow them to fill multiple roles and/or meet various needs of a creative project.

In sales, a follow-up is when you reach back out to a potential customer after you’ve made your initial pitch. It can involve a series of emails, calls, and more that inspire action.

Force majeure is a clause frequently used in contracts. It releases both parties from their contractual obligations when something completely out of their control (“acts of god”) happens.

Form 1040-ES is a form provided by the IRS to help freelancers, independent contractors, and others calculate their estimated taxes. Such individuals are required to pay quarterly taxes.

Form 1099-NEC is an official IRS form that businesses use to report money that they paid to nonemployees. Freelancers should generally receive this from their U.S.-based clients each year.

Form I-9 (aka Employment eligibility verification) is a form mandated by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. All U.S. employers must fill this out to verify an employee’s identity and authorization to work.

A freelancing management system is a software platform that provides one place for finding, hiring, paying, and managing contracted professionals.

A proposal is a document that you send to a potential client, convincing him/her of your qualifications and your understanding of a project. It is similar to a sales pitch.

Freelancer.com is a platform for finding and hiring freelancers in over 1,800 categories. It is best known for fulfilling the needs of short-term, budget-friendly projects.

In SaaS, freemium is a popular business model in which a software platform is available to use for free. However, users must pay a premium to access additional or advanced features.

Front of book is a slang used in the publishing industry, meant to describe the (very) short articles located at the front of a magazine.

Full payment is when a client is required to pay the total cost of services at the time of invoicing. Full payment may be required upfront or after a project is completed.

Gamify is a strategy in which a company incorporates game mechanics (such as a point-scoring system or badges) into a product or marketing campaign to boost engagement.

Ghostwriting is the exercise of writing an article, book, or other piece of text on behalf of a client, who is then credited as the author.

The gig economy describes a labor market in which companies hire independent contractors and freelancers to complete work. Airbnb, Uber, and Doordash are all examples of companies operating in the gig economy.

A go-to-market (GTM) strategy is meant to ensure the successful launch of a new product. It should describe the ideal customer, competitive positioning, and other factors that keep your entire team aligned.

A graphic designer creates visual assets to express ideas in a memorable way. These assets include—but aren’t limited to—logos, product packaging, webpages, and app design.

Gross margin represents how much a business has profited, once the cost of goods (COGS) is factored in. Gross margin is calculated by subtracting COGS from net sales, then dividing that number by net sales.

Gross profit is the total amount of money you make, including both earned and unearned income. It refers to all of your earnings before taxes and deductions are taken out.

Growth hacking is considered a type of marketing in which you use the resources at your disposal to rapidly grow and retain customers. It relies on frequent experimentation and data analysis.

Guerilla marketing is a strategy that involves unconventional, out-of-the-box tactics to get people to pay attention to your brand. It is often relatively inexpensive and viewed as a publicity stunt.

Guest blogging (aka guest posting) is when you write content for another website. It is a common marketing strategy for engaging new readers and earning backlinks.

A home office deduction applies to the part of your house that you use exclusively for business purposes. The IRS provides specific instructions for who can take this deduction and how.

In writing, a hook is the first one or two sentences of an article that’s meant to draw a reader in.

An ideal customer profile (ICP) describes the type of company that your business aims to serve. Your ICP is the company that would benefit the most from your product or service.

Inbound marketing is an approach that focuses on drawing people to your brand by creating memorable content and experiences. Inbound marketing typically seeks to educate rather than simply sell.

In freelancing, income refers to the amount of money you receive for your products or services. Your gross income could also include any wages or salary you earn in addition to your freelancing total.

An indemnification clause is essentially a promise to compensate the other party for a loss or harm (such as legal fees) in connection with a certain outcome or event.

An independent contractor is a person or business that provides services to another business on a non-employee basis. Independent contractors are considered self-employed.

Influencer (creator) marketing is a strategy in which you work with a well-known creator or organization in your industry (or a target industry) to increase brand awareness.

An infographic is a visualization of data and information. It’s a popular format amongst marketers who want to showcase copy in a dynamic, more visual format.

IP broadly refers to intangible assets—like literary works, logos, symbols, and names—that are legally protected via patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets.

Interlinking is the practice of linking from one page on your site to another. For SEO and user experience purposes, you’ll want to link to pages that are valuable and relevant to the topic at hand.

An invoice is an itemized list of services or products that have been delivered to a client. It includes the total payment that is due, in addition to payment terms and business info.

Itemized deductions are an alternative to standard deductions i.e., when filing your taxes, you may choose to itemize your expenses in order to lower your taxable income even further.

An iterative process is an approach used by developers, designers, and other professionals that involves continually testing, optimizing, and improving a product. It allows you to attack a problem incrementally.