Where to look for clients as a freelance writer?
My journey towards client acquisition
I think a major mental hurdle most people face when thinking about freelancing is the fear that they won’t find paid clients. Which makes sense! Who wants to feel the sting rejection or failure?
The reality is that clients won’t just fall into your lap. Like a job search, or dating, you’ll need to put yourself out there, be a little vulnerable, and accept that not every lead or discovery call you have will convert you to a paid client.
You may get rejected or ghosted (often). You may end a client relationship that isn’t working out as you hoped. A client may end their relationship with you. This is all part of the process!
For me, the process of acquiring paid clients has typically followed this path:
Outreach
Discovery call
Client relationship kicked off
In this article, I’ll discuss in detail how I’ve gone about getting clients as I’ve slowly scaled my side business. I’ve always done this while balancing my full time role. Only now am I working on my business full time:
Research, outreach and pitching
When it comes to sourcing leads for my business, clients can come from anywhere! They can be friends, past colleagues, people who follow me on LinkedIn, targeted outreach, or even a referral.
I never know where and when a potential client will come from. Sometimes I’ve gotten clients in very methodical ways, like building a targeted lead list, and then doing cold outreach. Other times, it's been fairly serendipitous; like someone reaching out for a networking but then realizing there is an opportunity to collaborate.
Being prepared for opportunities
That’s why I recommend treating every interaction you have as a possible opportunity to grow your business. This means:
Thinking about your niche: Some writers prefer to be generalists, while others have a niche. For me personally, sticking within my own niche–which is personal development, job searching, coaching, human resources, and anything related to the world of work–has helped me build my brand and gain credibility. I find it much more productive to streamline my thoughts when I’m focused in on one niche. It also helps me further develop my expertise because I spend the majority of my time reading and researching these topics. I’ve also spent the first 8 years of my career in this space, so much of my research is backed up by my experience. This helps me feel more confident selling myself and delivering value.
Having your elevator pitch ready: When someone reaches out and asks what you do, is your elevator pitch ready? Are you able to describe your business or service in an easy to understand way?
Having your rates ready: I personally dread speaking about my rates. I go into every conversation with my rates written down on a sticky note next to me so that if that question comes up, I’m ready. Otherwise, I get nervous and say something lower than I should (eek-imposter syndrome is real). Practice saying your rates out-loud before getting on a call with any potential client.
Doing your research: Even if you’re just meeting for a networking call, not having a good understanding of what the person on the other side does and who they do it for puts you at a disadvantage. If you go into every conversation informed, you can better predict how you might be able to help the person on the other side.
I’m not suggesting that you should treat every interaction as a potential transaction. Rather, you should always be prepared and have your best foot forward so you don’t miss an opportunity.
Cold outreach
When I do cold outreach, I’ll first research a list of potential clients and list those out on a spreadsheet.
In the following columns I’ll have:
The point of contact for that lead (usually I’ll find them on LinkedIn).
Space to write the message I want to use in my cold outreach email.
Space to write what the response was (if any)
A drop down with the options “Follow up again/Converted/Rejected”.
This way, I can keep track of all my conversations and I know when to follow up.
Discovery calls and client acquisition
To help give any readers out there some inspiration on what the full outreach and pitch cycle has looked like for me, here is how I’ve found a handful of my clients over the years.
Client 1: A friend recommended I check out the Glassdoor blog. At the time, the editor was listed right on the blog. I wrote to her to express my interest in writing a guest blog, which she accepted.
This eventually turned into a paid position (read more about that here)! I wrote for Glassdoor for many years. They were an incredible first partner and helped me set the bar for what I was looking for in terms of long-term clients.
Client 2: My second client was a SaaS company with a growing new blog. I got this client by creating a lead list of SaaS companies that focused on the world of work and human resources. I targeted companies that were US based and had an active blog with freelance authors.
Once I had this list prepared (of about 20 companies), I went on LinkedIn, searched for their content teams, then connected with them. I sent them over a pitch, which would include:
An introduction
The reason I was reaching out to their blog specifically
A short pitch for an article that I thought would work well for their brand.
I connected with the editor and shared my pitch. This led to an interview, and years later they are still a client of mine that I love writing for.
Client 3: Using the same strategy from client 2, I found another site with an active blog. After some emails back and forth, I began writing for this client. I ended the relationship shortly after because it was not the right fit for my business.
Client 4: This client was a SaaS platform that provided tools to monitor employee engagement.
I was able to land this gig by responding to an Instagram story! I happened to know one of the editors personally and saw she was posting for a freelance writer. I had responded once before to her similar posts but never heard back.
This time, I got a response right away! Sometimes, persistence and follow up makes all the difference.
I wrote for this awesome client for 2 years, until their internal teams changed up and went in a new direction from their freelance program. This can happen (and often does!) so it's good to always have multiple clients in your pipeline.
Client 5: I made a post on LinkedIn that I had capacity within my portfolio for a new client. I had a consulting agency reach out to me for a discovery call. We chatted and got to know each other’s business needs, and kicked off a trial assignment to see if we were a good match.
After a few rounds of edits, they decided to move forward with me beyond the trial. This was the first time I acquired an inbound client this way.
Client 6: A former colleague now works as a consultant for growing startups. She was looking for support in writing for her various clients’ blogs.
I was able to fill a need by taking on her client articles that focus on human resources, employee engagement, and anything else relating to the workplace and culture.
Client 7: I follow a few freelance newsletters, and one in particular (Kat Boogaard) re-shares freelance gigs that she’s sourced around the web. I recently applied to one of these jobs. I’m in the process of being onboarded and I’m looking forward to kicking off this new client relationship!
This is a brief snapshot of how I’ve acquired some of my clients in the past. I’m still exploring new ways to develop leads and market myself. It’s always evolving.
Once I have a successful discovery call, the follow up and relationship building becomes top of mind for me.
When leads convert to clients
Great! So your discovery call went well, and your new or potential client wants to learn more about working together. They may even be at the stage when they are ready to sign a contract and get going. Now, you’ll need to prepare the following:
Freelance contract agreement: Sometimes clients will have their own contracts for you to sign. If not, you’ll need to provide your own. Protecting yourself through contracts is an important part of being a freelancer. Make sure you’re comfortable with all the terms and conditions before beginning to do any work.
Plan for payment: How will you plan to receive payments? What are you comfortable with and what are your expectations for payment time? Make sure these are prepared and you can make it as easy as possible for clients to pay you. You also need to stay on top of invoicing and follow up when invoices have not been paid.
Make it easy for clients to work with you: Get off to the right start and be prompt, detail oriented, and follow through. Be diligent with your deadlines, pitch new ideas, and make sure you’re leaving yourself enough time to edit your work before submitting.
My business is still very much a work in progress. I’m still applying to new opportunities constantly. I have a lot to learn, and room to grow. My point in sharing this is to show you that clients can come from anywhere. And they can be found everywhere! This is why it’s so important to always be sharing your work publicly, nurturing your network, and following up with the people in your network.