How to find your first freelance clients
You’ve polished your skills, you’ve defined your freelance offer. You’ve even remembered to register with HMRC as self-employed. Now all you need to do is find clients. If you’re wondering how to hunt out these all-powerful beings, try out these three approaches – and get ready for those contracts to start tumbling in.
Approach 1: Spread the word
It can feel super-scary to shout about what you do, particularly if you’re a new freelancing mum suffering from imposter syndrome. But clients can’t hire you if they don’t know you exist. And the more people who hear you’re open for business, the more likely you are to find a client. This doesn’t mean you have to cancel the nursery run to attend a high-powered breakfast networking session. There are numerous ways of getting the word out there.
Tell your social group that you’re freelancing
Your friends and family can be brilliant at spreading the word. True, they might not be able to offer you work themselves but so many people know somebody who knows someone else who just might be interested – and having an introduction is a huge step towards the front of the freelancing queue. If nothing else, talking to your friends and family about your work will help you refine your pitch, so you’ve got it as polished as possible when you’re telling a potential client all about your amazing services for real.
Oh – and don’t limit it to the people you see every day. Ex-colleagues, school friends, uni contacts and Facebook friends definitely count too. Tell them all you’re freelancing and ask everyone to pass the word on. And if you want to offer them something in return, why not offer a small family and friends referral incentive such as a discount or an Amazon voucher if a referral they pass on turns into a new client.
Join Facebook groups in your niche
On top of sharing your new freelancing status with your existing Facebook friends, it’s worth joining Facebook groups in your subject area. These exist in everything from online TEFL tutoring to proofreading, so do a search on your niche and see what turns up. Facebook groups are a great way both to make valuable links with other freelancers and to hear about opportunities outside of your immediate group of contacts – some groups even include job postings on a regular basis.
Don’t be put off if it looks like the group for your niche is restricted to members only. This is fairly common and in fact is a good way to ensure you find genuine freelancers in the group. Most are happy to accept you if you’re working in their field and it normally only takes a couple of minutes to apply and no more than a day or two to be accepted.
To make the most of the Facebook groups, engage with the other members rather than just lurk. The more you offer helpful information and comments yourself, the more willing the rest of the group will be to engage with you. Plus, it increases the chances that other freelancers will think of you when they’re looking for someone to help out on a project.
Make your LinkedIn profile stand out
LinkedIn is often overlooked by freelancers but it can be a great way to get noticed by businesses and to hear about job opportunities. For starters, did you know that your LinkedIn profile is likely to top the list of a Google search on your name? This means it’s worth keeping your profile up to date, as potential clients are sure to see it if they do an online search to find out about you (and most do!).
More broadly, freelancers are increasingly finding work directly through LinkedIn, via a blend of promoting their services, linking and interacting with potential clients and responding to pitch opportunities. Given LinkedIn was specifically designed for professional contacts, and most UK businesses have some sort of profile on it, this makes sense!
As a minimum, include a professional-looking picture on your profile, check your job title and summary reflect what you do and ensure your settings state that you’re open for work opportunities. Even better, post (or repost) articles about your niche onto LinkedIn – it will help you get noticed and build up your reputation as an expert in the field.
Use social media to widen your reach
Aside from (or including) LinkedIn, approach social media with caution in your professional life. It can be a brilliant medium to establish your brand but it can also be one of the easiest ways to lose hours (days, months…) of your life. If you love crafting posts while you’re doing a 3am nappy change, keep going. Otherwise, bear in mind that social media is often more about building your network than immediately generating sales, so set a limit on the time you spend on each platform and leave yourself space to build the rest of your business.
You’re likely to get better results if you post regularly on a small number of platforms, rather than dipping in and out of them all. Select one or two platforms that will give you most chance of making valuable connections and focus your efforts on them. Identify people that you’d like to work with or are a couple of steps ahead of you in your field and follow and interact with rather than just posting your own content. That way you can see what they’re interested in and the places they go (in a non-stalkerish way of course!) – giving you a brilliant splash of insight when you do come to pitch your services.
Take part in networking events
If the idea of direct networking sends you into a cold panic, remember that pretty much everyone else at a networking event will be just as nervous as you. The best tip I’ve heard is to stop thinking of networking as trying to sell. Instead look on it as a fabulous way to meet people who might share your interests. If you go away with a new contact, brilliant. If not, you’ve not lost anything but a bit of time – and not even much of that if the event is virtual rather than in person.
Having said that, when you’re a new freelancing mum, time can be in short supply, so it’s worth picking your events carefully and going prepared with a sentence or two of blurb about yourself, as asking what you do tends to be the go-to opener of choice. If a session that’s pure networking feels too nerve-racking, look for an event that includes presentations. That way you’ve got a topic to talk about when you do get to the networking stage plus you should come away with some new knowledge.
If and when you do start talking to someone, swap business details even if they don’t appear to be a potential client. Follow up by connecting on LinkedIn and sending a friendly, ‘It was nice to meet you…’ message. You never know where it might lead.
Approach 2: Hunt out job opportunities
Spreading the word is a brilliant way to build your network and find out about potential job opportunities. However, when you’re starting out, it also can be useful to apply for advertised pieces of work. While you’ll be up against other freelancers, at least you know you’re not investing time pitching to a client who’s not in a position to commission work right now. Always remember someone has to get the work and, if you put in a great proposal, it might well be you.
Freelance Jobs Boards
If you’ve not come across freelancer jobs boards before, they’re basically the same as jobs boards (or jobs pages of newspapers, if you want to be old school) but with a focus on opportunities for freelancers. Many freelancers swerve well clear of these types of sites, as they’ve got a pretty bad reputation as a race to the bottom both in quality and price. There’s definitely an element of truth in that but jobs boards can also be a useful means of picking up paying clients, either when you’re starting out or to fill an unexpected gap in your diary. In fact, one of my first pieces of paid work came from a jobs board and indirectly led to regular work from a non-jobs-board client who still uses me today.
If you decide to go down the jobs board route, the key is to be super selective. The big internationals like People Per Hour and Fiverr cover a huge array of roles, so make sure you filter down to your specific niche and avoid anything that offers incentives (such as potential future work or a commission) rather than up-front pay. Alternatively, look at jobs boards that focus specifically on your area of expertise, such as ProBlogger for writers or Love TEFL Jobs for TEFL jobs, as these are likely to have more directly relevant and often higher paid pieces of work.
Once you’ve identified a potential job, have a quick scan through to check the requirements are really clear and there’s no red flags on the clients’ reviews and then put in your pitch. Don’t be tempted to cost your proposal too low – any reputable company will weed out the ‘too cheap to be true’ options and it’s important that you earn enough to make it worth your while. Finally, make sure you’re quick off the mark. A client will usually get a number of decent responses within 24 hours, so if you’ve not pitched by then, chances are the work will have gone.
Agency work
Design and marketing agencies in particular often have a pool of freelancers that they call on, either when their in-house staff aren’t available or they need specific expertise in a particular area. You’re likely to earn a bit less than if you were contracted by a client direct as the agency will take off their slice before paying you. However, when you’re on an agency’s books, you can find yourself involved in a wide range of projects without needing to do the hard sell direct to clients – perfect for expanding your experience and contacts when you’re starting out.
If you’ve already linked up with other freelancers, it’s worth asking for recommendations and, even better, introductions. Alternatively, you can Google for agencies in your area and get in touch to offer your services. To give yourself the best chance of being taken on, make sure you customise your pitch to each agency, demonstrate how your services will help them to achieve their goals and provide a couple of examples of your previous work – even if these were non-paying pieces.
Call for pitches
Alongside jobs boards, there are tons of direct calls for pitches each week. These are often shared informally via social media with Twitter being a particularly useful source. Search for terms such as ‘pitch me’, ‘pitching opportunities’ or ‘wanted’ plus your specialism (eg ‘freelance website developer wanted’). It’s amazing how much there is out there.
As well as hunting down opportunities direct, there’s also an increasing number of newsletters which include relevant pitching opportunities – or have even been created specifically to share freelance pitching opportunities such as Sian Meades-Williams super helpful weekly list of Freelance Writing Jobs. If you sign up to these, you’ll find pitching opportunities magically appearing in your inbox each week, just waiting for you to apply.
Partner with other freelancers
When you’re a new freelancer on the hunt for your first clients, it can be easy to see other freelancers as competition. They’re not (well, not usually). Most freelancers are incredibly good at offering a helping hand to those who are just starting out. After all, they know exactly what it’s like!
This means that established freelancers can be a brilliant source of work, as they can pass on jobs to you rather than turning down a client they don’t have the capacity to take on themselves. In fact, I got my first piece of paid transcription work by sub-contracting from an overloaded freelancer I’d connected with online. The figures didn’t add up to work in this way long term but it gave my confidence a well-needed boost when I was starting out.
It’s not only sub-contracting on offer either. Linking up with another freelancer who has complementary skills can make your offer to a client stronger – plus you immediately double the number of contacts in your network who may be on the look out for a freelancer.
Contact clients direct
Between the ages of 17 and 22 I successfully applied for multiple jobs ranging from marketing for an arts centre to a cashier at a really lovely Italian restaurant. Yet not one of these posts was actually advertised. The only reason I landed the posts was because I approached them direct and asked if they needed any staff. I focussed on places I’d like to work, dressed smartly, put on my best smile and had couple of pre-prepared sentences ready. Yes, I had a few knock backs along the way but I always ended up with a job within a week of looking – and sometimes I was interviewed and hired on the spot.
My point is that, when you’re starting out, it can feel daunting to do a heap of cold calling. However, if you knock on enough of the right doors and go in showing you fit the bill, you will find clients willing to take you on. Even better, if you approach organisations who aren’t advertising for freelancers with a personalised pitch, you’re more likely to get noticed than if you apply as part of the rush of responses to a specific call-out.
Companies you care about
When you’re looking at who to approach, focus on clients or companies that you’re genuinely interested in, even if the link is not directly connected to your work. You’re far more likely to spark a connection and get work if you can show you care about what the company does.
For example, if you love unusual plants or mountain biking or challenging board games, look for companies that work in these areas and think about how you can shape your offer to what they need. You may be a new freelancer but your passion for their company combined with your professional skills will go a long way to convincing them you’re worth a shot.
Clients that hired other new freelancers
A great tip I’ve heard from a few people is to find out which freelancers currently work with your dream clients and then look at what companies they delivered work for earlier in their career. Alternatively, identify freelancers who deliver projects you admire and find out who gave them work when they started out. This should give you a really useful list of companies that both are open to taking on newbie freelancers and have been a stepping stone to the type of work you’d ideally love to deliver.
If you’re unsure where to start, LinkedIn is a brilliant source of information into people’s work history and you can usually find out who’s delivering work for a company either by checking their website or calling the head office and asking. It takes a bit of time but if it gives you a good set of hot leads, it’s worth the effort.
Clients recommended by other freelancers
If you’re struggling to identify which clients to target, ask other freelancers in your area if they have recommendations. They’ll often pass on details of companies and publications that are open to pitches from new freelancers and may also offer invaluable tips of the best way to make your approach.
If you’ve not yet built up your freelancer network, Google for freelancer groups in your niche or build up links via Twitter. You don’t need to know freelancers in person to make a connection!
Clients who have a clear need for your services
Another way to identify potential clients is to hunt out those where your services could clearly help, such as a website that badly needs proofing or a blog where articles are only uploaded once in a blue moon.
You could take a systematic approach and select a specific topic, search for companies in that area and then review their website and services until you identify clients where you could add value. Alternatively, you could see this as a reactive search, where you always have half an eye open for a company that would benefit from your services.
Either way, remember you’re unlikely to get a positive reaction if you start by telling them their current offer is rubbish! However, if you go in with a super-customised approach highlighting what they currently do well plus how you could improve specific parts this can yield results.
Past employers
If you’ve given up a paid post in order to freelance, it may feel a tad strange to go back to your past employer asking for work. However, assuming you left on good terms, past employers can be one of the best sources of jobs for new freelancers.
If a company has previously employed you, the staff already know you and know the standards of your work – which takes you over that barrier of having no past clients to vouch for you. And on the flip side, your insight into the company means you can give a mega-tailored pitch, which shows how your services will directly address the specific needs that you know they have.
Send your pitch
Now it’s time for the hard work: you’ve identified where your clients are, it’s time to make your pitch. Go on – you can do it!
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