How to find clients, now and always
No magical tricks or tips here, but common-sense strategies you can start applying today.
A lot of people have asked us how they can support The Friendly Freelancer. If you like what we’re doing, the best way to support us at the moment is to tell your friends about us. We don’t have a marketing – or other – budget, and we get most of our new readers through word-of-mouth recommendations. See you in two weeks!
“How do you find clients?” is undoubtedly the question I get asked the most as a freelancer.
I always have to give an answer that’s equal parts disappointing and encouraging. Disappointing because there are no magical quick-fixes, and building up a client base takes time – so much time. Encouraging because every one of my tips is easy to start applying today and won’t cost you anything but a bit of time.
So, let’s just get to it – here are my best tips for finding clients. Most of them are pandemic-proof. You’ll probably have better luck with some of these tips than others, but I would go for the spaghetti approach and just see what sticks. 🍝 I also added a rough estimate of the number of clients or assignments I’ve gotten through each tactic this year.
Tell everyone you know that you’re open for business
The older you get, the more you realise that being successful doesn’t so much come down to excellence or hard work, as it does to how many people you know. I’d say that roughly 65% of my clients have come to me through my network. And that’s because most assignments aren’t advertised anywhere but simply filled through personal connections. I’ve gotten assignments through fellow runners at my track club, through one of my best friends’ employer and through people I met at afterwork drinks. Your network of relatives, fellow freelancers, childhood friends, old co-workers and Tinder dates – why not? – is your single most important weapon to find clients. Use it.
Join all the matchmaker platforms
When I started out, there were hardly any platforms connecting companies to freelancers. Today there are plenty. It’s true that they take a small commission, but this is a great, zero-effort way to get new clients, no matter how long you’ve been freelancing. I personally wouldn’t join a platform that charges freelancers membership fees, and I’ve also steered clear of huge platforms like Upwork. I’ve gotten two one-off assignments and one fantastic long-term assignment through matchmaker platforms this year.
Cold-email all the brands, agencies or organisations you want to work with
I sent letters of introduction to about a dozen companies after I graduated in 2012, and approximately half of those companies have reached out to me with potential assignments since then. (Don’t know what a letter of introduction is? Read this terrific post, which includes an example and tips to craft your own, by freelance queen Lindy Alexander) Even if you don’t hear back, you can be sure that most companies will keep your email on file and hopefully get in touch when they have a job that suits you.
Work from co-working spots (or join online meet-ups until this pandemic is over)
Try to regularly go to a co-working space even if you love working from home. And choose it carefully. Your odds of getting assignments through fellow co-workers will be much bigger if you can find one that attracts profiles that are similar to yours. I know many co-working spaces are closed at the moment due to the pandemic, but you could try joining an online meetup for freelancers and start building connections that way. The more local, the better. I’ve gotten three assignments through freelancers I met at my co-working space this year.
Join your university’s alumni listserv/ career services
I got my best client this year by responding to a listserv email for people who attended the same journalism school as me. Of course, the successfulness of this tactic will depend on how actively the listserv is used or how active your university’s career services are, but this has worked terrifically for me. So if your university has some kind of email list for alumni or a career services department, use it! Many of the opportunities I see there aren’t advertised anywhere else.
Be nice
Especially to your peers and especially to those very people you consider to be your competitors. Remember how I said that roughly 65% of my regular clients came to me through people I know? Well, I was introduced to my favourite and best-paying clients by my direct competition, by freelance writers and editors fishing in the same pond as me. Several freelance journos whom I helped out years ago with small gestures (sharing my contacts with them or alerting them to opportunities) have returned the favour many times over by sending superb assignments or clients my way. (Also, check out Selma’s recent newsletter for more reasons that you should be befriending your competitors.)
So, those are my tips for finding clients. These strategies all take time to pay off, but stick with them and you will start getting some new clients, I promise.
What are your top tips for finding new work? Please, please, please share with other freelancers what has worked for you by emailing us at freelancerthefriendly@gmail.com
Speak soon,
Linda
What our readers are saying:
I enjoyed reading once again your latest Friendly Freelancer post. Congrats again to you and Selma for this initiative. It’s clearly well-appreciated. – Editor Sarah Crew
What I’m listening to, watching, reading this week:
Building relationships (previously known as networking) is another great way to get new clients. Although the podcast The Writers’ Co-op is focused on … er … writers, this episode includes a trove of tips that will be helpful to anyone who still thinks networking is something that involves a room full of people, lots of business cards and soul-crushing small talk.
So much of the freelancer-focused content I consume these days is UK or US-centric. I loved discovering what the freelancing scene for graphic designers looks like in Ghana in this episode of the Freelance Beat podcast.
I did a Q&A with Juliana-Santos Wahlgren, an expert at the European Network Against Racism, about racial discrimination in Belgium for the new online issue of The Bulletin.
This newsletter was written by Linda A. Thompson, a Belgian freelance journalist who writes about the legal industry and social injustice. She’s written for Bloomberg Law, Law.com, Deutsche Welle, OZY, International Politics & Society, USA Today, Underpinned, IJNet and Equal Times.
You’ll hear from Selma Franssen in two weeks. Selma is a Dutch freelance journalist living in Brussels. She is the author of Vriendschap in tijden van eenzaamheid and has written for Charlie Magazine, OneWorld, De Morgen, De Standaard, The New Statesman, Bustle, Knack, VPRO, and Newsweek.