5 ways to land freelance writing clients...when you're new

How do you land freelance writing clients when you're brand new to it?

Once upon a time, I was in the same spot. And as someone who was in the same spot, I can confidently say you can overcome this problem!

The first step to building a career as a writer-whether this is on a full-time basis or as a side business-is to build a portfolio.

I wrote about that last week.

Once you've created a portfolio, it is time to start landing clients.

In today's post, I'm sharing 5 ways I've personally landed freelance writing clients.

Let's delve right in.

Pitch directly

Go on Google and type in "write for us paid (insert your niche)".

And so for instance, if you're a tech writer, you could type in "write for us paid tech".

A whole list of tech publications that pay writers will come up.

Once you do this, finding someone (usually an email) to pitch to becomes easy and you can get in touch that one.

Tell friends and family

I used to avoid telling my friends and family about my business.

Because in my mind, they would make fun of me or wonder why I would start my own business.

I wasn't wrong. I still have family who think entrepreneurship is for people who failed at school and cannot find "real jobs".

Never the less, I'm convinced now that you should tell people in your closest circles about your business.

Why?

One of my very good friends became a client during the early part of my career as a writer. She had started a home health care business right around the time I was getting started and needed marketing content for her business.

Because I had told her I was a freelance writer, she immediately thought of me and sent work my way.

This friend also regularly tells other people about my business.

So, even if they don't hire you to write for them, chances are your friends and family will know somebody who needs you and will refer them to you.

Attend local events

Attending local events is another way I've landed clients.

You have to be strategic about this though.

You can attend a local even that is filled with new entrepreneurs for instance and while this may be good for you to connect with other local entrepreneurs, it might not be helpful for getting clients.

On the other hand, if you attend a local event that is full of people who are able and willing to pay you, you will be singing all the way to the bank.

Expanding your network through local events is a powerful way to land clients.

But be selective about where you go so it can support your business.

You can use tools like Eventbrite, Meetup and even Facebook to find such events to attend.

Get active on LinkedIn

I am no LinkedIn guru. But I see how powerful the platform is when it comes to connecting with the right people for your business.

Writing this post on LinkedIn is one way I am building visibility for my own business and I haven't been disappointed.

I'm contacted on this platform by people looking for writers 2-5 times per month. And I'm not even as active on the platform as I could be!

So get active on LinkedIn, make strategic connections and land the clients you want.

Use Craigslist

I know!

Craigslist is known for scam artists and shady characters.

But don't sleep on Craigslist!

I snagged two of my longest-standing clients from Craigslist.

I got one of them from answering an ad and got the other one from placing an ad on Craigslist for my services.

Even if you don't have Craigslist in your country, I'm sure you have some version of online classifieds.

Don't ignore this spaces as a place to build your freelance business.

Found this post useful?

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