In the search for freelance writing clients, here is a list of places that you don’t want to miss. Enjoy your hunt and happy writing!
- Use freelance job boards
If you are new to freelance writing then you will want to make use of the online job boards such as those I have reviewed in previous articles. This is a great place to get started and learn the basics of writing for an online market. It’s also a great way to make some decent money. Even a complete beginner can start at many of these sites immediately.
- Contact bloggers
It might be hard to imagine but many of the top blogs on the Internet are actually written by someone other than the blog owner. You also want to look for blogs that aren’t updated frequently or who have poorly written posts. You want to focus on blogs that are in your niche area whenever possible. Contact the owner and send them a sample post, outline how you can improve their traffic and give them the link to your website.
- Guest blog
While many blog sites pay $50 or more per post to guest bloggers, the real benefit is in the exposure. Opt for sites that offer you a byline and that have a great deal of traffic. Be sure to include a link to your own website. Contact the site owner and pitch your topic.
- Work locally
Don’t ignore looking for work in your local area, no matter how small. Look around your local community for the smaller versions of major companies and let them know that your writing services are available. A locally owned bank has essentially the same needs for professional letters and financial writing as one of the major banks does. Don’t leave local sources untapped.
- Network constantly
Never stop networking. Absolutely everyone you know should know that you are a freelance writer. One freelancer has bulk pens printed with his website on them. He then leaves them wherever he happens to be. This also works with business cards. Visit meetup.com and look for local networking opportunities. Join as many civic groups as you can and attend all local civic gatherings such as city council and School Board meetings. The bigger your network, the more jobs are going to flow in your direction.
- Create a website
You absolutely must have a website. It’s simply not an option to ignore this essential business tool. Every successful business has some sort of Internet presence and many people will be looking for yours. Keep it clean, have your contact information prominently displayed and keep it current. Many companies will not even consider your pitch, no matter how brilliant, unless you have a website.
- Hang out with other freelance writers
This may seem like a strange way to generate new clients but it really works. When one freelancer can’t take on a particular job, the client will typically ask them if they know of another freelance writer. The more freelance writers you associate with the more likely you are to make new writing contacts through them. Look for freelancers on the Internet, through local book clubs and writers groups at local colleges. Yahoo groups and Meet Up are great places to find your fellow freelance writers.
- Get your name out there
Join online writing groups. Fill in every profile on every site you are a member of and include a link to your website. This includes places where you make comments about other blog posts. Absolutely any time that you can promote your writing, do it. Name recognition is extremely valuable to freelance writers, so promote your writing everywhere.
- Write for anyone
If you are just starting out, you need samples. One of the best places to get these is Yahoo Voices. You can write on just about any topic, you will be paid residual payments and possibly even an upfront fee for your article. You will get a great deal of exposure and have samples to show to prospective clients. Consider HubPages for this same reason. These two sites attract millions of visitors daily and can build you a reader base quickly.
- Direct email marketing
This is an easy one that can net you a lot of clients quickly. Choose a particular market, financial services for example, use Google to locate every listing for those providing those services within say 50 miles and find their online web site. Make a list of their email addresses and once every 3-4 months send an email brochure of your writing services. To make it simple, get one of the free online mass email programs.
- Direct Mail Marketing
This is very similar to the Direct Email Marketing but it’s done less frequently, maybe every 6 months or so. You can target the same groups as your mass email, but send a postcard instead. Make the card bright and memorable. This double approach works very well in snagging new clients really fast because when the postcard arrives you will already have name recognition because of the emails!
- Use social media
You simply have to use social media to market your business and attract clients. Like a website, it’s essentially required. The problem is which ones should you invest the time into mastering? Well I’ve got the top 4 here. I highly recommend using all of them for maximum results.
- Maximize your LinkedIn account
Set up your profile to be seen by as many people as possible. Because many individuals and companies use LinkedIn to find freelancers, be sure that the top line in your bio specifies all necessary search terms. For a freelance writer that specializes in healthcare articles, include Freelance writer, Healthcare, and any specifics of your industry. Put in what someone might search for to find your specialty.
- Create status updates
One of the best things about LinkedIn is that you don’t have to live on the site itself. 2-3 status updates weekly is enough to keep your site current. This is a great place to place links to newly published articles, comment on industry news and in short make your page relevant to potential clients. To avoid sounding like you are begging for work, post questions such as information on potential sources, companies to review or industry leaders to interview. You can also look for projects by posting an update for collaboration. You always want to mention any new projects you have finished.
- Job ads
Some of the best job ads on the Internet that are direct from the company will be found on LinkedIn. This is, for many companies, their ‘go-to’ location to post their new openings and new contract work when looking for freelance writers. Be sure to pay attention to the ads looking for fulltime workers. Often you can pitch projects to fill the gap between the posting time and the hiring of a new fulltime employee.
- Harvesting leads on LinkedIn
Be sure to see who is looking at your profile. This could give you a great lead. Just send the potential client a message using LinkedIn mail and ask them if they were looking for a freelance writer. Offer to send samples and include an additional link to your website.
- Join groups
Join groups on LinkedIn. Don’t just stick to writing groups; join groups for your writing niche as well. Are you a financial writer? Then join finance related groups. Is your specialty small business development? Then join groups for small business promotion. This is the best way to network on LinkedIn and an even better way to meet tons of potential new clients.
- Find leads and follow them
Look for leaders in your favorite or niche writing areas and click on the follow button. Retweet their posts and make relevant comments. This is a great way to have potential clients learn that you exist.
- Find projects
While waiting to develop a Twitter relationship of at least a few days with prospective leads, look for projects that could be of mutual benefit to you and the other person. You could team up with a web designer in exchange for writing copy for their website. You might find someone looking to hire a writer to ghostwrite their book. Use the search button to exhaust the possibilities.
- Ask questions
Once you have developed a Twitter relationship with a few leads, ask simple questions. Because of the laid-back and relaxed nature of Twitter, many otherwise unapproachable people might be inclined to answer your question about who to pitch an article to at their magazine or who to contact at their company about freelance work.
- Have your own business page
This should be pretty simple and it should only take you a few minutes to set it up: create a business page for your freelance writing business. Not only does this give you a wider market, but also you can even use it to showcase how you will manage the professional website of clients; setting up a posting schedule, responding to comments and so forth.
- Research potential clients
Facebook is a great place to do some recon on potential clients. You can see how popular they are, check out how professional their Facebook page is and you can also generally find the link to their website. Look that over as well. Does it look like it could use your skills in improving the articles? Pitch your ideas to the owner and be sure to include details on how you can improve their website and their image.
Google+
- Expand your circles
It’s incredibly easy to network on Google+. All you do is add your contacts and then look through their contacts. Make useful comments and then add them to your circle and so forth. It doesn’t take long to have a huge networking circle on Google+. Make sure your profile includes links to your other social media locations as well as your website and you are well on your way to having an incredible network of contacts.
Local Social Media
- Find local internet boards
This was once fairly basic but has fallen away over recent years in favor of national and international social media sites. Still, local social media links can be incredibly valuable. Google your town and join lists, groups and other gathering places for those local to your area. Yahoo Groups has always been great for this. While you are there, check for a local freelance writing group. If there isn’t one, start it!
- Visit your local newspaper online
The final local social media is your local newspaper. Many local papers have online forums and news groups. Join these and participate in community discussions. These sites often also have areas where local businesses can post a topic and chat with people about their business.