5 Ways to Find New Freelance Writing Clients

Some of the links within this article may be affiliate links. Meaning, I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on said link at no extra cost to you.

Freelance writing can be a great career choice for anyone that is looking for a flexible schedule and a job where you are your own boss. , However, it can be difficult to find enough clients to keep writing full-time at times. Knowing how to identify potential clients, as well as other places you can find and connect with them is an important skill that freelance writers must learn. This blog post will cover topics such as how to identify potential clients as well as reveal other avenues you can go down to find and retain freelance writing clients all year round.

Identify Potential Clients

By identifying potential clients you are setting your sights on the kind of writing that you want to do, not just whatever job lands in your lap. Whether you hate it or have any expertise in that realm of knowledge at all, or not. There are a few steps that go into identifying potential clients, so let’s talk about those steps little bit.

Targeting Specific Industries: You want to choose industries that align with your writing niche or area of expertise. If you’re new to the game and aren’t entirely sure of what your niche is quite yet, consider what topics you already know a lot about and could talk on and on about for an hour or more to someone. Those are the industries that you will want to target when looking for new freelance writing clients. You could be looking into industries such as technology, health and wellness, automobiles, real estate, and so many more.

Research Those Companies: You’ve scouted out a couple of companies that fall within your niche and you’ve put them on your list. Now you need to dive in and learn about them. Are they a growing company and do they have an active marketing team that’s in need of freelance services? You can also look into their blog if they have one, and read through what already exists there. In order to get a feel for the type of content that they want, what kind of voice their company has, and what you think is missing that you could Bring to their company as their freelance writer.

Run a Competitive Analysis: This is the part where you pretend your target company has already hired you and you are working as their freelance writer. Who are their competitors and what kind of content or website copy do they have that you target company is lacking in? Use this analysis to your advantage when you pitch ideas to your target company.

Create an Ideal Client Profile: You’ve done a lot of research at this point, and maybe even a lot of pitching. Creating an ideal client profile will help you to focus your efforts on attracting the right clients that align with you.

Check Out Online Job Boards

Some people will tell you that online job boards are a waste of your time, and that you should be cold pitching to clients on your own. No one is stopping you from doing both! I started my freelance writing career by working on Fiverr, one of the more popular job board platforms for freelancers out there. I made a decent income through that platform while I was in nursing school. Giving me the flexibility that I needed at that time, and still enjoy. Job boards also helped me to gain a ton of experience as a freelance writer.

Upwork: One of the largest work marketplaces on the internet, with a vast variety of freelance jobs available.

Fiverr: Focuses on smaller, more affordable jobs. Hence the name “Fiverr”, as the premise is that you can post job offers for as low as $5. The platform has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, but Fiverr is where my freelance writing journey began in 2017. Fast forward to the present and I can proudly say that the work I did through Fiverr supported me financially while I was in nursing school.

ProBlogger: The job board on ProBlogger is curated for bloggers specifically. There are also tons of courses and resources available on the ProBlogger website as well that are worth checking out.

MediaBistro: This platform offers a wide variety of writing and editing jobs for freelancers. I’ve seen a few high ticket jobs on there, offering over $6,000 a month for freelance writing work! Do be mindful about reading the qualifications that are required for each job though.

A few quick tips that will help you to stand out when looking for freelance writing work through job boards.

• Create a powerful profile that highlights your strengths and areas of interest. As well as your passion for the niche that you are an expert writer in. Don’t over sell, but don’t sell yourself short either!
• Write compelling proposals when reaching out to potential clients on job boards. Tailor your proposals to that job specifically, don’t throw generic, repetitive proposals out just hoping one will catch.
• Be responsive and professional when potential clients do reach out to you to follow up on a proposal. Don’t leave them hanging! Life can be busy, that’s for sure. Sending a short and sweet response of “Thank you for following up with me about my proposal for your job listing. I am out of my office until X date, and will touch base with you about this on that day. Looking forward to talking with you then!” Or something to that effect.

Network via LinkedIn and Social Media

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a great platform for professionals to network and connect with freelancers. The key is to create a professional profile on your LinkedIn account that highlights your strengths and experience in your field, utilizing keywords throughout. Connect with potential clients in your target industries by engaging with their content and making them aware of you and your expertise.

Social Media: Using social media isn’t necessary to become a successful freelance writer, but can be leveraged if you are someone who enjoys connecting with others through social media platforms. If so, you might find it beneficial to create profiles on social media that are specifically for your freelance writing business. Through that profile you can engage with those in your target industries through different pages and groups. You can also promote your own business and create brand awareness through social media.

Utilize Referrals

Leverage Your Network: If you’re not entirely new to freelance writing and have work with clients already before, you can leverage your network that you’ve begun to cultivate. You can also utilize your network outside of professional contact, and tell your friends, family and professional acquaintances that you are doing freelance writing work.

Testimonials: Ask for testimonials from clients that you have worked with or are presently working with. After getting their permission to publish these testimonials, utilize their good words to draw in more clients. Even share the feedback in your proposals with prospective clients. Some client’s are kind enough to give feedback along the lines of “I would strongly recommend this freelance writer!”, and this can work as well as a direct referral sometimes.

Participate in Professional Associations

Take your networking a step further by joining professional associations of like minded freelancers. There are hundreds of professional associations out there for freelancers within a specific niche. These associations are an already established network of freelancers who likely have connections to hoards of potential clients, or at least leads to bring you closer to more clients. Especially if you take the time to attend events that they hold so that you can show face shake hands.

Other benefits of joining professional associations as a freelance writer include access to different resources you maybe didn’t know existed, in addition to different training or mentorship opportunities that could elevate your freelance writing career to the next level.

Finding new clients as a freelance writer can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be. By utilizing the strategies in this post, such as identifying potential clients, leveraging online job boards, networking through LinkedIn and social media, utilizing referrals, and participating in professional associations, you can make your freelance career much more successful.

What areas have you found success in finding new clients for your freelance writing career? Have you utilized job boards or professional associations? If so, tel me which ones you’ve been successful with in teh comments below!