Not long ago, I saw a writer lament that she was never told any “actionable” advice on freelance writing blogs. I understand the frustration. In many cases, it’s true. Not here, because I’ve made it my thing to show you how to do what I’m suggesting.
Part of her frustration came from a weird place, though. When one writer responded with a pointed response as to why her broad question might need more detail, the frustrated writer lashed out at them with a pretty nasty diatribe on how she didn’t invite anyone to insult her (which is strange because no one did).
Still, diatribe aside, she brought up the block that exists between writers and their next client. Since I’ve covered this before, I’m going to cover it right here, right now, but in even more detail. However, I will add this caveat at the outset:
Nothing here will work if you don’t do the work yourself.
I say that because one example this writer was given was very pointed and told her exactly how to get what she was looking for. Her response: Yes, if you write that, I’ll read it.
Way. Too. Passive.
Here’s the thing — everyone who has ever started out freelance writing has had to find clients. I’d bet most of us never had someone hold our hands the whole way. You get nowhere if you’re relying on someone else to tell you what to do next.
With that in mind, let’s go over the first step in finding and winning client business. It’s an important one:
Research the client.
Let’s choose a focus. You don’t have to have a niche, but knowing what kind of client you’d like to work with doesn’t hurt. Make a list of the companies you’d like to reach out to. You won’t just yet, but you need the list in order to vet them.
Got the list? Now it’s time to find out who they are and what makes them tick. Let’s hit the internet.
Learn their business. For our purposes, I’ve chosen very randomly the first company to show up on my Facebook ads. We’ll use Grove Collaborative. A quick look at their website gets us to our first point: what their business is. In their Investor Relations section, they list that they are:
the leading sustainable company transforming the products you use at home into a force for human and environmental good. We create and curate revolutionary, planet-first products so you never have to choose between your values and products that truly work.
Look for underlying themes. Most companies will tell you either in their slogan, logo, or use of language what their differentiator is. Grove’s vision statement: A world where all choices are sustainable choices.
Here’s another theme: You’re here to change the world
That’s right — their mission is to provide more sustainable products and make you feel good about helping reduce plastic waste. They’ve also partnered with other companies that provide plastic-free products in their Go Beyond Plastic™ shop. They also empower their customers who have internet presences focused on a variety of sustainability and natural wellness to become partners.
Know their customers. Grove’s customers are people who are seeking more sustainable options and are focused on reducing plastics and other pollutants. They are also reaching out to new customers through educating the masses on plastic pollution through their website.
Note the language. Everything on the Grove website is focused on affordable, plastic-free products that work. The first words you’ll see on the website are, “Shop with Purpose.” You’ll also see “Reduce Single-use Plastic” and “Sustainable starter sets.” Everything on the Grove website echoes its mission and vision.
Look for opportunities. Where might your skills fit within the company’s needs? If your values align, it makes sense for you to reach out. They have a blog, but they also have an annual report, a social media presence, a need to get their people’s articles (which you could ghostwrite) into consumer and trade magazines. Press releases, case studies, whatever you think will best fit with what their mission and needs are, is where to focus your efforts.
Scan the news. You’re excited to reach out. But wait. Check news articles from the last two years to see if there is anything going on that could be a red flag. A quick search of Grove shows that they’ve introduced a badging system to give consumers much-needed sustainability information on each product and have a new CEO to help them rebuild a troubled company.
Research like this takes maybe 10 minutes. Maybe 15 if you’re digging through a lot of news. But knowing now that you’re about to reach out to a solid company is much better than securing the client only to find out that they’re in legal peril or that their values are opposite your own.
If you’d like another example of how to research a company, read my post from 2017.
Once you’ve done your homework and have decided that you’d like to reach out, get in touch. A letter of introduction from a writer who shows that they know their business is a better selling point than just a random email asking for work.
Writers, is there anything else you do to vet a client?