Let’s face it: We’re in the era of AI, which means some people will be looking to take shortcuts while writers who target these potential clients will be bemoaning how “dead” freelancing is.
It’s already started. A few friends have already been asked to edit AI-generated content or worse, train AI to basically take their jobs. When struggling freelancers see this, it’s tough to combat their negativity.
However, if you fish in the right pond, freelancing is still quite alive and thriving, friend. It’s just more about how you go about finding clients than it has been in the past. This easy, four-part primer, if applied consistently (meaning a lot more than one time), can help get you to a better place in your freelancing.
Start here:
Increase the number of contacts you make.
I’ve said this in the past and I repeat it because damn, it works. The more you reach out, the more name recognition, the more chances you’ll have of securing client work. That move also increases your chances of not having to rely so heavily on marketing. Don’t think that can happen? Read my Year of Living Dangerously post. How do you get there? By doing this work now.
Improve your client research.
Increasing contacts isn’t about peppering the world with unfocused, random pleas for connection. Make those connections count for both you and the potential client. This is your network you’re building. Try this five-minute research method to get to know them but do go beyond this. The more you know about that potential client before you make contact, the better you’ll know if it’s even a contact worth making.
Look to the long term.
A little hint: The contacts most worth making aren’t hanging out on job boards. Oh sure, you can get one or two good clients that way. But it’s rare. Rarer still is one who will pay you well and keep working with you beyond that first job.
Successful freelancing requires finding ways to put less time into marketing and more time into the client relationship. Think of it this way: If you score a one-time project, that’s one paycheck. If you build a relationship with a new client who needs ongoing work, that’s an income stream. Let’s imagine that the one-time project pays you $3K and that the ongoing client work brings in a gross of $15K annually. You would have to research and market to five different clients to make as much with one-time projects as you’d make with the ongoing work. And you’d have to repeat that process because these were just one-time needs. Better to find a client or three whose needs are ongoing.
Fish in a different pond.
And to get those ongoing projects, you might have to go up the food chain. From basically 2016 on, I worked with the same clients and marketed very little, if at all. My current clients are all long-term clients — one from 2003. You don’t get that kind of relationship when answering a job ad.
Go back and look at how quickly research client prospects, then take a look at the post on putting together your own Letter of Introduction. Also, take to social media. Be seen where potential clients are talking. Join the conversation. Share relevant content. Attend local industry events. Use LinkedIn as your place to post articles that target your potential clients. Any or all of this can get you in front of clients who need long-term writing help.
Your turn.
Freelancers, how have you successfully increased your freelance income?