I saw another tweet that echoed pretty much what I once believed — that persistence was the best tool for freelance writers to find new clients.
I say I once believed that. Still do to some extent, but these days I know freelancers need more than just persistence to find and keep good clients.
Notice I said good clients. Anyone can attract a client. Think of it like hockey — if you shoot at the goal a lot, one is going to go in. The same with clients. If you try and try and try …. you’ll find clients.
But what kind of client you find, oh my friend, that depends on you entirely.
[bctt tweet=”How you attract #freelance clients will determine the type of client you get.” username=”LoriWidmer”]
Yep, that’s all you.
Let’s look at the two types of freelancers I’ve seen. There are others, but these two are the most prevalent — the hit-and-miss freelancer and the direct-action freelancer.
Hit-and-miss
Have you ever just blanketed everyone you’ve seen or heard of with letters of introduction or pitches? I’m guilty, and I suspect plenty of you are, as well. When you’re first starting your freelance writing career, it’s hard to be discerning. It’s when you should be, but you’re looking for money, for validation. So you reach out to anyone and everyone you can find. You might even have committed the sin of sending the same templated letter. Ugh.
What does that net a freelancer? Typically, you get work, but you tend to get people who start the conversation with “How much for ….?” questions. There’s little discussion about their projects or their goals and a lot of talk about getting this one thing done quickly and cheaply. At least from my sad first experiences that was the case. Yes, you could find a good client and you might even find an ongoing client. However, you’re taking what comes. You have no idea what this client’s usual habits are when it comes to communication, marketing, and advertising.
Direct action
Let’s try it this way: Let’s slow down, stop spamming everyone you’ve come across, and try for quality, not quantity. Starting out, quantity makes sense, but even then you can put a little more effort into finding out who you’re reaching out to. Even in my early days, I’d give each potential client’s website ten minutes of my time before putting them on my marketing list.
Start there. Look at the website. Here’s what you’ll want to find out:
- What is their business?
- Who are their customers?
- What kinds of communication do they have on their site? Blog? Newsletter? Articles?
- What tone are they using?
- Do they have a healthy press room section or news section?
- Who is the main contact there?
Admittedly, some of this info you will have to dig for. Often these companies or clients have shitty websites that lack anything beyond the form email contact. Dig deeper if the company interests you. Search for them. Find out at least a phone number. Check out who works for them or just type in “Company X press contact.” Sometimes you get lucky.
If the answers to your questions above make you want to work with them, put them on your marketing list. If not, put them on a separate list for eliminated prospects. That way you don’t inadvertently go through the same thing in a few months.
Here are more direct-action moves you can take:
- Follow on social media
- Interact when appropriate in forums or on social media
- Share their content and tag them on relevant content you’re sharing
- Meet them at conferences or on webinars
- Ask for referrals/introductions from your current clients
- Publish your content on LinkedIn (you’d be amazed at the mileage you get from this)
These methods all take a little more effort than just phoning it in. They also net you clients you’ve vetted and are still interested in working with.
Writers, how do you actively seek out clients? What’s your favorite method?