Many people are hesitant about pursuing their freelance dreams because of the dilemmas and doubts that constantly crawl through their minds.

Going freelance means taking responsibility for your own future. Simply put, there’s no-one to help you out. Because of this, most freelancers – or people looking to go freelance – share a constant worry: How am I going to attract (new) clients as a freelancer?

While the fear of not knowing when and where the next paycheck is coming from is understandable, it’s not something that should hold you back.

With certain strategies and habits in place, you can start to feel confident that you are reliably attracting the right kind of people towards your business. Over time this consistency will help you to build a sustainable business.

It’s at this point that you can really begin to enjoy the many benefits of this lifestyle, and of living a life on your own terms. Which is what freelance success is all about!

1. Be clear on what type of clients you want to attract as a freelancer

To get to this point, it helps to be clear about what you actually want.

We all want to have a constant flow of clients and projects. But very few of us can specifically describe the type of projects and clients that we actually want to attract.

A major difference between being a freelancer, and working 9-5 for somebody else is that you are your own boss – you have total freedom to choose which projects you take on and who you work with.

If you are going to work on projects that will make you feel miserable, you are missing the whole point of being a freelancer.

To find work that will fulfil you, first you need to be clear on what that work actually is. Otherwise, it’s highly unlikely that you will attract it, and you’ll end up stuck doing work you don’t want to do.

Who is your ideal client?

It helps to define your ideal client or clients that you want to attract as a freelancer. This is an idea of the people you want to work with, for example, small charities, new businesses, or entrepreneurs.

Here’s a simple exercise to define your ideal client:

Is there someone you have always dreamed of working for or with?

Describe them in as much detail as you can – the industry, the number of employees, their products/services, their mission and values.

Write down what you love about them so much and what it is that makes you want to work for them.

Once you are done, you will have a good description of the types of companies and clients that you want to work with – and why.

The list you come up with is a good starting point for working out who you want to work with. Use your findings to filter and target potential clients.

What type of projects do you want to work on?

If you are struggling to define the type of clients that you want to attract, or think it will force you to focus too narrowly as a freelancer, then you should try to define your perfect projects instead.

Try to think about what skill(s) you would like to hone, and what you want your field of expertise to be.

What kind of projects would make you so excited that you would do them for free?

Now that you know a bit more about what it is that you actually want to do, and what type of clients you want to attract as a freelancer, let’s go through some ways that you can help make it a reality.

2. Create Passion Projects

Passion projects are a great way for artists and creative freelancers to present their skills, and to attract clients and new projects that they actually want to do.

It’s a common trap. You are likely to attract similar work to that which you’re showing in your portfolio. So how do you develop, or move onto different areas of work?

This is where passion projects can help you show your skills and creativity – and help you to attract more of the work you actually want.

It’s important to treat passion projects as if they are real client work, and to properly showcase them on your website/portfolio. Give yourself a realistic brief to work from.

It’s also important to promote them and try to get as much exposure for them as possible – so all the work you have put in gets the deserved attention.

By displaying your passion projects, you are much more likely to attract work in the areas – and using the skills – that you are most passionate about.

So if you’re a freelancer – a graphic designer who wants to transition to motion design, for example – working on a portfolio of motion design projects will help you bridge that gap, and demonstrate your skills to attract actual clients.

3. Network, network, network

Most freelancers share a distrust of the word ‘networking’, but it’s a necessary part of freelance life.

Networking doesn’t have to be suiting up and going along to intimidating events where the only goal is to exchange as many business cards as possible. There are many other things that you can do that are not that far from your comfort zone but can give you amazing results.

At the end of the day, it is just about putting yourself out there more.

If you are just starting out, and have a fear of networking, start with small steps. Online networking can really work too. Join Facebook groups where fellow freelancers and business people are hanging out.

Surround yourself with like-minded people and freelancers

When you surround yourself with like-minded people who understand your position, you will immediately feel better by just knowing you are not the only one with “problems”. You can find great support in these groups, as well as accountability – and even work and freelance jobs.

Have in mind that people who are members of the group are there for the same reason as you are, not to judge you. They also don’t usually want to be directly sold to. So don’t be hesitant to join discussions, share your challenges and ask for advice. Don’t just jump in and try to sell or promote yourself too much.

Be a part of the community and offer value to other members. You can get some good collaborations, referrals or even other freelancers asking you to join them on projects they are working on (if you have compatible skills, for example, graphic designer – copywriter).

It has to happen naturally though, so this is a long-term process.

Of course, it is tricky at the moment, but once the world hopefully returns to normality, you can also consider in-person networking.

Take it one step at a time

If you are feeling a bit more confident, create a profile on Meetup and attend smaller networking events, with only 10-15 participants.

Usually, for introverts, it’s much easier to relax and have productive discussions when the group is smaller, and you will feel more like you are hanging out rather than doing scary networking.

Even though you should always try to challenge yourself and push your comfort zone, with things like networking – where just the idea itself can make some people very uncomfortable – it’s better to start off with small steps and progress from there.

4. Have a system to find and manage leads in place

Depending on what services you offer, you might need a system to help you find and develop a relationship with leads – people who may be interested in your services. Don’t worry, this isn’t as complicated as it sounds.

Say you are a graphic designer and you want to help small business owners grow their businesses with the help of your services.

If you’ve been networking, putting your name out there, getting to know people in the community who can introduce you to potential clients, you will have a list of some leads or at least people who can bring you some leads.

So it’s very important to keep the track of that. You don’t want to miss opportunities just because you forgot to send an email or follow up on time.

Lead Generation System by Joey Korenman

In his book Freelance Manifesto, which we highly recommend, Joey Korenman, the founder of the School of Motion, explains an excellent system for finding new leads, tracking your contact with them, and getting new work.

Here’s a quick summary, and a basic spreadsheet that you can use and adapt.

Create a spreadsheet that will have the following columns:

COMPANY – name and/or website of the business/agency you want to work with

CONTACT – the person you will contact to discuss potential opportunities to work together

TITLE – you always need to know what role your contact has in the company, to be able to use the right words and send an email that will get a reply. For example, if the contact you have is not the right person to pitch your services to, you can acknowledge that and kindly ask her to give you the right contact and/or forward your email to them.

SOURCE – how did you find out about this contact, has someone introduced you to them, do you know them from socials, did you listen to them on a podcast?
This is the part that will help you to craft a personal email to stand out. Also, people are much more likely to reply and positively engage with you if you give context.

EMAIL ADDRESS – or any other way you can contact them

STATUS COLUMNS – these will help you stay on top of each interaction and know exactly what you should do in order to keep things moving forward:

CONTACTED
LIKE
TRUST
BOOKED
NEED

NOTE – for any relevant information about the certain company and/or contact

The idea of this system is to enable you to have a valuable, meaningful conversation with your potential clients. Since it’s you who’s reaching out, you will want to have this spreadsheet filled with your ideal clients.

Things to have in mind if you are just starting out

If you are just starting out and don’t have any contacts yet, don’t do a broad google search and come up with dozens of companies that you will just randomly pitch too.

First, it will take you a lot of time, second, you probably won’t hear back from anyone.

Instead, think of all the people you know, have worked with, and whether they can introduce you to someone relevant.

Put them on the list, contact them and start from there.

Things that are sustainable and give results in the long term take time to develop, so be patient here, and don’t take things too personally.

To get yeses you will also have to hear nos too, but that doesn’t mean your work is not good or anything like that.

It can simply mean that the time is not right, which is not a denial but a postponement. Or it can mean you are not a good fit – and that, at the end of the day, is a blessing in disguise.

5. Get yourself out there!

This is the type of advice that’s easier said than done, but try to do a series of small tasks that will take only 15-20 minutes out of your day.

But do them each and every day. This habit will move you towards getting new clients in the long run.

Here are just some ideas of what those tasks could be:

Answering questions on Quora relevant to your field of expertise
Engaging and offering valuable advice in LinkedIn and Facebook groups to your potential clients
Pitching yourself to be a guest on podcasts
Writing blog and guest articles to position yourself as an expert in the industry
Browsing less-known freelance job websites for gigs and projects

Work out a routine and put it on autopilot. This is not something that is supposed to bring you new clients instantly, but rather build awareness about you and your business, and position you as an expert.

Final thoughts

Finding clients doesn’t have to be a nightmare. As a freelancer, if you are systematic about how you approach reaching out to new clients, you can really remove a lot of the guesswork and attract your ideal clients.

New clients can come from anywhere, so be open to new opportunities, and always try to be helpful whenever you deal with people – you never know who might need your help in the future, or who might recommend you to someone else.

So get yourself out there – good luck!

Alistair Webster

Founder of Freelance Success

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