7 Tips on How to Land Clients as a Freelance Writer

I got recently contacted by a fellow freelance writer who was asking for tips on how to land clients or jobs as a freelancer. It was pretty interesting to me because a day or two prior, I had stumbled upon his LinkedIn profile while searching for inspiration for my profile, and I remember thinking, "hmm, it looks like he's just starting."

After remembering that I didn't want to give him a few tips and send him on his way, SOO :), I'm writing this article on how to land clients for him and whoever else needs these tips as well!

As a new freelance writer, it can be difficult to land clients. This is because you likely don't have the same level of experience or skillset that other, more established writers have. However, if you follow the tips in this article, you'll be well on your way to landing more clients and building a successful freelance writing career.

If you're a freelance writer who's just starting, the SEVEN tips I have on how to land clients will be highly beneficial!

1. Choose an Aim

When starting as a freelance writer, choosing an aim is essential. This is because having a specific goal will help you focus your efforts and make it easier to land clients.

Humans are more likely to be drawn to people with a clear focus, especially if you're a business owner entrusting someone to help them with their content marketing. When you can explain your writing goals succinctly, it allows you to understand better what you're looking for and creates a more favorable impression on potential clients.

So, before you start pitching your services to potential clients, take some time to think about what you want to achieve as a freelance writer.

Some possible aims include:

Becoming a full-time freelance writer: There are several ways to make a living as a freelance writer. You can work part-time or full-time and choose to specialize in a specific type of writing or industry.

If you aim to become a full-time freelance writer, it's important to be realistic about the amount of work you'll need to secure to make this a reality. For most people, becoming a full-time freelance writer requires landing at least a few regular clients.

Landing a writing job with a specific company or publication: Do you have your heart set on writing for a particular publication or company? If so, it's essential to tailor your pitches to that company or publication.

For example, if you're aiming to write for a lifestyle magazine, you'll want to focus on pitching article ideas that would be relevant to their target audience.

Becoming a specialist in a particular field or topic: If you're looking to become a specialist in a specific field or issue, it's important to focus your writing on that area. This way, when potential clients are searching for a writer with specific expertise, they'll be more likely to come across your name.

Some specialist areas include: travel writing, copywriting, technical writing, and ghostwriting.

Earning a certain income each month: If you aim to achieve a certain amount each month, it's essential to be realistic about the number of clients you'll need to land to reach that goal.

Keep in mind that as a new freelance writer, you may not be able to command the same rates as more experienced writers. However, don't be discouraged – as you gain more experience and build up a strong portfolio, you'll be able to increase your rates.

You might think this step is pointless because your ultimate goal is to land clients. However, by taking the time to choose an aim, I promise you'll find yourself knowing what step to take next more easily.

If you're having trouble with this step, remember that you don't have to marry your first aim. As the article points out, the whole point of having an initial aim is to get started and learn more about topics you're interested in until finding an area or niche that makes you happy professionally within freelance writing careers.

Once you've chosen an aim, write it down and keep it somewhere visible so that you can constantly remind yourself of what you're working towards.

2. Niche Down

This tip is near and dear to my heart because it was one of the biggest roadblocks I faced when building my freelance writing business.

Although some are pretty successful at being a generalist, I found it extremely dull to write about a bunch of different topics that I didn't care about. Not only that, but I wasn't very good at it because I didn't have much experience in any particular field.

Or at least that was until I took a step back and pivoted to relationships and personal development – two topics I'm incredibly passionate about.

Some reasons why you might want to niche down as a freelance writer include:

You have a lot of experience and knowledge in a particular area: When you have a lot of experience and expertise in a specific area, it makes sense to share that with the world by becoming a freelance writer. Not only will this help you to stand out from the competition, but it'll also make it easier for clients to know what kind of writing you're capable of.

You're passionate about a particular topic: If you're passionate about a specific topic, you'll likely enjoy writing about it more than other topics. When I speak about passion in this aspect, I mean getting so good at writing about a topic that when people read your work, they say things like, "OMG, this is amazing; I'm so glad you took the time to research and share this with us!!"

That's going to make you feel excellent!

So much so that you'll want to do more of it which makes you want to research and write more, then get a more positive response till you are in a sort of passionate cycle/loop, making you more dedicated to your craft.

From a neurological perspective, being passionate about something makes it easier for your brain to access the associated memories and knowledge, making the writing process much more manageable.

Some tips for finding your passion when it comes to freelance writing include:

Finding a topic that intersects with your personal life: When it comes to freelance writing, finding a subject that intersects with your personal life can make the process much easier. This is because you'll already have some knowledge and experience in the topic, making writing about it more straightforward.

Picking a topic that's trending: Picking a topic that's trending can be risky, as trends come and go. However, if you can pick a trend that's relevant to your interests or personal life, then there's no reason why you can't write about it.

Finding a unique angle: When it comes to Topics, sometimes the best way to go is by finding a unique angle. This means looking at a topic from a different perspective than what other writers are doing.

3. Build Up a Valuable Skillset

One of the best ways to land clients as a freelance writer is to have a valuable skillset. This means having skills that are in demand by clients and that not many other writers have.

This goes hand in hand with the previous tips because imagine you get extremely good at social media marketing or SEO; then, you will be able to land more clients and charge more for your services.

Some examples of valuable skillsets for freelance writers include:

SEO: SEO, or search engine optimization, is a process of optimizing a website for Google search. This can involve optimizing the website's title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and content.

Social media marketing: Social media marketing uses social media platforms to promote a product or service. This can involve creating and sharing content, engaging with users, and running ads.

Copywriting: Copywriting is the process of writing copy, or text, for a website. This can involve writing product descriptions, landing pages, blog posts, or email marketing campaigns.

Content marketing: Content marketing is creating and sharing content to promote a product or service. This can involve creating blog posts, infographics, ebooks, or white papers.

Lead generation: Lead generation is the process of generating leads, or potential customers, for a business. This can involve creating and sharing content, running ads, or engaging in email marketing.

Email marketing: Email marketing is sending emails to promote a product or service. This can involve sending newsletters, promotional offers, or email campaigns.

If you can master even just one of these skill sets, you'll be in a great position to land clients as a freelance writer.

4. Write Everyday

Another great way to land clients as a freelance writer is to write daily. This will not only help you improve your writing skills, but it will also show potential clients that you're dedicated to your craft.

This was what I started mastering first before I even KNEW about freelance writing or blogging. I wanted to become articulate and better at explaining things.

Little did I know this was a valuable skill that would help me later in my career!

The best way to write every day is to set aside non-negotiable time. This can be first thing in the morning (this is what I do), before bed, or during your lunch break.

Morning pages could be a hidden benefit to your freelance writing career. If you don't know about morning pages, it's simply three pages of free writing first thing in the morning. This can help clear your mind and get the creative juices flowing for the day ahead.

It doesn't matter when you write, as long as you write in order to build up the habit of writing every day.

5. Network & Share Your Work Everywhere

When it comes to landing clients as a freelance writer, networking and sharing your work are essential. In fact, these are two of the most important things you can do.

Networking means connecting with other writers, editors, and publishing professionals. This can be done in person or online, but most would prefer online.

One of my most significant networking opportunities was asking a co-worker who I knew had a start-up business and did acting gigs if I could write for his blog since I enjoyed creative writing. From there, I learned how to create a blog website, SEO, web design, etc. But I gain so many skills just from him saying "yes."

Nevertheless, there are many ways to share your work online. This can be done through social media, your website or blog, or submitting your work to publications.

Some places you can share your work include:

Your website or blog: This is a great way to share your work and attract potential clients. Be sure to include a contact form or email address so people can reach out to you. This is a bit more of an "advanced" tip, as you need to understand web design, SEO, and online marketing.

Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram): These are great for sharing your work and connecting with other writers and potential clients. Use hashtags and tag relevant people/publications when you share your work.

LinkedIn is an excellent platform for networking with other writers and publishing professionals. You can also share your work on LinkedIn by publishing articles on their Pulse platform.

Guest blogging: Guest blogging is when you write a blog post for another person's website or blog. This is a great way to get your work in front of a new audience and attract potential clients.

To find guest blogging opportunities, you can Google "[topic] + guest post" or "[topic] + write for us." You can also try pitching to blogs you already read and enjoy. Just be sure to read their submission guidelines before reaching out.

You must network and share your work with potential clients as a freelance writer.

6. Consume Content Regularly

To be a successful freelance writer, you must consume content regularly. This means reading articles, blog posts, books, etc., regularly.

Consuming content will not only help you stay up-to-date on trends in your industry, but it will also help you generate new ideas for your writing.

When you're reading, be sure to pay attention to the style of the piece, its structure, and the overall tone. These are all things you can incorporate into your writing.

In addition to reading, it's also important to listen to podcasts and watch videos related to freelance writing. This is a great way to learn new tips and tricks and hear about other writers' experiences.

Some great freelance writers include:

Elna Cain

Carol Tice

Kristi Hines

Etc.

Regularly researching your niche and freelance writing, in general, will help you become a better writer and land more clients.

7. Develop A Business Mindset

Lastly, if you want to be a successful freelance writer, you must develop a business mindset. This means understanding that your writing is a business and should be treated as such.

Mindset. Mindset. Mindset! This will be your greatest tool and the biggest obstacle in your freelance writing career.

As a freelance writer, it's essential to understand that you are running a business. This means you must be proactive about marketing your services, setting prices, and keeping track of your finances.

From an evolutionary standpoint, your mind's job ISN'T to make you successful or wealthy with all of your dreams in life. No, quite the opposite, actually.

Your mind's number one priority is to keep you alive; to do that, it needs to keep you in your comfort zone as much as possible. This is because you're in danger when you're outside of your comfort zone, and your mind doesn't like that.

So when you're trying to freelance writing or anything that is outside of your comfort zone, your mind will do everything in its power to talk you out of it. To your mind, the only thing worth striving towards is to keep you alive long enough to reproduce and then keep your offspring alive long enough to do the same. That's it.

How do I cultivate a business mindset?

The answer is simple, but it takes work. You need to provide value to the world, so much so that people are MORE willing to spend their hard-earned CASH on your service or product than anything in that moment of finding you.

"Get so good at something that the world values that there's always a place for you." This is a quote from Naval Ravikant that really resonated with me, and it's something I live with now.

If you provide so much value to the world that people are more than happy to spend their money on your service or product, you will never have to worry about finding clients or making money as a freelance writer.

Once again, It's not easy, but it is simple.

So if you want to be a successful freelance writer, keep these tips in mind. They'll help you land clients and build a successful freelance writing career.

Summary

Freelance writing can be a demanding career to get into, but if you follow the tips in this article, you'll be well on your way to landing more clients and building a successful freelance writing career. Consuming content regularly, developing a business mindset, and providing value to the world are all essential ingredients for success as a freelance writer.

Thanks for reading! I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions or tips of your own, please feel free to leave a comment below.

I wish you the best of luck in your journey!

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