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Top 5 Ways to Kick Start Your Freelance Content-Writing Journey!

Get more clients and orders — Right From Today!

By OnBlog Blogging Published 3 years ago 5 min read
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Top 5 Ways to Kick Start Your Freelance Content-Writing Journey!
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

When it comes to finding clients, I’ll just come right out and say it:

“I don’t like Fiverr, Upwork, and other gig platforms that match low-budget services with freelancers.”

Now, that may be unfair of me. Some people indeed make decent money there doing good work, and many companies offer proper payment.

A few of my friends had their start on these platforms.

But the standard is not that. Many workers pay cents for hours of work on such gig sites.

In My Opinion?

You’re much better off building your customer base from scratch if you’re dedicated to growing a freelance company.

About why?

For the work delivered, you can not only charge a fair price, but this system is more feasible in the long term.

There is an exponentially more critical network of people who trust you than an outstanding Upwork profile that you don’t even own.

So today, I’d share exactly how I’ve gotten my freelance writing clients. For a total of almost one and a half years, I’ve freelanced for two different periods in my career, both times having enough customers to cover the bills within just 2–3 months.

Here’s a detailed explanation of those 5 ways I did it!

1. Facebook groups

My observation was a little strange with Facebook groups. I was considering doing Youtube videos instead before I started freelancing as a content creator.

Sadly, that was something I had no experience with. I thought I would give it to see what it was like to do.

A fast search on Facebook revealed a community in my city for freelancers. I wrote a post that offered a free content writing service and soon had my first “client.” She hired me to write her website blog at the end of our task performance.

Since then, I’ve gotten involved in many Facebook groups from my city and those where I know my ideal clients hang out.

Even if a group has rules about self-promotion, by merely being supportive, initiating discussions, and making it clear you know your stuff, you can market yourself.

In these communities, several people hunt for freelancers, and you’ll be front and center when they go looking.

2. Private Facebook groups

I’m very fond of online courses, even more so for those with a critical group aspect. But I had only purchased a framework for content writers before recently, and it wasn’t that expensive. At the beginning of this year, that changed.

A secondary advantage came with it:

I was in a private Facebook community full of my target market.

Although I was never directly selling, while making it clear that I was a content writer, I concentrated on being helpful and very noticeable.

As a result, I had thousands of outsiders on Facebook connecting me and a decent handful of people directly asking about my resources.

For two Reasons, Paid Facebook Groups are more Beneficial than Free ones:

Membership is organized and

Everyone has the right motivation (they don’t want to waste their investment!) to join.

By Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash

3. Agencies

Agencies are in a tough place. They need to make sure they have the right team to implement it for each new project. And they also get more people to go when a project finishes because they can’t play them anymore.

Many agencies create a network of freelancers and managers to rely on as a bonus instead of giving in to this relentless ebb and flow. This means there’s a massive opportunity for folks like us!

It depends on the strategy and on how coordinated the manager of the project is.

Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.

— Chris Grosser, Owner Advisor in Tesla, Inc.

Depending on the case, freelancing for a company may have the same challenges as working in a 9–5, but it can also be a simple way to get work.

How to work with an agency

As an entrepreneur, you don’t have to work for an organization to get a freelancer position. Later, I worked for other companies that I had never heard of before, reaching out to them.

How do you begin to work for an agency? You could try cold emailing one of the higher-ups at all times.

The best way to get introduced to an agency is through another freelancer. This brings me to my next point.

4. Referrals from other content writers

Much of my review came from another content writer early on. She outsourced my services to her customers first.

She started merely sending leads my way when she went on maternity leave.

I felt, at first, like I was trying to cheat on the network. Instead of trying to stir up my customers, taking referrals meant I wasn’t a genuine freelancer.

Subcontracting projects and sharing, I know that’s ridiculous and is super common. It’s how many people get their start.

5. Collaborating with designers

Freelance designers and freelance content writers go together like lemonade and a hot day.

By Leon on Unsplash

We need one another. At some point, most of our projects would need the other individual’s expertise, so these connections are great for exchanging leads and even sometimes outsourcing each other.

I’ve teamed up with a few designers for their customers. They typically assign my services and handle the project, so the client only needs to pay one person, and outside of having what I need to create the material, I don’t need to think about contact with the client.

Perhaps you can smell a conspiracy here.

You Don’t Have To Be Great To Start, But You Have To Start To Be Great.

— Zig Ziglar, American author and motivational speaker

Much of my experience has arisen from experiences with other experts. I don’t make any mass marketing efforts outside of my blog.

Most of my clients come through referrals, And a few come from actual human discussions that begin with a video chat on social networking sites and are closed.

But what if you don’t have any of those connections that are essential? Don’t bother; there’s no need for you to be a socialite.

To build a trustworthy company, you only need to hold the trust of a few other freelancers who are willing to give you links (and to whom you can send tips in return!).

These may be online buddies or community individuals.

CONCLUSION

Getting your first few clients is an achievement, but your goals will start to accelerate (and the testimonials to prove your worth). And never again will you have to use UpWork or Fiverr.

_________

STORY IS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MEDIUM.

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About the Creator

OnBlog Blogging

Adeel--Mainly Write Around Productivity, SEO Content-Writing, General Life Experiences, How-to content, and Non-Fiction.

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