Let me guess.
You’ve been tirelessly upskilling yourself and trying your hands on freelancing, but so far failed at grabbing freelance clients.
Wondering how to get freelance clients or where to find clients as a freelancer?
It is frustrating when you feel you’re doing everything right but can’t attract freelance clients to get a high-paying job.
A freelancer’s work is mostly solo.
This is why it’s important to learn everything you need to know to find the most suitable clients for yourself.
This is why we’ve prepared this blog for you to know about the top 13 best strategies to find high-paying freelance clients.
Let us begin!
How to get high-paying clients as a freelancer?
But before that, if you’re a freelancer who is just starting his/her journey, you must know how to set freelance rates. To help you, we have curated an ultimate pricing guide for freelancers!
In this section, we’ll be learning and discussing various strategies on how to find freelance clients.
Look no further. Let’s get into our top strategies!
1. Utilize Freelance Job Sites
Have you seen the best freelancing websites like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and more popping up in recent years?
What do these sites do exactly?
These sites are like freelance job boards where clients can scout for freelancers to hire, and job seekers can upload their freelance portfolios and pitch for jobs.
These are the top freelance job sites that you can look for online work:
2. Start Networking Online With Social Media
DM (Direct Message) on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram is the answer to ‘Where to find freelance clients?’.
On LinkedIn, add the “open to work” box on your profile and put hashtags like #opentowork. Also, put #freelance in your headline.
Post about all your recent and relevant projects and internships/jobs that you’ve done previously.
Update your profile and put current links to all your other social media and your freelance portfolio.
On Facebook, reach out to groups. You can search groups regularly and apply whenever a job opportunity or job posting is open.
Some groups also allow you to post for job postings to seek new clients.
Some Facebook groups that you can apply to are:
Ask and answer popular questions on Quora’s online community, Reddit, and Twitter.
On Instagram, create a visual profile filled with good graphics, reels, and posts to attract viewers and potential clients.
3. Craft A Freelance Portfolio
Building a great freelance portfolio is one of the key strategies on how to get more freelance clients.
The best way would be to put up a website online of your freelance portfolio along with old client testimonials.
This way, your future clients would know how great you are at your job.
Refer to this blog where we already discussed how to make your best freelance portfolio.
4. Portray Your Skills As A Service
Your skills in a particular domain reflect your knowledge in it.
But in the real world, commercializing your skills is the solution how to get more freelance work.
Hence, identifying which skillset is profitable for you is a big initial task.
Ensure your clients can visibly understand which soft/hard skills you possess, which domain you have expertise in, and what services/ roles you can best serve.
5. Analyse And Reflect On Rejections
Failures and rejections are natural and inevitable in an online workspace filled with thousands of job seekers and clients.
Things you should carefully reflect on and keep a record of:
- How many clients have you contacted (in the past weeks or months)?
- How many proposals got rejected, and how many were accepted (if any)?
- What other things are successful professionals doing in their niche?
- Any new technology or advancement in your niche? How are people reacting to it?
After this step, analyze your mistakes and shortcomings.
Whatever it is that you can improve on, write them down so that you keep a written note of it.
6. Utilize Email Marketing
A pop-up notification on your website for the reader to enter their email address for extra perks or discount offers is one of the most underrated tips.
Collect emails from as many professionals, clients, small/big businesses, and local businessmen as possible.
You can also start a newsletter from the email list of readers on your site and send weekly blogs through them to keep brands and users engaged.
7. Cold Emails
Another very effective strategy for landing freelance clients and more gigs is through cold emailing.
Follow this 3-step strategy to cold email clients:
You can also provide work samples and attach your portfolio site link.
8. Expand Your Knowledge On Your Chosen Niche
Finding clients as a freelancer is a tough deal.
To be a master at your niche, you have to gather knowledge in depth.
Read blogs of experts in your field, watch YouTube videos, and upskill yourself with new courses and tutorials.
9. Ask For Referrals
For any type of job, you may have seen people seeking referrals from their university seniors or former office clients.
Similarly, in the freelancing domain, you must also actively seek out referrals from former clients instead of waiting on them.
Send a text message on social media or call them if you know them personally.
Be professional and tell them about your current situation and what kind of services you can offer.
Then ask them to mention your name to their company or contact you with a relevant client.
10. Keep Contact With Former Clients
If you’re not a beginner, you must surely have contacts of previous high-paying clients.
Dig those contacts up and hit them up with a text.
Ask whether they might have some work for you or if you could collaborate on some new upcoming project.
We understand how improbable and uncertain getting work like this could be, but it really could be worth your time and effort.
If you’re already working with multiple clients and feeling exhausted, then it’s a major concern. To help you out, we have curated an in-depth guide on how to avoid freelance burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance!
11. Get Your Hands-On Advertising
Are you thinking about how to attract freelance clients?
Facebook ads and Google Adwords are two of the most popular and effective methods.
You do not require a huge budget to reach an enormous number of clients through such a technique.
Try learning a short course on Google, Facebook, and Instagram ads, or hire someone who could do the job for you.
12. Start Blogging
If you’re not a freelance blogger and don’t have your own blogging website, then it’s time to start one!
Blogging about your niche and sharing knowledge with a large audience on the internet will surely help you attract clients.
To assist you better, we have curated an ultimate beginner’s guide on how to start a profitable blog that makes $10,000 per month. Check it out to learn more!
13. Strengthen Your Professional Pitch To Clients
The best way to impress a client and instantly grab an offer is through a very strong and eye-catching pitch.
Shed light on your most recent projects, new experiences, past projects, and degrees, and attach work samples.
If you’re prepping for an interview, prepare your best points in a 30-second pitch as to why they should recruit you.
Wrapping It Up
The above-mentioned 13 strategies will serve you best in getting clients as a freelancer and winning freelance clients over.
With these strategies, you’ll be able to generate much more income and work with like-minded people who respect your time and efforts.
Learn to work smartly through these techniques and strategies and advance your business and freelancing career.
Always keep reading, learning, and applying new and improved strategies to your game.
Happy freelancing!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why Am I Not Getting Freelance Clients?
You might be looking at the wrong places or the same place over and over again to find freelance clients.
Your priority should be gaining enough skills and knowledge, pitching to clients, and reaching out through networking.
2. How To Find Freelance Clients On Facebook?
Try joining Facebook groups on freelancing and related topics. To learn more about how and when to post on Facebook groups, refer to Strategy #2 above.
3. How To Find Freelance Clients On LinkedIn?
Are you wondering how to get freelance clients on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is one of the most sought-after online job platforms in the world.
One can quickly find freelance work through LinkedIn by cold emailing, networking, DMing clients, asking for referrals, and altering your profile.
4. How To Win Freelance Clients?
To win freelance clients, you must impress them with your skills and services.
The client needs to feel as though you’re the best fit they’ve been looking for. Sometimes, it’s not just about skills but more about the play of words and the power of convincing.
Refer to the 13 strategies above to dig deeper.
5. How To Find Clients As A Freelancer On Reddit?
To find clients as a freelancer on Reddit, join relevant subreddits related to your niche.
Engage in discussions, offer helpful advice, and establish yourself as an expert. Share your work and skills occasionally without being overly promotional.
Respond to job postings or create your own posts offering your services. Remember to be genuine, build relationships, and provide value to the community to attract potential clients.
