So here you are, a brand-new freelancer about to hit it big. You've sorted out the paperwork, revamped your LinkedIn profile, and created a profile on the most prominent freelancing platforms like Fiverr and Malt.

However, potential freelance clients aren't especially flooding your inbox (yet).

Why? And more specifically, how to make them come?

You start looking for advice on the internet. They tell you to work for free, to build a website, to write case studies and whitepapers, to showcase your work, to create marketing pipelines, to use automation and put your prospection on autopilot (I love this one).

Just don't.

Every single one of these is sound advice. But if you need that to get your first freelance clients, it's going to take a lot of time before the first euro comes in. Time you likely do not have.

So, what should you do?

Your First Projects as a Freelancer Will Come from People Who Know You

Just picture it. You're a potential client. You have this important project and are looking for a freelance worker to entrust it to.

If you're a promising client, you might know some freelancers already. It's probably not the first time you do that. In that case, a newcomer needs some strong credentials to be considered.

If it's the first time you buy this kind of service, the barrier is even higher because you won't really know what you are buying. So, reassurance is even more important. A newbie client cannot afford to take risks.

A wannabe freelancer doesn't have scores of past projects to showcase or a galaxy of 5-star projects on freelancing platforms, so it comes down to two things: background, and recommendation.

Now you, as a freelancer, cannot do much about your background. Except showcase it as beautifully as possible on your social profiles.

Oh, and you can also talk to people who can see the value of that background. Those who know the companies you have worked at, those you have worked with.

See where I'm going? They either know you or know someone who knows you.

Now the name of the game is: how do you get noticed by these people who might consider you for their projects?

Do Your Research: Who Should Buy Your Services, Which Projects Should They Give You?

That's one thing I didn't mention in the long list of useless things you could do to find your first freelancing clients.

It's not useless. The first steps are quick. The grind that follows is already very likely to land you some business.

Define Your Offer

If you've chosen the freelance path, you certainly have experience and expertise in a given field. In my case, it is digital marketing. You know how people work in this field, how teams are structured, what kind of work is entrusted to freelancers, what kind of companies do it, who usually selects and works with freelancers.

Start with what's already in your head. Don't ask ChatGPT yet. Just open Notion or whatever you use to take notes, and write down who you want to engage with. Simple framing questions:

• What kind of companies work with freelancers like you?
• What kind of missions do they employ them for?
• What are the hot topics at the moment, what might they need help with?
• Who makes the decisions? Who influences them?

Make a List of People You Need to Talk To

Now you have an understanding of who you might work with. It's time to get real. Make a list of individuals you know in the companies you could work with, preferably working in your field. Include friends and people who simply might have heard about you.

Don't waste your time researching who they know, who's the boss in their company, how exactly the company is doing. This will come in due time but it is best done once you know it is going to be useful.

At this stage, you can start contacting the ones you already have a strong relationship with. Friends, basically. But not too many of them. Half a dozen is a nice number already. Meet them, preferably in person, but above all one-to-one, in an environment where you can have a business conversation. In France, that's basically what lunches are for.

By the way, that's the foundation of what is called networking. Networking does not start with talking to potential clients who never heard about you. It's all about talking to those you know, getting useful tips from them, and communicating to them a clear picture of how they can help you.

Ask the Right Questions

In pedantic marketing terms, we're talking about market discovery here. Your friends (hopefully) do not need you to ask them for business - they'll send it your way once they know what you are after and how you can help.

What you can ask them, and what they are most precious for, is to point you in the right direction. How can you indeed help? Ask them the questions you could not ask a prospect you just met.

A few ideas:

• Have they worked with freelancers like you in the past? What was the setup, the business model? Was it good or could it be improved upon?
• Are their companies faced with issues their internal staff cannot really handle? What are those issues, are they common to an entire function or industry? An example: in digital marketing, GDPR-related issues have been a total headache for many marketing managers, and people with the technical skill set to solve them once and for all tend to work at agencies or be freelancers.
• Try to identify with them the market niche you might fit in. Freelancers don't survive in the middle of a big market, there are agencies and companies for that, which specialize in integrating a broad range of services. You have to find a niche where being small is actually an advantage. Preferably not just in terms of cost. An example: as an expert digital marketing freelancer I can do campaign planning, and campaign deployment on both search and social ad networks. That is something an agency would use a whole team for. But I don't need to coordinate with myself, so I'm faster and more consistent between planning and execution than a team can ever be.
• What are the prices they'd expect to pay for different kinds of services you might provide?
• What do they look at when selecting a freelancer?
• If you've worked together in the past, could they please give you a recommendation on LinkedIn (or any other platform that's all the rage in your specific business - just don't get too creative).

Put Your Best Foot Forward: Create Your Freelancer Marketing Platform

Before you start talking with contacts who aren't close friends, you want to make sure you'll make a good first impression. No need to tell you why.

Polish Your Pitch

Hesitation will ruin your business conversations.

You need to know exactly what you can bring to a client. Not so you can hammer them with a long list of proposals before they get a chance to tell you what they need, but so you can answer without hesitation once they have done so and you have listened carefully, taken notes, and asked clarifying questions. After a half-hour conversation, you should usually be able to offer an action plan and a price, and say what you can help your client with, and what you cannot do for them.

Don't be afraid to say you cannot do something. First, it is worse to sell something impossible than to not sell anything, and second, a client is more inclined to trust someone who knows what he or she can or cannot deliver.

Map in writing what you have learned about the market, from both your experience in previous jobs and the conversations you have had. Choose your niche or a few niches you want to try.

Now write down why a client should hire you for a freelance job. And why not. These are your objections and you need an answer to them.

Practice with a mirror - or staring at a blank wall if that's your thing - the point here is about flow. Don't talk too fast or you may sound like a rookie. Repeat your key explanations a few dozen times so they come naturally. Successful freelance workers have dozens of these business conversations under their belt, they have answered all questions a dozen times already. That is why they are firm and decisive in their answers, that is why they inspire trust, that is why they get picked.

Produce Some Discussion Material

Now that you know what you want to say, try to cobble together a few slides, about half a dozen. They are here to make the conversation easier to follow for the client. Not to spare you the trouble of making a lively introduction, and initiating a meaningful conversation. Don't go making 6 slides about yourself. They should be visual representations of the way you work, the way you understand the environment and the job. These are slides to look at together and discuss with the client, not to read aloud to him or her.

Slides can help you project an image of professionalism and confidence because they pre-exist the discussion. So when making statements on your slides, you are sticking out your neck. It's also a good way to introduce pricing, because it shows pricing is already fixed, and not an improvised product of the discussion.

Build a Professional Online Presence

I mentioned at the very start of the article that you had revamped your LinkedIn profile and created profiles on freelancing platforms. Make sure you have indeed. First thing people will do is google you or look you up on LinkedIn. Potential clients do it when they hear about you to check if you're worth meeting. Your friends do it to check what the client they're considering referring you to is going to see.

So in any case, once you've done all of the above, it is worth it having a second look at your social media fronts.

No checklist here, sorry. But some guidelines you do need to answer before you go check these profiles of yours once again.

• Look at social media profiles of established freelancers you want to emulate. Copy them. They do not necessarily do everything perfectly but what they do is not killing their efforts. Blindly following advice from American motivational speakers might kill yours (in France, for example, bold statements on your impact in previous jobs may be counterproductive).
• Think about what potential clients look for when checking your profile on social media. Make the key reassurance points stand out. Get recommendations from people you have worked with in the past. That is why social media exists in business: it is tremendously useful for building social proof.
• Don't overdo it: developing a very valid and interesting point about an internship where you actually learned incredible things will probably do more harm than good.
• Try to have a little bit of content on your profile, write a couple of articles on topics related to the niche you're aiming for. In some professions a portfolio is required. If it is the case for you, for example if you are a designer, take the time to build one. Use what you have done in the past, ask former colleagues for material if you don't have access to it anymore. Avoid doing work just to show it.

Now you look like a great freelancer and talk like a great freelancer. Time to be one. That means finding clients.

Start Using & Building Your Network

I can feel the cold sweat running down your spine as you read this. Badgering all the people you know so they will give you business sounds like a quick way to end your social life.

Thankfully, networking is not that. It's about making new friends who might someday become clients or refer you some. Sounds better?

Activate Your Network

Remember that list you made of contacts who know you? Now is the time to actually start working it. Just reach out to those you know best and go down. A network is called a network for a reason. It is a matter of nodes and links. A good way to make sure you aren't forgetting anyone is to sort your LinkedIn contacts by common connections.

Make appointments with them. The agenda needs to be adapted for each. Easiest is with people working in your field, where you can simply say you are kickstarting your freelance activity and would love to get their insights on the market and on best practices. Even better if you can find a real angle where they have privileged information or expertise they can share. Don't ask for secrets, of course.

What you are aiming for in these conversations:

• Gaining insight - that is actually quite precious! If you don't really care about what people have to share, the whole exchange will not be very genuine and you may not come across as a great and passionate professional.
• Entering the consideration set. You want people to simply remember what you are offering, how you can help them or their business connections.
• Being helpful. Ask people how you can help them. Send them bits of relevant content you come across. Offer introductions. Offering is perhaps the most elegant way to ask. Actually, delivering definitely is.

Meet New People

Just talking to your friends and acquaintances may not keep you busy very long, and it will probably not be enough for you to find more than a couple of projects. Get back to LinkedIn and start a new list - this time with people you don't know. The common connections count trick is especially good at this stage because at this point you might come to realize your industry is a lot larger than the part you knew about.

Identify people who are very much your buyer persona and check their connections. Ask those who seem best placed for an intro. If you have talked to them already and haven't been clumsy (as in feverishly delivering an unprovoked sales pitch), they should not mind. Avoid contacting someone and meeting them and asking for an intro with their boss right away. No one likes to feel they're being used. If you really want to do it, let a couple of weeks pass in between.

You can also use the social element in social media. Start by engaging with a couple of posts from your target, then go for a direct message basically saying, "Hey, I like your content, it would be great to get to know you, when could we get a virtual coffee and talk shop?" It can also work without content if the person isn't into any personal branding vibe, which is actually the norm. Then you will need to find an angle about what they are doing. Fortunately, in industries where there is a need for freelancers, there is usually an obvious interest in experience sharing and having connections.

Oh, and be aware that you'll get ignored, ghosted, and turned down more or less nicely. Do not overthink it unless there is a strong hint that you have been clumsy or inappropriate in your approach. Wipe those bitter tears of rejection, smile, and get to the next potential new friend!

Stay in Touch & Share on Social Media to Be Visible

Building and maintaining your network is an ongoing process, not a one-time effort. As a freelancer, you want to be visible and top-of-mind within your network.

Use Notes and Reminders

Effective networking requires you to remember key details about your contacts and your conversations with them. Use a simple spreadsheet to keep track of your interactions.

After meeting someone, jot down important details about your conversation, their interests, and any follow-up actions you promised. Schedule follow-up reminders. Whether it’s checking in after a month or sending a relevant article, setting reminders ensures that you maintain regular contact without seeming intrusive.

Post & Comment

Regular activity on social media platforms like LinkedIn can significantly boost your visibility. By sharing content and engaging with others, you make sure your contacts remember that you exist.

1. Engage with Others: Comment on posts from your connections, especially those in your target market. Thoughtful comments can catch the attention of potential clients and show that you are active and engaged in the industry. They take very little effort and give you a lot of visibility. Keep this in mind when commenting: your connections and especially your friends will definitely see what you're commenting!
2. Be Consistent: Consistency is key. Regular posting and commenting ensure that you remain visible. Create a content calendar if necessary to help plan your posts and keep your social media presence steady.
3. Focus on Quality: It is better to put out one good post every week and one great article every month than to post generic stuff every day.

What about emailing? Seeing how cluttered my inbox is I'm no big fan of it. I would limit emails to following up with people you have met. You might want to set up a newsletter and a content creation system later on - but that is not part of finding your first clients.

Sign Your First Clients

If you have followed the steps above, potential clients will start knocking on your door, and you on theirs. At this point, it is very much up to you to convert them. Listen carefully, make a good impression, know exactly what the next steps are before every meeting, and be very responsive. We are now in the habit of getting instant results from robots all the time so do not sit on a request for proposals for fear of sounding too eager. Answer as fast as possible, just don't sound too excited.

Now it's up to you. Have a great time!

About the Author

I'm Thomas Glita, a freelance digital acquisition manager, and co-founder of LinKapture, a Chrome and Firefox extension designed to make freelancers' life easier when prospecting on LinkedIn by helping with building those lists I'm so fond of. If you found this article useful, you may like our tool - please do not hesitate to check it out! (there's even a free forever plan)

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