5 Ways to Get Freelance Clients When You’re Just Getting Started

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It’s hard to know how to get freelance clients when you’re first getting started.

In your gut you know there’s a lot of opportunities out there. But, how you get all those opportunities to show up at your doorstep is another problem.

If you’re struggling to get freelance clients as a newbie, rest assured, you’re not alone. Taking the time to learn a skill that someone might be willing to pay you is one thing BUT getting someone to ACTUALLY pay you for that skill is another thing entirely.

This week I sat down and chatted with Sammy. Sammy and her husband have almost accidentally fallen into making websites for people they know. BUT, they’ve decided they want to intentionally make it into a business.

The problem is they don’t know how to get the ball rolling. So, I sat down with Sammy and gave her a few ideas.

Truthfully, every freelancer has a bit of a right of passage when they’re just getting started. So, here are 5 ways you can get freelance clients in the early stages.

1. Ask People You Know

Take a second right now and write down a list of 100 people you know that MIGHT need your services.

Notice, I didn’t say DEFINITELY need your services because we don’t know yet. We’ve got to take a leap of faith and ask them.

Let’s say for Sammy’s sake we’re talking about someone that needs help with a website.

Who do you know that has a business?

Who do you know that’s been talking about starting a business?

Write them down!

What about a friend or family member that’s been wanting to start a blog?

Write them down!

At first, it takes a little bit of time to get the gears turning. But, eventually, it’ll get easier to come up with a list of people that might need your help.

Then when you’ve got your list start reaching out to every one of them. You will more than likely have at least a few people that come back and say, “You know what I was just thinking the other day about how much I needed to…”

That’s a sign you’re on the right track.

2. Ask People You Know if THEY Know Anyone

If the people you know come up short DON’T JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT. Ask them IF THEY MIGHT KNOW ANYONE THAT NEEDS THE HELP YOU’RE OFFERING.

You’re trying to create a few personal ambassadors or evangelists to help you get freelance clients.

You need to make sure that everyone you know knows you’re starting to freelance. Don’t leave any stone unturned. Be the annoying guy or girl at the party who’s mentioning their new business.

I’m kidding. Don’t be annoying. BUT, definitely talk about.

You might be fearful that some people will actually get annoyed with you. But, here’s the thing, most people don’t. In fact, most people really want to help you.

Turn the tables around for a second. If you had a friend that was trying to get something off the ground and they were passionate about it and enjoyed sharing what they were doing, would you get annoyed? NO!

You’d be excited for them.

The key is don’t make the interaction transactional. In other words, don’t just ask them if they know someone that needs your help and then walk away. Stay engaged in the conversation.

But, for sure, make sure you are as vocal about it as you can be.

One of my first gigs came from a friend sharing with another friend that I was starting to build websites.

The rest is history.

3. Get Freelance Clients Through Networking

A lot of people hate networking.

I get it. It can feel creepy and sleazy and like everyone is only there to get something from someone else. BUT, that’s not the case with all networking gatherings.

In fact, there are some really great networking opportunities probably right around the corner from where you are that you are missing out on just because you’re biased towards networking.

Instead of bashing it. Try it out.

How do you find networking opportunities?

Well, first, you can google. You’ll likely find a number of different networking events really close to where you live.

BUT, another way is to ask other friends if they’re in any networking groups. This is great because it’s likely those friends have gone and vetted the network gatherings for you and can tell you whether or not they’re worth your time.

Another option is to use apps like Meetup.

Once you’ve found some try them out and keep going back to the ones you enjoyed. You’ll eventually build some relationships over time that could potentially last forever. These folks will go on to be a huge help for you to get freelance clients.

4. Get Freelance Clients Through Online Freelancer Pools Like Upwork

I’m pretty biased about Upwork. It played a huge role in me finding success as a freelancer and ultimately go on to completely change careers.

These platforms can be a solid avenue for finding and landing high-paying clients. BUT, they take some time to get started.

You’ve got to play the long game and realize you won’t strike gold overnight. You’ve got to be patient and methodical. BUT, eventually, if you play your cards right, the reward will be well worth it.

In case you don’t know, Upwork is a large platform where people come who want to have work done on a number of things. There are job postings for everything from photoshoots to audio editing to mobile app creation.

On the other side of that is freelancers looking to help those people out who are looking to have work done.

So, you’ve got the client who needs help and the freelancer who wants to help. Upwork facilitates the whole interaction.

There are hundreds of jobs posted every single day and in 2020 Upwork paid it’s freelancer over $2 billion.

That’s a lot of money and a lot of opportunities to get freelance clients.

5. Get Freelance Clients Through Cold Calls

This last method is my least favorite way to get freelance clients.

Google businesses in your area. Do a bit of research about them and then reach out and see if they might want to hire you. This is known as cold calling.

Here’s why it’s my least favorite method:

Business owners typically hate it when freelancers do it.

It’s annoying AND if you own a business you are likely getting bombarded with people trying to get you to hire them constantly.

SO, you’ve got to be creative about it.

One company sent my boss their own book via Amazon. And, then followed up with an email and said, “HEY, we just sent you a book.”

Did they get our business? No. BUT, they did get our attention.

Most cold calls never amount to much because they get ignored completely. So, be creative in the way you do it AND realize that it’s probably going to take more than a few tries before you actually hear a response.

Whatever Method You Choose Keep Trying Until Something Works

If you want to get freelance clients you can’t simply try one of these methods one or two times and then give up. You’ve got to keep working at it.

AND, every once in a while, switch up HOW you do it. If you’ve tried something 100 times and haven’t gotten anything from it CHANGE IT UP.

Try to pitch slightly differently OR maybe approach the person you’re talking to in a different way.

You’ve just got to keep going for it and making adjustments as you go along.

Eventually, something will start to work and you’ll find that getting freelance clients becomes easier and easier.

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