5 Ways to Get Freelance Writing Gigs
Even without experience!
Freelance Friday
1. Letters of Introduction (LOIs)
Letters of Introduction are the best way to find freelance gigs if you work in any of the top industries that use LinkedIn. On average, 25% of LOIs sent by me and my clients turn into gigs.
In the past 2 years, I’ve:
landed 17 clients using LOIs
passed off 10 other gigs that I landed but couldn’t fit into my schedule
made over $110,000 off of gigs that I got through an LOI
2. Email Cold Pitching
Email cold pitching is the next best thing to LOIs any industry that is not commonly on LinkedIn. On average, 30% of email pitches sent convert to clients. I’ve used email cold pitches for gigs in the outdoor industry and securing podcast sponsors with a 40% conversion rate!
3. Groups
Facebook groups are a great way to make friends with other freelancers who can relate to your struggles and wins. I often use groups to pass off any gigs that I don’t have the capacity for!
It’s a win-win, but only if you take the time to actually participate in the group. Don’t join too many groups! Just start with one to avoid overwhelm and make sure you’re actually going to get value from them.
Try these platforms for groups with gigs:
Slack
Facebook
Mighty Networks
Reddit
Ask us about Pop Club 🎉, the community I created for freelance writers in years 1-3 of their journey.
4. Freelance Platforms
Full transparency, I got my freelance start on Upwork. I made a profile back in 2018 when I got home from my Appalachian Trail thruhike. The day after creating my profile, I quit my full-time Starbucks barista job!
If you have no idea what you’re doing or what you want your niche to be and you don’t want to worry about contracts, Upwork can be a good place to start. If you know what services you want to offer and you want to be a part of a marketplace, you can try Fiverr.
They both charge fees and they both run the risk of clients who want to underpay you and abuse your time. So be wary and make smart choices! Understand that you’re signing a legal agreement when you choose to use Upwork and Fiverr that have some strong implications and make sure you read the agreements thoroughly.
Want tips for landing clients on Upwork? Try this tutorial.
5. Follow-Ups
Remember all those clients that I got from LOIs? Most of them didn’t happen from the first message I sent them. I nurtured them with a conversation, sharing their work, and sending them value where I could.
Then, I followed up by asking if they ever work with freelancers and letting them know when my next available start date is. Almost every client I’ve landed has said, “Oh my gosh! Perfect timing! Thanks for following up!”
If you don’t hear back from a client right away, don’t fret! Follow up. My latest gig came from the second follow-up an entire 15 months after I sent them an LOI. Keep going.
Try This
These are some of my favorite freelance writing groups. Try joining one to find community, gigs, and more!
Slack - Pop Club 🎉 (paid, inquire for details!)
Facebook - The Freelance Content Marketing Writer
Reddit - r/freelancewriters
Finding a freelance community has skyrocketed my coaching clients’ success! Seriously, a community will boost your mind, body, business, and soul. Don’t be afraid of other freelancers. Your people are out there.