3 Surprising Ways Creative Freelancers Can Find New Clients

When you decided to go freelance, did you ever imagine how much time, thought, and energy you’d have to devote to figuring out where you next client is coming from?

It can take up a lot of real-estate in our brains, am I right?

I have a friend who owned a branding and design agency and confessed that she couldn't shake the fear that every project was a fluke and would likely be their last. From there (at least in her mind), it was a very short hop to her and her family being destitute. Now, this might be an extreme example, but I think all creative freelancers and small business owners can relate to this fear, just a little bit. Am I right?

As a business coach, one of the most common challenges creative freelancers and entrepreneurs share with me is: not having enough high-quality, well-paying clients.

Can you relate?

Sure, there’s always something going on in the world that can negatively impact our financial well-being. Heck, in just the last few years we’ve experienced political instability, social unrest, a pandemic, a recession, and inflation. And that’s just in the US.

But one of the beautiful things about being your own boss is that you get to decide what kinds of clients you want, how much money you want to make, and how you’ll go about making that happen.

Which is pretty liberating!

I’ve been a small business owner since 2006, and in my experience, the key to riding out the peaks and valleys is playing both the long game and the short game. The long game is getting your messaging, marketing, and sales processes in place and is ongoing work. The short game is having some reliable actions you can take right now to drum up new business.

Here are three fresh ways you can give your freelance business a boost, connect with your ideal clients, and fill your pipeline with high-quality projects:

1. Upgrade your website copy

As a freelancer, you’re constantly tinkering with your services and messaging and sometimes things get a little screwy!

When I experienced a drop in organic search last year, I asked my product-manager husband to look at my website and share his thoughts. It turns out my messaging and my intentions were not aligned. Subsequent calls with my website designer/developer and an SEO specialist confirmed this and I was able to address the issue.

When was the last time you looked at your website or other materials with fresh eyes? A while? Maybe never? As you can see from my example, there’s great value in getting a fresh set of eyes on your website and messaging. If you choose to take the challenge, I invite you to ask a trusted collaborator, partner, or friend to look at your website and tell you:

What you do
Who you do it for
What makes you different
How you work
What they should do next

Next, I invite you to put on your big-person pants and ask them to tell you:

What’s confusing
What’s missing
What feels off target or off-brand

Tip: Feedback isn’t always easy to hear, especially when it’s your business, so give yourself (and your ego) a little pep talk before this exercise! Remember why you’re asking for feedback, how much better your messaging will be as a result, and how generous it is for them to take the time to share their thoughts with you.

2. Increase your visibility

I get the appeal of being low key and a little bit mysterious, it’s so chic! But folks are busy and if you’re not visible, you’re not top of mind, no matter how great you are.

The last thing I would ask anyone to do is turn themselves into a personal-branding machine, if that’s not their jam. But there’s a vast spectrum between being invisible and being a Kardashian! You’ve just got to find your sweet spot. Here are a few ways to rethink what showing up looks like for you.

For the promotion-shy creatives, I invite you to brainstorm all the ways you love to geek out about branding, graphic design, illustration, interior design, copywriting, etc., and think about all the ways you might share your love and enthusiasm for your topic with others. A poetry slam? A salon? A talk series or local entrepreneurs’ support group? Go wild with your creative ideas!

IRL

Do networking events simultaneously bore you to tears and fill you with dread and fear? Skip ‘em! What about attending a talk at your local Creative Mornings or AIGA chapter? Or attending an industry event packed with folks just as awkward as you! (just kidding 😉)

Online

One of the good things to come out of Covid is that EVERYTHING went online. Joining an online community with your people is a great way to show up however you need to. Lurk when you want to and make connections and contributions when you’re feeling more comfortable.

3. Master the Art of “The Ask”

You’ve heard the saying “Closed mouths don’t get fed”, right? Whether its imposter syndrome holding you back or a belief that you need to be given permission or discovered, folks don’t ask for what they want or need. Here are a few practical ways to approach asking for things:

Referrals

Asking friends, colleagues, or past clients for referrals. It can be a simple email that goes something like this:

Hi____

I’m reaching out because I’ve got a couple of openings for (name of service) right now and wondered if you knew of anyone who might be looking for that kind of support?

Let me know if I can reciprocate and send any particular referrals your way.

Teaching, writing or speaking opportunities

One of the best ways to get new clients is to get in front of someone else’s audience. Research organizations, associations, or alliances who serve your audience and ask if you can give a workshop, write a guest blog post, or give a talk on your area of expertise. I know this might sound intimidating if it’s new to you, but I promise you have something valuable to share and the more you do it, the easier it gets!

Collaborations

Whatever your industry, other folks are serving the same audience, but in a different way. Let’s say you’re a graphic designer who specializes in events and weddings. A great collaborator for you might be a wedding planner, photographer, event producer, owner of an event space etc. Why not reach out to these folks and pitch collaborations? Other people’s audiences = greater visibility and new contacts.

The great thing about each of these tips is that they work for all creative freelancers regardless of how established you are or how full your sales pipeline is. Give them a try and let me know how you do!