I’m so excited to share this post with you guys. I get a LOT of emails asking me how I landed my first client as a freelancer, but the truth is, my story is just one of many.
To show you how many diverse and awesome ways there are to break into freelancing, I’ve compiled a collection of 21 fabulous freelancers’ stories about how they landed their first client.
I hope you enjoy it!
I used LimeLeads (a database full of leads) to look up my target clients and gather the email addresses of content marketing managers who might be interested in hiring me. Then, I started sending tons of cold emails, and eventually, I got an email back! That was my first client.
I got my first client when I wasn’t even looking for her! I was working to grow my Pinterest account by joining group boards. I emailed an amazing blogger and coach asking to join her board. She quickly added me to her board and asked if I would make some changes to her website! I’m still working with her today.
I got my first freelance client almost four years ago by doing something very simple: listing my current job as “freelancer” on LinkedIn (despite still working full time at a language institute). I set up my LinkedIn to look like I’d already taken the leap to freelancing 100%, and in my e-mail footer I had my name hyperlinked to my LinkedIn profile.
I sent out a mass e-mail to past and present students with a few links to language learning resources and then reminded them to click my name and connect with me on LinkedIn (and I also offered to endorse them for English training on their own profiles, which created more incentive to connect with me). Soon the emails starting rolling in to ask if I’m working independently! This is how I got my first 3 freelance clients, and everyone’s happy because they pay less money and I receive more money than when we had the institute filter between us.
My first paid writing gig was actually on Fiverr. It was fine. The only exciting thing about it was getting paid. Otherwise it was uneventful and thoroughly unfulfilling. Fiverr wasn’t all bad though, I made a great connection with a telecoms company and did 4 (or maybe 5) gigs for them, including two after I stopped using Fiverr.
The first writing gig that I landed from cold pitching was with someone who now says she thinks of me as part of her creative team. I decided I was going to start cold pitching 5 people a week and that I was going to pick one industry a week to pitch to. My ideal client is someone who is trying to do it all themselves, not necessarily in a specific niche (although that may come one day). Jo was the third person I emailed on my first week targeting “mobile beauty therapists”. She replied within two hours and we have been working together ever since. I do all sorts of things for her from writing newsletters to taglines and tweets! It is a dream relationship!
I moved across the country (U.S.) to a state where I knew no one at the same time of starting my social media freelancing business. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement. It took me about four months before I really started getting momentum and putting myself out there.
I decided to go to a local MeetUp that was doing a presentation on how to use Twitter to gain customers. I, working in the social media industry, knew most of the tips that the presenter discussed, but I figured many small business owners would be attending that might want to hire someone to do their social media for them.
I didn’t connect directly with anyone during the actual presentation, but I noticed one of the people who asked a question to the presenter. This particular person had a very interesting and niche business and I decided to tweet at them the following day and asked if they wanted to get coffee some time.
Going into it, I was really just trying to meet people and maybe make a friend that also runs their own small business, but he ended up being my first client! I didn’t know he was looking to hire anyone but he asked if I was interested and I of course said yes!
On a whim, I reached out to a popular lifestyle blogger and asked if I could re-do their Twitter header for free, in exchange for one promotional tweet. She gladly accepted and, a few days later, someone sent me a DM about wanting a similar header made! The embarrassing part is that I only charged her $5…but luckily she was an awesome client, and I actually still work with her sometimes!
I was heavily pregnant in a crystal shop (of course!) and bumped into a tarot reader who started to tell me all about my son in utero. She then asked me what I did for a living, I took a deep breath and said “I’m a brand identity & web designer”, to which she replied “Oh great, I need one of those”. She then hired me for all the branding for her new Kundalini Yoga Studio.
My first freelance writing client came through Upwork.com. I bid on a project and got it. This client doesn’t pay well at all, but I don’t regret taking them on. Here’s why:
- They are a digital marketing agency with clients in the travel & tourism industry. Therefore, I am writing about what I love to write about most – travel!
- I can write as many or as few articles that I want each month.
- I have learned through this gig a little more about SEO and how to incorporate key words into articles.
- They provide constructive feedback about my writing which has been invaluable in helping me to learn to write better.
- Writing for this company has given me the idea to target similar marketing agencies for freelance writing work that PAYS BETTER. This has become the start of my marketing strategy.
I have learned from this experience that sometimes a poor-paying client can be of value in other ways. My plan is to decrease my hours with this first client once I land a couple of better paying ones.
In 2005 I posted on craigslist 3 times a day to get clients – at the time I was an actress shooting actress headshots. I then met with an actor at a cafe for 2 hours, convincing him that he should shoot with me. He paid me $250 for 5 different looks, and one of the pictures from that shoot ended up being the cover shot on a magazine (which I only came to find years later). I had just shot about 10 actors for free, and on a TERRIBLE pocket camera where 90% of the shots came out really bad.
I took the leap and bought a DSLR, and he was maybe the third person I shot on that. I have since upgraded my gear a buncha times, joined B-school, photographed Marie Forleo and Michael Beckwith, and my rates went up to $2500 a shoot in 2012. I absolutely love what I do (I retired from acting in 2011). I get to travel the world and play for a living, and many of my clients have come to be some of my closest and most beloved friends!
By the time I was 19, I’ve been doing web design as a hobby for several years. I’ve just caught onto the booming trend of web standards, accessibility and browser compatibility. This newfound knowledge got to my head, so one day I sent a hate e-mail to a local web development agency whose website looked broken in Firefox, basically calling them inept.
Instead of arguing with me or ignoring me, the agency owner wrote back a polite email saying they’re too busy with clients to work on their own website, and asked me if I was available for contract work, since he could use a good web designer on his team.
I apologized for my brazen behavior, accepted the offer, and proceeded to create several websites for that agency. Getting that freelance gig was great in itself, but what’s even more important, that guy taught me that a smart business owner is always on the lookout for a great opportunity, and won’t let his ego get in the way.
I landed my first client in 2013, two days after I had been laid off from the first job that I ever really liked (basically crushing my soul). I was hanging out in my kitchen when my roommate’s friend approached me and said, “Hey, you do link building right? I do web marketing management and I have a few clients that are interested in SEO. How much do you charge?”
Unfortunately I knew nothing about freelancing at the time, and in fact I hadn’t even considered it as a career option. I undercharged him and made a whole bunch of mistakes along the way, but came out of it with enormous confidence and great results for the clients I took on.
My first client was actually off of the back of my mum, who owned a craft and design business, but let’s pretend that she wasn’t the first. 😉 The first client I landed myself was through social media; my biggest marketing tool. I had been showcasing my own work on a website called deviantART a few years back and was approached by a number of different people asking me to draw for them, design logos and develop web snippets for them. Since then, I’ve attracted the majority of my customers through other social media sites such as Instagram.
I have a story that is a bit unique – not my first client, but how I got hired to develop and create a course for a local private business college. It’s a term contract that I’ve done for 5 terms now, twice per year, and it started with me being active in a photographers’ Facebook group. The department head of the Digital Photography program was planning to offer a social media course in their curriculum, and other photogs in the group tagged me for him to get in touch.
So a Facebook message conversation later, no resume and no formal interview, and I was hired to create an 11wk x 3hrs/wk Social Media for Photographers course. My favourite aspect is that I developed a bucket list term project so that students not only post promotionally on their social networks (we touch on pretty much all of them) but that they use social media to develop relationships and network as well. Students have landed job-shadow positions, gigs as second shooters, and been invited to photography celebrities and influencers such as a Victoria Secret model, Pink, and the gold medal winning snowboarder at the Xgames.
To challenge myself in connecting with influencers and essentially walk the talk so to speak, the 2nd time I ran the course I started doing a year end webinar/Hangout on Air where I interviewed photography pros, live right in the classroom (and online of course) so students could ask questions, as well as see what is possible with networking through social media.
My first client was referred to me by someone I knew personally. That’s why it’s so important to let your friends, family and colleagues know about your new business and the type of work you will be doing. You never know who knows someone looking for help. And personal referrals are much easier to sign-on than a stranger you meet on the internet.
I landed my first client thanks to a volunteering gig for a huge local event. My volunteer work there initially led to me doing some writing for someone I knew from there. The work I did was portfolio work for very little money. I thought that would be it. However, that person then started recommending me to other people in their very impressive and large network.
At some point, someone on Facebook asked for a reference for a copywriter, my contact dropped my name in the comments — and I had landed my first proper client. Almost two years later, I’m still working with that client. It’s a great collaboration. They give me regular copywriting work and have recently come to me for non-visual branding work as well. They’ve recommended me to other people in the startup community and are a great reference when people ask about my work.
This experience is why I strongly believe in networking offline and not just online. It has worked incredibly well for me over the years and I know I can rely on my network here in Vienna.
I met my first proper client through eLance (before it became Upwork). They wrote to me after the first tiny job to ask if I’d quote for a much bigger job. We have a direct working relationship now.
My very first client was a free client…I looked online for small businesses that were local to me and looked like they would benefit from some updated branding and website. I sent out a postcard I had designed to all of these businesses, and one took me up on my offer–a bridal consignment shop!
After that, my first PAID client came from Instagram, where I was relentlessly advertising and promoting a super cheap service for design to further expand my portfolio. And by relentlessly promoting it, I mean like several times a day…I REALLY put it out there!
I got my first client by holding a Pay What You Want sale on my personal instagram page. I had just graduated from college with a degree in web development, and I knew that I wanted to work with women who had a drive to tell their stories through their work. I had a ton of dear mom friends on Instagram (who were my lifeline as I was going to school and staying home with my infant son) who fit the bill exactly, so I opened up my services creating blog themes for those women. I chose 3 of them to create custom themes for their websites and helped them get them off the ground. I’ve been hooked ever since 🙂
I found my first client through Elance (now Upwork). I pitched for 10-15 jobs before anyone responded to me. It was a great exercise in persistence!
When I first started freelancing, I landed my first 3 clients through my existing network. First, I sent an email out to my friends and former colleagues letting them know that I was freelancing and what type of work I was looking for. Second, I posted basically the same message on Facebook requesting referrals. Don’t underestimate the power of your network!
I got my first client, actually my first 10 clients, through elance, which is now upwork. I know many people struggle to find high-paying work on freelance sites like these, but I was able to niche down into a very specific and technical writing niche and find work. After a few months clients started contacting me directly and I rarely needed to pitch for work.
This is such a useful post, Lizzie – thanks so much for putting it together! What I love most is that everyone in this list has said something different. There’s a huge list of ideas beginner freelancers can use here 🙂
My pleasure, Holly – so glad you like it! I love that everyone started in a different way. It just goes to show that every situation is unique and there’s not just one clear path.
I agree with Holly, this list is an awesome resource for people starting their own business. (Though of course I wouldn’t advise them to copy my example :D)
Nela Dunato recently posted…26 creative ways to share your individuality online
I love your example, Nela! Thanks for sharing your story 🙂
I enjoyed reading through this, everyone’s stories are so different because you never know where your next client is coming from from!
So true, Angela! I love how diverse everyone’s stories are.
Love this! Funnily enough, my first client came the day after my first pitch, but they weren’t the same client and it was completely random. I had just fired off my first email pitch when I struck up a conversation with a friend of a friend at happy hour. We closed the deal that night and I’m still working with them (as well as the client I originally pitched).
I love this story, Brittany! You never know where the work might come from!
Thanks so much for including me, Lizzie! 🙂 It was awesome reading through these and seeing how other freelancers found work at the start of their career!
Thanks so much for sharing your story!
Very inspiring Lizzie. The first client is always the hardest. I loved reading how everyone’s stories. Thanks for sharing.
So true that it’s the hardest! So glad you liked this, Yolie!
Great post!
I really liked reading everyone’s stories, but Wendy Greene’s really stood out to me the most. She stated that the client didn’t pay well at, but she was glad to have had the opportunity.
I felt the same way about the first client I got after I moved away from content mills. They paid content mill rates, but they supplied me with a steady stream of work. I learned a lot, and enjoyed receiving actionable feedback that I could grow from. I learned about SEO from them, and about the importance of incorporating keywords into articles and blog posts I wrote. I also did a lot of website page copy for them, which really helped me flesh out the scope of my offered services. While my client was certainly not a good long-term client, they were exactly what I needed to truly launch my freelance career.
Loved reading this!
So true, Alexia! My first client actually paid me fairly well for a new freelancer, but the most valuable thing I got from them was learning how to work professionally with clients, invoice, and work to extreme deadlines. These are all lessons I’ve taken with me throughout my career, and I try and learn something new from every client I have.
This is such an interesting read! Having diversity associated with your business is key to success, and that includes clients! Very nicely done. Thanks so much for sharing!
So true, Morgan! Diversity is key when you’re a freelancer. So glad you liked the piece!
Inspiring post! Makes me believe that I can do this, too!
Of course you can, Sherri!
Thanks for mentioning these ways to freelancing online,I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore,
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.