5 Ways to Win Your First Freelance Marketing Client

The #1 thing new freelancer marketers struggle with?

Landing their very first client.

Figuring out where to find these clients, how to pitch to them, and how to get them to choose you over hundreds of other options may seem hopeless at first…

But what I want you to realize first is: 

EVERY freelance marketer struggled to find their first client. Yes, even the one you look up to that’s making your goal income.

In fact, I’ve spoken to hundreds of freelance marketers over the years. And some of them took 6, 8 and even 10 months to land their first client.

The reason it took them so long is because they didn’t have a strategy in place to find their first client.

They had no idea what actually worked – and they were playing a game of trial and error hoping something stuck.

I don’t want you to go through that. I want to shorten your time from starting your business to landing your first client as much as possible.

That’s why I’m sharing a list of 5 proven ways to land your first freelance marketing client: 

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#1 Leverage Your Existing Network 

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This is the easiest way to find your first client – and yet, most freelancers never give it a fair chance.

That’s because new freelancers are often afraid of coming out & telling people that they’re trying something new.

But… if you open yourselves up to that, you could find your first client through your current connections – without having to do any cold outreach, post content or filling out painfully long applications.

And no, your network isn’t just your friends and family. It also includes current and former colleagues, classmates from school and college, people you've met at conferences or workshops and even social media connections. 

Make a list of everyone you’ve come in contact with – and prioritize that list by how close they are to your industry or how likely they are to know someone who is.

Once you do that, start conversations with them one by one. 

Tell them you’re starting something new – and that you’d appreciate it if you told them if they heard anything.

You might be surprised at what comes out of it.

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Your Action Step: This week, make it a point to reach out to the first 5 people on your list.

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#2 Apply for Roles On Freelance Platforms

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After leveraging into your network, this is the second easiest way to find your first client. 

Freelance platforms are filled with people that are desperately looking for freelancers. In fact, there’s a new job being posted there for every role basically every few minutes.

And while it may seem like there’s way too much competition here…

As someone who has been using these platforms to hire freelancers for years…

I can tell you that the number of genuinely GOOD freelancers is still tiny.

Out of a 100 applications, I usually only find 3-4 potential candidates that actually meet my requirements.

So if you’re good at what you do, you have the skills the job asks for, and you write an application that shows you’ve actually read the job description…

You have a better chance at landing these gigs than most freelancers – even if you have no experience on your profile.

The 3 platforms I generally recommend are Upwork, Fiverr & Freelancer.com.

There are also niche websites for specific industries – so make sure you look into whether anything like that exists in your space. 

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Your Action Step: Research which freelance platforms are best for your industry, build out your profile & start applying for roles.

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#3 Build Your Online Presence

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Your online presence is crucial for both inbound and outbound client acquisition. 

For inbound leads (where prospects come to you first), it's often the first impression potential clients have of you when they search for services. 

For outbound, it's what they'll check to verify your credibility after you've reached out. A strong online presence can be the difference between landing that dream client or being overlooked.

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Here's what you need to know about the main platforms:

• LinkedIn - LinkedIn is the #1 place people go to when they’re searching for freelancers. Make sure your profile & bio is up to date, add a clear CTA to reach out to you for your services, and post regularly. Soon enough, you’ll start attracting inbound leads here. LinkedIn also has a solid job search section where you can apply for freelance roles as well.
  
  
• X - X is SO underrated right now. While everyone’s LinkedIn messages are full of pitches, X is still untapped. If you’re open to doing cold outreach, X is a great place to start.
  
  
• Facebook - Facebook has valuable job boards & networking groups that are worth their weight in gold. Find the ones relevant to your market, brush up your profile, and start applying & connecting with people here.
  

Your Action Step: Research each platform & set up your profile. Create a list of tasks you can do daily (your daily KPIs) to start capitalizing these platforms.

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#4 Reach Out To Prospects With An Introductory Offer 

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Now, it’s time to talk about cold outreach. Yes, your ideal client probably gets dozens of pitches in their inbox. But when you know how to stand out, the other pitches won’t matter.

You do that by creating a ‘Foot In The Door’ offer.

This is an offer that lets your clients test out your service - without any risk or long term commitment.

Here are a few examples: 

• Paid Social Audit: Take a look at a brand’s Facebook Ad library and come up with a creative idea you think would be killer that they haven’t leveraged yet. Offer a free audit of their ad account as your call to action. Then, after the audit, you can pitch your services to run it for them.
  
  
• 3 Free (Or Lower Priced) Emails For Their List: Offer to write 3 emails that they can send out to promote their offer. Once they see the emails making money, you can pitch your monthly email marketing services to them.
  
  
• Design 5 Social Media Graphics For Their Next Campaign: Once they see that your designs are in line with their branding & are getting solid engagement & responses, they’ll be begging you to create more for them.

Once you have your introductory offer decided, the next step is to select a channel where your ideal client hangs out & start reaching out to them to promote your offer. 

If you built out your profiles like we talked about earlier, you’ll improve your chances even more.

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Your Action Step: Yep, you guessed it. Come up with your introductory ‘Foot In The Door’ offer & start using your social media profiles to reach out to clients & offer it.

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#5 Expand Your Network & Create Referral Partnerships 

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Even before a role is posted on job boards, clients try to fill it out themselves by putting out feelers. They may ask their current team if they know anyone, or ask other freelancers in their network.

That’s why it pays to know people in your industry. 

Not only do you get to be one of the first people to hear about an opening – but you’re also automatically the preferred candidate because you were referred by someone they already trust. 

The thing is though, building a valuable network doesn’t happen overnight.

You have to actively work on expanding your network. Whether that’s by finding people on Facebook groups and forums, hunting down other freelancers on LinkedIn or even going to local business events. 

It also helps to offer a referral bonus to people who send gigs your way to keep them motivated.

It may seem slow at first, but in the long run, your network becomes your most valuable lead generation source.

In fact, some of the most successful freelancers I know don’t even look for gigs anymore.

They rely purely on word of mouth. 

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Your Action Step: This week, reach out to at least 3 other freelancers that work with your ideal client. Introduce yourself, explain what you do, and suggest a referral partnership.

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So there you have it. 5 ways to win your first freelance client. 

You have a roadmap in place – now it’s all about putting in the reps.

When you follow this plan, you’ll already put yourself ahead of 99% of new freelancers.

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