Getting Your First Freelance Client

Your first freelance client will be a game changer for your career

One of the reasons you are probably not taking freelancing seriously is that you have not got your first client yet. Until you get your first client, it is difficult to believe that freelancing can be a viable career opportunity. It can be a side hustle while you are in a job, or you can make freelancing your full-time career.

I got my first consulting client back in 2016 through my blog DigitalDeepak.com. The client paid me $10 for a 30-minute consultation. It was not much, but it helped me believe that someone will value what I know. That’s why getting the first freelance client who will pay you real money is very important to kick-start your freelancing career journey.

In this post, let’s look at the different steps you need to go through to get your first freelance client.

1. Find out what you are good at

The world is a wealthy place because different people are good at different things. If we have to take care of ourselves, then life will be very difficult. The best way to understand this is to watch the movie “Cast Away”. Tom Hanks in this movie is stuck in a remote island and survives there for years before he is rescued. He has to catch fish himself, build a small hut for himself, and even had to remove a decaying tooth himself.

If there are 100 people on an island, some people can focus just on fishing. Because they can barter with others, they can get others to build huts, some people will focus on growing fruits and vegetables, and so on. When you focus on one thing, let’s say fishing, they can improve their productivity and efficiency. Fishermen can just focus on fishing and building fishing nets and fishing boats. When their productivity goes up, everyone on the island will benefit. That’s why it’s important to focus on one thing and keep improving it till the point of saturation.

Everyone has some natural gifts. You have to work on those gifts and improve it. You have to convert passion into talent.

Digital Marketing is the best field to build your freelancing talent in because there are millions of businesses in the world and everyone needs help with digital marketing and sales.

Digital Marketing skills majorly include:

• Content creation (video, social media posts, written content like this newsletter)

• SEO

• Performance marketing

• Email marketing

• Community management

• Copywriting

• Sales (Remote Closing)

Additional skills around digital marketing:

• Landing page and website design

• App development (for iOS or Android)

• Logo and banner design

• Analytics and Measurement

• Conversion rate optimization

• Interface Design (UI/UX)

• Video Editing

I am naturally good at content writing and long-form content creation. I am not good at number crunching (but trying to get good at it). I would be better at becoming a content creation freelancer than performance marketing. That doesn't mean I can stop working on my content creation skills.

2. Be in a community of successful freelancers

You are the average of five people around you. If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. I have spent a lot of money to be part of masterminds and when I see other people in the group be way more successful than me, it puts a lot of pressure on me to grow.

It might be difficult to reach out to other freelancers and form a community yourself. They will think that you have something to gain from them and might not respond well. One of the easiest ways to get access to an exclusive club of successful people is to join a mastermind led by a mentor in that field.

For example, I joined Sam Oven’s Quantum Mastermind by paying almost $30,000 back in 2020 to be in a group of people who are mostly making $100k per month in revenues. I am not saying that you should pay that much. When you are getting started, you can find mastermind clubs that would be in the price range of $1000 to $2000. The amount of learning that you will gain from that group will be priceless in the long run.

I will be launching my freelancer’s mastermind: MasteryClub. Stay tuned for updates.

3. Play the numbers game called outreach

When you're starting as a freelancer, one of the biggest hurdles is getting in front of potential clients. Even if you’ve perfected your skill set and are surrounded by a community of successful freelancers, you still need to put in the work to reach out to potential clients. This is where the concept of playing the numbers game comes in. The idea is simple: the more people you reach out to, the higher your chances of landing a client.

Outreach is crucial in freelancing because, at the beginning, no one knows who you are. Your work hasn’t spoken for you yet, and you don’t have testimonials or a reputation that clients can lean on to trust you. Therefore, you need to introduce yourself to potential clients and showcase how you can solve their problems. This is not about spamming people, but rather about finding potential clients who are in need of your services and making them aware of your skills.

Start by identifying your ideal client. Think about who would benefit most from your services. For example, if you're a content creator, your target clients might be small businesses, bloggers, or digital marketers looking for high-quality written or visual content. Once you know your audience, create a list of potential clients by researching online platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and freelance marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr.

The next step is to craft a personalized outreach message. Personalization is key here. Most clients can spot a generic message a mile away, and it doesn’t build trust. Instead, demonstrate that you understand their business and the challenges they face. Highlight how your specific skills and expertise can provide solutions to those challenges. Keep the message concise, clear, and professional. Always include a strong call to action, such as requesting a short meeting to discuss how you can help them.

The truth is, not everyone will respond, and that’s okay. This is why it’s called a numbers game. For every 10 to 20 emails or messages you send, you might get a couple of replies, and from those replies, you may land one or two clients. This approach can feel disheartening at first, but it’s important to stay persistent. Each response, whether positive or negative, is a step closer to your goal of landing that first client.

As you continue reaching out, keep refining your approach. Track your responses to see what type of message resonates most with potential clients. Maybe you need to tweak your subject line or adjust the way you present your services. With consistent effort, outreach will eventually pay off, and landing your first freelance client will give you the confidence and momentum to grow your freelance business.

Hope you found this post useful. Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Cheers,
Deepak Kanakaraju