How To Land Your First Freelance Writing Client in 2020

All you need is one person to say Y-E-S

All you need is one person to say yes and give you a chance as a freelance writer.

If you’re like most people, you question if you’re good enough and debate on even hitting send on that cold email or reply to that job board posting. You might decide to take the safe option, and not apply for that job you want.

Because let’s face it, putting yourself out there and declaring yourself to the world as a writer is exciting but also scary and terrifying at the same time.

But all it takes is one person to say yes.

If you can get one person to pay you money to write words online, the sky is your limit. Seriously, your life can change in the best way possible.

In 12 months, I was able to 10X my writing income and even made $20,000 in one single month.

I mean it when I say that the sky’s the limit.

In this post, I want to share you with the five most common ways to land your first freelance writing client so that you can find success as well. Some of them are pretty straightforward, while others are more advanced.

Read this post a few times, decide which methods to use, and then take action. 2020 is the time to get moving and start making money as a writer.

1. Job Boards

Arguably the easiest way to land a client is by applying through a free job board. They are one of the easiest ways to land your first freelance writing client. Plus, you get to keep 100% of your money, unlike Upwork (more on that coming up).

Freelance marketplaces (also known as job boards) usually get paid by employers or take a fraction of the amount from your payment.

They are a slight upgrade from content mills. You get to choose what type of work and the amount of money you want to earn.

Overall, there is a lot more control with freelance marketplaces than content mills.

How freelance marketplaces work

• Clients post writing assignments or jobs in the marketplace.
• Freelancers (like you) can bid on them through a contact form or email form.
• Typically, you will include samples, portfolios, and other resources to the client in your pitch.
• Then, clients will sift through the applications and choose the freelancer they want to hire.

Here are a few examples of job boards to find your first paying gig:

ProBlogger job board

A great example of a freelance marketplace is ProBlogger.com. This is one of my favorite sports to find amazing writing gigs, but it is competitive.

So, when you are filling out marketplace applications, make sure to send a quality pitch.

You need to find a way to stand out in the crowd of other freelancers!

Make the client understand how your work helps them grow their business. Whether it’s sending a strong, I found some of my freelance writing jobs from these types of listings!

But remember, it is competitive. I once asked my golf writing client (that I landed from Pro Blogger) how many people applied.

You know what he said…?

Over 200 applicants! For a golf writing gig?

Luckily, he liked my pitch, story, and writing samples. Make sure to send a compelling pitch so that you can stand out among the sea of applicants.

Contena (Paid job board)

Contena is another excellent place to find a ton of freelance writing jobs online. Disclaimer: This is a paid membership site, but it’s well worth the small investment.

Contena is a great site because they provide you with the most up-to-date job listing information without making you search on 14 different job boards every single day.

Don’t forget, when you’re searching for clients, you aren’t making money!

Plus, when you sign up with Contena, you get a ton of writing bonuses to help launch your career. They have an online writing course, pitch templates, and even some coaching with the fee.

Your coach can review your portfolio, make recommendations to your pitches, and even send pitch samples, too. This is a huge bonus that I haven’t seen anywhere else!

Thanks to Contena, I landed a client in the first month that paid for the entire membership alone. Not to mention, it’s been one of my favorite clients yet.

So yes, it does cost money, but it will save you time. You can always make more money, but you will never get your time back!

2. Content Mills

The second way to land your first client is through a content mill like Upwork. A content mill is a job site where clients post work needed and hire freelancers directly through the website.

Like the first example, the client will post details about the project and requirements for the writer. Sometimes, this will include past writing samples, Q&A, and other one-off requests.

The main difference is when you get paid through a content mill, the client will fund them, and the content mill then pays you. Almost always, the content mill takes a cut of the funds, either before or after you submit everything.

Upwork is just a different type of freelance writing job board. Unlike other job boards, you have to give a portion of your earnings to Upwork.

Here is there updated pricing model for freelancers:

Are content mills bad?

Content mills get a terrible name, but they are an okay place to learn some valuable freelance writing skills. Yes, the pay is low sometimes, but it’s a great starting point. It’s how I got started freelance writing as a beginner, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

While content mills aren’t always great for building your portfolio, they can help you start making money online. Plus, it gives you a great idea of how the entire cycle of freelance writing works. You can learn about different writing niches, how to research, and learn how to manage your time for deadlines.

Do I recommend Upwork, then?

Yes and no. First off, I love how easy it is to get started.

You can create a profile today and start applying for gigs in just a few minutes. You can build momentum and get your first writing gig relatively quickly.

The ease of use is by far the biggest perk. There is no barrier to entry — create a free profile, and start pitching!

Here is my first writing gig on Upwork. While it wasn’t life-changing money, it did help me build momentum.

The biggest downside is that there are a lot of low-paying jobs on Upwork. But like I tell all my students of Freelance to 5K, don’t say yes to gigs that have super low pay!

Instead, find jobs that can help you make a few bucks and can move you ahead in your writing career.

3. Cold Pitching

I’m confident in saying that cold pitching is the #1 way to land high-paying clients!

But it’s also that “scariest” among all of them, as well.

Cold pitching separates writers who are making $1,000 per month vs. $5,000+ plus each month writing online.

Why?

Because when you are cold pitching clients, you are emailing (or calling) your ideal clients. You aren’t settling for the clients who post on job boards or gigs on Upwork.

But for some reason, this scares the hell out of beginning writers (myself included).

But once I started cold pitching, my business blew up. I finally began finding clients that valued my work and paid me .20 cents or more per word.

So why is cold pitching so scary?

I think it’s because human beings hate rejection. It sucks when you hear no because most people think, “I’m not good enough.” To me, this is a losing mentality that will hold you back from making writing a full-time career. You can’t think of rejection like this if you want to crush it as a freelance writer.

This fear holds so many people back from landing high-paying clients. But you can’t let it stop you.

“Rejection is a myth, you never had it in the first place.” — Jack Canfield

Instead, you need to reframe rejection and start thinking of it as a good thing. Because the more “No’s” you hear, the sooner you will find someone that will say yes and hire you!

Cold pitching for freelance writers

Start by sending out personal emails to individuals and companies related to your niche. Find sites that you want to write for and think about how you could add value too.

Do some research on LinkedIn so you can find the right contact person. Don’t just say address it to “Office Manager” or something generic, either.

In the pitch, you want to keep it short but include:

• What you write about
• How you can help them
• Links to your great work, your portfolio or samples
• On the final line, ask for a reply so that they are more likely to respond

I can’t stress the last part enough. Too many freelancers are too vague here and never ask for anything.

After working in local and national sales for 7+ years, I found that you will never get a yes if you don't ask for the transaction. So make sure to ask if you can set up a call or ask if they are looking for writers.

4. Guest Posting

The fourth way to land your first client is guest posting for free on different blogs and websites. I used guest posting at the beginning of my career, and it led to several paid gigs. One of them was Fearless Motivation, where I contributed 100+ blog posts and became their #1 writer!

I wanted to start doing more motivational/personal development writing in 2018, so I reached out. At the time, Fearless Motivation was accepting contributors, so I followed the “Write for Us” guidelines and submitted an article.

Sometimes, blogs and websites will have paid guest posts, but for the most part, they are unpaid writing gigs. But they are a fantastic way to get your name on big websites, gain a backlink to your writing website, and maybe parlay it into a paid gig.

After writing three free posts (around 500 words), I reached out about making it a paid position. Here is the exact email I sent:

My biggest tip about guest posting is to follow the instructions exactly as listed — don’t try to be cute or overly clever!

Every website has a clear set of guidelines for what they want from guest writers, yet very few of them follow instructions.

If the instructions state that your piece needs to be 1,000 to 1,500 words, keep it in that range. Don’t submit a 500-word junk article or 2,500-word mega-post.

Clients want to see that you can follow instructions — you only get one first impression!

Otherwise, there is no downside to submitting guest posts. They help get your name out there and can easy parlay it into a paid writing position.

Lastly, for every guest post that is published, make sure you receive an author bio with links back to your writer website, portfolio, or social media profiles. Backlinks are how you can get “link juice” to your freelance writing website and gain exposure.

5. Social Media

Resumes are dead.

I’m not one of those freelance writers who will tell you that you need a writing resume. I’ve never used one in two-plus years writing, nor has a client needed one before we started working together.

Social media is the new resume.

If you’re not showing up on social media, you are missing out.

Building a brand online is one of the best ways to stand out and separate yourself from so many other writers.

This doesn’t mean you have to post on every platform, do Instagram stories daily, or create a Youtube channel. It just means that you need to show your face and keep your profiles up to date. You want to control what people see online.

Remember, clients buy (or in this case, hire) from people they like. It’s up to you to make sure that your online brand helps people know, like, and trust you.

I suggest getting started with LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram profiles.

You might think, Instagram for freelance writing, are you sure?

My answer is 100%, yes!

The world is living on Instagram, and that includes your clients. In fact, in 2018, they hit over one billion monthly active users.

Don’t believe me?

Look at this crazy graphic about Instagram monthly users from Techcrunch.

My highest paying client found me through Instagram.

He liked the motivational content on my Instagram account, clicked on my writing website, and then DM’d me to learn about working together. We’ve been working together since December of 2018, and it’s been an excellent (and lucrative) experience.

Not only is the pay great (roughly $2,500/project), but I enjoy the content. Plus, working with a millionaire entrepreneur in a 1:1 capacity has helped my business in many other ways.

To create your own Instagram that attracts clients, make sure to:

• Post content relevant to your niche
• Link to your writing website or portfolio
• Tag potential brands you want to work with
• Use DM’s to start a conversation with clients
• Write witty captions (I mean, you are a writer)
• Use hashtags so you can stand out and get in front of the right people
• Share professional photos but don’t be afraid to talk about your life too (people need to know, like, and trust you)

Summary

As you can tell, there isn’t just one way to land clients.

If anyone tells you otherwise, they are probably trying to sell you something about one platform individually. Seriously, I used all five methods (and a few more) in my first two years as a freelance writer to build my client base and invite you to do the same.

Remember, the five most straightforward ways to land your first client so that you can build momentum as a writer are:

• Job boards
• Upwork
• Cold emailing
• Guest posting
• Social media

I’m confident that if you use a mix of these five methods, you will land your first client in 2020.