Robyn Roste, Systems & Funnels

6 Creative Places to Look for the Best New Clients

There are a lot of places to find clients but the well-known places are competitive.

Since I like avoiding hustle whenever possible (unless, you know, I need clients YESTERDAY) I like looking in less-obvious places for freelance work.

creative places to find clients

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Once you’re in the library, navigate to the freelancing section and look for “Creative Places to Find Clients Worksheet.”

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Creative places to find clients

Part of me wants to keep these creative places a secret so I’ll be the only one who knows about them.

But a bigger part of me wants to help other freelancers find work so here we go. Maybe there’s a new idea or two in here for you today.

Idea #1: From your day job

While this is an awesome place to find clients you do need to pay attention to your company’s privacy policy and it’s better if you keep your boss in the loop with any outside-of-work relationships you have with work affiliates.

Assuming everything is above board and your freelance work happens outside of your day job, doing some side gig stuff with people you interact with every day makes a lot of sense.

On a professional level they know, like, and trust you as you do them. And you already know you can work well together.

You just need to keep the boundaries intact so you don’t overstep in either direction.

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Idea #2: From your family and friends

I’ve mentioned this before (the best way to let people know you’re available for freelance work is by telling them you’re available for freelance work) but it’s one of those sort of awkward things so I want to mention it again.

What you don’t want is to bug your friends and family and have them throw pity work at you.

You also don’t want them to assume since they’re your friends and family you’ll work for a massive discount (or for free).

So how do you create an environment where your friends and family know you’re available for freelance work and are happy to pay you for it?

Now, that is the finesse of it. Everyone will find her own balance so the takeaway here is to put yourself out there and let people know you’re available.

Idea #3: From places you’re a client

This is another time where you’ll need to tread with care and be sensitive to appropriate timing but there’s nothing wrong with mentioning you’re a freelancer while engaging in small talk and allowing the conversation to go where it may.

I’ve had many experiences where I’m asked to leave my card behind or picked up the odd client from a place where I’m a client. I love it!

Of course you’re not becoming a client in order to find clients…that’s not a hustle I’d recommend, but if it happens organically…awesome!

Free downloadable worksheet

Do you want the worksheet that goes with this training?

I’ve created worksheets to complement this training, available for download. This is a free resource but it’s part of my resource library and you’ll need a password. You can get access by popping your email address into the form below.

Once you’re in the library, navigate to the freelancing section and look for “Creative Places to Find Clients Worksheet.”

Get Access to My Free Resource Library

* indicates required

Idea #4: From guest blogging

Guest blogging, guest writing (whatever), is an interesting beast.

If you look around the Internet for long enough you’ll see a wide variety of opinions and teachings on why you should do guest blogging, why you shouldn’t do guest blogging, why you should never write for free, why you should write for free sometimes, etc.

I’m not here to talk about any of that. I think you should figure out what is going to move the needle forward and then do it with abandon.

Anyway, got a little off topic there.

If you get into guest blogging and are choosing good partners, this could turn into a writer-client relationship.

Honest! I’ve seen it happen! So keep building into your relationships!

Idea #5: From partnerships

This idea launches from the last one—build relationships with others and form mutually-beneficial relationships.

This could be an agency, a freelancer with complimentary skills, or a local business. The big idea is you share clients.

No you don’t get 100 per cent of the pay but you also don’t have to do 100 per cent of the work and in some cases this is an awesome arrangement.

Unique ideas for finding clients

Idea #6: From local events/workshops

Something I’ve noticed about freelancers is they’re out in the community a lot.

Working freelance has them attending events, observing meetings, and talking to a lot of different people.

So what about throwing a little extra networking in while you’re already out? Do what you’re there to do but also mention you’re a freelance writer and if it makes sense, mention you’re available for hire or pass out a business card or two.

This last point is extra exciting to me these days because I’m in the midst of building a workshop for freelancers, which developed from a pre-existing relationship, turned into a collective and is now a collaboration.

Wow.

When we began building these relationships this workshop was not even a dream. And yet, here we are.

Places to find clients: In conclusion

I hope I’ve given you a few new ideas to try here. Remember, marketing is a long game and it’s something you sprinkle into every day—while you’re busy doing other things.

If you want some more tips and tricks you’ll enjoy my article on learning how to rock your marketing even when you don’t have time for marketing.

There are a lot of places to find clients but the well-known places are competitive. Maybe there's a new idea or two in here for you today.

One more thing. You may be interested in my free resource library. This is where I keep my files, downloads, ebooks, worksheets and whatever else I manage to create. I love sharing what I learn and want to keep adding to this library so it becomes a wealth of helpful goodness.

This is a free resource but I do require a password to access the library itself. You can get access by popping your email address into the form below.

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There are a lot of places to find clients but the well-known places are competitive. Maybe there's a new idea or two in here for you today.
There are a lot of places to find clients but the well-known places are competitive. Since I like avoiding hustle whenever possible (unless, you know, I need clients YESTERDAY) I like looking in less-obvious places for freelance work. Part of me wants to keep these creative places a secret so I'll be the only one who knows about them but a bigger part of me wants to help other freelancers find work so here we go. Maybe there's a new idea or two in here for you today.

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