How Do You Find Freelance Writing Clients: Preparing for Cold-Emailing
So you are a freelance writer now. You are ready to find freelance writing clients.
You’ve picked your niche.
You’ve picked your writing service.
You’ve identified your ideal clients.
You’ve created a relevant portfolio published on your website.
You are ready to cold-email some clients.
But who do you cold-email? How do you find freelance writing clients? Let’s talk about it.
Important Factors to Consider When Trying to Find Freelance Writing Clients
When you are trying to find freelance writing clients, there are a few factors to keep in mind:
Their revenue, wealth, and resources
How much do they value content and copy
Their current goals and needs (timeliness)
Let’s look at these factors one by one.
Your Potential Client's Revenue, Wealth, and Resources
This is a major factor to consider to find freelance writing clients if your client doesn’t have money and can’t afford your rate.
They may be in your niche. You may be aligned with their mission and goals. You may feel excited about their products. They may feel like your ideal clients. Your cold-email may be spot on. But if they can’t afford your rates, they are not the right target client.
But how do you know if they can afford your rates when trying to find freelance writing clients? The truth is: you don’t. But there are some ways to check into that:
Google the company. You can check how many employees they have and how long they have been around. You may find something about their annual revenue on Google too. Start-ups generally have a lower budget. Solopreneurs and newbies generally do too. There are exceptions, of course.
Check if they are spending money on ads. If they are already investing money in ads and such, there is a higher chance that they are also willing to invest in other areas of their business.
Check some local directories. For example, you may check out AngelList and WhoPaysWriters to look at a company’s wealth and check how much they pay their writers. Take this with a grain of salt. They may pay more or less than these directories say. They may not be hiring writers anymore. It is just a guide.
How Much They Value Content and Copywriters
Having money is not enough. If you want to find freelance writing clients, you need to make sure they WANT TO pay for your writing. They need to understand the value of good content or copywriting service you can bring to the table. If they don’t need or don’t want content or copy, it’s pointless to cold-email them. You have to find freelance writing clients elsewhere.
Now, of course, there are no guarantees. They may seem cool on the table, but they may be stingy behind the scenes. Here are a few things you can do to find freelance writing clients who value content and copywriting.
Look at the website. Do they have a blog? Do they have an email list? How about sales content, case studies, ebooks, white papers, etc.? If they already have something, chances are they value it and have more of it.
Consider their values, missions, goals, and strategic plan. Reading through these sections may help you determine whether they value or need freelance writing services.
Follow their social media. Better yet, follow their employees on social media, especially on Linkedin and Twitter. Are they sharing awesome content and cool copy there? If so, you may have a winner in your search for finding freelance writing clients.
What Are Their Current Goals and Needs
This is huge when looking to find freelance writing clients. They may have the money. They may value writing and writers. But they may not need your services right now. They may need it later. They might have needed it earlier. But not now.
Luck always plays a role in finding freelance writing clients. I cold-emailed one of my oldest freelance writing clients just at the right time. Their writer just quit, and they needed someone new immediately. I had a great portfolio and was the right fit. I’ve actually cold-emailed them many months earlier. I got no response because they didn’t need anyone at the time.
Again, you can’t know for sure if they need writers right now. But there are some ways to increase your chances.
Check out their newsletters. You may have some information about their upcoming products, services, or goals to create something new. Something new may mean an increased need for more writing and new writers.
Follow them on social media. Again, they may announce that they have something new coming.
Watch out for ads. Ads mean action. Ads may mean they need writers.
Consider the seasons. Many companies need extra help during the holidays and special launch periods. Some companies may be more seasonal and may need more help as they are gearing up for their summer months.
Follow their employees on social media. Watch for any announcements, such as a new podcast, a recent grant, or a new product. Check for employee changes.
Remember, there is a huge turnover of writers. Even if you think they have enough writers, try cold-emailing them anyways. Freelance writers come and go. There is always a turnover.
Where Do You Find Freelance Writing Clients?
But where do you even find freelance writing clients? The answer is so easy, it’s right in front of your face. ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE.
Okay, but can you be more specific? Good point. Here you go; here are some places to find freelance writing clients:
Google. If you are looking for clients in the personal finance space, you may google “top personal finance blogs”, “personal finance companies in X city”, or “best personal finance apps”. You will instantly find some top companies, brands, apps, and tools you are looking for.
Keep scrolling. Don’t just look at the first few pages of google. Companies that rank on pages 10, 20, or even 100 may need your help. In fact, if you are offering SEO writing, they definitely need your help.
Check social media. Look at hashtags. Watch social media recommendations. Watch for products in your niche that influencers are recommending. This is the time to scroll. Not mindlessly, though.
Watch for ads. Once you start looking, google and social media will start recommending ads with similar companies.
Look at competitors. Search for competing companies and products.
Check certain websites. You can search for companies on Linkedin, Glassdoor, AngelList, Indeed, and other places. You may find reviews and job listings too.
Next Steps
You’ve found some freelance writing clients to cold-email. It’s time to find their email addresses. Learn how to find your potential clients’ email addresses here. Then follow these steps to send out some effective cold-emails. Don’t forget to report back. I hope you book your dream clients soon.
Are you interested in creating a sustainable freelance writing business without the hustle? Check out my freelance writing course with a step-by-step process of exactly what you need.