Photo by CoWomen from Pexels

How to Find Freelance Clients

7 Tips to Build a Sustainable Client Network

Krista Aoki
The Startup
Published in
5 min readJan 28, 2020

Whilst working my previous full-time job at the front office of a hotel, someone reached out and asked for simple customizations to her WordPress website.

She was my first freelance client.

I didn’t track how much time I spent on the project, but I remember charging an entire $40 for the work.

Within the next couple of months, I landed my first website design client pitching to someone from Facebook — and built her an entire WordPress website for $400.

I found my next client pitching self-taught tech skills including website customizations, SEO and content writing. I wore the hat as a tech-savvy Virtual Assistant, supporting my clients with writing and design.

Now, I work as a full-time WordPress website designer.

One of the most frequently asked questions I hear from family, friends, and other freelancers is: “How do you find clients?”

There is no one way to find clients. But there are a number of things you can do (every day!) to build a sustainable client network.

Understand Client Needs

Being able to tailor your services will not just land you clients, but also increase your value as a freelancer.

Everyone tells you to do client research — and that’s because it’s such an important step. As a freelancer, your service provides value to someone.

But how can you communicate the value of what you offer? What problems do you solve that makes clients value you enough to pay you?

When I did client research, I literally took words people said and put it into my sales copy. Because my ideal clients told me about their problems and their pain points, and I knew that my work could solve their problems.

  • Have you tried other freelancers? What was the experience like?
  • What alternative are you looking for (your service)?
  • What hesitations do you have with hiring a (freelancer)?
  • How do you currently use (product or…

--

--

Krista Aoki
The Startup

I write about personal identity, brand storytelling, + multicultural life. https://kristaaoki.com | https://kapwastudio.co