Every prospective freelance writer has the very same question at the beginning of their journey:
How do I find Freelance Writing Clients?
Maybe you think you’re supposed to wait until they find you.
Perhaps you search freelance writing jobs on Google every once in awhile.
Or you check the basic job boards and set up a profile on a content mill
While you might luck out with one of these strategies, you’re probably not going to make a profitable business out of your endeavor if you sit back and don’t do some proactive legwork on your own.
And that means cold pitching.
While there are a cashamillion places you could possibly pitch, I wanted to focus today on some more obscure places to pitch–ones you probably haven’t thought of yet.
{Don’t worry: if you want a master list of places to pitch–we’re talking a list so comprehensive you’ll never run out in your lifetime–I’ve gotchu! Check out my Ultimate “Where to Find Clients” mini course}
So, since cold pitching is one of the most effective ways to win you some new clients, step right this way to figure out who to pitch.
Watch the video and read the lowdown below!
6 Obscure Places to Find Freelance Writing Prospects
#1: Magazines:
Both mainstream and trade magazines are great places to find prospects to pitch. Think about the experts who are interviewed in the articles, products that are featured, and the advertisers at the back of the magazine.
For example, let’s say you write copy for cosmetic physicians (lots of money in that). You could look at who’s being interviewed for articles about laser treatments in a women’s magazine. I write health and fitness copy and I might notice a previously-unknown yoga bag designer mentioned on a page about fitness fashion. If they’re about to get some major traction because of the magazine mention, I could help with that!
Check out who’s advertising in the back too. Your Olay’s and Cover Girl’s in the front already have world-class marketing agencies working for them, but the businesses in the back might not. Pitch them!
#2: Niche directories
Type “your niche + directory” in Google.
Look, a list of hundreds of people to pitch!
Again, for health and fitness, I could easily look at a list of NASM personal trainers, a health club directory, companies who belong to IDEA Fit, etc. If you’re a real estate writer, you could easily find a directory of real estate firms in your area or a big city near you.
Find a directory of businesses in your niche, start at the top of the list, and pitch your way down.
#3 Twitter
Twitter is a great place to find prospects and warm them up.
[If you decide to use Twitter, don’t miss my guest post over on Make a Living Writing about how to use to Twitter to find clients]
Here again you can type in “[your niche] + business” in the search bar. Create a new “list” on Twitter (I call mine my “watch list”) for freelance prospects. Go through your search results and add relevant businesses to your list. By the way, your prospects will receive an email notifying them that they’ve been added to your list, which could pique their interest.
Next, check your list every few days and start interacting with these companies. Comment on their posts, share articles, and add value. As your name pops up repeatedly, you make yourself familiar to them.
At some point, you may decide it’s appropriate to pitch them. The cool thing is, this time it’s not a cold pitch, it’s a warm pitch.
#4 Organization members
See if you can find a directory of members who belong to niche-specific organizations.
For example, if you write for alternative education methods like Waldorf and Montessori, look up organizations related to these teaching methods. A quick search for “Montessori organizations” came back with results like the American Montessori Society.
All you have to do is click on their website and check out their member directory to find some really great places to pitch.
#5 Comments section on niche sites
Think about the blogs and websites your ideal client reads regularly. For example, say you write marketing copy for restaurant owners and managers. What blogs might restaurant owners be reading? What websites might they be consulting for advice?
A quick search leads me to the Modern Restaurant Management website, which is a goldmine of articles and advice. All kinds of experts and brands are featured in these articles. But think about who’s in the comments section of these articles. Likely restaurant managers, right?
Who better to pitch?
#6 Presenters and booth owners at conventions
Just like there’s a blog, an organization, a magazine for every niche, there’s also a convention. And who’s at those conventions? Why, people in the industry who are invested in their marketing, of course.
So, do a quick search for [your niche + convention]. Then, pull up the website for any conference that looks important. Then, search for the list of booths or presenters at that convention.
Lookie there, a list of potential prospects!
Going back to our restaurant management example, it sounds like the Restaurant Facility Management Association Annual Conference is the place to be.
Click up there on “Exhibit & Sponsor” to find a list of exhibitors and sponsors. Click on sessions and events to find the speakers. Think any of them have content needs? (trick question: they all do).
I hope this list gives you a great starting point and gets your wheels turning to come up with even more places to pitch, so you always have a nice, long, fresh list. Really, you could probably use the list above and be set for a lifetime.
So then, your next question might be:
How do I pitch these places?
>>Well, my dear friends, I happen to have the art of pitching down to a science <<<
And you can find my entire pitching process and swipe file in my brand new freelance resource library/course,
I say resource library/course because it’s kinda a mesh of both. It’s basically a full library of resources you can refer to at any time, whenever you need it. But you can also follow it in a step-by-step course format if you still have a day j.o.b.
We’re in the beta testing phase right now, which means just 20 participants can get in the course for a cutthroat rate for a short time. After that, the price will at least quadruple for good.
But even if you sign up for the beta round, you still get access to updates for life. And I plan to make updates as the industry changes, as new developments happen, and as I test new techniques.
If you want a comprehensive freelance course anyway, you might as well jump on this chance now, before the beta opportunity closes.
Love hearing from you…
Drop a comment and let me know which idea on this list you’re going to try first.