Spoiler alert:

You're not going to hear back from that job board gig you just applied to.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m hoping you do! 

But if you’re anything like me then the best you’re gonna get is a rejection email when you check your inbox one last time before you log off for Christmas (true story 🫠)

Luckily, there’s a better way.

A way to get clients knocking on your door.

A five-step process to stand out from the rest of the pack and land the best gigs with the biggest clients 👀

And Brooklin Nash shared it with us in his Freelance Fest talk last year.

Want a crash course in how to build a thriving freelance business?

Let’s dive right in to Brooklin’s five steps…

Stop Being the Best-Kept Secret in Your Industry

Turn trending ideas into social media attention (we detect them for you).
This attention into followers.
And followers into customers.

Turn ONE conversation into WEEKS of authority-building content, that actually sounds like you. From idea to monetization.

Start your risk-free 7-day trial.

1️⃣ Build a strong, engaged network

Brooklin’s biggest tip for anyone who wants to take their freelance biz up a notch?

Spend a couple hours each week reaching out or talking to:

• Other content marketers (heeelllloooo TOFU Connect 👀)

• Experts in the niches you write about (HR leaders, AI enthusiasts, birdwatchers, etc.)

• Tangential creatives (designers and web devs and tech SEOs)

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. 

Hopping on calls with strangers is wwwwaaaayyyy out of your comfort zone.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll always manage to arrange networking calls on the afternoons when you’re scrambling to hit a client deadline 🙃

But here’s the thing:

It’s the most effective way to build a sustainable freelance business.

Exhibit A:

I’m currently working with six clients. I landed four of them through networking – two directly, and two through intros from other folks I’d networked with.

Exhibit B:

Here’s what TOFU members had to say when I asked them how they all found their most recent client…

2️⃣ Work on a consultative sales approach

As a freelancer, you’re your own salesperson. 

And the best salespeople:

❓ Start with questions

Questions like: 

• What’s caused you to reach out about working with a freelancer?

• What’s worked well with your content in the past? What hasn’t? 

• What are you looking to accomplish with your content this year?

👂 Lead the conversation (but actually listen)

You could jump on a discovery call with a potential client and say:

But that’s not what the freelancers out there living their best life are doing.

Here’s what Brooklin says an effective discovery call looks like:

Does just reading that bring you out in imposter syndrome? 

Yeah, me too.

Tell you what – let’s make a deal. 

I’ll fake it till I make it if you do too 🍻

💎 Be clear about your pricing and your process 

Always lay out what your pricing is and how it works on the discovery call. That way clients won’t have to adjust the scope or disqualify you down the line.

Even more importantly, lay out your process by saying something like:

“I’ll spend the first two weeks onboarding with you to understand your product, your audience, and your wider go-to-market strategy. And then I’ll be ready to jump in with deliverables. From there, I’ll need a two-week turnaround time to get you the drafts that you need’. 

Laying that out as clearly as possible:

1. Signals you know what you’re doing doing

2. Makes sure there are no surprises for you – or your clients – down the line

👋 Keep following up

Most freelancers give up after one or two follow-ups.

Brooklin hereby gives you permission to keep following up until you get a clear “no” or a “let’s explore this further”.

The only caveat:

Add value in your follow ups.

Don’t just say “Hey, just checking in on this. How’s it going?”. 

Expand on that a little by saying “Hey, just noticed the new website is up” or “Hey, I read this LinkedIn post that was relevant to our first conversation so just wanted to send it over”.

Then ask if they still want help with their content. That little tweak can go a long way.

3️⃣ Create a varied, relevant portfolio

Make it as easy as possible for potential clients to find themselves in your work. 

How?

Follow Rosanna Campbell’s lead:

Pick ten or so pieces you’ve written across a bunch of different formats, topics, and target audiences and pop them into a simple portfolio.

This is the portfolio that convinced Brooklin to hire Rosie to write for Beam 👇

4️⃣ Home in on, and communicate, a differentiated offer

“I’m a freelance writer” is cool and all.

But “I help X companies do Y with Z” will take your bank balance to the next level.

Four ways Brooklin recommends you consider niching down:

• By vertical (industrial manufacturing, HR tech, B2C e-com)

• By type of deliverable (case studies, landing pages, newsletters)

• By channel expertise (organic LinkedIn content, YouTube videos, nurture scripts)

• Through a specific approach or process (like Beam Content’s “expert-driven content” approach)

5️⃣ Maintain a repeatable, sustainable process

You could be the world’s best writer…

But if you can’t keep to a schedule, ask good questions, and communicate clearly then good luck holding on to clients.

Brooklin says this all starts with your onboarding process.

Off the bat, the best freelancers spell out:

• What they need from the client (and when they need it by)

• Their timelines for turning around first drafts (and responding to feedback)

• How many rounds of feedback are included in their price

• What’s going to be needed from the client’s end (“I expect you to spend about half an hour with each deliverable – ten minutes on the front end to review the brief and 20 mins to review the finished piece”)

Spell that all out for your clients and you’ll be showing them they’re in good hands from day one.

Want to go from spray-and-pray job board applications to a thriving freelance biz?

Then follow Brooklin’s advice and:

1. Build a strong, engaged network 

2. Work on a consultative sales approach

3. Created a varied, relevant portfolio

4. Home in on, and communicate, a differentiated offer

5. Maintain a repeatable, sustainable process

Get a lot more info on each of these steps in Brooklin’s brilliant Freelance Fest talk…

👉 How to Get Hired: What an Agency Owner Looks For From A Freelance Writer