How to Land Your First Private Client Position

Landing your first Private Client position can be a very triumphant time in any freelance writer’s careers. In this article I will discuss how I personally went about acquiring my first writing projects for private clients, and how to go about receiving your first contract!

When I started out freelance writing I always wondered how all of these writers were gaining enough money to live comfortably. Then it hit me. Content Mills and other writing websites are not the answer for financial freedom. You must go about treating your freelance writing as a business. Marketing yourself, and attempting to find clients whom need your services is where the money is at. New freelancers may find it hard to find a client because they do not have a portfolio just yet. At the same time they may be shy and not like approaching strangers looking for work. Luckily if you follow these steps you should have your first contract waiting for you in your inbox!

Getting a Potential Client to Notice You

When I plunged into freelance writing I did not have a portfolio, cover letter, or even a resume simply because I did not have prior experience. If you are deciding to write for a living then I would say that you should write at least 2-5 articles a day until you hone your skills. By writing everyday you will perfect you writing abilities and maybe even discover which type of writing you enjoy doing the most.

Clients do not like receiving a resume stating that you are a general writer. If you are applying for a blogging position then potential clients like to see that you have blogging experience, or at least have samples of blog writing. To create a portfolio you should put all of your best writing together to display to clients whom you are interested in.

I wrote for content mills when I was starting out, which gave me a large amount of articles to use in my cover letter. I use Gmail, so I uploaded all of my work to Google Documents and linked them to my cover letter so that my client would have a link to view my work.

Most freelance writers even have a few different cover letters and resumes that can be used for different job positions. For instance, when a client is looking for a press release you should have a resume and cover letter displaying your press release skills, same goes for blogging, content writing, and SEO writing. Having each of these different resumes and cover letters will tell the client that you are not a generalized writer, and that you specialize in the position that they are requesting.

Marketing

Marketing is one of the most important ways for freelance writers to attract clients to their services. By creating a website and participating in online writing forums, you are spreading the word of your freelance business. Simply by word of mouth your work can be shared and spread amongst the internet. If you are lucky then sometimes your work will be placed into the hands of an editor, or even someone whom needs writing services for their website, or magazine.

Participating in social-media is another great way to attract clients because they enjoy seeing your involvement in communities. If you make a big name for yourself then this can fall under the category of branding. Branding yourself will make you trusted amongst potential clients because they want what everyone else wants and is trusted.

Where to Find Jobs

Here is a list of job boards that will assist you in finding your first private client!

Job Boards

• Craigslist.com (Go to Writing/Editing under Jobs)
• Freelancewritinggigs.com
• Freelancewriting.com

Bidding Sites

• Freelancer.com
• Guru.com
• Elance.com