FINDING

CLIENTS This resource is dedicated to

reviewing all available options to
finding clients both online and in
person.

A lot of students place their well-made

personal portfolios, profiles and written
biographies on online freelancer platforms
like peopleforhour.com or upwork.com and
are discouraged by the lack of action.

The biggest questions

Tumbleweeds roll across the desert and
disappointment runs high. The lack of

I get from aspiring

clients contacting them for work can
make them feel like they did something

freelancers are, “where wrong, their portfolio was not good enough
or the pricing was too high.

do you find clients?” and I want to be honest before this section

“how did you find your starts and say that finding clients online
is H-A-R-D. It is not because of lack of
first few clients?” talent on your part, but an oversaturation of
people wanting to be freelancers in this
new freelancing/gig economy and also the
high competition on each one of these
websites.

Document by: Lindsay Marsh

Reproduction or distribution
of this document is prohibited without permission.
GETTING
It is not impossible to do very well online.
There are freelancers making a good living
off working on these online freelancer
platforms, but it is not for everyone.

I still recommend trying all sorts of

different methods for finding clients,
both online and off, but we need to do as
much as we can to put ourselves on top of
the stack by having a killer portfolio, profile
and bio, headshot and being able to set the
right pricing for ourselves.

While finding clients is the hardest part of

starting a freelance business, the good
news is, after you have found those first
few clients, future clients are not as hard
to grab as referrals start to take over and
you have established yourself with social
proof like reviews and testimonials.

My first year freelancing was mostly

locating new work, while my last 15 years
were spent actually doing the client work,
with little time needed to find new clients.

The following two pages feature selected quotes

from students. I asked the question “Where did you
find your first client” and these were the results...
Finding your first client


 


  






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finding the right first.”
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MANY
WAYS TO
FIND
There is no magic bullet, but there are a
few effective ways to find clients.

You will likely use at least three of the folowing

client-finding methods covered in this guide in your
freelance career.

Which way is better?

Well, as always, it depends on what you feel most

comfortable with. Some hate talking to people in
person, but as we will talk about later, this does not
have to be so overwhelming.

Others may find their niche on freelancer websites

and dominate the space. I have seen all five of
Document by: Lindsay Marsh Design
Reproduction or distribution
these used successfully by different students and
of this document is prohibited without permission.
fellow designers.
ON THIRD-PARTY

EXAMPLES

upwork.com

freelancer.com

99designs.com Freelancing websites like UpWork and fivver (the two

fivver.com biggest) allow you access to a large pool of potential
clients who are actively looking for freelancers.

Most of my students start here when it comes to finding their first

PROS 

client because it is easy to create an account or profile.

Because of recent world events there has been a huge uptick in

It gives you access to warm leads freelancers looking for work. These freelancing websites do all of
the hard work for you by placing ads to locate and find clients.
Because of these factors it makes it a really competitive
Great for those who do not feel comfort-
landscape.
able talking face to face with clients
There are only so many jobs placed on these websites but so
Provides a platform to give and receive many qualified freelancers looking for those spots.
payments that protects both the client and
the freelancer 
In the case of Upwork.com, freelancers are finding it
hard to get their accounts approved, simply because
Allows you to set payment milestones with they have been overwhelmed by freelance applications.
clients

I recommend trying for an account with a solid portfolio and nicely

CONS
written bio. All of these websites operate a little differently. Upwork
allows you to apply for freelance job postings while fivver is more
of an open marketplace where you can post a job you can do for a
client.
Super competitive
Basically, on Upwork you find the client and apply,
Can be hard to get your profile approved while on fivver you post a job and the client selects
you. In both cases you need an ultra sleek and professional
3-10 percent of your total proceeds go presentation (both visual and written) to be successful and land
toward fees for the platform to operate the rare opportunities. There are many other ways to find clients,
which may feel less daunting. Many of my students get frustrated
Some platforms like Upwork.com require because they put their perfect profile out there and get zero bites.
This is why trying multiple client finding strategies is essential.
the purchase of a premium membership to
access all the platform has to offer


 Third-Party Platforms

UPWORK.COM
Simply build a profile, and once you are
approved you will be searchable by thousands
of potential clients.

You can also apply to freelance jobs by submitting

proposals which will include specific things the
client requests like portfolio pieces, a written cover
letter or other types of requests.

It is still worth the effort to build a profile here, but

this heavy competition will make finding those first
few clients a bit tough. Here are a few tips creating
a solid UpWork profile.

Image source: Upwork.com

THE ANATOMY OF A WELL WRITTEN PROFILE

Includes a professional
headshot. Smiles work
better than netural
poses.

The headline highlights

their most important
accomplisments.

Odd numbered pricing

works better than
perfectly even pricing.

The profile bio leads

with your unique selling
point.

Includes education,
skills and other
important information.

Features at least three

detailed case studies.
Third-Party Platforms

FIVERR.COM
LOW-COST

Freelancers either hate fivver or love it, but most

freelancers have not found huge success on fivver,
although a small percentage do.

This site, with an insane amount of competition, gives you the

ability to post a “gig” on their website allowing others to
purchase your offer and purchase “add-ons”. These add-ons
can increase the total price you receive as a freelancer.

These add-ons can be things like decreasing the time in

delivering the project or it could be sending extra file types.
Not all projects are priced at $5, although that is the standard
rate. The key is offering premium services in hopes of gaining
much higher rates.

FACES ARE GOOD A CLEAR SPECIFIC GOAL SHOW OFF

You have one thumbnail to compel the All gigs must start with the two words “I This gig has been really sucessful. They
user to check out more of your work. You will...”. This gig title is very specific, detailed, included four different versions of the final
can build trust with users by including direct and clear. Gigs that are more specific product so the user can really see the specific
yourself in the shot along with a highly in nature do better than broad based gigs like style they use to create the logos.
polished headline in your style. “graphic design”. In this case, they focused
on one specific style and job withen the This type of layout works well for gigs that
graphic design realm. have different variations or for gigs that may be
hard to represent using only one photo.
fiverr.com/pro
There is something called fivver Pro that requires you to apply to
get accepted as a vendor. If you have a great portfolio and some
experience there might be a good chance of being accepted
there.

Fivver Pro gives freelancers the ability to charge much higher

prices and have access to a different network of people. Some
gigs can exceed $2,000. The key hurdle here is getting accepted
into their program. It is worth the try!

Treat fiverr Pro gigs like you would your professional portfolio.
Write a thoughtful gig description that walks through your process.
You can see below for a great solid example. The premium level
for this gig is $4,200. This is a far cry from the $5 fivver gigs you
are used to seeing.

Step up your case

study presentation
by adding mock-ups
and story driven
presentations. Show
your concept
development
process.
Image source: Peopleperhour.com
peopleperhour.com
Peopleperhour is similar to Upwork in the fact that you create a profile
and are able to seek out jobs by sending proposals but also clients can
find your profile listed on the website. There are three aspects that
make Peopleperhour a bit different than Upwork, however.

First, there is less competition on Peopleperhour as it is a newer

platform. Second, they offer the ability to have a portfolio type profile
which contains more photos than the Upwork profiles. Lastly, they have
something called offers.

Offers give you the ability to post an offer that will be seen on the
website for potential clients to see. This can be anything from “I can
build a 5-page Wordpress website” to “I can create a social media post
in less than 24 hours”. If you are familiar with fivver it is a very similar
concept. Peopleperhour is not as popular as fivver so it doesn’t receive
as much organic traffic.

REVIEWS ARE EVERYTHING

On almost any third-party freelancing
website, high review scores are needed
to rank high in organic search.

For your first job opportunities, make

sure to go above and beyond not only
for client satisfaction but for the hope of
a positive 5 star review.

Never be afraid after a job well done to

ask for a review.

This is where you sacrifice a few extra

hours even if your pay is fixed, to make
sure you have not only a strong review
but a nice case study to feature using
real client work.

OTHER
FREELANCING
PLATFORMS
freelancer.com
guru.com
toptal.com
 WRITING
FOR THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES SAMPLE PROPOSAL FROM UPWORK.COM

great
proposal
responses...
Are simple and concise
Personal not generic
Have a touch of personality
Favors experience over
empty words
Custom tailored to each client
Address possible
client concerns

HEART + EXPERIENCE
I am a designer who has a PASSION for layout Strong written proposals start off with a personal touch.
Quickly bring up your most valued attribute that pertains
RESPONSE

design and I have created over twenty full

magazine layouts for high circulation to this project. In this case the prior experience creating

publications. the exact project requested.

I noticed you had a timeline of 4-6 weeks, that is LETTING THEM KNOW YOU ARE UP FOR THE TASK
a very respectable deadline that I can more than Here I addressed the timeline for the project. In editorial
meet. publishing, deadlines are so critical, I reassured them
that this deadline is attainable.
You will see attached to this proposal a pdf for a
recent editorial desgin project so you can see a
sample of my work. I was responsible for the PROVIDING THE PERFECT SAMPLE
layout for the entire magazine, including any Attached a project that most closley matches with the job
advertising pages and the front cover. request. If this was for a logo desgin, attach just a
handful of your favorite samples.
I look forward to having a conversation about this
project and how we can get started immediately. CALL TO ACTION
Always end a proposal by putting the ball in their court.
Remind them that you are open, available and ready to start.
NETWORKING
EXAMPLES
Humans love what is
Meetup.com
Local small business groups

familiar and that is why


Your Local Chamber of
Commerce
Religious gatherings
Friends and Family
Classmates
local connections make
great first clients.
After interviewing hundreds of students about their

PROS 

experience with finding their first client and my own
experience, I have come to the conclusion that local
networking is the single best way to find clients. But
This tends to produce the best quality
why is this?
clients

You already have so much in common with local clients. Local
It gives you close proximity to your client 
 clients can be family or friends who may already be warm leads.

CONS Imagine having to hire an accountant to handle a complex

financial matter. I know I would feel a lot more comfortable hiring
someone in my town than I would across the globe. Humans love
what is familiar and that is why local connections make great first
Can be hard if you have a fear of meeting
clients.
new people

In my research, over 50 percent of those surveyed said
Tough on introverts they found their first client from family or friends, with
some through friends of friends.

It can take more time to find a connection
The most powerful network is your own. Every friend needs to
know you are actively looking for freelance design work. This
could also be connecting with friends or acquaintances you have
not talked to for awhile. If they do not have work for you they
could run into someone they know who does need work.
 SIX DEGREES OF
SEPARATION?
It is the idea that we are all only 6 connec-
tions away from each other. So, if I have 100
connections, and those 100 connections
each have 100 connections, and those
connections each have 100 connections and
so on, I could easily find a way to connect to
you.

This means the friend of a friend idea can be

incredibly monumental in finding possible client
connections. 
Sometimes it can just be local meet-
ings with people in the elevator, at a baseball game
or at the bank.


My own story of how I found my first client was a

local networking connection. I happened to be at

She loved the work I

my husband’s graduate school waiting for him to get
out of class. In the hallway I happened to strike up a

produced and quickly

conversation with the woman who was standing
outside her office. One thing lead to another and I

found several other

mentioned how I was learning graphic design and I
was looking for opportunities to practice what I had

smaller jobs to do.

been learning.

That ended up being

She happened to be the marketing director for the
school and decided to give me a small job. She

a 10 year client
loved the work I produced and quickly found several
other smaller jobs to do. That ended up being a 10
year client relationship.
relationship.
 CONNECTING WITH OTHER FREELANCERS
Connecting with other freelancers is a great idea, but not for the reason
you might think. Being with other freelancers is a healthy thing to do, to

MAKING LOCAL CONNECTIONS network, to get out of the house and to share experiences. But a big
benefit to connecting with certain freelancers is to share and swap
THAT LAST! clients.

My favorite and most recommended step in Let’s say you are visual designer who specializes in web design and
finding clients is connecting with local small or graphic design. You are not comfortable coding but can turn any rough
medium-sized business owners. You can do this idea into something beautiful. One thing you can do is seek out a freelanc-
online by finding local Facebook business er who has an excellent coding and web development background but
groups. may not have a strong visual design background. With the two of you now
connected, you can share client work and give the client not only the
You can do this in person by connecting with visual side but the development/coding side as well.
your chamber of commerce or local small
business body/group or gathering. Perhaps Early on, I was able to find, through a client’s connection, a local program-
serving on the board of directors or volunteering mer who sent me several clients. I did the web design and they did the
for a local non-profit to make connections. back-end coding and adapted it to a CMS or content management system
Asking to speak or teach at a local small like WordPress.
business seminar or workshop, etc. about
marketing, branding or design. This allows Another example of this in action would be, if you are an illustrator,
you to present yourself as an industry expert, how about finding and teaming up with a T-shirt entrepreneur? They
which can draw in lots of potential client are bound to need more custom hand drawn illustrations for their t-shirts.
work.
Finally, if you are a photographer, teaming up with other event
It may sound old school, but visiting local planners can help you land future wedding photography gigs. If you
business with a business card or something else are a copywriter or editor, there are many freelancers that need your skills
in your hand can help land you those first few like editorial designers, web designers and anyone who works with written
clients. Great clients tend to refer you to other type.
clients, and local ones tend to do that more
because of the personal relationship you build You can find people online or offline. The great thing about connecting with
with them. someone locally is finding and serving local clients together and being able
to meet face to face to discuss plans and build that long-term relationship.

WHERE TO FIND LOCAL CONNECTIONS

MeetUp.com Your Local Chamber of Commerce
LinkedIn.com Serving in Voluntary Capacities
Facebook.com Connect with those needing your skills
(search for a local small (Website Coder/Developer may need a Graphic
business group in the Designer for client projects!)
groups section)
ONLINE
EXAMPLES
T

 he trick to finding
Behance.com 

Facebook Groups 


connections through
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube 

Clubhouse
Linked-In Groups
social networks is
Reddit

Other Social Networks
solidifying yourself as
trustworthy.
This is a bit different from freelancing websites because the clients

PROS 

are not brought to the website for you. People on social networking
websites can be anyone, those looking or not looking for freelanc-
ers. 
The trick to finding connections through social networks is
solidifying yourself as trustworthy.
Easy to setup a profile and start networking
Facebook groups is a popular way to connect with potential clients.
It can be absolutely free 
 Creating a post on a group that advertises your fivver gig or
website without much context can quickly get you kicked out

CONS
of high quality groups (mine included). If groups do allow self
promotion then your post will join hundreds of others that get almost
zero attention in the sea of spam.

Being on multiple platforms can be hard to Finding quality clients on Facebook or other social media groups is
manage 
 a bit of a long game. It takes weeks or even months of having real
conversations with those in their group to gain trust with them. This
goes for all social media networks. Create posts that are helpful
It can take a lot of time to build an audience
to others, not just self promotion.
and find organic traffic

Also, make sure you are joining the right groups to be a part of.

It takes time to build trust with people Make sure to find groups that would need your services, like small
business groups. Advertising your services to a group of fellow
designers could be pointless, when everyone else in that group is
also looking for the same work you are.
 Try finding online groups that are local if possible first,
before branching out to large groups where you can
easily get lost. Behance.com is a portfolio website that I
encourage every student to be a part of. I have heard
design agencies constantly look for work on these
websites. You can also use it as a way to showcase
your work (portfolio) if you do not have access to an
individual website or do not want to pay a monthly
hosting fee for one.

A great way to get noticed by clients or larger

companies looking for designers is to become an
authority on the subject. This means creating videos
or posts that contain helpful information about design or
freelancing.

This can be a learn-as-you-go situation and you can

post what you learn that day. This is why we become
lifelong learners, so we can pass that information along.
This method takes a lot of time investment but can be
something that pays off big after a year of building that
authority.

For example, you are a calligrapher, who does custom

stationary design. Why not host a calligraphy style
livestream that shows off different calligraphy lettering
BEHANCE.COM
styles?

Or you are a UX/UI designer and you host a free

webinar to small business owners looking for tips and
tricks to building a great e-commerce website.
There have been many
of my students who
have posted their work
and ideas on their
Instagram profiles to
later receive private
messages from potential
clients looking for design
work. It never hurts to
gain wide exposure on
multiple social media
platforms by giving
advice, helping others
and being genuine.

I receive multiple client

prospects every month
from Instagram by
posting three times a
week on my account.

INSTAGRAM.COM
 REFERRALS
PROS 

Blow your client out
of the water. Also, be
Requires little marketing after finding the
first few clients

upfront about referrals

CONS after you finish the job.
You must have clients who are willing to
refer you

The referral system is amazing. If your first client cakes as her side business. She baked a cake for a
refers you to your second and your second refers good friend and later ran into that friend at a large
you to your third you can easily see how most of party. This friend preceded to tell everyone in the
your clients can come from word of mouth. What room what she did and that she makes the most
gets even more incredible is if your first refers you to amazing cakes. Later that week she was contact-
another client and so on, this creates a large web of ed by 8 families all wanting cakes for special
contacts that are doing the hard marketing work for events. From there she continued to get referrals
you. from those 8 jobs all because she did such an
amazing job for her first client. 

How do you get clients to refer you? First of all,
do amazing work. Go above and beyond to make it It is hard to find good, dependable people. It is
brilliant. Get feedback from fellow colleagues, even harder to find people who do things in a timely
friends and family to really make sure what you are manner, are professional and prompt. Blow your
sending to your client is top notch. Sometimes, it’s client out of the water. Also, be upfront about refer-
just about being available to the client, and respond- rals after you finish the job. Writing a quick e-mail
ing back to them quickly. (like the sample I provide a couple pages ahead) can
be helpful in encouraging them to do just that.
Overall, it is about providing a solid customer
Image source: Facebook.com

experience. I know of a friend who bakes birthday

THE REFERRAL
FIRST TWO CLIENTS

CLIENT CLIENT
1 2
CLIENT REFERRAL

NO CLIENT REFERRAL CLIENT

3
CLIENT CLIENT
ANOTHER CLIENT 4 5
FOUND BY YOU

CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT

6 7 8

CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT

9 10 11 12

CLIENT CLIENT
13 14

Let’s say client one never refers you to anyone else, but
client two does. You complete work for the second client’s
referral and that referral gives you another referral. You can
start to see this web of relationships that start to develop as
your name gets passed around to different contacts.
LONG-TERM &
SHORT-TERM CLIENTS
There are also two types of clients. Long-term steady
clients that give you constant work each month, week
or day and short-term clients that have a one-time
project. Long-term clients that give you steady work
are the most valuable clients around. Sometimes it is
even worth charging a little less for those clients to
establish that longer-term relationship over taking
short-term projects that pay more.

“It only takes several long-term steady clients to fill up

your weekly work schedule, which of course is a good
thing if finding clients is a huge chore to you.”

So, take heart, this is the hardest aspect of freelancing

and it will not be your main task forever. Doing great
work with the first few clients can pay huge
dividends for your future freelancing career.

Once you build up a nice combination of long-term

clients and a few short-term clients and continue to get
that referral system going, you can see how finding
clients will be just a temporary battle.

Try having a nice mix of both long-term and

short-term client work to keep your cash flow steady

LONG-TERM CLIENTS (Steady Work)

SHORT-TERM CLIENTS (Bursts of Work)

CLIENT REFERRAL
Dear Client (insert name here),


I am so glad you enjoyed the overall process and that you

are happy with the outcome of our project. I wanted to let
you know I am continuing to grow my business further and
would appreciate you passing my name along to anyone
who may also need design services. Once again, thank you
for the opportunity and I look forward to continued collabora-
tion on further projects.



Best Wishes,

Your Name

FEEL FREE TO BORROW THIS

POSTS
PROS 


It could put you in front of

thousands of potential clients

CONS
Costs money to run ads without a guaran-
tee the ad spend will gain you new clients

This is rare but the higher your price and the larger If you charge $5,000
for a brand design
your team the more targeted paid ads can help you
target more specific clients.

Let’s say you are offering $200 logo design packages.

You might land a client after a $100 ad spend, but that
package and it takes
only leaves you with a $100 profit afterwards, hardly
worth the expense.
$1,000 worth of ads
If you charge $5,000 for a brand design package and
to locate a paying
it takes $1,000 worth of ads to locate a paying client,
than that leaves you with $4,000 in profit leftover. client, than that leaves

This is can be hard for those just starting out and it is you with $4,000
in profit leftover.
rare for freelancers to run their own paid ads, unless
they are selling a digital product like a book, course or
digital assets, but I wanted to mention this as an
option for higher dollar projects.
PAID ADS INTRODUCTION
This gets a little bit into marketing your freelance Facebook changed how their search algorithm
business, but I wanted to talk about your options worked back in 2016 to favor paid and boosted
when it comes to paying for exposure through business posts over organic posts, so it is hard to
boosted posts and paid online ads. grow organically on Facebook without trying to
bring users in through other sources.
Sometimes, to get a business started, there needs
to be a little bit of financial investment in terms of I prefer boosted posts because they can feel
marketing. Not everyone will need to pay for ads, more natural for a freelance business. The key
as some of the other free networking and client to creating a great Facebook boosted post or paid
finding activities mentioned in this course can land ad is to define your target audience well. We have
you those first few vital clients. For those who already worked on that a bit earlier in the class
struggle, even after trying out all free avenues, and there is a good reason why!
it might be time to consider a small investment
and test out some paid ads to see how they I would start off with a very small budget for your
convert. first boosted post or ad. That way you can see if
small changes in your campaign, whether it be the
There are several types of online paid ads. First image you use, the headline or tweaking the
off, all there are display ads, which can be audience has any changes in conversions or new
purchased from online news websites and other clients in your case.
local websites for a monthly fee. I find these more
effective for larger companies and less so for Rarely can you create the perfect ad right
freelancers, but I prefer doing display ads in local away. This is because it takes a few ads running
networks in your nearby town, as display ads for to find out which ones are more effective as you
national or international websites can be just too are still getting to know your target audience.
costly for a new freelancer.
DEFINING YOUR AUDIENCE Image source: Facebook.com

PAID FACEBOOK ADS

Next there are paid Facebook ads. You can set up
a Facebook ad account in just a few minutes and
craft your first ad. You can do either a Facebook
post ad which shows up in your targeted users
news feed or you can do boosted posts which
expose one of your normal Facebook business
page posts to a broader targeted audience.
PAID INSTAGRAM ADS/POSTS
Instagram is another option for boosting your
posts. First of all, you will need to convert your
Instagram account into a business profile by
going to account settings and ticking “switch over
to business profile”. Once that is complete you will
notice new “promote” buttons on all of your posted
content.

This acts just like a boosted post. You can define

your audience and budget and you can do a small
test to see if it boosts any of your numbers.

Once you sign up for a business account (which is

free by the way), you now have access to more
stats about each post including profile visits, your
reach, where each view came from, likes, your
hashtags, home page or from your followers. This
extra detailed information about each post is so
vital in helping you define your target audience but
also find out what content tends to give a bigger
response.

I have found that posting helpful guides for my

target audience works better than more promotion-
al style posts where I show off my work. For
example: if you are a web developer, you can do a Image source: Instagram.com

series of posts that gives advice to small business-

es about proper website layout and structure.
MESSAGING
EXAMPLES

Facebook Messager

Instagram Direct Messages
WhatsApp

Linked-In

PROS 
 I was very impressed,

Offers one-on-one direct access to a so much so that I had
stakeholder of a company 

a Zoom call with his
CONS company and gave
It can be hard for those who do not enjoy him the job.
direct sales

Direct messaging, when done too much

can lead to being banned from a social very impressed, so much so that I had a Zoom call with
media platform. his company and gave him the job. 


Most business owners get several hundred of these

As a recent example, I was contacted on Face- direct messages from people selling some sort of
book messenger by someone who was offering service. They most likely read the first sentence of
their social media marketing plan, essentially they each one so they can determine if it is spam or not.
wanted to run my Facebook ad campaign for me. I
have previously been contacted by several marketing You have to have something in that first sentence that
agencies with similar direct messages. What made shows that it is not just a copy and paste message, it is
this different is he really customized his message a tailored message for their eyes only. This proves to
to me. the business owner that you took the time to research
their company and can offer a solution that is not
I could tell it was not a “copy and paste” message as generic but custom.
there was very specific information about my product
in the message. He also sent a two minute sales Do not start a message with “my name is…” and I offer
pitch video that talked specifically about my product this “service”. This is instantly seen as a generic sales
and why he was interested in working with me. I was pitch.


HERE IS AN EXAMPLE 
Notice how the message was very
custom to the needs of the client.

OF HOW ONE COULD It addressed an issue with something they

don’t offer and you provide a solution for

MESSAGE A POTENTIAL their problem.

This message also sells your services

BUSINESS OWNER toward the middle of the message and

not at the start.

ABOUT DESIGN It also ends the with a call to action for

them to connect you in some way and is

SERVICES. 

very specific about your availability.

The tone of the message is open and

friendly.

Hello (First name for casual conversations or last

name for a more formal introduction),


I saw that you opened your new restaurant last month, LinkedIn.com is overlooked by a lot of
congratulations! I noticed that you did not have a website young freelancers because they normally
that allowed customers to order online or check out the associate it with finding full-time jobs.
menu.
It provides a place to make connections
According to the Marsh Restaurant Study from 2019, it with business owners and gives you a
mentioned how restaurants that have visuals of their menu chance to connect with them personally
items available on a website had 20% more foot traffic than through messages.
those who did not. 

This is a great way for freelancers to
My name is (First and Last Name) and I have been connect with business owners directly.
creating custom websites for clients for over 4 years. 
Let’s
connect sometime soon and talk about creating a website It also helps if you fill out your profile
for “name company here”. completely and make as many
connections and client testimonials as
I think we can provide fantastic visuals that will convince possible.


those who are wary of checking out a new place to make a
reservation. Finding the right person to message can
require a little bit of research. You need to
I look forward to hearing from you and we can connect on locate those who make decisions on
zoom, Skype, the phone or just continue to chat a bit here hiring design work. Some titles to look
in messenger. out for are: marketing coordinator,
creative director, art director, social
media manager, and (mostly for local
small businesses) owner/operator.
WORK A simple e-mail to the
director of an organization
PROS 

can open up doors for
You can do work that is rewarding and volunteer opportunities
helpful to others and it could lead to paid
work at that same organization or others while also leaving that
door open to possible
CONS paid work later on.
There is no guarantee it will lead to paid
work.

Dear (put director’s name), 


Working for non-profits is its
own reward. You get to support a Your organization and I share a lot of the same values. That is
important cause and you can meet the care and proper treatment of shelter animals.
some wonderful people along the
way. I am a young designer who is currently studying graphic design
at (name college or course you are taking here) and I am looking
Volunteer your services to those for opportunities to use my new found design skills on tangible
who need it most: small struggling projects.
non-profits. A simple e-mail to the
director of an organization can I am wondering if you had any small projects I could take off your
open up doors for volunteer hands so I can show you how I can help your organization. 
I can
opportunities while also leaving do lots of different graphic design related tasks including logo
that door open to possible paid design, social media posts, flyers and brochures.
work later on.
I noticed you had your annual event coming up in two months, is
You can also e-mail a volunteer there something specific you need help with for that event?
coordinator at larger organizations
if you feel a direct e-mail or In exchange, I would love the opportunity to use the design in my
message to the director might be portfolio. I know this e-mail is out of the blue, but your cause
missed. 
 really inspired me to get involved somehow and it also gives me
a chance to hone my craft further.

EXAMPLE E-MAIL 
I would love a chance to talk further by phone or zoom, I am

excited about any possible collaboration now or in the future.

Blessings,
 (Your Name) 


POSSIBLE BENEFITS TO
“PRO BONO”OR VOLUNTEER WORK
This may or may not lead to paid work after
completing projects for this non-profit. But, it can
lead to several amazing things: 


A client testimonial you

can put on your portfolio
and website


You can create a case

study featuring the work
you did for this non-profit


A possible referral to paid

work from the director or
other employees you work
with


You get a chance to

practice project work flow
with a group or team

With so many benefits it can be easy to look past

not getting paid, at first.

Be careful to not get taken advantage of.

There may come a point where you do want to
convert them to paid work or decide to focus on
paid clients. Never do free work for anyone with
any expectation that it will be paid work. That is
the hope, and sometimes the case, but make
sure your expectations are moderated.
NON-PROFIT IDEAS
Consider the list below for possible local entities that could use your services
at either low cost or free to get your foot in the door.

This does not have to be free services, sometimes contacting a local school
for example and letting them know you are giving them a “non-profit” discount
by cutting your rates by a third can help motivate them to contact you.

You can find phone numbers and e-mails to administrators of the following
below by visiting their websites. Preferably e-mail someone who would be
making marketing decisions, like a marketing coordinator, principal or
manager.

LIST OF NON-PROFIT LOCAL GROUPS

Your Local Public School System Local YMCA
Local Colleges and Universities Civic Leagues
Local Charity Groups Your Local Chambers of Commerce
Public Services Recreational Clubs or Sports Teams
Government Institutions

Example Letter/e-mail to a non-profit group

Dear ___________

My name is ________________ and I have provided ____________

services in the local ______________ area for several years. I am look-
ing to expand my freelance business locally by connecting with local
non-profits and offering my services at half the going rate in exchange
for networking opportunities, referrals or testimonials.

Take a look at my portfolio here to see if my skill set or style matches

any of your current needs. I would be happy to talk further on the
phone or by e-mail at any time. Thank for your time and I look forward
to creating great things together to benefit ______________.
 Image source: Catchafire.org

CATCHAFIRE.ORG
Who says working for free has to be unfulfilling?
There are several places to volunteer your services
to clients in the non-profit space. There is a website
called catchafire.org that lists non-profit companies
needing work in a wide variety of fields.

This is great for getting your foot in the door at

several smaller or even larger non-profit companies.
There is also the possibility that the free services you
offer them could turn into paid, if they really enjoyed
your project or work and they possibly get funding for
more projects.
WORK
EXAMPLES
99designs.com
DesignCrowd.com
Designcontest.com
WARNING!
I believe freelancers should be
fairly compensated for their
work when they reach a certain
PROS 
 skill level. I only recommend the
websites above for those in the
It gives you a chance to practice with client
briefs very beginning of their freelanc-
ing journey and do not recom-

CONS mend the following websites

listed for long term client work.
Highly likely you will not get paid

It can make you feel discouraged

AIGA or the American Institute of Graphic Arts has design and post it for the world to see. The client also
this stance on speculation work (spec work), 
“AIGA receives 50 other designs for the same project. The
believes that professional designers should be client picks a winner and only that winner is compensat-
compensated fairly for their work and should ed. You were not the winner so your design remains on
negotiate the ownership or use rights of their intellec- the website for others to see.
tual and creative property through an engagement
with clients. To that end, AIGA strongly encourages This design can be ripped off by other designers
designers to enter into client projects with full who saw your work. It also is hard to reuse because it
engagement to show the value of their creative was specific to the client company and brief. You may
endeavor, and to be aware of all potential risks use this project in your portfolio and that is the benefit
before entering into speculative work.” of spec work. There is also a chance you may win and I
have had some students win a design contest on rare
99designs.com is an example of a spec work occasion. 

website. You notice a project posted on that website
that requires a logo design. You complete the logo
I THINK SPEC WORK IS
OK IF YOU REALIZE THREE
THINGS ABOUT IT:
Do not expect to get paid (if you
win that is just a bonus!) But
never expect it.

It gives you good practice by

working with real client briefs.

It’s a good portfolio builder if you

do not have one yet 
. This is great
for those who are still learning
and practicing, but never rely on
it as a source of income or
connection with others.
MY PERSONAL
I had a dream, like many of you There it was, my first client! All because I talked about what I
was passionate about. I did the BEST work I could do for
have now, of not working for them, going above and behind the call of duty or what I was
getting paid. They ended up giving me over 20 hours of work
one employer, not having to get per week! I thought, “I am half way to making this a full-time
gig! This might actually happen for me! ”
up and show up at the office at
a specific minute of the day, not It took getting one strong
having to ask for time off client to change the direction
hoping it would be approved of my business.
and finally, not having to deal They referred me to a much bigger client, and then they
with office politics and drama. referred me, and then the original client found another
referral and soon enough you have little ambassadors
After working in the financial industry, working at a job with a sending work your way. I ended up with 4 long-term steady
wonderful half sized cubical, I decided to quit my job. clients that gave me 80 percent of my work throughout the
years, which freed me up to work on projects and less time
I did not plan to quit my job that day but after a tough phone call finding clients. Fortunately, once you get a system going it
with a customer, (I did customer phone support) I decided to tends to work better for you as time goes on.
walk over to my boss and quit. My husband and parents were
not too happy as I had nothing lined up. I always had a passion
for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator; playing around with those
programs and being creative were things I did for free in my
spare time. I decided to slowly teach my self how to become a
graphic designer by studying those who were successful online
and taking video-based courses and watching YouTube
videos.

During that time, I did need income, so I worked at a local

daycare while I spend most of my evenings practicing design
work.

My first client happened to be a local connection my husband

had at his graduate school. I happened to be at the school with
him and I started talking with the student admissions director. I
started telling her what I was learning and even showed her
some stuff online. Back then it was not impressive. But to her, I
was exactly what she needed, someone who understood the
school and its target audience but could also deliver some
design work for branding and school marketing materials.
 at the time, collect my 50 percent upfront deposit.

I have found that locally sourced clients are the best. You There was also the time where I had not paid enough in
can see them face to face (or at least via phone) and you taxes and was hit with a big tax bill and also the many low
know how to market to the local audience or know how to cost projects I had to do when I was trying to find that first
design for them. My first four clients were all local, and they client, that ended badly because I still had no clue what I was
referred me like crazy to clients further away, and the rest doing.
was history. I never had to seek out work again, they found
me! I was able to build a portfolio from those first few clients
to land larger more regional clients. I wanted to share my story
Then you get the attention of ad agencies and you can start
because I think it helps to
doing consulting work or maybe even land a full-time agency know that going freelance is
job (if you are interested in a salaried position). It can be a
slow build of your client base and portfolio, but over the not a steady journey and none
years it can really start to turn into a full-time career, and very
enjoyable one at that! It depends on how much you are of us will find our first big
willing to practice. It also comes down to making clients
HAPPY. I mean giving them what they want but also provid-
client in the same way.
ing them VALUE. I think a lot of designers think the trendy There are many ways to create a successful freelance
cool designs gets them jobs. I can tell you what gets you business and all you have to do is try several different
jobs. methods until one works for you.

I suggest attending some local small business meet ups, a Fourteen years later, I still love freelancing and started a new
connection you make there could change your life! business teaching what I learned all of those years, graphic
design. I now have over 100,000 students and am happy to
Of course, this is the happy ending story. There were many report I will never work for anyone again.
bumps along the way, like the time I got sued for using a
stock photo without giving the proper credits or the time I did
not get paid for a $500 web design project because I did not,

Brand Design Project from

one of my recent Branding
Masterclass courses

Old client work

Lauren Hall Creative Services
ENJOYED
If you would like to see something covered that
was not talked about please feel free to reach out
an make a suggestion!

https://lindsaymarsh.myportfolio.com/contact

The illustrations used throughout this guide

were gathered from the Adobe Stock website
at stock.adobe.com and modified.

Reproduction of this resource is prohibited without permission. All rights reserved. Lindsay Marsh.