How to get your next 3 clients

Hi, I’m Lizzie 👋

I’m a content strategist and writer for ecommerce tech
brands like Shopify, CoSchedule, and Hotjar with 10
years of freelancing experience.

This guide will show you some active ways you can
secure your next client (and the next, and the next) using
strategic, tried-and-tested acquisition methods.
lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Here’s what we’ll cover...

01 Assessing what works and what doesn't

02 Passive vs active ways of marketing your

business

03 Offer a minimum viable service

04 Quick activities you can do now to secure

your next client/project
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Assessing what works

Take stock of your most popular Don't give in to shiny object No two freelancers are the same
acquisition method syndrome
What works for me might not work for
How did the majority of your existing There are so many new ways to find you and vice versa. Your own data is
and past clients find you? clients that pop up every day. The truth the most powerful because it's a
Understanding where you've found is, it takes time to see if certain unique insight into YOUR business.
most of your clients is the key to acquisition methods work for you... try What works best ultimately depends
finding your next client. not to fall foul of these shiny new on the who and what of your business.
things!
lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Do this...
01 Make a note of where you got your last 5 clients from. These
are the most recent, so will provide the most up-to-date
relevant data and information.

02 Add a "where did you find me?" field to your intake form and
onboarding/offboarding surveys.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Passive vs active marketing

Don't sit back and wait Keep your pipeline full and warm Never start again from scratch
Don't sit around twiddling your thumbs Keep your pipeline of prospects full The last thing you want is to have to
waiting for clients to come to you. (and warm!) while you're working hard rush out to find work when a contract
on actual client work. ends or you lose a client.
lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Do this...
01 Create a mix of passive and active marketing strategies that
work for you (and you feel comfortable with) that you can
lean into

02 Schedule time for both types of marketing and adjust your

effort towards each of them depending on your current
schedule and commitments
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

01 Lead generation funnels

Passive 02

03
Building your personal brand
Blogging and SEO

marketing 04 Paid ad campaigns

Marketing tactics that are ticking away in the

background while you do the work/that don't
directly lead to signed contracts but DO
increase brand awareness and get your name
out there.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

01 Pitching

Active 02

03
Applying to job boards
Responding to call-outs

marketing 04 Submitting applications

Marketing tactics that are sales-focused and

get you clients quickly.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Pitching

Create a list of prospects Write your pitch Send and follow up

Find relevant brands through LinkedIn, Personalise each pitch you send and Keep track of the pitches you send and
Google, and X searches and create a find the right person to send it to follow up after a week. I've often had
master list of prospects to pitch to. (either use Hunter.io or find the no response to initial pitches only to
relevant contact on LinkedIn). get a "yes" from a follow up.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Apply to job boards

Find relevant job boards Differentiate yourself Show, don't tell

Google "[specialism] job boards". For You might be competing with a lot of Don't link to your full portfolio. Cherry-
example, freelance writers can check other freelancers. Highlight why the pick one or two highly relevant
out Superpath, Contra, and Peak client should pick you, mention any samples and link directly to them (no
Freelance to find relevant freelance results or high-profile brands you've one's got time to go trawling through
jobs. worked with, and personalise your pages of samples, no matter how
application. good they are!)
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Respond to call outs

Follow hashtags Search for keywords Build a list of relevant folk

Find hashtags relevant to your niche Run searches on your favourite social Follow (or create a list) of people who
and skillset that regularly share channels to find potential freelance regularly share freelance
freelance opportunities. For example, opportunities. E.g. search LinkedIn for opportunities. This might be brands
writers can try #writerjobs and "writing opportunities". themselves or aggregators that
#freelancejobs on Twitter. automating pull new opps.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Submit applications

Find jobs on LinkedIn Look for places promoting full- Set up Google Alerts
time roles
LinkedIn has a ton of freelance Use Google Alerts (or a job search
opportunities in its job search. Simply You can reach out to companies app) to generate Google Alerts every
type in keywords relevant to your advertising full-time roles to see if they time a new, relevant opportunity gets
niche and skillset. need any freelance help in the interim posted. Indeed does this as well.
while they're onboarding new team
members.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Offer a minimum viable service

(MVS)

Make it easy for prospects to say Create a stepping stone Learn more about prospects
yes
Once you've seen how you both work Working with a client on a small, paid
It's much harder to get someone to say together, you can use your MVS as a project gives you a quick insight into
yes to a six-month contract than it is stepping stone to longer, more their pain points and problems, which
for them to agree to a one-off piece or lucrative freelance contracts. means you'll be better equipped to
project. work on larger projects with them,.
lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Do this...
01 Consider a small task or activity that's relevant to your main
offering that will work as an "in" for new clients (something
that's easy for them to say yes to)

02 Promote this MVS in your pitches or offer it to existing clients

as an upsell to the work you're already doing for them
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Quick activities you

can do now to get
clients
Sometimes you just need to get SOME money coming in
before you can start playing around with passive and active
marketing strategies---these activities take seconds and can
lead to more work overnight.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Reach out to
existing clients “Hi CLIENT,

Hope you’re good! I’m reaching out to let you know I have
more availability coming up in X weeks/months and
I have a handful of clients who originally wanted
wanted to give you first dibs. Let me know if you’d like to
more work from me, but my capacity wouldn’t
increase our output to XXX and I’ll get it scheduled in.
allow it. We ended up settling on one or two
pieces a month, but if I lose a client, I find
Thanks!”
comfort in knowing I can reach out and tell them
my availability has changed and we can increase
our output.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Reach out to
past clients “Hi PAST CLIENT,

Hope all is well with you! Do you need an extra pair of hands in the
next couple of months? I enjoyed working on X PROJECT with you
When things feel a bit hairy, I go back through and would love the opportunity to work together again.
my Little Black Book of clients and reach out to
If you have any content needs on the horizon, you know where to
people I haven’t spoken to in a while. I keep
find me!
things casual and simply ask if they have any
content needs coming up—and, if they do, if Thanks.”
they could consider me for them.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Ask for a
referral “Hi CLIENT,

I currently have a couple of spots available in my

If neither your existing client base or your little calendar for Q2 and would love it if you could pass my
black book of past clients has anything for you, details on to anyone you think could benefit from X, Y,
it’s time to extend that offer to their network. and Z.
Ask them if they know anyone who might need
help with their content and, if they do, ask them Thanks for all your support!”
to consider you.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Announce it!

No one’s going to know you’re open for work if

you don’t tell them!

It’s such a simple thing to do but it can make a

massive difference. I rarely promote my
services, but when I recently shared a post on
LinkedIn highlighting my content strategy
services, I immediately received two enquiries
—one of which turned into a client.
 lizziedavey.com freelancemagic.co | copyrevival.co

Thank you!

Twitter: @lizziedavey
Instagram: @freelancemagic.co
LinkedIn: Lizzie Davey
Freelancemagic.co
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