3 Surefire Ways to Get the Freelance Clients You Deserve in 2023

Tired of struggling? You can get the clients you deserve.

Steady, high-paying clients need the help of talented freelancers. Here’s a proven, step-by-step process for getting the clients you deserve—and three ways to learn how to use it.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

If you’re not getting the steady, high-paying freelance clients you deserve, it’s not your fault.

The problem is that most freelancers never have a chance to learn about marketing. And to build a stable, successful freelance business, you need to do good marketing.

Chances are your marketing isn’t working—and you don’t know what’s wrong. Or maybe you aren’t doing any marketing.

So you end up taking whatever works comes along—usually for bad, low-paying clients.

Instead of finding the steady, high-paying freelance clients you deserve, you spend months—even years—struggling.

Freelancers tell me this story all the time.

Stop Struggling, Start Getting the Freelance Clients You Deserve

Even if you know nothing about marketing or think that you hate it, you CAN get the steady, high-paying freelance clients you deserve. You CAN build a stable, successful freelance business.

Because clients need the help of talented freelancers.

You just need a proven, step-by-step process based on what works best for freelancers.

Your Proven Process for Freelance Marketing

Here’s a sneak peak at the proven 10-step process that helped me built a 6-figure freelance writing business in 18 months—and thrive during 3 recessions. Hundreds of other freelancers have used my process to get the clients they deserve—and succeed in good times and in bad.

Once you know the process, I’ll tell you about three ways you can learn what to do and how to do it.

Step 1. Develop the Fearless Freelancer Mindset

What you think—your mindset—is just as important in what happens to your freelance business as what you do. To succeed you must:

Be confident and use a growth mindset
Grow your grit and build your resilience
Continually take the small actions that will lead to big results.

Step 2. Stand Out in a Sea of Freelancers

With more people freelancing every day, standing out is more important than ever. Create a freelance brand and client-focused marketing to:

Attract the steady, high-paying clients you deserve
Do less marketing, because clients will know more about you and quickly see you as more professional than other freelancers.

Step 3. Build the Marketing Habit

Steady, high-paying clients aren’t going to magically find you. Freelancers who want to succeed must do a lot of marketing a lot of the time:

Building the marketing habit will make this easier for you.
Start small and focus on your actions. Every action you take helps you build the marketing habit.
Like any habit, the more marketing you do, the easier it will be.

Step 4. Choose Your Moneymaking Specialty(ies)

Specializing is the fastest, easiest way to get the clients you deserve:

A moneymaking specialty offers lots of opportunities for freelancers like you and makes it easy for you to find and reach prospective clients.
Focus on industries and target markets where demand is high and clients that can afford to pay you well. Also, focus on core services that clients need.
To find the best specialty(ies), consider what’s happening in the economy and what’s happening in your freelance business. Do research and network to learn which industries, target markets, and clients will be best for you.

Step 5. Find the Right Prospects

Instead of taking whatever work comes along, choose the steady, high-paying clients you want to work with (your prospects) and then develop marketing to attract them:

Focus on clients that are likely to pay freelancers well and have steady work for us. These are usually large businesses.
Focus on clients that are most likely to hire you based on your background, experience, and skills. Expand your list to other clients later.
Professional associations, through their member directories, are the easiest way to develop prospect lists of steady, high-paying clients.
Making prospect lists helps you attract high-paying clients because you become an expert who understands their needs.

Step 6. Reach and Attract the Clients You Deserve with Direct Email

Direct email helps you attract the steady, high-paying clients on your prospect lists:

When customized to each client and focused on the needs of that client, direct email is very effective in getting steady, high-paying clients.
Effective direct emails have a compelling subject line and are concise, easy to read, and personalized.
Most responses come from follow-up emails, sent about a week after the original email.
Get more steady, high-paying clients by continuing to follow up with clients who are interested in your services but don’t hire you right away.

Step 7. Develop a Client-Focused LinkedIn Profile

More clients are searching for freelancers on LinkedIn and checking us out before deciding whether to contact us:

A complete, client-focused profile will help you attract clients and impress colleagues.
The keys to attracting the clients you deserve on LinkedIn are a client-focused headline and About section, both with the right keywords.
Your LinkedIn profile isn’t a resume. Include just enough key content—and the right content—so that clients know that you’re the right choice for them. Be interesting and conversational.

Step 8. Develop a Client-Focused Website

An awesome, client-focused website will help you attract more clients with less marketing:

Your Home page—the most important part of your website—needs to clearly describe what you do and who you do it for.
Compelling web content is conversational, concise, and scannable. Key marketing messages focus on client needs.
Do-it-yourself websites drive away clients. Freelance writers and editors need to hire a web designer.

Step 9. Meet People Who Can Help and Hire You

Who you know—a.k.a. your network—can be more important than anything else in getting the steady, high-paying clients you deserve:

Clients use networking to find freelancers they can trust. If you’re not in their network or the network of someone they know, they can’t find you.
Networking doesn’t have to be stressful or scary. It’s about getting to know people, not selling yourself. When you focus on getting to know people and helping them without expecting anything in return, networking is much easier.
Referrals are the easiest way to get the best clients. Get more referrals by networking through professional associations and building a trusting network of other freelancers.

Step 10. Be First in Line for Freelance Work

Finally, following up regularly (targeted follow up) with clients who expressed interest in your services but didn’t need freelance help right away is an easy way to get more of the clients you deserve. Because up to 90% of the time, prospects aren’t ready to hire a freelancer when you first contact them:

Stay in touch with interested clients, inactive clients, and colleagues, especially other freelancers.
Targeted follow-up is polite, professional and relevant, not pushy.
Treat targeted follow-up like it’s a deadline for a client. Get it done.

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If you’re ready to start getting the clients you deserve, then here are three ways to do this.

#1. The free way to get the clients you deserve

You can learn how to unlock freelance success using The Ultimate Guide to the Freelance Success You Deserve.

My free guide gives you a good overview of the 10 steps and links to:

Mighty Marketer blog posts
Free checklists, templates, and other tools.

There’s just one problem. You’ll have to do it all on your own.

#2. The easier way to get the clients you deserve

Or you can get the fundamentals in one place: The Fearless Freelancer: How to Thrive in a Recession. While the U.S. may or may not be in a recession, my book is applicable in good times and in bad. It’s just even more important to follow my proven process when you’re freelancing in a recession.

My book covers the 10 steps in more detail than the free guide and includes dozens of checklists, templates, and other tools, including:

The Ultimate LinkedIn Profile Checklist for Freelancers
Awesome Freelance Website Template.

So reading the book will be a little easier than putting everything together on your own using free Mighty Marketer content.

Still, there won’t be anyone to remind you to do the work, or to hold you accountable for making progress.

If you’re highly motivated and can commit to following the 10-step process on your own, then my book is a good choice for you. You should also read Mighty Marketer blog posts for examples of how freelancers are implementing the steps and for more info on some of the steps.

Personally, I like learning from books. I’ve bought (and still buy) lots of books to learn how to run my freelance business better.

If you’re thinking about buying The Fearless Freelancer, read what freelancers say about it.

You can get my book on Amazon.

#3. The easiest way to get the clients you deserve

But the easiest way to get the high-paying clients you deserve and build a stable, successful freelance business is to take my 7-week online course, Finding the Freelance Clients You Deserve.

An online course is more engaging and more interactive than reading a book. The online courses I’ve taken have made it easier for me to learn about complex subjects. It’s also easier to build skills—like marketing—in a course.

Motivation, interactive content, and accountability

In my online course, you get:

Motivational content and tools to help you develop the mindset for freelance success
Regular reminders when it’s time to start each module
Video lessons to watch (along with transcripts of each module)
Assignments that guide you through developing your marketing
Handouts with templates, checklists, examples, and more.

Personal coaching based on your business

If you take the coaching version of my online course, you’ll get personal guidance and support from me, based on your business goals and challenges. I review your marketing and key course assignments. And of course, you can ask me all of your questions about marketing.

And I’ll hold you accountable for doing the work—in a nice way.

My students tell me that coaching helps them build their confidence and succeed faster.

Do-it-yourself

The course is also available as self-study. This is best if you’re an experienced freelancer who is doing okay but you know you could be doing better.

What freelancers say about Finding the Freelance Clients You Deserve

Want to know more? Here are some case studies about how Finding the Freelance Clients You Deserve is helping freelancers make more money.

You Can Get the Clients You Deserve, If You’re Willing to Do the Work

Whether you choose to use my free content, buy my book, or take my course, you will need to put in the time and effort to market your freelance business.

Because freelancing is a business. And all businesses require hard work to succeed.

There is no easy, effortless way to get the clients you deserve instantly.

Mighty Marketer content will teach you what to do, but only you can do the work.

Learn More About Getting the Freelance Clients You Deserve

Free Guide: The Ultimate Guide to the Freelance Success You Deserve

The Fearless Freelancer: How to Thrive in a Recession

Finding the Freelance Clients You Deserve.