Get More Clients This Summer With these 3 Moves

Summer can feel risky when you’re a freelancer. You might expect a silent inbox, slower replies, and more projects pushed to later. But summer also creates gaps that you can fill.

Key Takeaways

  • Summer is still a good time to market your freelance services because clients keep working even when staff and contacts are out.
  • Warm outreach to past clients, current clients, colleagues, and interested prospects is the fastest path to getting more work.
  • Help clients understand what you do at a glance by refreshing your LinkedIn profile and website, and developing a marketing email signature.
  • Giving clients 4 to 6 weeks’ notice before your vacation can create new work before you go and after you return.

Turn a Slow Season into Smart Marketing

During the summer, client contacts go on vacation and teams fall behind. Other freelancers go on vacation or decide to take things slower for a few months. Yet clients still need to meet deadlines and keep the work moving.

If you develop a simple marketing plan and put it into action, a slow season can turn into smart marketing. Clients who don’t need help over the summer will remember you when they need help later.

Start with a Simple Summer Marketing Plan

Getting more clients over the summer starts with a short, realistic plan, not random pitching. Keep the plan simple enough to follow so it’s manageable, and it gives you momentum.

Summer marketing plan

Primary goal (8–12 weeks):

  • Generate 5 qualified leads (positive replies or project discussions)

 Foundation tasks (complete early in summer):

  • Refresh your LinkedIn profile and website so clients can quickly understand:
    • what you do
    • who you help
    • how to contact you
  • Create a simple marketing email signature that reinforces your positioning

Marketing strategies:

Keep it simple and repeatable. Focus on:

  • Email outreach (primary driver)
    • Past clients, current clients, colleagues, and new prospects
  • Referrals
    • Summer is a great time to ask, especially when people are stretched
  • LinkedIn visibility (light touch)
    • Stay visible with minimal effort (comments > posting)
  • Your vacation (an unusual marketing strategy that often works)
  • Let clients know when you’ll be out of the office

Time needed:

3-5 hours a week (About 35-60 minutes a day or 3-5 hours in one day)

 Weekly tracking:

  • Outreach sent
    • Number of emails/messages sent
  • Replies or conversations started
    • Any response counts (even “not now”)
  • Opportunities created
    • Meetings/calls, project discussions, or referrals

Be First in Line When Clients Need a Freelancer

Clients often hire the freelancer they’re thinking of when they need help. Make that you by following up politely and professionally.

Focus your follow up on current and past clients, because they already know your work. Then follow up with clients who said they want to work with you but haven’t needed freelance help yet (interested clients).

Here are two templates you can use or adapt to your voice and work:

Template for current and past clients

Subject (choose one):

Helping you stay on track this summer
Extra support this summer if you need it
Available for summer project support

Email:

Hi [NAME],

Summer schedules can get a bit uneven with vacations and lighter staffing. I wanted to reach out in case you need an extra set of hands to keep things moving.

I really enjoyed working with you on [TYPE OF PROJECTS YOU WORKED ON WITH THEM], and I’d be glad to support your team again. If you have any upcoming gaps, deadlines to cover, or extra work while team members are out, I’m happy to help.

Let me know if I can take anything off your plate.

Thanks.

Template for interested clients

Subject (choose one):

Extra medical writing [OR EDITING] support for your team this summer

Need help covering medical writing [OR EDITING] projects this summer?

Quick check-in before summer schedules shift

Email:

Hi [NAME],

I hope you’ve been doing well.

When we last connected, you mentioned a possible need for freelance medical writing [OR EDITING]. With summer coming up, I wanted to check in. This time of year can make it harder to keep projects moving with vacations and shifting schedules.

If you expect any gaps in coverage, tight deadlines, or extra work while team members are out, I’d be glad to help.

[SERVICES AND CLIENT NEED REMINDER: 1-2 SENTENCES TO REMIND THEM ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AND HOW YOU HELP CLIENTS LIKE THEM.]

Call to action (Choose one):

Would it be helpful to set up a quick call to review your upcoming needs?

Feel free to send over anything you’d like help with.

Sample services and client need reminder:

I work with healthcare organizations, agencies, and life sciences companies to create clear, accurate, audience-focused medical content. My goal is to make your team’s job easier by delivering reliable, high-quality work on time.

Get a Stamp of Approval through Referrals

Referrals from colleagues and clients are like a built-in stamp of approval because someone has already vetted your work and is willing to stand behind it. Their recommendation reduces uncertainty for the client and makes it easier for them to trust you from the start.

Colleagues refer work to freelancers they know, remember, and trust. So only ask colleagues for referrals if you already have a trusting relationship with them.

Clients often are likely to refer work to you when they’re happy with your work and professionalism.

Here are two templates you can use:

Template for asking colleagues for referrals

Subject: Summer coverage? Let’s help each other out

Hi [COLLEAGUE’S NAME],

With summer coming up, I know schedules get a bit unpredictable with vacations and time off. I’m reaching out in case you hear about clients who need extra support while people are away.

I have some availability and would be glad to step in for anything that needs to keep moving while people are out.

I’m focusing on [DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF WORK AND CLIENTS]. [1–2 SENTENCES ABOUT YOUR RELEVANT EXPERIENCE.] You can see more on my [ADD LINK] website. [or Linked in profile].

If you hear of anything where an extra set of hands would help, I’d really appreciate you keeping me in mind.

How can I support you this summer?
If I come across anything that’s a good fit for you, I’ll send it your way.

Thanks, [COLLEAGUE’S NAME]—hope you have a great summer ahead.

Template for asking clients for referrals

Subject: Summer coverage for [ORGANIZATION’S NAME]

Hello [CONTACT’S NAME],

I’ve really enjoyed working with you and supporting [ORGANIZATION’S NAME] in [WHAT YOU HELP THEM WITH, SUCH AS 1. A SPECIFIC PROJECT OR 2. THE RESULT SUCH AS INFORMING AND EDUCATING PEOPLE SO THEY CAN LIVE HEALTHIER LIVES].

With summer here, I know vacations and shifting schedules can make it harder to keep projects moving. If you have any upcoming gaps, deadlines to cover, or extra work while team members are out, I’d be glad to help.

If anyone else at [ORGANIZATION’S NAME] needs a freelance [TYPE: WRITER/EDITOR] this summer, could you connect us or pass along my name? I’d love to support more of your team.

Thanks, [CONTACT’S NAME]—and I hope you have a great summer.

Learn more about follow up.

Be Active on LinkedIn

Help people remember you on LinkedIn, so clients think of you when they need freelance help and colleagues refer work to you.

You only need a light, steady signal that you’re active and available.

Post a short tip on LinkedIn. Share a project win without overexplaining it. Write meaningful comments on posts by relevant people. Small proof builds trust, and repeated visibility helps people remember your name when work pops up. Being active also makes you more likely to appear in search results when someone looks for a freelancer like you.

Learn more about being active on LinkedIn.

Use Your Own Vacation to Get More Work from Current Clients

Taking time off gives you a natural reason to reconnect with clients. Email clients about four to six weeks before you’ll be out of the office before.  Ask clients if they need help wrapping up work.

Just telling clients you won’t be available often leads to an immediate need for freelance help. After your vacation, you can check in and mention your availability.

Write a warm, casual re-engagement email for current clients informing them of my summer vacation. The goal is to let them know I can help wrap up work before I go and remind them that I can support them during the rest of the summer, when projects slow down because of vacations, lighter staffing, and shifting schedules. Position me as a reliable extra set of hands who can help keep work moving.

Template for summer break emails

Subject: Can I help with anything before I’m away?

Hi [NAME],

I hope you’ve been having a good week.

I wanted to give you a quick heads-up that I’ll be taking a summer vacation [VACATION DATES]. Before I go, I’d be glad to help wrap up anything that’s in progress or coming up soon.

And of course, I’ll still be around during the rest of the summer. I know this time of year can bring lighter staffing and shifting timelines. If you run into gaps, tight deadlines, or extra work while people are out, I’m here and glad to step in.

Feel free to reach out anytime.

Refresh Your Marketing to Show How You Help Clients

When you do attract clients with your summer marketing, you need to quickly show them what you do and how you can help them meet their needs.

Update your LinkedIn Profile and Website

Make it easier for clients to say yes once they find you. Clients skim fast and decide fast. So you need to quickly show them what you do and how you help them meet their needs in your LinkedIn profile and website. I call this client-focused marketing.

Client-focused marketing helps you:

  • Build trust faster
  • Stand out in a sea of freelancers
  • Get better clients and make more money.

Most freelancers focus their marketing on features, not needs. Instead of saying “I write blog posts for health systems,” say “I help health systems translate complex information into clear, accurate content for patients and clinicians.”

With this client-focused message, health systems can quickly see how this freelancer helps them. They also see the benefits of choosing this freelancer: complex information turned into clear, accurate content for patients and clinicians.

Review your samples and/or project descriptions.  Remove weak samples. Lead with your best and most recent work—and the work you want more of.

Include a bulleted list of your services and your areas of therapeutic or subject matter expertise.

Learn more about developing your LinkedIn profile

Learn more about developing your freelance website

Develop a marketing email signature

A marketing email signature helps you look more professional and makes it easy for clients and colleagues to remember you. It makes every email you send a mini-ad for your freelance business.

You can create an effective email signature in under 5 minutes using your email program’s formatting tools.  Include:

  • Name
  • Business name (or freelance medical writer OR editor)
  • Clear contact info
  • A link to your website (best) or LinkedIn profile
  • A tagline that says what you do and how clients benefit from this
  • A logo (optional).

The tagline, or tagline and logo, are what turn this into a marketing email signature. This xx and builds trust. A tagline is a memorable phrase or sentence that helps your audience understand what you do. For example, my tagline is “Targeted medical content. On time. Every time.”

A logo is an image, symbol, or other design to identify your services. Logos often have an image, but sometimes are just text in a nice design.

Learn more about developing a marketing email signature.

Turn Summer Work into Repeat Clients

A summer project helps clients meet their immediate needs and fills a gap in your schedule. But it can also open the door to steady work later. That happens when you do a great job and are easy to work with.

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Learn More About. Ways to Get More Work this Summer

Your Email Signature: The Secret Weapon You’re Overlooking

How Being Active on LinkedIn Helps You Get More Clients

How to Get Your Ideal Freelance Clients

The Ultimate LinkedIn Profile for Freelance Success This Year

How to Win More Clients with Your Freelance Website and Do Less Marketing

How to Be First in Line for Freelance Work

How to Get Steady, High-Paying Clients with Direct Email

Why You Need to Use Direct Email: What 4 Freelancers Say

FAQS

What is the best way for freelancers to get more clients in summer?

The best approach is to focus on warm contacts first. Past clients, current clients, colleagues, and interested prospects already know your work, so they are more likely to reply. Light LinkedIn activity and a clear profile help people remember you when they need help.

How early should freelancers tell clients about summer vacation?

Tell clients about your summer vacation four to six weeks ahead of time. That gives them time to wrap up active projects or ask for help before you’re out. It also creates a natural reason to check in and remind them that you’re available later in the summer.

Should freelancers ask for referrals in summer?

Referrals work well in summer because many clients and colleagues are already thinking about coverage. Ask only people who know your work and trust you. A short message that explains your availability and the type of work you want is usually enough.

What should I include in a summer marketing email?

Keep the email short and clear. Mention your availability, the kind of support you offer, and a simple call to action, such as a quick call or a reply with upcoming needs. The article also recommends a short reminder about your services so the reader quickly sees how you help.

How does LinkedIn help freelancers get more clients?

LinkedIn keeps you visible when clients and colleagues need a freelancer. A refreshed profile, short posts, useful comments, and a steady presence help people remember you. That makes it easier for clients to think of you first when work comes up.

Last updated May 4, 2026.

Lori De Milto is a freelance medical writer and marketing coach who has helped freelance medical writers and editors get the clients they deserve since 2014. Through her proven process, she teaches freelancers how to market with clarity and confidence so they can build stable, successful freelance businesses.