When to Start Marketing Your Freelance Business

If clients don’t know about you, they can’t hire you. Start marketing your freelance business when you can help clients, define your services, share a few relevant samples, and are willing to learn as you go and thinking about how to get clients.

Key Takeaways

Start marketing your freelance business before you feel fully ready, because if clients don’t know about your, they can’t hire you.
Focus on LinkedIn and networking, 2 of the best ways for freelance medical writers and editors to get clients.
Make marketing a habit, because consistent marketing always works better than one big push.

You probably think you need more experience, a better portfolio, or more confidence before you start marketing your freelance medical writing or editing business. But waiting is really just a way of avoiding the discomfort of marketing.

And waiting does far more harm than good—because if clients don’t know about you, they can’t hire you. If you wait until you feel ready, you won’t get the clients you deserve and you won’t be able to build a successful, sustainable freelance business.

Visibility matters more than perfection. Clients hire people they notice and remember. Not the ones who feel the most ready.

Why You Should Start Marketing Before You Feel Ready

The goalposts for feeling “ready” keep moving. You finish a course, then decide you need better samples. You develop samples, then decide your LinkedIn profile needs work. After that, you tell yourself you’ll start after you finish one more course.

You think you’re being productive because you’re staying busy. But you’re not doing what matters most: building your freelance business.

The longer you wait, the harder it gets to begin

Delay makes marketing seem harder than it is. Meanwhile, the more time you spend thinking about marketing, the more pressure you feel to do it. Starting small is easier now than later.

The difference between freelancer medical writers and editors who succeed and those who struggle is simple: early and continuous action and steady exposure.

Confidence comes after action, not before it

You don’t build confidence by taking more courses or developing more samples. You build it by taking action: Learn about marketing and start doing it.

Instead of staying stuck, take small, imperfect steps to build your business. You don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need to start showing up.

That’s also how you avoid taking whatever work comes along, usually from low-paying clients who don’t treat you right. Instead, you create marketing that shows steady, high-paying clients your value—even if you don’t have much experience yet.

Start before you feel confident, and you’ll build confidence as you go.

Signs it’s Time to Start Marketing Now

Here are some signs that say you’re ready enough to start marketing.

You have enough skills to help a real client

You may not have freelance clients yet—or enough clients, but you can probably connect your past experience to the work you want. Clinical experience, research roles, healthcare marketing jobs, graduate training, and courses and certificates in medical communications all count.

Relevant skills for medical communications that you probably already have include:

Analyzing information
Attention to detail
Collaborating with others
Conducting research
Defining needs and requirements
Managing time well
Identifying and solving problems
Interviewing
Meeting deadlines
Organizing work
Suggesting new ideas
Synthesizing information.

You don’t need to know every therapeutic area or every possibly project client need help with.

You just need to be able to explain how your background and experiences helps you create accurate, useful content.

You know enough to define your business

If you’re still learning the field, you may be tempted to call yourself a freelance medical writer or editor and leave it at that.

But this doesn’t work very well.

Because there are 5 main types of medical communications:

Medical & scientific
Continuing medical education
Regulatory writing
Consumer health & patient education
Marketing & PR.

The skills you need for each type of medical writing are different. Editing is different too, but it’s easier to edit different types of medical communications than to write them.

Clients know this. They’re not looking for someone who does everything. They’re looking for someone who understands their type of work and has the right skills.

Instead of trying to keep all doors open, choose one or two types of medical communications to focus on. Learn what the work involve. Think about your background and where you already have an advantage.

If you come from a clinical or scientific background, medical and scientific content, CME, or regulatory writing are a strong fit.

If your background is in communications, journalism, or English, patient education or marketing and PR are often a better place to start.

You can always expand later. But right now, focus helps you get traction.

You’re ready to learn as you go

You accept that marketing and freelancing are skills you build through practice. You don’t need every answer before you update your LinkedIn profile or start networking. You just need to be willing to take small actions, get feedback, and improve over time.

You’re already thinking about clients, not just skills

Once you start thinking about where work comes from, what clients need, or how to price a project, you’re past the learning-only stage. You’re already looking at the business side.

That matters because your attention has shifted from “Am I good enough?” to “Who needs what I can do?” and “How do I talk about it?”

You have—or are ready to develop—a few samples to share

If you’ve chosen the type(s) of medical communications that’s best for you now, you can start to show clients that you can do at least some typical projects.

Samples are an easy way to do this. And they don’t need to come from paid projects. Since so much of medical communications is proprietary and confidential, we often can’t share samples anyway. But you can create spec samples, fictional pieces that show part or all of a typical project in your type(s) of medical communications.

And as you create samples to show clients you can do the work, you’ll build your experience and your confidence. See Develop spec samples below for more information on how to do this.

Also, you can also use samples from school, jobs, or volunteer work. If you wrote a journal article for a class project or for work, for example, that’s a sample. So is the newsletter you wrote or edited for a community organization.

What to Do When You Start Marketing

Marketing feels hard when you think you need to have a full plan in place. It’s easier when you focus on becoming visible and helpful. Here are some ways to get started without feeling overwhelmed.

The best clients for freelance medical writers and editors tend to come from a few core places, according to my 2025 survey on how freelancers market their businesses:
1. LinkedIn
2. Networking
3. Direct email.

We’ll focus on networking and LinkedIn, as these are easier to learn and do, and more important.

Build your network

Focus first on networking, as it’s a great way to learn about medical communications, freelance clients, and freelance projects.

When clients need a freelancer, they look for referrals or choose someone from their network. If you’re not connected to the right people, they won’t find or hire you.

Other freelancers should be a key part of your network and professional associations should be a key part of your networking. Along with getting referrals, freelance friends can share advice and give you practical help.

Networking becomes easier once you understand that it’s about getting to know people, not trying to sell your services.

Professional associations like the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) are great places to meet potential clients and other freelancers. Volunteering helps people get to know you, which builds trust quicker. And if you’re like most freelancers, volunteering is much easier than other types of networking.

Create a complete, client-focused LinkedIn profile

More and more clients are using LinkedIn to find freelancers, and to check us out before contacting us about freelance work. If you develop a complete, client-focused LinkedIn profile, you’ll rank higher when clients search LinkedIn for a freelancer, and you’ll convert more profile visits into clients.

Only 51% of LinkedIn users have complete profiles. So you’ll outrank almost half of all members just by completing your LinkedIn profile. This is super easy; you just need to add:
• Industry and location
• Profile photo
• Current position (under Experience)
• Two past positions
• Education
• At least 5 skills.

Your headline is the most important part of your LinkedIn profile. Clearly say what you do and how you help your clients. Use relevant keywords to rank higher in search results, especially “freelancer” and “freelance [writer, editor, etc.]” and your services.

The About section is the second most important part of your profile, and the first 220-270 characters with spaces count most. That’s what shows before clients have to click see more. On mobile devices, about 102-167 characters show.

Make sure the beginning of your About builds on your headline and offer a clear, concise client-focused message. Put as much of your key message as you can in the first 102-167 characters to attract clients viewing your profile on a smart phone or tablet.

Focus the rest of About on how you help your clients meet their needs. Briefly summarize your services and your relevant experience and background. Use bulleted lists for your services and anything else that works well in a list. Include some samples of your freelance work under Featured.

Develop spec samples

Spec (or speculative) samples are one of the fastest ways to build experience when you don’t have client work (or enough client work) yet. A spec sample is a fictional piece that reflects the kind of project you want clients to hire you to work on. It shows clients that you understand the format, audience, and expectations—even if you haven’t done that exact work for a paying client.

Here’s a simple way to create one:

Review work from a client you’d like to work for
Study their topics, tone, and structure
Choose a similar topic
Create your own sample piece,

When you publish your sample, label it clearly. Add a note at the top such as:
“Sample blog post for a disease-focused health organization.”

If the type of work you want to do is large or complex, create a sample of just one section. For example, a portion of a white paper, a patient education handout, or part of a CME activity.

If you’re an editor, you can take a similar approach:

Create or find a short piece of writing
Add realistic errors
Edit the piece
Show both versions: before and after

How to Keep Marketing Going

Now you know how to start marketing your freelance business. But knowing what to do is easier than doing it. As you build your business, make marketing part of your daily routine. It is okay if you need to miss a day or a few days. But don’t miss too many days or it will be really hard to get back to doing your marketing.

How much marketing to do

The more marketing you do, the faster you’ll build your business. And if you’re not busy with client work yet—or busy enough, marketing gives you something productive to focus on every day. It creates momentum, builds confidence, and puts you in control of your business.

My recommendations are based on how much billable work you have now:

Little or no client work:

Up to 40 hours a week

Up to 10 hours of billable work per week:

10-15 hours a week

Close to having as much work as you want/need:

1.5-2.5 hours a week

As much work as you want/need:

1-1.5 hours a week

A simple checklist

Use this simple checklist to get started:

Commit to spending [NUMBER] minutes or hours on marketing (based on how much marketing you should be doing)
Choose a time and the days to work on your marketing
Block out the time on your calendar
Set an alarm to remind you to start
Work on your marketing
Repeat.

If you want tips on how to make marketing a habit, read this.

Sample marketing actions

Get started with these marketing actions. Most can be done in an hour or less. A few actions, like revising your About section, may take longer.

LinkedIn:
Block of time #1:

Update your LinkedIn profile headline and About section
Complete your LinkedIn profile

Block of time #2:

Revise your About section
Comment meaningfully on 3 LinkedIn posts by other people
Decide which topics to post about and find sources of content
Share 1 post

Block of time #3:

Proofread your LinkedIn profile

Networking:

Block of time #1:

Explore professional associations
Join AMWA

Block of time #2:

Explore volunteer opportunities in your professional associations
Volunteer for at least one professional association

Block of time #3:

List annual conferences and other events you want to attend
Review available resources on the association’s website and learn more about medical communications

Learn about marketing

Designed for freelance medical writers and editors, The Mighty Marketer makes it easy to learn about marketing. Everything is built around one goal: Helping you get the clients you deserve and build a successful, sustainable freelance business. You’ll find:

Practical blog posts like this one that make marketing easier to understand and do
Courses that walk you through my proven process step by step
Coaching with build-in course content that helps you move forward faster with support and structure.

The Mighty Marketer is about doing the right marketing, in a way that works for freelance medical writers and editors, by taking small, steady steps that help you build real momentum.

Start Now, Even If it Feels Messy

You don’t need to feel ready before you begin. You just need to start taking the actions that will help clients see your value—so you build a successful, sustainable freelance business.

Learn More About When to Start Marketing

5 Ways to Get the Experience You Need to Find Freelance Jobs and Clients

How to Create Spec Samples to Attract Your Ideal Clients

How to Make Marketing a Habit (So Your Freelance Pipeline Stays Full)

Survey Says: Here’s What Works Best in Getting the Clients You Deserve

8 Simple Ways to Make Networking Easier

Professional Associations: An Easy Way to Get More Freelance Work

The Ultimate LinkedIn Profile for Freelance Success This Year

FAQS

When should I start marketing my freelance business?

Start as early as possible, even if you do not have clients yet. Early marketing helps you test your offer, get feedback, and build awareness before you need leads. If you wait until you feel “ready,” you may miss the time it takes for people to notice you.

Can I market before I have a portfolio?

Yes, and many freelancers do. You can use a simple website, a LinkedIn profile, a service page, sample work, or a few strong examples from past jobs and personal projects. The goal is to show what you do and who you help, not to look perfect.

How long does it take for freelance marketing to work?

It depends on your niche, your offer, and how often you promote it. Some freelancers get leads quickly through referrals or warm contacts, while others need weeks or months of steady outreach. The key is to stay consistent long enough to see what brings results.

Last updated June 24, 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.