You Know a Lot About Freelance Marketing. Now What?
You probably already know a lot of things you should be doing to market your freelance business.
Stay visible on LinkedIn. Keep in touch with past clients. Build relationships. Reach out to potential clients. Follow up. Keep marketing even when you’re busy.
So why aren’t you doing more of them?
That’s the question that matters.
I recently gave two presentations about marketing for freelancers at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference. Preparing for them reminded me of something I see often with freelance medical writers and editors.
Knowing how to market isn’t always the problem. Putting what you know into action is.
It’s easy to collect marketing ideas. You read an article, attend a webinar or conference session, listen to a podcast, or save another helpful LinkedIn post.
You think, That’s a great idea. I should do that.
Then a client emails. A deadline moves up. Another project comes in.
And that great marketing idea gets pushed aside.
The answer isn’t necessarily to learn more about marketing.
Sometimes you need to stop gathering ideas and start using what you already know.
Choose One Marketing Priority
One reason marketing can feel overwhelming is that there are so many things you could do.
You could improve your website. Post on LinkedIn. Send direct emails. Join a professional association. Attend networking events. Ask for referrals. Contact former clients. Build a prospect list.
Trying to do all of them at once isn’t realistic.
Choose one priority based on what your business needs most right now.
If you need more potential clients, building a targeted prospect list and starting direct outreach might be your priority.
If you have a strong network but haven’t stayed in touch, reconnecting with people may be more valuable.
If prospective clients are finding you but don’t seem to understand what you offer, your positioning and marketing messages may need attention.
If you have plenty of client work now but worry about what happens when projects end, consistent marketing may be your biggest priority.
The right marketing activity depends on your business, your goals, and where you’re getting stuck.
Take action
“Do more marketing” isn’t an action.
Neither is “network more” or “be more active on LinkedIn.”
Those goals are too vague. It’s easy to put them off because you haven’t decided exactly what you’re going to do.
Make your next step specific.
Instead of: Network more
Try: Reach out to two colleagues every Friday.
Instead of: Use LinkedIn more
Try: Spend 15 minutes on LinkedIn three times a week commenting on posts from potential clients and colleagues.
Instead of: Find new clients
Try: Identify five potential clients each week and find the right people to contact.
Instead of: Stay in touch with past clients
Try: Contact two former clients each month.
Specific actions make marketing easier to start and easier to repeat.
Make Marketing Small Enough to Keep Doing
A marketing plan doesn’t have to take hours every week.
In fact, a complicated plan can make it less likely that you’ll stick with it.
You may be better off spending 20 minutes on marketing several times a week than waiting until you have an entire afternoon available.
You can use that time to comment on LinkedIn, send a follow-up email, research a prospective client, reconnect with a colleague, or update one part of your website.
Small actions add up.
More importantly, they help you avoid the pattern many freelancers fall into: ignoring marketing when they’re busy and scrambling to find clients when work slows down.
Marketing works better when it becomes part of running your business, rather than something you do only when you need work.
Put Marketing on Your Calendar
It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll market when you have time.
But there’s almost always something more urgent.
A client emails. A deadline moves up. You need to revise a draft. An unexpected project comes in.
And marketing gets pushed to tomorrow.
Then next week.
Then next month.
If marketing matters to your business, give it a place on your calendar just as you would client work.
You don’t need a huge block of time.
Maybe it’s 20 minutes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Maybe you reserve an hour every Friday morning. Or perhaps you schedule one larger marketing block each week.
Choose something that fits the way you work.
The best marketing routine isn’t the most ambitious one.
It’s the one you can actually maintain.
Follow Up with People You Meet
Meeting someone at a conference or networking event is only the beginning.
If you had an interesting conversation with someone, follow up.
Connect on LinkedIn. Send a brief email. Mention something you talked about. Share a resource that might interest them.
Don’t immediately ask for work.
The goal is to continue the relationship.
Then stay in touch occasionally.
Many freelancers think of networking as something that happens at conferences or formal events. But much of the value comes afterward, when you continue getting to know the people you met.
Pay Attention to What’s Working
Consistent marketing doesn’t mean blindly repeating the same activities forever.
Periodically look at what’s happening.
Are more of the right people viewing your LinkedIn profile?
Are people responding to your emails?
Are conversations with colleagues leading to introductions or referrals?
Are former clients getting back in touch?
Are potential clients starting to recognize what you specialize in?
Most marketing won’t produce an immediate project.
That’s normal.
You’re also building visibility, relationships, and awareness of what you offer.
Over time, you’ll start to see which activities are helping you make useful connections and create opportunities.
Do more of what works.
Don’t Just Learn More. Do Something.
Learning about marketing can make you feel productive.
But another article, webinar, conference session, or list of marketing tips won’t change your freelance business unless you use what you learn.
So don’t leave this article with 10 more things you think you should do.
Choose one.
What’s one marketing activity you already know would help your freelance business?
Write it down.
Make it specific.
Put it on your calendar.
And do it this week.
Then do it again next week.
That’s how marketing moves from something you know you should do to something that actually helps you build your freelance business.
Last updated October 6, 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.