LinkedIn for Freelancers: How to Attract Amazing Clients
LinkedIn is continuously my number one source for finding new freelance writing clients, both in terms of inbound leads (people finding me) and outbound leads (me searching for opportunities). I use several strategies to grow a robust client pipeline, making it easy to snatch up new work when I need it, plus enjoy an ongoing flow of leads in my inbox.
How to search for freelance jobs on LinkedIn
There are a few different ways to find quality freelancing clients on LinkedIn. Here are three strategies, in order of most effective to least effective, in my experience.
Search for individual posts
Do people look for freelancers on LinkedIn? Absolutely! In fact, most prospective clients looking for freelancers on LinkedIn aren’t posting formal job descriptions. Instead, they create a post within their network describing their needs. All LinkedIn posts are public, so even if you’re not in a prospect’s network, you can still find these opportunities. Here’s how.
Use the search bar to target phrases like, “looking for freelance writer” (or graphic designer, voiceover artist, etc.).
Click “Posts” to filter results.
Click “Date Posted” and filter to Past Week (If you make this a daily prospecting habit, you can hit Past 24 Hours instead).
Start scrolling to discover relevant freelancing job leads! Some days it takes digging, whereas other days there are tons of opportunities available.
Pro tip: When you’re aggressively looking for new freelance clients, I recommend spending money on LinkedIn Premium so you can send direct InMail messages instead of just commenting on posts. This gives you more control over sending relevant project samples and making a connection that stands out.
Discover my exact client prospecting process in my ebook, The Fully Booked Freelance Writer.
Browse listed freelance jobs
LinkedIn isn't just for finding full-time jobs. Many companies also list freelance opportunities in the Jobs section. I set a daily alert to receive a summary of new listings with the words “freelance writer” in them. Oftentimes these jobs receive thousands of applications but I have had success with this strategy, especially when the opportunity has a very specific skill set or area of expertise required.
There’s always a big debate in the freelancing community about whether being a generalist or having a niche is better. In these instances, showcasing very specific experience can help you stand out - otherwise, you have very little chance of competing.
This is also a great way to get in with big companies as many larger companies do post formal job listings even for freelancers. The downside is that you’ll often need a freelance resume and cover letter, which takes a bit more time than just putting together a pitch. I have a resume for my freelancing career that I update every few years, and then update a matching cover letter template to use when I need it. This cuts back on the amount of time it takes to apply to these formal freelance job postings.
How to attract clients on LinkedIn
Here’s another way to use LinkedIn for freelance work: craft your profile and general presence to attract your ideal client. The best way to do this is to stuff your profile and posts with keywords relevant to the work you do, like topics you write about as a freelancer and types of projects you create.
Here are all the areas of your profile you can optimize to help prospects find you:
Headline
Current position
Industry
About
Top Skills
Skills
Recommendations
Not sure of how well-optimized your current LinkedIn profile is? Here’s a hack to try out. Go to your Analytics and Tools section. Click on “Search Appearances.” There you can see what searches you appeared in. If the search terms aren’t relevant to the work you do, you know it’s time to revamp your profile keywords!
Final thoughts
LinkedIn is one of the best places to grow your freelance writing business today. It is full of opportunity and taking just a few minutes each day to search for opportunities and post about your experiences is one of the best things you can do to find new clients.
Want more LinkedIn help? Let’s connect!