It can seem daunting to find freelance writing jobs for beginners, so it helps to know where to look for clients and how to pitch them once you’ve found them.
Remember that you are helping your clients solve a problem or improve their marketing efforts. You don’t need to be salesy or pushy, you goal is to find out what they need. And then, offer it to them.
Build Relationships
We say this a lot here on the HRCA blog, because it’s important. Build relationships with companies and people with whom you’d like to work. That way you stay top of mind when they need something or know of someone who does.
Ask
Once you built a relationship, you’ve opened the door to a conversation about their content strategy or marketing efforts. Once you know what they’re doing, or not doing, you can make suggestions on how you can help them improve.
Of course, you don’t want to criticize what they’re doing. Ask what a prospect is doing, how it’s working for them, and if they are happy with the results. Then you can talk about how you can help them reach their goals. If you say, “You’re doing that all wrong!” you’ll never land freelance writing gigs.
Share Your Results
If you’ve helped other clients solve the same types of problems with content, you’re golden. If possible, share the specific results your clients had. For example, “website traffic increase by X% in X months after content updates.” Or, “clickthrough rates increased X% after rewriting landing page copy.”
The more specific you can get, the better. If you don’t have metrics, share your expertise in other ways. Use your portfolio, testimonials, or create an overview of what someone can expect when they work with you.
Share Marketing Statistics
I find that people are always grateful when you share helpful information. There’s a lot of valuable marketing and content information and research you can share with your network. For example, the Content Marketing Institute puts out annual reports on the status of content marketing, both in the B2B and B2C worlds. You can also search online for specific statistics on things such as the ideal number of blog postings a week, or best newsletter practices that you can share with your network.
Did you know that most consumers need to see five pieces of your content before they are ready to talk to sales or buy from you? Your potential client may not know this stat. It illustrates the value you can provide — do some research for HR content marketing facts and stats. Use that data to show your potential client why they need your services.
One thing to note, it is generally easier to pitch a company that has some type of content marketing strategy. Improving on something they know they need is a smoother conversation than trying to convince them to start from scratch.
By the way…whenever you’re ready, get your copy of the Complete Guide to Becoming a Professional HR Writer, my comprehensive guide on how to launch and grow your HR writing career. Click Here to Learn More.