Easy freelancing tip: Be exclusive and tell potential clients why they made the cut
If you're freelancing to keep the lights on, I'm with ya. I think a lot of us are. Here's one tip that has helped me:
Be hyper-specific about who you'll work with. And make it clear to potential clients why they made the cut.
Might sound arrogant, but bear with me.
- There are soooo many jobs listed on places like Upwork. You can't send a proposal to them all, so it's important to set a high standard for who you'll spend time reaching out to.
- Once you set that standard, be discerning. Only reach out to the right people.
- Make those standards clear in your profile/resume/etc.
- And when you reach out, mention in your cover letter that you have these rigorous standards, and you're reaching out because they hit everything you're looking for. This will make them feel like your values and objectives are aligned (which they are). And they may even feel grateful to have made the cut.
That's it. It creates a connection, adds a new dimension to your proposal, and signals alignment. In my experience, this not only results in more nibbles, but it also gets you the right nibbles.
In practice: So for me, I make it clear that I only work with companies that are trying to make the world a better place, and I tell them that's why I'm so excited about the possibility of working with them. And I name what I love about their company/project. Simple as that.
Got any tricks of your own?
Indie hackers selling to indie hackers?
Being choosy is extremely important when you are freelancing.
In my early days of freelancing, I was just eager to get clients and find work. The trouble was that most people just wanted an article or 2, and then they were gone.
Over time, I realized I didn't need multiple clients, I just needed a few who were reliable and were able to provide consistent work at a decent price, and they were worth far more to me then a dozen clients who only need temporary work.
The hard part is finding long term freelance clients. Most people aren't sure how long they need a freelancer for, and freelancers themselves aren't often sure how long they want to freelance for, so its a balancing act that just take times to get right.
Yeah for sure! There's a filter for longer-term projects on Upwork, so I always filter out the short ones.
Interesting. I'm pretty choosey, and I let em know why I'm excited to work with them... But I don't phrase in a way that explains why they "made the cut". Maybe I'll test it out 🤔