Leaving my Capgemini job after six years felt like a massive leap of faith. I plunged into freelancing with absolutely no clients and literally no clue how to find them. The fear was super real because I had skills, sure but no real way to connect with people who actually needed them. In this complete guide you will learn How to Get Clients as a Freelancer.
If you’re feeling that same, trust me, you’re not alone. A bunch of freelancers know their stuff but totally struggle to get consistent gigs. The good news? You can totally fix this with a smart plan and just a few tiny actions every day.
Now, I run two agencies, Learn with NKM and NKM Digital and they bring in clients every single month. This didn’t just happen by some stroke of luck. I learned from every blunder and used a pretty clear method to attract clients.
So, I’m gonna spill the exact steps, I used so you can try them out too!
Refining Your Unique Selling Point
When I started freelancing I tried to serve everyone. I offered SEO, web design, content, social media and even graphics. Clients did not respond because nothing about my pitch felt focused.
Your USP solves that problem because it shows who you help and why you do it better. It explains your edge in a crowded market. Clients choose clarity so you must give it to them.
How to identify your USP
- Check your strengths– Look at what you do better than most. Think of the skills clients praise
- Know your niche – Decide which industries or business types respond well to your work
- Find the gap – Study your market and see where competitors fall short
- Make it personal– Use your story and past experience to stand out
I used my Capgemini experience to shape my USP. I understood how enterprise clients think and what they expect from good digital work. My USP became a simple line: enterprise level solutions for growing businesses.
You must use your USP everywhere so people remember it. Add it to your website, LinkedIn, Upwork, Instagram and even your email signature. Consistency builds trust.
Building Your Network and Leveraging LinkedIn
LinkedIn works because decision makers scroll there every day. They want people who understand problems and speak their language. Your profile becomes your first impression so it must show confidence and skill.
How to set up your LinkedIn profile
- Headline: Avoid Freelancer or Available for work. Use something like Helping businesses grow through SEO and strategic web design | 6 years at Capgemini | Founder of NKM Digital
- About section: Tell your story in simple words and highlight the problem you solve. Add proof like wins or strong results
- Featured section: Add your best projects, case studies and client words
- Skills and endorsements: Ask past clients or coworkers to endorse your top skills
The 30 minute daily LinkedIn routine
I spent 30 minutes every morning improving my visibility on LinkedIn.
- Comment with real thoughts on client or founder posts. Add value not praise
- Share insights from your recent projects without sharing private details
- Answer niche questions because this helps you look helpful
- Send personal connection requests with a reason to connect
One message I sent said “Hi, I saw your post about your traffic issues. I handled the same issue for a client and saw big growth”. That message turned into a six month retainer worth five thousand dollars.
You should also connect with other freelancers because many share overflow work. Some of my best clients came through freelancer referrals.
Multi Channel Social Strategies
Freelancers grow faster when they show up on more than one platform. Clients stay active in different places and each platform needs a different tone. You win when your message stays consistent while your style shifts.
Where each platform works best
- LinkedIn: B2B services, SaaS, founders
- Instagram: Creative fields, personal brands, ecommerce
- Twitter: Tech, marketing, ideas, fast updates
- Behance and Dribbble: Designers and creatives
- Upwork and Fiverr: Buyers who already need help
My leads mostly come from LinkedIn and Contra. Fiverr fills gaps with short projects that often turn into retainers.
How to create platform specific content
- Share business insights and case studies on LinkedIn
- Share simple tips and visuals on Instagram
- Share fast thoughts on Twitter
- Write deep guides on your website
Use calls to action everywhere. You can say something like Struggling with SEO, let us talk. People respond when you tell them the next step clearly.
Freelance Platforms: Winning as a Beginner
Upwork and Fiverr give a strong start when you use them right. Many beginners think these platforms force you to compete on price but that only happens when you look like everyone else. Clients choose value not the cheapest option.
My first big break came from Fiverr when I changed my offer. I shifted from “I will design a website for fifty dollars” to “I will provide you with a online platform that will work as lead magnet for your business” for three hundred fifty dollars. That single gig got me high quality clients and one of them later hired me for a fifteen hundred dollar redesign.
How to succeed on Fiverr and Contra
- Choose projects you can overdeliver on because strong reviews matter
- Target new clients because they hire beginners more often
- Niche down so you stand out from general offers
How to set up a strong profile
- Title: Use benefit driven lines like SEO specialist who increased client traffic by 250 percent
- Overview: Follow a Problem to Solution to Proof format
- Portfolio: Show before and after results, explain your process and add testimonials
Reviews matter a lot. After each project, I said It was great working with you. If you liked the result please share a review with the outcome you saw. This helped me build a strong profile.
I also made clean gig images, a short video and clear packages. These changes pushed my gig to the top and made me a level two seller.
Attending Networking Events and Finding Clients Offline
Offline events feel like walking into a scene where every new person can change the plot. One chat can become a serious lead. Face to face energy builds trust faster than online messages.
Events worth attending
- Local business meetups
- Chamber of Commerce events
- Tech and marketing conferences
- Workshops and seminars
- Coworking space events
How to prepare your elevator pitch
Keep it simple like, I help businesses get found online. Many sites look good but do not bring customers. I fix that with SEO and clean design, and I recently helped a local brand grow sales by one hundred eighty percent.
Follow up within a day. Send a message that says Good to meet you and add one helpful link. One follow up I sent, created an eight hundred dollar project.
Creating and Optimizing Your Website
Your website becomes your online shop. People judge your skill in seconds so the site must look clean and professional. It should show what you offer and why someone should trust you.
What your website must include
- Clear service pages that explain what you offer
- Case studies with real results
- Testimonials from happy clients
- Simple calls to action on each page
SEO and content marketing tips
- Write blogs that answer real client questions
- Use keywords your target audience searches
- Keep the site fast on mobile
- Add helpful guides to build authority
When I added SEO blogs I noticed steady inbound leads. This article follows the same idea because it targets how to get clients as a freelancer.
Word of Mouth, Referrals and Client Relationships
Referrals bring some of the best clients because they trust you from the start. You encourage referrals by doing great work and asking at the right moment. You also make the sharing process simple.
How to get more referrals
- Deliver strong work that feels worth talking about
- Ask when the client feels happy
- Provide a simple message they can forward
- Offer a small discount on their next project
One happy client referred me to three new clients and that chain created more than five thousand dollars in revenue over two years.
You also stay in touch through monthly check ins. You send articles or small tips that help them. These touches keep you in their mind for future work.
Continuous Learning and Skill Building
Freelancing grows when your skills grow. Markets shift every year and clients expect modern solutions. You stay relevant when you learn often.
I spend five to seven hours each week on learning. I study through courses, blogs or webinars. I also test new tools on personal projects so I learn through action.
Certifications help a lot because they increase trust. Google Analytics, HubSpot and Facebook Blueprint look good on a profile. Clients feel safe investing in someone who cares about learning.
Key Tools and Platforms for Freelancers
Each platform helps your freelance business in a different way.
Upwork
- Complete every part of your profile
- Apply in the first hour of posting
- Write custom proposals
- Use boosted proposals for big projects
Fiverr
- Make one niche per gig
- Update gigs often
- Deliver early when possible
- Use promoted gigs when needed
- Post two to three times each week
- Engage before posting
- Use articles for long content
- Check profile views and reach out
Personal website
- Install SEO plugins
- Create location pages if you target local clients
- Publish blogs each month
- Keep the site fast on mobile
Parting Thoughts
Freelancing grows through clarity and action. You refine your USP, show up on LinkedIn, build your profiles, attend events and keep learning. Small steps done daily bring real results.
No freelancer starts perfect. Your first client may not be ideal and your first project may not reflect your full skill. Yet each win builds confidence and momentum.
You can start today with these steps. Update your USP, fix your LinkedIn profile, send connection requests, attend one event and ask past clients for referrals. These actions build a real client pipeline.
If this guide helped you, send me a message on Instagram. I would love to hear your journey and what you want to improve next. Now go get your next client because you are closer than you think.