by Tanya Mykhaylychenko
Most freelance editors are always on the lookout for more clients. Tanya Mykhaylychenko says we can invite potential clients to work with us, and gives us a few ideas about how to do it.
One question that is often asked on editors’ forums is how to get work as a freelancer. Most freelance editors — whether they’re just starting out or have years of experience — can benefit from reviewing their marketing toolbox on a regular basis. The most common ways of getting work are through referrals, cold emails, or partnerships with organizations or other freelancers.
You also can simply invite potential clients to work with you. Here are a few suggestions for how to go about it:
1. Once or twice a year, publish a LinkedIn post introducing yourself and your services.
You may think that people already know you or would go to your profile if they are interested in your services, but an introductory post serves several purposes:
- It reaches new people in your network who may be looking for editing services or want to learn about the editing skill set.
- It reminds colleagues and past clients about you, allowing them to share your post with their network publicly or privately.
- It tells your fellow editors about your specializations, paving the way for new partnerships.
Here is an example of a visual where a professional introduces herself.
On this point, it’s a good idea to review your list of LinkedIn and Facebook groups, and their rules. If marketing is allowed on certain days of the week, you can share your introductory post or visual in these groups.
2. Ask for introductions at the end of a successfully completed project.
You probably send some type of closing email at the end of a project, asking for feedback or expressing your availability to assist the client in the future. Perhaps it includes a link to your client satisfaction survey and/or a request for a recommendation on Google or LinkedIn.
This email is a valuable relationship-building tool. Think about incorporating a line inviting your clients to recommend you to their networks. This may be just a sentence or two, or — if you feel comfortable doing so — a specific incentive offering a certain dollar amount or a percentage discount toward a future service for every client referred.
For example:
Finally, if you have a moment, please let me know what I could do better, or leave me a LinkedIn recommendation here [insert your URL]. If you can think of someone in your network who can benefit from my services, please introduce us and I’ll take good care of their documents.
3. Send an email to past clients when the occasion is right.
This may be a holiday message, a publication or book launch date, an occasional update about your schedule (for example, around vacations), or an individual email to a client if you found some information that is of value to them.
Making it a habit to introduce yourself and invite people to work with you can have a positive impact on your business, as well as on the editing profession overall. The general public is unlikely to know how much work goes into a well-edited publication or what levels of editing we offer. When you talk about your credentials and specializations on a regular basis, you clear the path to productive conversations.
Tanya Mykhaylychenko is a copy editor and a career development practitioner in Montreal.
This article was edited by Eric Hübler, an ex-reporter now editing books, newsletters, and journal articles as a freelancer.
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