Where can I find freelance work?

[Daryl Charman]

Hi all,

Having recently launched my new freelance company, Content Chef, I’m looking to find remote work without resorting to low-cost websites like Fiverr or People Per Hour. I’m based in Malvern and will be focusing on copywriting, content marketing and social media management.

Over the past four years, I've worked on a number of projects for corporate brands, agencies and SMEs, covering a wide range of sectors.

With this in mind, can you suggest any websites, agencies, recruiters or businesses looking for these type of services?

Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks,

Daryl

 

[fisicx]

You do the same as everyone else: market your services.

Adwords, freelancer sites, gumtree, Google My business, directories, cold calling and telesales and so on.

There a zillions of copywriters all chasing the same thin slices of the pie. It ain't easy.

 

[Darren C]

The thing I find annoying with content/copy writers and such is a tendency to pretend they are a big firm (we/us/what we do/our clients, etc) when they are nothing of the sort.

Another thing is a reluctance to give any sort of hint towards pricing.

Both are common practices and both are a certain way of missing out on a lot of work because people like me just won't bother contacting you.

Sure, as a one man band developer, I'm maybe not your target market but I have spent thousands on content over the past four years. Get a dozen or so such clients and you won't need any freelancer gigs.

 

[fisicx]

PS, it doesn't help that your website is confusing and lacking in useful content.

 

[Daryl Charman]

You do the same as everyone else: market your services.

Adwords, freelancer sites, gumtree, Google My business, directories, cold calling and telesales and so on.

There a zillions of copywriters all chasing the same thin slices of the pie. It ain't easy.

Thanks for your reply.

I was hoping for more specific websites and ideas, not general marketing avenues. But I really appreciate you taking the time to give me a few tips. And in regards to my website, I'm in the process of adding more content, but as I only launched 2 weeks ago, it's about finding the time

 

[Daryl Charman]

The thing I find annoying with content/copy writers and such is a tendency to pretend they are a big firm (we/us/what we do/our clients, etc) when they are nothing of the sort.

Another thing is a reluctance to give any sort of hint towards pricing.

Both are common practices and both are a certain way of missing out on a lot of work because people like me just won't bother contacting you.

Sure, as a one man band developer, I'm maybe not your target market but I have spent thousands on content over the past four years. Get a dozen or so such clients and you won't need any freelancer gigs.

Thanks for getting back to me. It's unfortunate that you feel that way about me creating a brand/business. But as an ambitious professional, I'm looking to expand very quickly.

In terms of the pricing issue, it's something I thought long and hard about. I'm happy with my decision to leave this off my website, as I'd much rather have a nice friendly chat with the client and tailor a price and plan around their needs.

Going forward, it would be lovely to get some proper feedback in regards to my initial question

 

[fisicx]

I was hoping for more specific websites and ideas, not general marketing avenues.

There are no specific websites, you have to go hunting for work. The two copywriters I know spend more time looking for work than they do actually writing anything.

 

[Darren C]

Going forward, it would be lovely to get some proper feedback in regards to my initial question

The specific answer to your question is all the freelancer sites you already know about.

 

[TomJ83]

Hi @Daryl Charman. Welcome to the forums

As fisicx has noted, focus on adwords for your website. Keyword research is important. Moreover, freelance sites, including Fiverr and People Per Hour, can offer you a good way to get a foot in the door of the industry you want to work within. You might be paid less but it's temporary until your website grows and you get clients that way.

At last you should always research your competitors. How are their websites designed? How are they getting new clients?

Good luck!

 

[fisicx]

I’m looking to find remote work without resorting to low-cost websites like Fiverr or People Per Hour.

But those are the sort of places people head for when they need a copywriter. If you want the high paying gigs you need to search out prospective clients. One chap I know took nearly 2 years before he found the clients he needed to earn enough money to survive. He was working as a waiter for much of those two years.

 

[Alan]

can you suggest any websites, agencies, recruiters or businesses

Websites - none I know of are worth it, they all attract price sensitive people and a competition to the bottom
Agencies - yes, these are your best bet, either web agencies or bigger content agencies, make relationships with as many as you can - yes I know many but of course I can't just point you at them. Try and find a collective of agencies.
Recruiters - in my experience only of any use for long term / full time / onsite contracts
Businesses - Apart from creative agencies, marketing direct to small businesses is painful exercise, as they actually won't know what they want, except and they shop on price

I'm happy with my decision to leave this off my website,

Worth A/B testing, but generally there is a reason if an 'industry' leave prices off. And the reason is likely to be there is no one size fits all / not a commodity product. You can commoditise products like translations, e.g. £x per 1,000 words, but commoditising creative work is not easy ( or even possible). So if you do put a price out there it attracts the wrong sort of customer, the ones that simply don't understand.

 

[Daryl Charman]

Hi @Daryl Charman. Welcome to the forums

As fisicx has noted, focus on adwords for your website. Keyword research is important. Moreover, freelance sites, including Fiverr and People Per Hour, can offer you a good way to get a foot in the door of the industry you want to work within. You might be paid less but it's temporary until your website grows and you get clients that way.

At last you should always research your competitors. How are their websites designed? How are they getting new clients?

Good luck!

Thanks, really great advice. I will definitely look into running an extensive AdWords campaign and using Fiverr to test the water.

 

[Daryl Charman]

Websites - none I know of are worth it, they all attract price sensitive people and a competition to the bottom
Agencies - yes, these are your best bet, either web agencies or bigger content agencies, make relationships with as many as you can - yes I know many but of course I can't just point you at them. Try and find a collective of agencies.
Recruiters - in my experience only of any use for long term / full time / onsite contracts
Businesses - Apart from creative agencies, marketing direct to small businesses is painful exercise, as they actually won't know what they want, except and they shop on price



Worth A/B testing, but generally there is a reason if an 'industry' leave prices off. And the reason is likely to be there is no one size fits all / not a commodity product. You can commoditise products like translations, e.g. £x per 1,000 words, but commoditising creative work is not easy ( or even possible). So if you do put a price out there it attracts the wrong sort of customer, the ones that simply don't understand.

Cheers! I love how much detail you've gone into, it means a lot. I'll be sure to try these options

 

[Daryl Charman]

But those are the sort of places people head for when they need a copywriter. If you want the high paying gigs you need to search out prospective clients. One chap I know took nearly 2 years before he found the clients he needed to earn enough money to survive. He was working as a waiter for much of those two years.

I appreciate that, but the point of this post was to learn about new avenues from positive thinking professionals, not to be lectured on things I already know.

 

[fisicx]

I read it that you want a list of websites where you can find/bid for work. They don't exist. Freelancer sites are the only realistic option.

What you could do is trawl LinkedIn, Twitter, business forums and so on looking for leads but the chances of success are slim.

how did you get the jobs for the companies listed on your site? Maybe you could try the same approach.

 

[Daryl Charman]

I read it that you want a list of websites where you can find/bid for work. They don't exist. Freelancer sites are the only realistic option.

What you could do is trawl LinkedIn, Twitter, business forums and so on looking for leads but the chances of success are slim.

how did you get the jobs for the companies listed on your site? Maybe you could try the same approach.

Various avenues really. Through recruiters/job sites, but mostly via word of mouth. As I'm new to UKBF (as a personal user), I just thought I'd ask around and get the conversation going. You never know what pieces of gold people can share Cheers for getting involved!

 

[Paul @ Outsprung]

Dont shrug off fiverr as just a low priced marketplace. There's good money to be made there. My hourly rate from working on fiverr equals around $80-100 per hour. Not bad considering I have to do zero promotion and marketing as Im well establish in the marketplace.

 

[Gecko001]

Maybe this is something you already know about, but are there any trade journals you can advertise in. Even small adverts in the classified sections of trade journals tend to be expensive, but they do target potential customers very precisely. I am thinking of journals related to marketing, advertising etc.

 

[Daryl Charman]

Dont shrug off fiverr as just a low priced marketplace. There's good money to be made there. My hourly rate from working on fiverr equals around $80-100 per hour. Not bad considering I have to do zero promotion and marketing as Im well establish in the marketplace.

I won't. Thanks for commenting

 

[Daryl Charman]

Maybe this is something you already know about, but are there any trade journals you can advertise in. Even small adverts in the classified sections of trade journals tend to be expensive, but they do target potential customers very precisely. I am thinking of journals related to marketing, advertising etc.

Interesting. I will definitely do some research into that. Thank you!

 

[Makatan1]

Hey mate.
If you go down the adwords route then you NEED TO STUDY know what your doing. Or you'll burn through all your budget IN MINUTES! The default settings for Adwords are set in such a way as to maximise clicks. Clicks = £ Now, this doesn't neccessarily mean that the clicks through to your website are quality. So in the beginning if your new to adwords you end up burning through a ton of cash for nowt return. Until you learn what to do. I have mastered adwords over many years but at the start i burnt through ££'s

 

[TomJ83]

Hey mate.
If you go down the adwords route then you NEED TO STUDY know what your doing. Or you'll burn through all your budget IN MINUTES! The default settings for Adwords are set in such a way as to maximise clicks. Clicks = £ Now, this doesn't neccessarily mean that the clicks through to your website are quality. So in the beginning if your new to adwords you end up burning through a ton of cash for nowt return. Until you learn what to do. I have mastered adwords over many years but at the start i burnt through ££'s

You seem to have plenty of experience in doing adwords. What is your advice to people who want to learn more about it? Learning by spending a ton of cash doesn't seem appealing.

 

[fisicx]

He told you what to do in his post. You NEED TO STUDY.

 

[Alan]

Cheers! I love how much detail you've gone into, it means a lot.

Was that sarcastic. I can't tell.

You NEED TO STUDY.

Start here - https://support.google.com/partners/answer/6123881?hl=en-GB

 

[TomJ83]

He told you what to do in his post. You NEED TO STUDY.

Of course it's possible to study about it. I have already done it long before you suggested it. But if someone has experience from something and has learned a lesson or two, it's normal for people to ask questions about what this person thinks is important when doing adwords. He might know something that you don't know about.

 

[Daryl Charman]

Was that sarcastic. I can't tell.

No, not at all! It was genuine

 

[Peter Bowen]

The default settings for Adwords are set in such a way as to maximise clicks.

The default setting on a new AdWords campaign is Manual CPC not Maximise clicks. Perhaps it's been a while since you set one up

 

[makeyourbusinessbetter]

When I Google your business, the first things I see is a 5 star review on Facebook and a 5 star review on Google. Enough to look further and check out your website. It has good testimonials from happy clients on your homepage.

All very positive.

You have done the hardest part, finding your first clients, now you can build on those foundations and attract more clients.

Short term

• Review - you have over 4 years worth of clients and fees. Do a quick financial review and see if there is a typical client or job. Big or small projects. What sectors. Build a picture. Is there a niche you can focus on?
• Mailshot - contact the previous 4 years clients. They know you and the quality of the work you do. You have an exclusive partnership with a leading design agency, can you mailshot their clients?
• Referrals - with the mailshot you could ask them to refer your business to other potential clients.

Medium term

• Awards - are there any awards you can compete for? An award winning copywriting business sounds good.
• Get out there - find business groups in your area, meet as many people as you can.

Hope some of this helps.

Good luck

 

[ethical PR]

Hi @DarrylCharman

As others have mentioned, you need to get your website in order before you start to market your services. There is nothing on there about your experience - what qualifications do you have?, what sectors do you specialise in, who have you worked for, what sort of copy do you write? there are no examples of your work, there are no quotes from satisfied customers. If it's just you, then don't talk about we.

I employ copywriters and your site doesn't tell me what I want to know, so I wouldn't contact you.

Presuming you have already contacted your existing client base for more work and recommendations....

The best way to get quality paying gigs is to approach marketing, design and PR agencies who specialise in the sectors you have experience in and employ copywriters. Do your market research, get on the phone, go in and see them. And approaching companies in your target market who you know use copywriters and talk to them directly.

You can also look at targeted advertising but this is a more scatter gun approach and you aren't likely to attract clients who pay well.

 

[adzeds]

You could consider reaching out to larger agencies who might be able to pass work down to you when they get really busy.

That is essentially how I built the majority of my freelance work over the past 10 years!

The downside is that you will likely have to do most of it under NDA, which is an issue for me now starting my own agency as I am not allowed to share any of my case studies, etc.

But is a great way of earning money!

 

[ethical PR]

Hi @adzeds

I'm glad you agree with the advice I gave in the post above yours to approach design/marketing/PR agencies for work.

I'm surprised though you have had to do work under an NDA.

Of course if you do work for an agency you can't claim it as your own as they own copyright, but normally there is nothing to stop you from referencing that you did XXX when working at XX and link to the case studies on their websites.

 

[Mike_Cartwright]

Hey Daryl,

How are things going for you? I can find great talent via LinkedIn minus the processing fee. I used to hire remote workers through Upwork and Fiverr but transitioned over to LinkedIn since it worked better for me.

 

[Daryl Charman]

Hey Daryl,

How are things going for you? I can find great talent via LinkedIn minus the processing fee. I used to hire remote workers through Upwork and Fiverr but transitioned over to LinkedIn since it worked better for me.

Hi Mike, apologies for the slow reply. As you can tell, I've been very busy. What sort of rates do you charge for this service? I already do this myself, but don't have enough time at the moment. DM me if you wish.

 

[Nighthawk Software]

Hi @adzeds

I'm glad you agree with the advice I gave in the post above yours to approach design/marketing/PR agencies for work.

I'm surprised though you have had to do work under an NDA.

Of course if you do work for an agency you can't claim it as your own as they own copyright, but normally there is nothing to stop you from referencing that you did XXX when working at XX and link to the case studies on their websites.

This is fairly standard when working with an agency.

Basically the agency wants it to look like they did the work. If the customer was to do a search and saw the case study on another companies website, they may feel hard done by. They may feel that the agency they have contracted hasn't actually done the work, but instead farmed it out to someone else to do.

As such, many agencies will let you put it on your personal CV, and say you worked for them, but wont let you use it as part of your companies portfolio.

 

[Daryl Charman]

Hi @DarrylCharman

As others have mentioned, you need to get your website in order before you start to market your services. There is nothing on there about your experience - what qualifications do you have?, what sectors do you specialise in, who have you worked for, what sort of copy do you write? there are no examples of your work, there are no quotes from satisfied customers. If it's just you, then don't talk about we.

I employ copywriters and your site doesn't tell me what I want to know, so I wouldn't contact you.

Presuming you have already contacted your existing client base for more work and recommendations....

The best way to get quality paying gigs is to approach marketing, design and PR agencies who specialise in the sectors you have experience in and employ copywriters. Do your market research, get on the phone, go in and see them. And approaching companies in your target market who you know use copywriters and talk to them directly.

You can also look at targeted advertising but this is a more scatter gun approach and you aren't likely to attract clients who pay well.

Firstly, spell my name right.

Secondly, I'm not interested in negative garbage like the above from a keyboard warrior. I've only just seen this because work is going extremely well. I've had some positive suggestions from the rest of you, so I honestly really appreciate it. But half of your comments about my website are laughable.

I use 'we' because I have the intention to expand my business in the near future. This is how I want to run my business, so if you believe I should change this to a first-person narrative, the key here is to suggest it. Don't tell me.

Next, I clearly have a number of testimonials/satisfied customers on there, including a small handful of companies I've worked with. More coming soon

I invested in producing a professional and extremely thorough portfolio, so I give my audience the option to request it with a clear CTA.

Again, I choose not to specialise in a certain industry because I personally love writing for different audiences and for different sectors. I'm more interested in finding the right client for me and judging by this, I feel truly blessed that you haven't contacted me.

 

[Daryl Charman]

You could consider reaching out to larger agencies who might be able to pass work down to you when they get really busy.

That is essentially how I built the majority of my freelance work over the past 10 years!

The downside is that you will likely have to do most of it under NDA, which is an issue for me now starting my own agency as I am not allowed to share any of my case studies, etc.

But is a great way of earning money!

Thanks! I'll look into doing this

 

[ethical PR]

Firstly, spell my name right.

Secondly, I'm not interested in negative garbage like the above from a keyboard warrior. I've only just seen this because work is going extremely well. I've had some positive suggestions from the rest of you, so I honestly really appreciate it. But half of your comments about my website are laughable.

I use 'we' because I have the intention to expand my business in the near future. This is how I want to run my business, so if you believe I should change this to a first-person narrative, the key here is to suggest it. Don't tell me.

Next, I clearly have a number of testimonials/satisfied customers on there, including a small handful of companies I've worked with. More coming soon

I invested in producing a professional and extremely thorough portfolio, so I give my audience the option to request it with a clear CTA.

Again, I choose not to specialise in a certain industry because I personally love writing for different audiences and for different sectors. I'm more interested in finding the right client for me and judging by this, I feel truly blessed that you haven't contacted me.

I was sorry to see your incredibly rude response to my post.

You asked for advice. I provided it as someone who has commissioned thousands of pounds worth of copywriting. If I got advice from someone who commissions PR, I wouldn't shoot them down because I didn't like what to say.

Amusingly, when someone else on this thread gave you the same advice that I did approach about approaching agencies for freelance work you thanked them for this advice.

Your response says a lot more about you, then it does about me.

 

[ethical PR]

This is fairly standard when working with an agency.

Basically the agency wants it to look like they did the work. If the customer was to do a search and saw the case study on another companies website, they may feel hard done by. They may feel that the agency they have contracted hasn't actually done the work, but instead farmed it out to someone else to do.

As such, many agencies will let you put it on your personal CV, and say you worked for them, but wont let you use it as part of your companies portfolio.

Hi Nighthark

I didn't suggest he made a case study for his site or made it part of his portfolio, but he can certainly say when I worked at XX agency, I worked on XXX campaign.

 

[Ray272]

Upwork does seem a good route. I like the way they show the £ earned and hours worked for each contractor. Some of them have earned 50k up.

 

[Bruce.D]

We used to be looking for freelancers from Upwork.