2 years ago, I'd have FREAKED out...


Read time: 3.5 minutes

Hey Reader,

I recently moved into my new apartment! 🥳️

And not long after, I lost a major client 🤪

Months of steady work and then suddenly POOF - I wasn't needed anymore.

Company structuring. Layoffs.

Gone.

If this happened to me two years ago, I would have FREAKED OUT!

But this time?

I was like "meh".

That's because I've developed a system for landing gigs and making that sweet $$

As a result, I recently closed two new clients, taking my income back to where it was a couple of weeks ago 🙌

Let me explain.


Quick interjection:

I recently guested on my friend Sophia's podcast to chat about writing full-time.

You can watch it here if you're interested :)


There are three ways to get new clients

  1. Inbound
  2. Outreach
  3. Apply to jobs

I'm going to break these down one by one.

We'll start with Inbound.

Method #1: Inbound (The Long Game)

Time to get a new client: 6-12 months (minimum)

People find me through my SEO course. And I answer SEO questions on my Discord channel.

I've answered literally 100s of questions like this over the years:

When this happens, there comes a point when some businesses ask if I can do their SEO for them.

They haven't got the time (or energy) to do it themselves.

Plus, they know I get results.

When this happens, I dig deeper by asking them questions. I then send a tailored proposal. This includes the scope of work, my methodology, and pricing.

I do it all in a Google Doc.

It's super simple.

Best of all?

When clients reach out, they're usually committed to working with me.

I don't have to sell to them.

Takeaway for you:

Prove your worth in public.

Put out content on your expertise. Make an online course. Give value.

Do this for 12 months and watch opportunities come your way.

Method #2: Client outreach (The Middle Game)

Time to get a new client: 2-3 months (if done well)

What I mean by client outreach is simply making content about other creators/businesses.

It's all about giving value upfront and building relationships off the back of this.

Take my article about Louise Henry.

She’s an inspiring entrepreneur, and I love her content. So I shared how she grew her online business.

After the article received positive comments, I emailed Louise:

And that was that.

I wasn’t expecting anything. I wasn’t asking for anything. I just thought she’d like to know.

The next day, she sent this wonderful response:

She did indeed “share it out a bunch”!

Over the next two weeks, she posted on Instagram, and her posts led to inbound opportunities. (She has over 30K followers.)

This itself is a win — but there’s more!

A few months later, I noticed Louise’s article was getting picked up again by Medium. So I shared the good news with her in the same email thread (about 5 months after the original email):

Again, she was extremely gracious and kind.

And she floated the idea of working together:

It’s worth stressing that I didn’t write this article with the intention of working with Louise. I’m just a big fan of her work and wanted to share her story.

However, as long as your intent is positive and you’re providing value, you can reverse-engineer this process using the steps above.

The cherry on top?

You’ll be building your portfolio.

Takeaway for you:

You can follow this method with any form of content.

Writing. Videos. Podcasts.

And even if you don't end up working with someone, you'll be adding to your portfolio.

It's a win-win.

Method #3: Apply for jobs (The Short Game)

Time to get a new client: A few weeks

If you need to make money pronto, applying for jobs is your best bet.

But be warned: it's hella competitive out there.

If you're a writer, I highly recommend Write Jobs PLUS (I'm not affiliated). It's a Patreon page that will email you paid writing gigs every single weekday.

Here are some from yesterday:

I've found lots of freelance clients through this.

So there you have it!

Follow one of these methods (or all three) and you'll soon be making that sweet $$.

Got any questions?

Feel free to reply to this email. I read every response :)

As always, thanks so much for reading, and have a wonderful weekend!

Scott

p.s. I was going to do a voice letter, but this email is long enough without one! Plus, there's the podcast with Sophia. I'll send you a voice letter again soon, though.


How I can help you even more:

  • Download one of my digital products to learn how I make a full-time income from writing
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