So you’ve finished your editing reel and have a killer portfolio.
How do you go about getting your first clients?
If you find yourself in this position, we are about to break down different ways you might go about this.
Finding clients can be tough when you are starting out, but if you follow some of these method, you’ll be sending that first invoice in no time!
Job Sites
There are a number of job sites out there where you’ll be able to find work, but finding one that suits your rates and isn’t overly saturated can be a challenge.
Sites such as Upwork and Peopleperhour can be lucrative for beginner editors looking to find work. With these, you create a profile, set out what your hourly rate expectations are, upload your portfolio, and then apply to various projects that are posted. New projects are posted incredibly regularly so you shouldn't ever be short of opportunities to put yourself forward for.
Once you’ve got some jobs under your belt, be sure to request the client to leave you a glowing review, this will help you appear more desirable to future clients.
Social Media
If you’re looking to work with YouTubers and creators, you need to be active where they are most prominent - on social media.
Follow the people in your ideal niche, forge relationships, post your work, and eventually you’ll be in a position to reach out to these prospective clients and see if they’d want to work with you.
It’s important to make sure you are providing value on these platforms beyond just asking for work. So stay active, comment, engage and absolutely under no circumstances do not resort to spamming accounts begging for work.
Cold Outreach
As was more prominently the case in years gone by, cold outreach still has a place in the world of freelance.
Find the email addresses of agencies and companies you’d like to work with, and reach out to them. As with the previous method, there’s a fine line between being spammy and being able to provide real value, so ensure you stay on the correct side of that.
Perhaps you could identify areas in their confident that you think you can improve on, and pitch your services from there. Companies will receive many cold emails from editors asking to work with them, so do what you can to stand out from the crowd; and of course, ensure your portfolio is as good and professional as it can possibly be.
Word of Mouth
You’ll find that when you start getting clients, that your network will start to become wider. Word of mouth will play a part in bringing in work. People you’ve worked with will move onto new roles at different companies and might bring you onto projects with that new company.
Things can really snowball from there.
The only way this will happen however, is if your work is consistently of a good level. Leave your clients satisfied and in no time you’ll find yourself swimming in job offers.
Building Your Brand
Now more than ever, it’s crucial for creators to have an online presence and a personal brand.
This will start to occur naturally should you be regularly engaging with your network on your socials and regularly posting your work.
You will need a brand to make yourself stand out above the rest, so really focus on what makes your work unique so that prospective clients associate you with a certain style and standard.
Maintain consistency with your online presence, and your personal brand will establish itself over time.
If you found these ideas useful, please do share on your socials!
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