A huge part of being a successful freelancer is constantly hustling for projects. I guess there are a lot of similarities to being in a sales job as there is always a level of uncertainty (for me especially being in my early days) on the stability of your income.

Here are 5 things I do to generate income as a freelance writer:

1. LinkedIn: This, in my opinion is the most powerful platform of all when being a freelance writer. You can connect with agencies, marketing managers and founders at the click of a button. Over 50% of my clients have come from LinkedIn and that’s just through my first degree connections.
2. UpWork: Despite the hefty fees they charge you for using the platform (which you can claim back later on your tax return) UpWork has been a great way for me to generate clients and also cut out a lot of unnecessary time invoicing and tracking paperwork, as it does it all for me. Some of my highest paying projects have come from UpWork and although I don’t use it often, it’s good if I need a quick win or a boost to my earnings or portfolio.
3. Referrals: The power of recommendations really goes a long way. If you do a good job for a client, don’t hesitate to ask them to introduce you to others in their network that could also benefit from your services. If you have impressed the client, they won’t have an issue with doing it.
4. Cold messages/calls: Good old fashioned cold business development is what I personally call it. E-mail sequences and making a list of targets per week is how I ensure I am getting myself out there and forecasting potential work for the future. It’s also great for my own piece of mind and makes me feel productive.
5. Blogging: This is a more passive way of generating clients, but my consistent blogging over time has resulted in more inbound inquiries that I believe I wouldn’t have got unless I posted about a certain topic. This is more of a long-game technique and I use it in conjunction with other things, but it does help.

A combination of all five methods I guarantee will enable you to earn quicker, and also have multiple income streams.