Top 5 Places To Find Private Clients

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A private client is a person or company that hires you to write for a fee. A freelance writer can be hired for one article, a small project, or may be hired on for a more permanent basis. Sometimes these companies wish to remain anonymous, especially if the freelancer is doing ghostwriting work, which is where the word “private” really comes into play. Other times, the freelance writer chooses to keep their clients private even though the client may not mind. The term private client can also be used to describe any job that is not a content company writing gig.

Although I primarily write for content sites, I do enjoy having a private client here or there. Typically, private clients pay more than content sites. Although that is not always the case. Having a private client can also be more personable as the freelance writer will typically deal with one contact person, instead of anonymous editors that often work with hundreds of different writers in content companies.

So, to the point – I’d like to share the top 5 places to find private clients:

Craig’s List: Look under the Gigs, Services, and Jobs sections of major cities. Because most freelance writer jobs do not require the writer to be in the same region as the company that hires them, the writer has no reason not to check other cities and states besides thier own.
LinkedIn: This is a social networking site geared towards professionals. They have a job posting board where freelance writers can find work.
Chamber Of Commerce: Contact the local Chamber of Commerce and attend events. Get to know other business owners in your area and tell them about your services. Let them know how to find you by distributing business cards that include your website address and telephone number. The more times you go to events and meet other people, the more apt you will be to land a private client.
Your Own Back Yard: Park your car in the center of town, with a folder full of resumes, writer’s samples, a list of rates or package deals, and go business to business and ask if they would be interested in your services.
Bidding sites: There are a few different bidding sites out there, like elance.com, guru.com, and oDesk.com, where you can set up an account and then bid on projects. You will notice a lot of low paying jobs here, but there are good ones if you are patient. And, if you do a great job, that client may come back to you again directly!

Do you have another means of obtaining private clients? If so, let us know by posting a comment!

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4 comments

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Sandi Johnson

10/07/2010 at 9:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Great resources, Janet!

You can also find private clients on forums and similar sites. If you have a particular specialty in terms of writing topics, find a forum where businesses and site owners with similar interests hang out.

For example, for a long time, I wrote primarily business topics (starting a business, running a business, dealing with vendors, business credit, employee issues, etc.) The kind of people who were looking to publish those articles & blurbs were business coaches, mentors, and various support professionals.

Virtual Assistants liked articles about managing your workload, outsourcing, and business tool reviews.

Coaches liked anything that encouraged an entrepreneurial mindset, helped their clients find resources, etc.

Web designers like articles that showed the importance of having a solid web presence.

So, to find those folks, I found the forums where they hung out. I joined, participated, offered up my knowledge & resources in terms of writing effective copy, etc., and in general became a useful member of the community. Two of my current private clients (who have been with me for years now) came from just such forums.

Just like you have to pick a niche for your blog, pick a niche for your writing too. It goes a long way towards helping you find those golden private client opportunities.
Janis Bennett

10/08/2010 at 3:24 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Great, Great advice Sandi! Thank you for your insight on obtaining private clients. This is awesome information for freelance writers.
Zahra Brown
Twitter: ZahraFreelancer

10/11/2010 at 6:40 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

There seems to be mixed feelings toward bidding sites and Craig’s List, but it doesn’t hurt to have another link to your website.

Thanks for sharing!
Janis Bennett

10/12/2010 at 2:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I agree Zahra, I think people have a love/hate relationship with Craig’s List and the bidding sites. Some people love them, some hate them. I think that as long as you really pay attention and trust your instincts, you’ll be fine. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is! Don’t give out personal information. And, you could also always ask for references!