You may have noticed that my behind the scenes vlogs have been a little shortcoming lately (*coughs – here’s the last one I did in November!) The thing is, I didn’t want to bore you too much with the mundane side of travel blogging/the freelance lifestyle and many of the recent weeks have looked the same as the others!
So to shake things up I thought I would introduce a Q&A element whereby I will attempt to answer the most frequent questions I get asked about making a living in the world of blogging and social media.
The below vlog is the first of a 2-parter in which I tackle the question ‘How do you find freelance clients?’. Covering my tips on public speaking, guest blogging, online portfolios and pitching, I hope you find it useful.
Tune in next week for the second part of these tips.
Got a burning question you would like answered in the next Ask Jayney? Leave it in the comments below and I’ll get back to you!
13 Comments
Beverley | Pack Your Passport
February 14, 2015 at 11:49 amJayne this is so helpful! I’ve been concentrating on pitching for more writing work but I’m definitely going to be looking into getting some social media clients at some point – looking forward to the next instalment.
Jayne Gorman
February 15, 2015 at 10:22 pmGlad it helped Beverley! It was definitely helpful for me to dig into where my client work had come from. I assumed most had spotted my blog but that was sometimes the last place they looked once they had already come across me elsewhere.
Elle Croft
February 16, 2015 at 10:21 amLove this – it’s really helpful, and I’ll definitely be tuning in for part 2. Just a question on the speaking engagements point – how do you actually find such engagements? Do you wait to be invited or are there ways to go out and find them? Thanks!
Jayne Gorman
February 16, 2015 at 10:34 pmVery good question! If you have an idea of what you would like to talk about there is no need to wait to be invited at all. Lots of events accept or actively seek speaker pitches and even if they don’t list it on their website it is still worth getting in touch if you have identified a hole in the programme that you can fill.
Attending events is a great way to get on the speaker list for the next year because you can easily have a conversation with the organisers about your idea for a topic and most event organisers like to mix their panels up so will be on the look out for new talent.
And don’t forget to list it as a service on your website so organisers who come across you know this is something you would like to get into.
Like with most freelance projects securing the first one is sometimes the hardest but after that you will likely find offers come to you instead.
Elle Croft
February 17, 2015 at 9:30 amAwesome – thanks so much! Will definitely look at ways that I can pitch some ideas to events 🙂
Janice Stringer
February 17, 2015 at 9:21 amHi Jayne,
Thank you for this Vlog. It is really helpful and I like the way you talk about ‘adding value’ for your client and creating a win/win scenario. This I think is really important but I do struggle with finding those opportunities and open doorways. You have redefined Press Trips for me and have got me thinking about these in a different way than before.
Public Speaking-Last year I was interviewed on BBC Radio Essex and asked to share what Fiji is like and I suddenly found that I could of talked for ages about the culture, the people I met, the attitudes I encountered and places visited. As a traveller I have a lot of information ‘locked in’ which could be shared.
It took me back to a memory of secondary school, when I would read out passages from books to a hall full of students and teachers. I loved it 🙂
I look forward to the second part of this – am jealous of how sticky it is in Sydney and find I learn a lot from what you have to say. Thank You.
Jayne Gorman
February 17, 2015 at 10:34 pmThank you so much for your feedback. So glad to hear some of what I said was useful. I did a radio interview once and found it really freeing too. It can be much easier to speak with heart when you are not worrying about what you look like 🙂
Andrea Anastasiou
April 2, 2015 at 4:30 amHey Jayney,
I stumbled upon your blog today and I just wanted to thank you for the fabulous advice that you give on here! I’m a freelance writer and I’m currently trying to get more clients. This vlog has been so useful, and I’m looking forward to putting some of your advice into practice!
You definitely have a new dedicated reader!
A
Jayne Gorman
April 6, 2015 at 3:47 amHi Andrea, that’s fantastic news – nothing makes me happier than hearing my advice might actually be helpful 🙂 I had an email from another reader the other day saying she had scored her first public speaking gig after watching this vlog so I wish you lots of success too! Best of luck J
Emma Mitra
June 16, 2015 at 9:25 pmThis is so helpful – thanks for taking the time to make it, Jayne! I’m feeling motivated again to get cracking with building freelance work. When will part two be out (or am I just being blind at not seeing it?!)?
Jayne Gorman
June 17, 2015 at 12:22 amYay. Glad it helped!! Part 2 is here https://www.ourtravelhome.com/how-do-you-get-freelance-clients-part-2/ 🙂
Katie McKnoulty
August 31, 2015 at 3:24 pmJayne,
This is wonderful advice, I’m looking for more clients at the moment and all of this was so helpful, thank you you are truly great!!
Katie xx
Jayne Gorman
September 1, 2015 at 6:45 amThanks Katie!!! So glad it was of use. Makes all that nattering into my iPhone seem worthwhile 🙂 J x