This is my fast and loose resource guide to starting freelance work. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.

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How To Find Freelance Work On LinkedIn

Using communities to find new clients is a long-term strategy. You may not find anyone immediately. But you will be able to learn more from the people in these spaces and you may discover leads.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile. Halfway through the year I can officially state that LinkedIn is where it’s at these days. I’m seeing a lot more freelance opportunities posted on LinkedIn than Twitter/X, Threads, or Bluesky. A lot more hiring managers and editors are looking for freelancers on LinkedIn, which means you need to bring your best self there. I recommend posting a few times a week about what you’re working on, advice, etc.

Your LinkedIn needs:

• A professional profile photo (do not leave it as the grey man)

• A summary that addresses your skills and experience. Include the type of work you want and your contact info.

• A LinkedIn services page, which is free to create

• A listing in your experience section that shows that you are a freelance professional and are available to new clients

Need some inspiration? Take a look at my profile, Jenni Gritters, Lex Roman, Matthew Fenton, Wudan Yan, and Jessica Walrack.

Mine LinkedIn posts. Search LinkedIn posts with terms like “freelance writer,” “hiring freelance,” or “hiring freelance social media.” Play with what terms to use depending on what you’re looking for.

Don’t be afraid of hundreds of comments on a post! A lot of the people responding aren’t qualified or aren’t following the directions of the hiring manager. Don’t DM people who specify they don’t want DMs. Always follow instructions (ie who to email, what to include, etc.)

Share your work regularly. Share what you’re working on and share tips about what you do. You never know who is lurking and following your work. I’ve had editors reach out to me after seeing my work shared on social media, or because they had seen me on social media.

Look for similar companies in an industry. When you follow companies on LinkedIn, LinkedIn will come up with more pages to follow. I like to use these as leads on potential companies to pitch services to. Once you’ve identified a brand you’d like to write for, look through the brand page’s people section to find the content manager or editor who is in charge. I recommend using Hunter to find their email addresses.

Keep an eye on people you’d like to work with. LinkedIn gives people the option to follow rather than connect. Go through the people who are following you and send them a quick message. Again, be a normal human being! I like to say hello, comment on something related to their work, and then later ask them if there’s anything I can help with. This is not about hitting them with a pitch right out of the gate. Again, it’s relationship building.

Search specific job titles. If you work in a specific niche, try searching LinkedIn for people who have job titles in that niche. For example, I’ll look for “content marketing manager,” “pet editor,” or “small business editor.” It’s a good way to find more editors and publications to pitch, but it’s not always obvious if they work with freelancers.

How To Find Freelance Work On Threads

This article covers a lot of how I use Threads. Follow @findfreelanceopportunities and @kmarford there to see freelance work in your feed.

How To Find Freelance Work On Twitter/X

Many of the same LinkedIn principles apply! Twitter is more of a hub for finding journalism work, but after Elon bought the site, it is not thriving as it once did. Now, pitch calls are scattered across Threads/LinkedIn/Bluesky and Twitter.

The algorithm gets to know you, so the more you interact with calls for pitches the more you’ll see.

Twitter searches to use

• #JournoJobs

• #JournalismJobs

• #CallforPitches

• Twitter "looking for freelance" search

• Twitter "looking for pitches"

Talk to me

Please reach out to [email protected] to book me for a speaking opportunity or for a consultation. I’m also available for writing, strategy, and editorial opportunities.