Making sure you have enough freelance work is an ongoing issue that professionals in most creative fields have to deal with.
That’s because you’re not doing your job as an expert in a particular niche. You’re also being a business person and a marketer who is responsible for new client acquisition.
Dry spells are an issue that all freelancers will experience at some point in their career. The reasons for a dry spell are numerous – intense competition, becoming excessively reliant on a single client, not putting enough effort into marketing and outreach.
If you’re currently facing such a period with no freelance work, you can attempt to remedy the situation in a couple of ways. Here are some of the most effective options that will help you ensure the success of your business in the long run.
Figure Out Why You’re Going Through a Freelance Work Dry Spell
As already mentioned, freelancers can go through dry spells for various reasons. Some are more critical than others and will be difficult to correct.
The first thing you need to figure out is why you have no projects at the time being.
Some of the most common factors contributing to freelance dry spells include:
- Being dropped by a major client that you’ve become too reliant on
- It’s simply slow season because of the nature of your job
- There is a lot of competition, others charge less, and you haven’t managed to differentiate yourself from the crowd
- The sector has gone through some changes and you don’t have the skills that clients need
Being excessively reliant on a single client is a problem you can fix easily. Shifts in the market, on the other hand, necessitate a more strategic approach towards being a freelance professional. You’ll probably have to acquire new skills and adapt in order to remain competitive.
Use Your Network to Find Work
Once you have a clear understanding of what’s going on, you’ll have to start looking for freelance work.
Going to your professional network is a much more effective approach than pitching and attempting to win new clients over.
Start by getting in touch with former clients. Many freelancers have secured ongoing gigs this way. If you ended a relationship some time ago, reminding the client about your services is a good idea. They could have forgotten about the option.
They could think you’re too busy on other projects. Whatever the reason, getting in touch to say hi isn’t going to hurt you. In fact, such communication can only be beneficial.
Don’t forget about sending a note to freelancers you know or former work colleagues. Getting outsourced projects through your professional network is another viable opportunity to employ.
Think about the people who know you well and who understand the quality of work you do. These are the people that will help you the most in terms of promotion and networking.
Start Looking for New Leads
Once you’ve exhausted all existing communication opportunities, consider the acquisition of new leads. Luckily, you can get in touch with potential clients through multiple channels.
If you don’t have a website yet, the time has come to dedicate one to your business. Content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) will both help you reach out and connect with a targeted audience that’s potentially interested in your services.
A few other methods you can explore to look for new leads include:
- Social media marketing
- Joining general freelance websites and specialized portals dedicated to services in a specific industry
- Looking for leads on industry forums, boards, and communities (including Reddit and LinkedIn communities)
- Going to industry events, seminars, and trainings (whether online or in person)
Being active both online and offline is the way to go.
Some freelancers will also opt for cold pitching via email and the approach can work. To make the most of it, however, you need to do some targeting. If you’re a video editing professional, for example, get in touch with videographers and studios. These are the potential B2B clients that may be interested in outsourcing to a freelancer.
When doing cold pitching, keep your letter short and personalized. Let the person you’re contacting know that you’ve visited their website and you know their business well.
Feature a link to your portfolio and end the message with a call to action (let’s connect, let’s stay in touch as we could find mutually beneficial opportunities in the future, etc.). Don’t be pushy and don’t do a lot of selling. If they’re interested in your freelance services, they’ll let you know.
Consider Broadening Your Skill Set
A dry spell could be linked to the skills you have or are missing and not to the number of clients that you’re working with.
Most industries evolve rapidly because of technology and new trends. This means your skills will eventually become outdated or redundant.
Do some market research to figure out what successful freelancers are doing right. Fiverr and other similar boards are amazing for research purposes because you can browse through freelance projects in your field of expertise.
Based on that research, find out if you’re missing essential skills that clients are looking for.
Acquiring new professional knowledge takes time, which means your dry spell will probably continue for a few more months. Still, use this time as an investment in your future. In the meantime, you can count on side gigs and passive income generation opportunities (or on your savings) to continue making ends meet.
Use the Dry Spell to Update the Portfolio of Freelance Work
During the dry spell, you can come up with an effective work schedule that will help you increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
For example, you can use the mornings to pitch and look for new freelance work. In the afternoon, you’ll be updating your portfolio and adding examples that showcase some of your best abilities.
Dry spells give you the perfect opportunity to work on your presentation, modernize your website, be more active on social media, and enhance your overall online reputation.
How long has it been since you last updated your portfolio or wrote an article?
The period during which you don’t have to work for clients is great for strengthening your promotion. Go through your portfolio, remove outdated work, and add a few new samples to it. Changing the portfolio template or layout to give it a modern twist can also be a good idea.
This period is also wonderful for the accumulation of testimonials and reviews. Reach out and let clients know you’d appreciate an honest review or an online testimonial.
Reviews from actual clients are very beneficial and they act as word-of-mouth promotion. People trust such testimonials a lot and they’ll become an integral part of your local digital marketing.
Preparing for Future Dry Spells
The first dry spell you go through as a freelancer will be shocking. It can, however, also work as a massive learning opportunity.
Understand the mistakes that led to no work and don’t repeat those again in the future.
Also, come up with an emergency strategy that will help you survive the next dry spell. Start saving some money. Begin building passive streams of income. Consider taking on new kinds of projects that will diversify your portfolio and give you the chance to pitch more.
Understanding what’s going on, analyzing the situation, and accepting the mistakes you’ve made are all vital. If you continue carrying on the way you did before the dry spell occurred, you’ll probably run out of freelance work again very shortly.
Final Thoughts
Dry spells can be scary but seasoned freelancers know they’re an inevitable part of being self-employed.
Making the most of the periods during which you have a lot of freelance work is essential for the survival of dry spells. You have to think ahead of time and you have to put an emergency plan in place.
Being calm and confident because you have lots of projects you’re working on right now isn’t going to cut it. New technologies constantly disrupt fields and change market dynamics.
ChatGPT and AI technologies, for example, have left lots of freelancers without a job overnight. If you don’t know how to adapt and you remain within your comfort zone, you’ll eventually find yourself out of a job.
So, continue growing as a professional. Continue doing market research. If necessary, acquire new skills and start looking into new types of projects to take on.
All of these diversification steps will help you ensure continuity and an ongoing stream of freelance work that you’ll always be able to count on.
