I’ve frequently mentioned that I get most of my freelance work from Twitter. It’s not hard but it will take some time to build credibility and to be viewed as providing value. It doesn’t cost anything except for your time.
Keep in mind that this is geared toward locating WordPress work but it can be adapted for whatever you do; writing, coaching, SEO, etc.
Here’s how I do it.
Join and Participate
- Join Twitter
- Fill out the profile with a picture, bio, and website, if you have one
- Customize your twitter background or find a friend to help you do it
- Follow some people
- Don’t follow too many people all at one time
- Post interesting information. Links to cool sites and articles. Once and awhile include one of your links
- Follow everyone back who follows you except for the spammers. Even if they aren’t in your niche. Why? Because you never know who might want your services
- Talk to people. Put @username to reply to them and d username to send a direct message
- Don’t worry if no one replies back at first. It can take some time.
- Find more followers, post interesting information, follow back, talk to people, repeat
Be Helpful and Kind
- If someone posts a question or needs help with something that you know how to do, help.
- Help some more
- Do some freebie work. I have two clients that I do WordPress support for in exchange for promotion and publicity. That has generated more work and revenue then I would have ever earned by charging them. This will also help you build up your portfolio and client testimonials.
- Do volunteer work for a non-profit. You’ll be doing something good for a cause you care about and again it will add to your portfolio.
- Are you seeing a trend here? You are going to GIVE before you get anything in return other than people being very very grateful.
Search
- Use search with your keywords. I use search.twitter.com or the integrated search in Tweetdeck and have a running search on the keyword WordPress.
- When someone asks a question related to your area of expertise, follow that person and @ them to answer it. Do this even if the person doesn’t follow you back. Most of the time they will.
- If the question gets more complicated or the person asks for more help, kindly say you provide some support for free but that you also do this for a living and point them to your services page.
- Make sure you have a services page. In addition, don’t hide your contact information. Make it easy for people to find. I have my phone number on every page and not one person has called me without sending me a message asking if they can call first.
Work Will Find You
- After doing the above for a while, work will start finding you.
- People you have helped and that you have done work for will recommend you to others
- But make sure you do a good job and are responsive, helpful, responsible and kind or you won’t be recommended
This system will work. You have to be patient. I signed up for twitter a year ago but didn’t really use it until March 2008. I started using it more frequently in May 2008 and throughout the summer. By August I was finding freelance work fairly often. Now I am contacted about three times a week and I rarely run my keyword search anymore. I am booked through the year and new projects are being scheduled well after the holidays.
You might be able to make this happen faster. When I started using twitter I wasn’t really thinking about freelancing and someone talked me into it. If you know your goals when you start, you may have different results. I mostly muddled through this and learned as I went along.
Don’t, I repeat, don’t sent tweets saying that you are looking for work. This might work if you have a lot of followers and have provided them with a lot of value, but I don’t think it’s the right way to approach this.
So, what do you think? Do you think this would work for you? Do you think it takes too much time and effort? Do you have the patience?
Very cool use of Twitter, Kim! I’m just starting to really get into Twitter, so this is great information.
Lance´s last blog post – Sunday Thought For The Day
Good information, I haven’t used Twitter. Yet. I want to get started and this is just the kind of stuff I wanted to read.
Thank you :)
Useful and interesting article here, Kim. I’d never have thought of using Twitter for getting freelance clients, but your step by step guide is a great resource for anyone who wants more business.
kelly
This is part of the way I use twitter and it totally does work! I’m in the same spot you are – booked right through. Twitter is not the only way I bring in clients, though it sure does help.
Andrea_R´s last blog post – Six WordPressMu Geeks to follow on Twitter
Great article, Kim. I could see this being very helpful to freelancers. Some of the suggestions are good for me too. Twitter can be intimidating. Thanks!
Thanks for this valuable information! I am just starting with Twitter and freelancing and I will certainly try your methods.
well as you know i started tweeting consistently only lately so i hope some will start rolling in :) anyway very nice tips!
stratosg´s last blog post – Adding a “featured” post on your theme
@Lance – You’re welcome. I hope you find it useful.
@Zoe – Thanks for visiting and commenting. Feel free to follow me when you start using Twitter. The thing to keep in mind is that this requires patience – it won’t happen overnight.
@Kelly – Hi! Thanks – I think it would work with writing too. And thanks for the stumble.
@Andrea_R – Thanks for visiting and commenting. It’s not my only way I find work either but it has been one of the best. And I’m glad to find your site – I really need to become more proficient with MU.
@Jim – You just need to jump in. Follow more people …
@Gimly – Thanks for visiting and commenting. I’m glad you found this useful and I hope it helps you out. Thanks for the follow too :-)
@Stratos – Thanks! Yeah – like I said in the article this takes time. It isn’t the system for the impatient.
This is brilliant, Kim. I don’t use Twitter much and it never occurred to me to use it this way.
Vered – MomGrind´s last blog post – Are Blogs And eBooks Inferior To Printed Books?
Hi Kim. I learned of this post through Vered and it is awesome! I joined Twitter last week but haven’t had a chance to spend too much time there. This is a good kick start.
Davina´s last blog post – Step Out Of Crisis And Into Power
I haven’t used Twitter as much as I could, but this is very valuable information. I must “budget” Twitter into my daily tasks.
Carla´s last blog post – Emperor “Clean Coal” has no clothes
i think I am going to repurpose this post for giving advice to NPO’s on how to promote themselves as well!
Thanks!
Silona
Silona´s last blog post – GO TIM Revision Control for Government!
Hi, Kim!
I’m just now thinking of doing some freelance work, and I never considered Twitter as a source of leads. I’ve been on Twitter for about 3 months and have used it for conversations only, which I suppose is a good start.
Thanks for an eye-opening post!
Mike Nichols´s last blog post – Asthma Linked to Anxiety Disorders
Completely agree with all of these concepts.
I started my business a year ago by buying a domain name/hosting and creating a twitter account.
Don’t be afraid to give away some information. Helping out on twitter is one of the fastest ways to get some good karma going within your circle. Who knows, that person you help with a blog post may want you to become a regular contributor!
People ask me why I’m willing to help out people, and it’s a fairly simple concept. I put tutorials and how-to’s on my blog all the time, but they’re not for my clients; they’re for customers. But when clients see how much I know on the subject, they know they can’t do it themselves, but CAN hire me to do it.
Mitch Canter´s last blog post – Happy Birthday to Studionashvegas! And *Whew* What a Year!
Kim, does this mean that you should follow everyone that follows you? What happens if someone gets referred to you but you don’t follow them back, does that make you look bad? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Sal´s last blog post – CTRL + Z
Hi Kim – These are great tips. I would like to do some freelance writing on business and self improvement, as it would help me to get a book published. I never thought about using Twitter. Thank you.
This hasn’t been my experience. I’m having fun on Twitter, but have never had anyone throw work my way.
You really are innovative! I’m finding Twitter to be a fantastic resource for all sorts of things. Thanks for the tips!
Tracy´s last blog post – Kinder Eggs and Pero Instant Natural Beverage
As one of the people who contracted with Kim because of her presence on Twitter and her blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, I can tell you it works. I studied Kim’s blog posts, assuring myself A) she knows what she’s talking about B) she’s trustworthy C) she’s someone I would like to work with. She’s in the middle of getting my blog moved to the downloadable WordPress.
Those of you who are afraid of Twitter, I can tell you that it has been a huge blessing for me. I have met people that I would never have found without it and gained information that I would also not have found without it. Twitter can be addicting so you need to budget your Twitter time but otherwise it is a wonderful resource that I hope stays around for a long time.
My goal is to move into building a virtual business and I believe that the more people who know what you do and believe you can help them, the more likely they will choose to work with you.
I’ve been self-employed for 25 years and I feel like I am just now understanding marketing. I can tell you I am happy to share Twitter with my clients and all those I meet as the future of marketing and growing in ways to evaluate products.
Kim listed all the right ways to work with Twitter and if you have any doubts, in addition to this post, there are many other Twitter experts out there. I can be found on Twitter @JulieWalraven
Julie Walraven´s last blog post – Postcards from the road
@Vered – Thank you! I’ve muddled around with this for awhile now and decided it was time to organize my system.
@Davina – Thanks for visiting and commenting! I hope you enjoy Twitter. I’ve found it fun and useful.
@Carla – Twitter can be a time-suck but I think the time that I’ve put into it has had positive results. Plus, I really enjoy it.
@Silona – Thanks for visiting and commenting. I’m sure there’s something in there that will be useful for non-profits.
@Mike – You’ve already done the first part of this – you’ve created a positive reputation and have provided value. The next step should come with just a little effort – mostly searching and expanding your network. I’m glad you liked the article!
@Mitch – Thanks for visiting and commenting. Exactly. I think we have the same philosophy of finding work and providing value. Some people who read the tutorials will know how to use them. The rest will either understand how but not want to bother or want the feature but not know how to do it and they will hire you.
And providing free help gives you a reputation for being awesome.
@Sal – Well, that’s hard to say. Personally, I follow everyone who follows me who isn’t an obvious spammer. Later, I may unfollow if the individual annoys me or is spamming my stream but I give everyone a chance. And I still seek out people to follow based on who others that I respect follow. I don’t only use twitter to find work – I also use it for fun and for learning.
@Cath – I think you could definitely pick up some work that way. You’ve been spending more time talking on Twitter and almost everything you say is valuable. Many of us love your writing style and it seems like that could translate to freelance work.
Kim,
These are great tips!
I love twitter!! I have met some wonderfully helpful people there – I am not looking for much yet – just advice at this point and it is amazing how much people help if we ask.
But the key I think is to provide value before we get something in return. Retweeting is such a great gesture. It shows that you have seen, like and endorse what is on the link.
Sending direct messages are a great way to connect with people too.
Thanks Kim! I hope to follow much of your advice :)
Maya´s last blog post – The Happiness Quilt – Share your pattern piece and help me sew the Happiness Quilt!
@Anne – Thank you for visiting and for commenting. Have you looked for work? I’ve spent months helping people for free and providing free support. Those people, out of appreciation, are recommending me to others. And I’ve spent a lot of time searching for people needing help. Only in the last month have people started contacting me first. I don’t think anyone is “throwing work my way”. I’ve put a lot of hard work into this and have spent months building up my reputation.
@Tracy – You’re welcome. And thank you for the compliment :-)
@Julie – Thank you so much! You don’t know how much that means to me :-)
Julie has been with me almost from the beginning of this site and was reading the articles before she even had her own site – using them as encouragement to start blogging. That’s what so great about internet and social media. I probably would have never met Julie in real life and we are very different people, but we’ve developed the greatest online relationship.
And if you need someone to make an awesome resume for you follow Julie – she’s the best.
I love to read about how you are finding Twitter successful – it is inspiring to see that it can work well. I definitely agree about the giving part too! Hopefully I might start to see some benefits in the future once I get used to things.
Penny´s last blog post – My Blog Name
@Maya – Thanks for visiting and commenting. I love twitter too. This system only works if you have been helpful and have provided value before you start looking for any work.
@Penny – Thanks for visiting and commenting. It’s great to see all these new faces here today :-)
It’s all about giving and then people will want to give back :-)
Kim,
Once again, your brilliance shines through. This is a great primer for the use of Twitter. Hey new Twitter folks, pay attention here. Kim is speaking truths!
Tumblemoose´s last blog post – Facebook, writer’s forums and other thoughts
@George – Thank you for the compliment – I really appreciate it.
I was just thinking about this post when I got an email that George commented and how I do think that your point about giving before you get is incredibly important. And you do come across as being a very giving, open, intelligent person that people would be glad to know.
Tracy´s last blog post – Kinder Eggs and Pero Instant Natural Beverage
@Tracy – Thanks :-) Maybe – lol. It’s funny that you just sent that message while I was sitting here fuming about one of my clients – I’m not feeling very nice right now.
I haven’t been feeling great tonight (I hope I’m not getting sick) so I haven’t had a chance to look at the forums but I will definitely be over there soon :-)
Kim, there is no rush at all on that, the forums aren’t going anywhere. I have to say that’s one of my favorite things about Twitter – I can find a post like this that I think will help some of the people on my site and share it there. And maybe even somebody reads it there, and shares it with somebody they know, and thus helpful information is spread across the internet.
As much as I am loving all this new-fangled social networking business, the old school message board way still has its place!
Tracy´s last blog post – I am Learning the Social Web Media Networking 2.0
Very good structured HOW TO guide… I am getting lazier again with twitter. Need to get back.
By the way, do you think it is a good place to find advertiser for my blog as well? Starting today, I am planning to sell private ad spaces on my blog.
Another thing… Perhaps, you could try forums (such as Digital Point, Site Point market place) for freelance assignment. I guess forums work for people like me who seldom gets hooked on to twitter.
@Tracy – There are some message boards that I really like. They are a great way to get information and be part of a community. Others are more intimidating.
@Ajith – Thank you! That’s a good question – I don’t know it it’s a good way to find an advertiser or not. That’s definitely something to look into.
I’ve looked at Digital Point a little bit but haven’t participated in it very much.
Great information Kim. I find that setting up searches in Tweetdeck for various keywords really helps when sitting back and taking a look at what the hot topics are and areas of interest.
Definitely some great advise.
thanks
Sharon Dexter´s last blog post – Social Media Adventure
I will keep this article bookmarked for when I have some time for freelance work. :) For now, I just wish I could use Twitter to find a tennis partner!
~ Kristi
Kikolani | Poetry, Photography, Blogging Tips´s last blog post – Photos Taken with my LG CU920
@Sharon – Thanks for visiting and commenting! Tweetdeck is invaluable for organizing twitter contacts and searching.
@Kristi – Hi! Sorry, can’t help you out with the tennis partner ;-)
Kim,
This is great info that you have articulated clearly and simply, but with great accuracy and depth. I’m going to RT it on twitter. I just started on twitter in October and am amazed at how indespensible it has become. I use it for networking, collaborating, researching, learning, support and yes, for finding new clients. I’m following you now on twitter and subscribed to your blog.
Keep up the great work!
Lara Galloway
Lara Galloway´s last blog post – Adios, SuperMom!
@Lara – Thank you for visiting and commenting. Thank you for the compliment and for helping to promote the article :-)
Well Kim, I think that you’re right on point with all of your advice! Ultimately, if you seek to be helpful first, you will derive benefit from the work that you’re putting in.
Ricardo Bueno´s last blog post – [Video] Blog Tips from the 2008 Blogworld Expo.
@Ricardo – Thank you! Of course, some people will try to take advantage as you read in the other article. But others are amazing …
Hi Kim,
You know, everyone seems to love twitter. I joined not too long ago and already have about 80 plus followers without even trying. Not sure how people find me. I love Stumble Upon and have over 100 friends there, but I don’t know how to get much use out of Twitter. This was an insightful article. Thanks so much!
Cheers,
Jeremy
Jeremy Day´s last blog post – Health Week: The Best Morning Exercise Routine
@Jeremy – Thanks for visiting and commenting. Not everyone loves Twitter although it seems like it sometimes. I see a lot of people saying it’s useless and a waste of time. I thought it would be a good idea to write about how extremely useful it can be. And thanks for the follow :-)