Hi, I’m Viraj Mahajan
a Content Curator a Life Coach a Movie Producer a Dog Lover

10 Places to Look For Freelancing Gigs

See, I told you the last time… this is an effective headline 😀

If you are following me on LinkedIn, you know the tricks and tips I share during my sessions, impromptu Q&As, and chats. If you know me, you know that these skills I talk about have been acquired over the last decade, and most of the tricks and tips are working for several individuals.

I recently talked to one of my connections, and she told me that it is hard to get a job because there are hundreds and thousands of freelancers. I told her what I will tell all of you today — if you are honest with your craft and have updated yourself with all the latest skills, you should not be afraid of anyone or anything in life. Do you know who should be afraid here? Someone who started this freelancing journey six months back is wondering when they will get that six-figure income. Thinking for money is not bad — but only thinking about money and not doing anything is venomous to your thoughts.

So, why I said all this?

Very simple, I share client details as and when my team shares with me, and I think it turns out to be helpful to most of you out there. I will keep on sharing such client details and sheets with all of you, but you have to promise yourself a couple of things:

• You will always be motivated: It does not matter that your pitch got rejected or a client ghosted you out! It happens. Period. It happens to me even after starting my own writing agency. But I take these challenges head-on. I understand the financial stuff that we all face but understand that the financial problem is not going anywhere if you only think about it. Do you have a problem with a low balance in your account? Get up and do something! And the only way you can do anything in your life is by staying motivated. Even if this shit is not working out, call me anytime! We will sort it out together 🙂
• You won’t become THAT PERSON: We all know THAT PERSON, right? That person tried something for a couple of months, and when it did not work out, he blamed the game! That person stopped trying hard just because that person faced multiple rejections. That person stopped waking up in the morning for cold emailing or attending sessions because he was too tired from all the rejections. That person is not welcome here!

Now that we are done with our so-called TED talk, here are a couple of companies or websites where you can go and look for clients. To get into a good company or firm, you will require a couple of things:

• A freaking cool cover letter
• An awesome resume
• A great case study
• An amaazing personality!

I can dive into detail about these websites, but it would be great if you explored them from your side. It will help you understand what kind of job opportunities there are in the market and how you can apply here.

• Contra
• Twitter
• LinkedIn ProFinder
• Freelance Writers Den (https://freelancewritersden.com/)
• SolidGigs (// $21/month to subscribe but a great place to get jobs)
• Sonia Weiser’s bi-weekly
• MediaBistro
• WeWorkRemotely (https://weworkremotely.com/)
• YunoJuno (https://www.yunojuno.com/)
• SolidGigs (https://solidgigs.com/)

If you already know about these portals and are still facing issues, you need to work on your skills. Over the last two years, I have gotten around 28+ clients from all these places combined. You just need to work a little harder. Let me know if you find any difficulty with any of these portals. Like always, I am mostly always available 🙂

Until next week!

Baw-Baw

– V

I Am Not Finding Good Clients – What Shall I Do?

We all have asked this question ourselves at one time or the other. Sometimes, we come up with excuses and blame them on others (especially our luck). Sometimes we shut down the system and look outside the window only to blame ourselves! Trust me when I say this – we all have been there!

Finding a client is hard, but what’s harder is ensuring that they stay with us for a long. Yesterday, we ended a contract with one of the clients who paid well but was getting on our nerves. In my subsequent newsletter, I will discuss how to ensure that the client stays with you and help you grow as a professional.

Today, let us focus on finding the right client!

But before I jump to that, have you heard about the IKEA effect? This is something that I discuss with my full-time writers when I get them on board for CJ (those who dropped me a mail and said what CJ is, CJ Digitals is my writing agency named after the initials of my dogs). The IKEA effect states that people tend to value an object more if they make it themselves. More importantly, the IKEA effect talks about how we tend to like things more if we have put in extra effort to create them!

Understand that you will create hundreds and thousands of blog posts or content pages for your clients or agencies. But what you will love and admire the most is the content you have created for yourself — something that we call our portfolio!

A couple of days ago, I was on a one-on-one consultation call with a freelancer who asked me about the importance of having a portfolio. I told her the same thing that I am sharing with all of you here, ‘your portfolio is the start of your bread and butter (beer in some cases) – make sure it resonates with who you are, what you do, how you do it, what you did in the past, and what plans you have for future!’ 

How can you implement the IKAE effect into writing or other freelancing jobs?

The IKEA effect would suggest that clients value the strategies, visions, missions, and goals you have played a part in building. 

Next time you pitch to a client, talk about the things you helped build! Your portfolio should shout about your work so that your client will say, “Oh, you made this happen? I think you are the right person for us!”

If you are not able to find relevant clients, this is what you should do:

• Create a portfolio: If you have not worked for anyone yet and are just freelancing in the early days/weeks/months/years, write for yourself and share it on your blog/medium.
• Stay active on LinkedIn: LinkedIn is more than just connecting like-minded people. This is a great place to get inbound leads. Participate in my 30-day writing activity that would help you write over 24,000+ words in a month, boosting your confidence and improving your network (you might get good paying leads as well).
• Skill Up: If not today, then when? If not now, then how? Right? Today is the perfect day to skill up your freelancing game! Learn new things! Instead of putting Kesariya on repeat, this is the right time to listen to some great coaches and mentors.
• Create Case Studies: Create multiple case studies in and around your learning and previous gigs. As I say during my classes, case studies are the perfect way for your client to know how easily you can solve the problem! It also helps them understand what you did as an individual to resolve a given set of problems! Remember the IKEA effect? The client will see and learn how you build something from scratch!
• Be Confident: Even if you are not getting clients or projects, do not be disheartened! It happens to everyone. This is a serious game, and only those who know how to swim against the tides can survive! I understand the money factor (we all have bills to pay!) and how easily we make the fist to hurt ourselves with those sharp nails, but that is not the way ahead — learn from your mistakes and skill up this game!

And if you want to bitch about some client or discuss some project, I am here!

Until the next time, Baw-Baw!

– V

5 Steps to Optimize LinkedIn Profile to Get Better Clients

LinkedIn is one great place to acquire high-paying clients and network with like-minded people who ultimately will convert into inbound leads.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen so many LinkedIn profiles and realized that even though freelancers know what they write or create, their LinkedIn profiles do not shout about their work, resulting in poor networking and a lack of inbound clients.

I spoke with several freelancers and gave them suggestions; upon implementing the same, they saw a massive change in their overall LinkedIn engagement, impression, and client retention. A few of the freelancers even got multiple projects (1-2RPW), and few of them got clients on retention. Isn’t it great?

Now, it becomes hard for me to review every profile in detail and give separate feedbacks to improve them. So, I have compiled a list of important activities that you have to implement on your LinkedIn profile for it to grow as per your niche, your short-term/long-term goals, and what kind of client you need to approach in the weeks/months to come.

The Correct Name: I have seen several freelancers using the name First Name Content Writer or First Name Copywriter — is this how your friends, family, and colleagues call you? Is this how you would like to call yourself in the first place? You have an identity that goes beyond your work — be proud of it. Also, stop using emoticons in your name. It might look pretty, but the search engine does not cover it up and puts your profile to the bottom of the pit.

The Right Display Picture: Remember, LinkedIn is not Instagram, so your cute picture with your friends will do you no good. When you upload a picture on LinkedIn, ensure your face takes up around 60 percent of the entire place, choose the clothes appropriately (as per niche, interest, and network), and do not forget to smile with your eyes!

The Cover Picture: Most freelancers do not utilize the power of a great cover picture. Images resonate more about our work, ethics, deliverables, experiences, and personality. It grabs people’s attention, sets the context, and shows a little more about what matters to you.

• If you are a writer: The content of your cover picture should be catchy.
• If you are a marketer: The content of your cover should be analytical and aspirational
• If you are a freelance writer: The content of your cover should do justice to your experience

Remember, the cover picture, the display picture, and NAME should reflect WHO you are as a person. These three things work as a landing page for your LinkedIn profile, and you should use them as much as possible!

Work on Your Headline: Instead of writing:

Freelance Writer | SEO Writer | Content Writer | Technical Writer

Start writing:

SEO-Content Expert | 5+ years of Experience | Helping eCommerce Increase Revenue by 3X With Creative Copies

OR

Finance Writer | Creating Economic & Investment Reports | Helping FinTech Brands With Analytical Content 

As you see, there is no correct way to describe your LinkedIn bio, but remember that it should say a bit more about how you see your role, why you do what you do, and how you help different brands. 

Work on LinkedIn URL: Most freelancers and full-timers overlook working on their profile’s URL when they start optimizing their LinkedIn profile. As I stated in my previous LinkedIn posts, you can edit that URL to be clean, like your first name, last name, expertise, or niche with expertise. Changing the URL is super easy and helps you rank your profile on the search engine.

There are around 20+ ways to implement your LinkedIn profile that I share during my sessions. If interested, DM me, and I will share more information. Meanwhile, improve your LinkedIn profile with these suggestions, tag me in your recent post, and I will provide you feedback on your updated LinkedIn profile.

Until next time!

– V