In this post, I am sharing how to find long-term clients as a freelancer, and turn one-off projects into long-term, repeated business!
Let’s get into it!
Why long term clients are better than a one-off?
How to find long term clients?
#1: Apply for long-term freelancing projects.
If you’re looking for long-term freelancing opportunities, consider jobs and projects lasting more than 3 months. These jobs usually require proven experience and you should have a portfolio of previous jobs if you want to increase your chances of success.
With 1 or 2 years of freelance experience, you may be a top contender for projects that take 6 or 12 months to complete. Where can you find long-term freelance jobs? I recommend looking at #freelance job listings posted on LinkedIn and Upwork, or other job portals in your location.

#2: Turn your one-off clients into long-term clients.
Clients for single projects are easier to get than long-term clients. I get a lot of requests looking for “a single blog post” or “just 1 month of social media content“.
Here’s why I no longer accept these one-off, short-term projects:
- One-off clients aren’t my ideal clients because they’re not willing to invest in their business in the long run. As a result, they’re either just testing the market or looking for the cheapest freelancer.
- You can know if a potential client is serious by selling them your monthly packages (duration of 3 months or more).
- Clients who think long-term are willing to invest in their business will opt for longer-term contracts rather than one-off odd jobs. At this point, you need to show them evidence of your previous projects, testimonials and results from your past clients to convince them.
#3: Maintain good relationships with existing clients.

One of the best marketing strategies you can use as a freelancer is to reach out to existing clients. This is also a marketing strategy that I don’t see enough freelancers use.
Why you should target existing clients as your #1 marketing strategy:
- Firstly, it’s easier to sell long-term services to existing clients than to new clients who don’t know/trust your skills.
- Secondly, it takes longer time to attract and convert new freelance clients. As you already know, people don’t just stumble across your social media profile and decide to sign a 6-month contract with a stranger.
PS: From my experience, it takes 3-6 months for a complete stranger to become a qualified lead or a paying customer.
- Finally, your customers are your best salespeople. Here’s why: Upwork claims that “41% of freelancers say they get their new clients through referrals from previous clients“. So even more reasons to treat your clients well – you never know who’s going to recommend you to their friends.
#4:Create a portfolio of your best projects.
If you want to sell your freelance services online you need a portion. Your portfolio can be a WordPress website, or a simple landing page made with a link in bio tool like Smily.bio.
There you can publish testimonials, projects, case studies and work samples that will give new clients confidence in your skills.
I can’t even count the number of times new clients have contacted me because they found the kind of content they were looking for on my website.

#5: Don’t neglect social media marketing.
As a freelancer, it’s important to have an active social media presence. You never know which platform your clients will discover you on. So you should be using as many platforms as possible. I currently maintain an active presence on 4 or 5 social platforms and have a link to my website/portfolio where new followers can learn more about my services.
Twitter – Follow my Twitter page to stay up to date
Instagram – Check out my Insta profile, or learn how I plan my content
LinkedIn – This is my LinkedIn profile
Build your own marketing sales funnel to sign up freelancing clients on autopilot!
Blogging Success Masterclass is NOW OPEN for enrollment! ⬇️
PS: Do you want to get long term freelance clients? My 3-day LIVE Blogging Success Masterclass is $699 worth of online training (with all the templates and checklists), and it’s all yours for just *$299! (NP: $699)
When: 1st – 3rd June 2022 (LIVE training)
Note: 4 spots left only! Enrol now to save your place.
What’s included:
Day 1: Online Guided Training
- Sales funnel model for freelancers (worksheet).
- Write your positioning statement
Hands-on Project: Use the Worksheet provided to build a Sales Funnel.
Day 2: Online Guided Training
- Selling & pricing considerations for freelancing services
- Sales page for freelance services (template).
Day 3: Online Guided Training
- Blog content editorial calendar (template).
- The anatomy of a SEO blog post (template).
- SEO checklist for optimising blog pages.
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