by toxaco on 2/19/25, 5:38 PM with 3 comments
For those of us who have been freelancing for a while, it’s getting harder to stand out. LinkedIn has become a mix of "Open to Work" banners and recruiters ghosting after one message. Job boards? A race to the bottom. Cold emails? Feels like screaming into the void.
---> So, in 2025, how are you actually landing freelance or contract gigs?
- Are niche communities or hidden platforms working for you? - Do personal blogs, Twitter, or YouTube bring in work? - Any creative approaches that don’t involve selling an overpriced "personal brand" course?
Would love to hear what’s working for you (and what’s not). Let’s share strategies that *actually* help.
If you're looking for a remote freelance developer, I’m available!
Check out my page: rdsdigitalsolutions.com
by gregjor on 2/19/25, 6:33 PM
Word of mouth and referrals work best. Even cold-calling has worked fairly good for me -- not to businesses but to IT consultancies and web design/development agencies that already have customers. I have found gigs through some competent recruiters I trust.
For the last decade I have worked through an agency that does the marketing and sales, along with the legal and accounting stuff. They represent me so I can focus on billable time.
A few years ago I got a freelance gig through my agency, and the customer had heard about me and the agency from another customer I had done work for. We had a phone call to introduce each other, during which the customer asked me for my "socials." When I told him I don't use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. (and if I did wouldn't use them in a professional context), he said "How do you get customers?" I had to laugh, I asked him how he had heard about me.