How Grow Your Client Base Online with Your Blog

Clients! That’s what you want!

You want to build your client base as a brand new freelance writer and you don’t know how.

Well, what if I told you I know the secret to growing a client base as a complete beginner?

How Grow Your Client Base Online with Your Blog

This one thing has helped me land multiple clients, securing high-paying client base that I can tap into any month of the year.

And this meant in a couple short months I went from newbie writer to a booked writer with an amazing client base.

So, what is this secret that I’m talking about?

It’s blogging! Blogging yields blog clients and blog clients are recurring!

Before we get into this post, if you want to start a blog for your business, make sure to check out my handy tutorial and video!

Grow Your Client Base Online Easily By Blogging

Your clientbase online doesn’t have to take years to grow. With a blog you change the way to gaining writing jobs.

You have the business come to you instead of you hustling day and night to find them!

But, if you’re a new freelance writer, you may be wondering what to write on your blog or how to grow a blog. There’s basically three areas you can focus your blog on:

  1. Your freelance writing niche (ex: business, health, parenting)
  2. Passion niche (ex: parenting)
  3. Lifestyle niche (a variety of topics like beauty, cooking, motherhood, etc. which can also be your writing niche)

Although you may feel like writing about other things such as your day-to-day musings, if this is your professional blog, let’s keep it focused on providing actionable tips to your readers.

This means less diary-focussed writing and more helpful advice-type of writing.

By doing this way of blogging you will see your client base grow!

Let’s look at the three specific types of blogs you can start and how that can help you with landing freelance writing jobs.

1. Niche Specific Blog

If you decide to focus on a writing niche topic for your blog, this helps develop your credibility as an expert in your niche and can help you with growing your client base online.

How? Your niche blog can gain keywords and ranking potential easier than a multi-topic blog and this type of visibility helps clients find you.

It also helps new freelance writers build up their writing portfolio when they may not have any clips to showcase.

What better way to show prospective clients your expertise than in your blog posts? This can do well for two  more reasons:

  1. When you develop a niche blog, you tend to really focus on your blog, essentially putting your blog first. For example, Michelle’s blog, Making Sense of Cents, is a financial blog. On it, she helps other people find ways to make more money, save money and budget, all the while working on her life to do the same. She isn’t a freelance writer, but because of her blog, she has ongoing freelance writing clients.
  2. You can turn your blog into a business by monetizing it. Running GoogleSense Ads, affiliate ads or even writing sponsor posts can help you earn a little cash when you find yourself without any client work.

2. Passion Niche

This type of blog is on a topic you adore and love learning about. But, the trick is to make sure it’s audience-driven.

I’ve visited other freelance writing blogs and they are too journal entryesque writing.

Prospective clients won’t want to read posts about your trip to your aunt’s farm. This won’t grow your client base at all.

Instead, they would like to read about things that can benefit the reader.

For example, on one of my blogs, Smart Mom Ideas, I provide pregnancy and new mom content to other moms.

But, I also provide helpful posts like my post on IVF.

Other parenting clients or even medical clients can view this post and contact me for that type of writing.

3. Lifestyle Niche

Finally, you can have a lifestyle blog. While this may not entirely help you grow client base online, it can show your expertise in writing online, growing a community and monetizing your blog.

My Twins Mommy blog has some lifestyle content like productivity tips and working from home as a mom.

An editor for a Twin magazine contacted me to write for them. I was ecstatic that my new blog landed a client quickly.

How to Get Clients & Grow Your Client Base

As your business client base grows and you suddenly have too much work on your plate, you may start to lose focus writing on your blog.

You must remember, though, as a freelance writer, even though you have enough work for this month, it doesn’t mean you’ll have the same amount of client work next month.

So, in order to get clients through your blog, follow these 4 rules:

1. Treat Your Blog Like a Client

Hold yourself accountable and schedule your blog in your agenda. You may want to create an editorial calendar. WordPress has an easy calendar to use and it’s free.

Or you can create your own editorial calendar in different ways.

2. Be Consistent and Regularly Update Your Blog

When clients and businesses see that you update your blog frequently, they can infer that if they hired you, you would do the same for them.

Surprise…by blogging you can get clients easily!

Lauren Thrap of Little Zotz Writing, landed a marketing gig on a TV mini-series because she consistently wrote on her blog.

And it was her personal blog, not her professional blog!

So it goes to show, not matter what you really write about, as long as you keep updating your blog and reach your target audience, people will notice and you will get clients and your ideal customer to help you grow your client base.

Having an online presence as you can see, is something you should start doing as a new freelance writer. And in no time you’ll see your marketing efforts pay off!

3. Write With Passion

Once you treat your blog like a client, start to add passion into your blog posts.

Writing for a living can be monotonous at times.

I mean if one of your clients is the owner of a refrigeration and packing company, your posts aren’t going to be all that exciting.

Having your own blog allows you to stretch your writing skills and write about what you truly want to write about. And when you have passion to fuel your writing, your blog posts will stand out to prospects pursuing your blog.

Adding vibrant images can connect to the audience in a relatable and engaging manner.

It also help convey what you are writing about. Prospective clients will recognize your passion and will seek you out to duplicate this on their blog or website and you’ll get clients and grow your client base online this way.

4. Inject Personality in Your Writing

Use stories when writing a blog post and make it personal. This is a great platform to be a little spunky, comical or whimsical when you write.

I recently had a local business contact me and said after reading a few related posts on my blog, their customer service team could tell I had a colorful and fresh take when I created content. I was flattered and hadn’t realized my blog posts generated that feeling.

I took it to heart and had used their description about my blog for my tagline when I began getting clients – “I add color to your content.”

But, what if you are just too busy, or what if you don’t think you need a blog to get clients and grow your client base?

If you are one of those freelance writers that neglects your blog, you’re going to want to change your perception about it.

As a freelance writer, you have the opportunity to use your blog to help you get a potential client. Not just any clients, but high paying clients.

I mean, this is free advertising right?

Your entire freelance writing website has to showcase your best writing and what better way to do this than with a blog that has consistent content?

The trick is to know what to write about and demonstrate how great of a freelance writer you are.

Keeping the Clients You Have

So, you use your blog to grow your client base and now you have a new client! Congrats!

Now the trick is to keep the clients you have.

An easy way to do this is to go above and beyond with clients with your customer service. I do this time and time again with each of my freelance writing jobs and it’s proven to be a great tactic.

I gain referral business from this strategy and I gain a name for myself as a high quality and easy-going freelance writer.

I would also make sure to use a freelance writing planner to keep your clients’ freelance writing projects organized.

It would be an embarrassing if you used the wrong name of your client or had the wrong deadline.

Actively Growing Client Base Online

Part of landing clients as a business owner is to continually work and hustle for more clients.

To ensure you are always growing in your business, make sure you use social media marketing strategies to help you grow.

Simply posting on a social media platform like your Instagram Feed friendly helpful advice to new customers or an existing customer based on your writing niche or service can be enough to grow your client base.

I always tell new freelance writers that in the beginning, your job to is to keep on hustling and finding jobs with your social network.

Maintaining Your Client Base

Finally, with the client base you have, it’s a good idea to maintain what you have and not lose clients over petty things like not knowing their brand message or the right person to contact for your submissions.

Having a project management system is important once you land a few clients.

Build Your Client Base Today

Having a blog is a great way to boost your business and develop loyal readers while at the same time growing your client base.

As a writer, your blog helps develop your niche and improves your writing.

People take notice when they see a well developed blog that is consistent with a freelance writer’s brand.

It doesn’t hurt either, to have sharing buttons and comments on your blog. This helps get clients and have them see that if your content is share worthy and highly engaging on your blog, then it will also be on their site (if they hire you).

Just remember one important aspect of using your blog to get clients: always be marketing.

At the end of each of blog posts, add an author bio detailing your services and the easiest way to contact you.

This makes it extremely easy for prospects to know what type of writing services you do and how to reach you should they want to collaborate with you.

So before you let your blog build cobwebs, give it a little TLC and use it as a marketing strategy for your success as a freelance writer to get clients.

Have you given your blog much attention lately? How do you get clients for a healthy client base?

Hi I'm Elna and I'm a freelance writer and mom blogger. I help people just like you become a profitable freelance writer. Within 6 months of starting my freelance writing business from scratch I was able to earn a full-time living as a part-time freelance writer while taking care of my twin toddlers. Check out my free email course Get Paid to Write Online and learn the steps you need to take to be a freelance writer.

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30 Comments

Hey Elna I have a niche blog that is on WordPress.com and therefore free. I created a writer’s website/blog/portfolio thing (on wordpress.org), and I still don’t feel comfortable with it, but at least it can be monetized. My issue is, should I be posting regularly on that site as well? I mean, some writer’s websites are just a simple page for clients to find them. I feel very confused and I’m freaking out a little. I’ve been at this a while and nothing is really happening for me yet. I guess I am also nervous about what will happen now that I’ve “put myself out there” because it feels unfinished.Reply to Kim
Hey Kim! That’s great you have a dedicated site for your service! You don’t need a blog on your writer website. You do, however, need a portfolio page with samples of your writing. This can be blog posts! Or, you can link to your lifestyle blog or personal blog on your writer website if you want. Check out my free courses to help you out, or if you need be successful fast, consider Write Your Way to Your First $1k course.Reply to Elna
Hi Elna! Another great read for me. I feel like I landed on the jackpot of freelancing tips. I’ve read my share of ‘how to freelance’ blogs but I really enjoy the tone and style with which you write, so the info seems to resonate with me more. I really appreciate the ‘What To Blog About’ section. It’s nice to know that my ideas were on the right track! I can’t thank you enough for sharing this!!! Great post.Reply to Jennee
Hey girl! Just got finished responding to your other comment when I was pleasantly surprised with yet another comment! Glad you liked my post. While I haven’t landed too many clients with my blog, I know for a fact it has helped me close the deal. And who knows, maybe they did read my blog and went to my Hire Me page and that was that. Either way, your blog can be an excellent place for samples and to show off your expertise!Reply to Elna
All very good points. For a freelancer portfolio blog, I’d suggest focusing on writing about things in your niche and things that your clients are struggling with. That way, it’s all about what your clients want to read (which makes you look good).Reply to Angela
Hi Angela, You made a great point. Your portfolio should reflect what type of writing you want to get paid for. If you find that you have many parenting articles in your portfolio, but you suddenly became interested in career advice, then make sure to hide your parenting articles or place them lower on the page (if you want career advice clients). For me, that’s what I did. I enjoy writing about social media and digital marketing, so I made sure to highlight those in my portfolio, while placing education last. Thanks for stopping by! ElnaReply to Elna
I’ve been trying really hard to post regularly on my blog lately, because not only does it showcase my writing skills, but it also keeps driving traffic to my site. I find there’s a fine balance between keeping a blogging schedule and then writing something mediocre just for the sake of stick to said schedule. It can be tough to balance blogging on top of client work, marketing, emails, etc!Reply to Robyn
Hi Robyn! Thanks for stopping by. I always love to see new faces on my blog. I totally agree with you! You don’t want to put out “junk” content just for the sake of sticking to your blog content. Treat your blog like one of your clients. Would you give them junk? I wouldn’t. But, it is a fine balance. I feel if I produce a blog post less than 1,000 words, it isn’t up to my standards. So, sometimes I struggle with this as longer posts take more time, research and thinking. But, you just have to be a bit creative. You can offer guest posting on your blog or do a blog series, where you may write less but overall, you’re providing valuable information. I’ll be sure to check out your site! ElnaReply to Elna
Great blog tips, Elna! I know how easy it is to put your blog on the backburner when you’ve got clients to deal with, it’s a struggle for me all the time.Reply to Kelly
You do such a great job over at your blog Kelly! I think the biggest thing is to committing to a blog schedule that won’t interfere with your client work. For me, I like to post once a week as this, so far doesn’t get in the way of my client work. There will be times though, when I’ll be swamped and my blog will suffer. But, I hope to have pre-written some posts or have someone do a guest post on my blog. Thanks for stopping by!Reply to Elna
It’s encouraging to hear that a constantly updated and promoted blog can help lead to freelance work. I’m just starting my hunt, but I am very anxious to dive in and start writing. I like your suggestion to treat a blog like a client and schedule deadlines. I might suggest keeping a list of prompts. While I can’t always drop everything and write on every idea, when I get my chance to write for my blog, I can jump into an idea right away as i have about twenty topics waiting to be written. As a freelance writer, do you find focusing on one specific niche market helpful when looking for jobs? I’m very new and so excited/anxious it’s hard to narrow down exactly what I’d like to focus in. Are some niches better than others and if so, where is best to focus?Reply to Jess
Hi Jess! Thanks for stopping by. Having a blog is important if you want freelance writing work (that’s what I believe). This helps in generating queries from prospective clients. They see your blogs, see the engagement and think, “hey, if she can do it for her blog, then I know she can do for my blog.” That’s why it’s important to treat your blog like a client. I like your suggestions of keeping a list of prompts. Having a few topical ideas is a great way to keep the blog going. I also write all my posts a month in advance. That way I don’t have to worry about meeting a deadline and keeping up with my blog. As a freelance writer, I don’t concentrate on one niche, but I do concentrate on my specializations. I find most freelance writers have several niches but maybe one core specialization. For me, that’s parenting, but most of my client work is with health, lifestyle or marketing. So, it goes to show, that you don’t always get work in your “wheelhouse.” Learn to adapt and decide what your specialization is. Form there, you can branch out if you find you can’t find plentiful work in your specialization. Thanks for the comment! ElnaReply to Elna
Thanks, that helps clarify quite a few thoughts! I really appreciate your feedback.Reply to Jess
No problem Jess! Feel free to sign up to my newsletter (you also get a free awesome eBook) to get started on freelance writing!Reply to Elna
It is amazing how much consistency and persistance can accomplish! I have chosen to post once a week because I can be consistent that way. And my blog sometimes has heavily researched health posts. I think sometimes people need to be able to digest that and think over whether it applies to them.Reply to Kristie
Hi Kristie! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I also post once a week as I do have other obligations such as my client work and my never ending eBook I’m trying to write! Blogs are definitely a great way to set up your own business, whether or not it’s freelance writing or cooking delicious recipes. I know that if you have a stellar blog with some awesome content, prospective clients will contact you regardless if you are a freelance writer. Thanks for stopping by! ElnaReply to Elna
Great article, full of good ideas (and lots of them).Reply to Dawn
Hi Dawn! Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. Glad you enjoyed all my ideas! Using your blog to attract clients is easy to do. You just have to make sure to take the time to make your blog the best it can be! ElnaReply to Elna
Great advice, Elna! I’m not currently looking for freelance work because I’m writing a novel. But when I’m in a place where I can write for someone else, it will be good to have my blog already in good shape for that.Reply to Kara
Hi Kara! Congrats on writing a novel! I’m in the process of writing an eBook (non fiction), but because of client work, it’s taking much longer than anticipated. But, I’m okay with that. I really enjoy freelance work and it’s exciting to help a business prosper. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’ll be sure to visit your blog! ElnaReply to Elna
Great blog post, so sorry it took me awhile to read it!Reply to Kyle
Thanks Kyle, No worries if it took you a while to read it! That’s a good sign that you’re a busy freelance writer! I’m working on getting all my blog posts written for the this month! Just two more to go (March is a long month!). Thanks for stopping by! ElnaReply to Elna
Hi Elna, I bet I have read over 200 blogs in the last few months and you are so right on one point in particular… inject some passion and interest in your blog. If we are going to convert anyone from being a reader to a prospect and then a customer we have to persuade them and give them a reason to buy. Our words are powerful and people can feel us through them; and we all know that people buy based on emotion; not logic. Yet, blogs tend to appeal to logic. Why not blend logic and emotion together in your words. Let people both understand and feel you and then you’ll have a winning combination! I really enjoyed your article Elna. You definitely sparked a few ideas for me. Have a great evening! ~ Don PurdumReply to Don
Thanks Don, Glad you enjoyed my article. I feel clients want a writer that can engage with readers, spark interest and ultimately convert. A blog can showcase some of these aspects for a freelance writer. If you have a consistent blog schedule, comments and shares, it can show to a prospect your level of influence. Thanks again for commenting! ElnaReply to Elna
I agree, you should treat your blog like a client. I wouldn’t want to advertise that I’m a blogger, but not have an active blog – might not look good;-) I thought your interview series was super creative and fun to read!Reply to Gina
Hey Gina, Thanks for being a part of my Confessions of a Freelance Writer series! I enjoyed doing it. Yes, having an up-to-date blog seems to go hand-in-hand with being a freelance writer/blogger. It’s like having a dentist with bad teeth! Just doesn’t make sense! ElnaReply to Elna
This is really good information. I often find myself struggling with what topics to write about in my blog. Writing with passion doesn’t always come easy, especially when it seems I have to write for a niche’ and I’m afraid if I put too much personality into my blog it won’t be taken seriously by a prospective client. Thanks! DawnReply to Dawn
Hey Dawn, It’s sometimes hard to come up with blog posts on a consistent basis. I find that if I look to Pintetest or LinkedIn I can come up with some ideas. As for passion, I think if you show your readers you’re passionate it won’t hurt your chances of landing a client. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.Reply to Elna
This is great, Elna! (And thanks much for the mention 🙂 ) My business blog is always something I’ve struggled with. I used to feel like every post needed to be something amazing and 100% unique, and I would never feel like I had anything good enough to write about. Then I realized that if I just wrote content that was useful and targeted for my audience, then writing about it from my own point of view made it unique. Each post doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. I’ve also struggled with posting regularly since my business has picked up last year. I always tend to put client work first, and all my own projects end up on the back burner. “Treat Your Blog Like a Client” is excellent advice, and lately I’ve been experimenting with exactly how I can put that into practice.Reply to KeriLynn
Hey KeriLyn, I love your blog! It does have useful info that is unique. For me, I don’t mind doing a topic that’s already been done because I know I’ll have my own angle on it making it unique and helpful. Yes, it is hard to keep up with your blog when you have lots of client work. But, I try to carve some time to pump out a months posts so then I don’t have to worry about them. Thanks for stopping by. ElnaReply to Elna