How to Start Freelancing as a Marketer
Build a sustainable business.
Far too many companies view marketing as a "nice to have" rather than a "must-have" department. Meaning, as soon as times are tough, marketing is often the first team to get laid off. Over the past few years, thousands of marketers have lost their jobs for reasons that have nothing to do with performance. On top of that, they're trying to look for new jobs at a time when many companies aren't hiring.
As a result, many marketers have turned to freelance work. In many ways, freelancing is a natural fit for marketers. Since companies are operating on tighter budgets, they're looking for temporary or fractional help instead of a full-time employee. By working with multiple clients, you can reduce the risk if you lose a client. Plus, freelance marketing is often less stressful than working as an in-house marketer: no meetings and less responsibility for things like reporting.
If you're not sure how to start freelancing as a marketer, I've got you covered. I made the switch from working at marketing agencies to working as a full-time freelancer a few years ago and never looked back.
Prepare to make the leap
If you're currently employed and have even an inkling that you'd like to start freelancing, start building up your network. The marketing world is very small, and you'd be surprised how many people know each other and can either refer you or hire you.
You can start by engaging with other marketers on LinkedIn, either leaving comments on their posts or connecting and sending a DM. One thing about marketers (compared to other industries) is that they are very active on LinkedIn. It shouldn't be too hard to find other marketers talking about topics like email marketing, content marketing, growth marketing, and more.
Even if you were laid off and looking for a job, you can use the same tactics to start to build your network.
Work on network building until you're fully ready with the next step below. Then, you can announce that you're taking on clients.
The other thing you can do is freelance alongside a 9-5 job. I did this for more than 18 months. I never took on a ton of freelance work — just enough to build a nice portfolio of samples. Doing this can help you decide if freelancing is right for you.
What you need when you start freelancing
To get started with freelancing, you don't need much, but there are a few essentials:
- A website with your portfolio
- A contract
- A way to invoice clients and collect payments
Some people might argue that a website isn't necessary, but I disagree. Clients need a way to review samples of your work. It also signals that you take your business seriously. If you're a writer, you can use a site like JournoPortfolio, which has a free version, to get started. I've also seen people set up portfolio sites through Notion.
You'll also need a contract that outlines the scope of work and how much you'll be paid. Do not risk operating without one. There are tons of contract templates available on the internet (including one of mine). If you get into a dispute with a client, you can always point back to the contract.
Finally, you need an invoicing system and a way to collect payments. Apps like Stripe and Wave allow you to send invoices for free, and then take a percentage of the payment as a processing fee. With these apps, your clients will be able to use their payment method of choice — like a credit card or bank transfer. Clients don't have to have Stripe or Wave accounts to make payments; they use a button directly on the invoice.
Anna Burgess Yang
Determine your pricing
Freelance pricing is hard — especially if you have no idea what freelancers charge.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Client type
Business-to-business (B2B) companies typically pay a lot more than business-to-consumer (B2C). They're charging more for their products/services and have higher margins, so they have bigger marketing budgets. If you're working with individuals (like coaches or consultants), they may have even smaller budgets — unless you're working with well-established business owners.
I work almost exclusively with B2B companies. Most of them are venture-capital-backed, which means they have received money from outside investors. I can look on Crunchbase to see exactly how much funding they've received. Companies that have received tens of millions of dollars in funding are ideal, because they usually have very healthy marketing budgets.
Scope of work
Your pricing will also depend on the type of work you're delivering. Do you offer a lot of services? Do you bundle your services together? For example, most of my work is done based on a client brief — I'm not determining the marketing strategy; the client is. Strategy would be a separate service (that I choose not to offer). If you're working on a project end-to-end versus delivering a portion of the overall work, that should impact your pricing.
Niche or industry
Some niches pay more than others, because they require specialized knowledge. Within B2B, a healthcare or legal writer will be able to charge more than someone writing about sales or marketing. I am a fintech writer, which is a highly niche field.
Pricing model
You'll also want to consider how you'll charge for your services. The most common pricing models are per hour, per project, or per word (in my case, as a writer). There are pros and cons to each. You could charge per project, but make sure you very clearly identify the scope so you don't end up working an unreasonable number of hours. If you charge per hour, you might sell yourself short — especially as you gain more expertise.
Consider what marketing agencies charge
Before I pivoted to content marketing, I worked as the product manager for a fintech. The company worked with an outside marketing agency that charged $500 for a blog post that was about 500-750 words. Later, I joined a marketing agency that charged $2,200 for a blog post ranging from 1000-2000 words.
This information gave me a great perspective when I first started freelancing. I knew I could price myself lower than an agency, but still earn a decent amount.
As a marketing freelancer, you're a great alternative to an agency for clients. Marketing agencies have a lot of turnover, so clients might have different people on their account over time. With a freelancer, you're more dedicated to your clients and their businesses. Agencies also often require long-term commitments, and you can be more flexible. Most of my contracts with clients are based on ad-hoc work.
Build your business operations
Even though you only need a website and an invoicing system to get started, you should start thinking about other apps and tools that can help your business. Freelance project management is a big one, especially as you add more clients and projects to your workload. You may also need a personal CRM or a way to keep track of prospects and your pipeline.
I also use tools like an AI notetaker to capture meeting transcripts, a social media scheduling tool, and a calendar scheduling app. While these apps aren't 100% necessary, they sure make my work a lot easier. I think about how an app saves me time or makes my business appear more professional to clients.
In the beginning, you might be focused on keeping your expenses as low as possible. But over time, you should think about how to turn your freelance services into a business. Anything you can do to make your work more efficient or valuable to clients will help you create a sustainable freelance business.
Not sure where to get started with a client proposal or contract? You can check out this free checklist and download a template to use.
