The ridiculously efficient way a $400K freelancer finds clients

Hint: It isn't job boards

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Diana Kelly Levey
August 13, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

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Freelancers spend a ton of time asking:

Where do I find jobs? What websites should I use? 

But the secret to a thriving freelance business isn’t only using job boards and social media.

For one successful freelancer, it’s relationships.

Tim Noetzel is a CRO and Web Development expert who focuses on relationships — specifically calls — to land high-paying freelance clients.

“I have found that one-on-one conversations and building relationships are just by far the most effective ways to get clients,” he shared with me in a webinar.

“Five to 15 conversations a month usually yield a client,” Noetzel told me.

That’s right, a few 15-minute chats can land you high-value work.

While it might seem like a lot of time spent on prospecting calls, Noetzel knows how to close. He usually earns over $400,000 a year in his freelance business.

I know many of us don’t like to get on a call these days, but if you screen the candidates and potential clients, I like to send my Client Intake Questionnaire Form which lets them know my starting rates; it’s usually not time wasted.

So, if you’re tired of sending cold emails and cold DMs all day, every day, try this:

Reconnect with past clients: Ask how they’re doing, not just if they have work.

Engage on social media: I like being active in specific groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and I’m warming up on Threads (@dianakellyleveyfreelance) these days.

Make yourself useful: Share an industry article, congratulate them on a win, or just check in to see how a holiday or break went.

Freelancing isn’t just about finding clients. It’s about staying on their radar until they need you.

This isn’t just lip service. It continually works in my business. I’m about to start work with two clients in Q3 that I stayed in touch with over the past YEAR when my previous contact left.

Keep going, you’ve got this.

Diana

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Freelance / Content / Media Jobs I Found

This roundup includes freelance writing jobs, media jobs, FT jobs, creative jobs, and content writing jobs for creatives I found. Good luck!

Blavity inc is looking for a freelance writer for $20/hour

Newsday is looking for a FT editor in Long Island, NY, up to $50/hour

Macpaw is hiring a freelance cybersecurity writer starting at $30/hour

Buro Happold is hiring for a FT communications writer hybrid in NYC or Boston for $100k-120k

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