Go from a desperate freelancer to trusted expert using strategic information-sharing techniques
Most freelancers do client hunting ineffectively. They chase people, pitch their services, and wonder why prospects don’t want to talk. There’s another approach to consider. Share valuable information consistently and let clients come to you.
Become that go-to person
It’s more than likely that you have started following someone on LinkedIn or another social media channel because they offered information or advice you could action. They gave you answers to questions or problems you already had. They knew someone out there would appreciate it.
Here’s how you can also attract that kind of following.
Firstly, find out what your ideal clients need to know but can’t find good answers for. Instead of asking for work, become the person who always shares useful insights that solve real problems.
This works because people buy from those they trust. Trust builds when someone helps you without asking for anything back.
Step one: Find people who need answers to what you know
Start by doing some research. On LinkedIn, watch the groups where your target clients are active. What questions keep coming up without good answers? What new trends confuse them? Notice the problems that people mention over and over.
In your personal life, listen differently. When chat turns to your area of work, pay attention to complaints and confusion. A marketing person might hear a business owner moan about keeping up with Google changes. An accountant could notice someone getting stressed about new tax rules.
These moments show you gaps in knowledge that you can fill. These aren’t just random complaints, they are chances to help people.
Step two: Make information easy to understand
Don’t just share links like everyone else does. Your value comes from taking complex stuff and making it simple and useful.
On LinkedIn, write posts that go beyond just sharing. When you find a relevant article or news, add what it means in plain English. Explain what this new rule means for small businesses, or turn complicated advice into three easy steps. Your explanation is what people will remember.
In real life, when these topics come up naturally, offer to send a simple summary or list of good resources. Instead of giving a long speech on the spot, say something like: “You mentioned having trouble with that. I just looked into something similar. I could send you a quick summary of what I found if it would help.”
Step three: Get people talking
Don’t try to turn every chat into a sale. Instead, create ways for people to engage with you that feel natural.
On LinkedIn, end your helpful posts with real questions that get people talking. Don’t just ask “thoughts?” Ask something specific like: “What’s been your biggest challenge with this?” or “What other parts of this topic are giving you trouble?”
In person, after you’ve shared something useful, don’t jump straight into selling. Give people time to think about what you’ve shared. They’ll start to see you as helpful when they realise how much thought you put into actually helping them.
Why this works
This approach changes how potential clients see you. Instead of being someone who wants something from them, you become someone who gives them something they need.
The people who respond most to your helpful content are exactly the ones who know they have problems you can solve. You’re not trying to catch anyone who’ll bite—you’re drawing in the right people who already know they need help.
This creates a pull effect instead of pushing. Clients don’t feel pressured because you’re not selling. They’re attracted to you because you’ve already shown you know your stuff and want to help.
However, don’t give everything away or commit to any unpaid work, especially on a discovery call or in an initial consultation. The Freelance Informer covers this in this article, which you can come back to after reading this one, so you don’t waste your time: Freelancers, stop giving away free advice: How to hook clients without giving away too much in consultations
How business happens naturally
The best part about this method is how work comes to you without pitching. You never have to make a sales speech because you don’t need to. When people keep getting useful tips from you, they start thinking of you as the expert.
Eventually, they hit a point where they need more help than your casual advice can give. Because you’ve already built trust and shown you know what you’re doing, the conversation naturally moves from “thanks for the tip” to “can you help us sort this out properly?”
An example: how would this look in real life?
Think about a cybersecurity expert who sees small business owners confused about new privacy laws on LinkedIn. Instead of jumping in with a sales pitch, they write a post called: “New privacy laws: what small businesses need to do right now.” The post explains the key changes and gives three things to do immediately.
At a business event, the same expert hears someone worried about cyber attacks. Instead of offering services straight away, they say: “I just put together a simple guide on the five biggest security risks for small businesses and easy ways to fix them. I could email it to you if you’d like.”
In both cases, the expert shows they know their stuff and want to help, without any sales pressure. People start asking more questions, wanting clarification, and eventually asking for proper help, but not because they were sold to, but because they were helped first.
This method turns finding clients from an awkward chase into a natural process where your knowledge draws the right people to you.
Try this method out this week
Don’t expect a flood of new business in the first week, but if you do, well, that’s brilliant. What you should see is more engagement from new people, whether you meet them in-person at a weekend BBQ, a café or on social media.
You could easily gather new contacts by offering a guide, etc., once people connect with you on LinkedIn, for example. Ensure you use #tags to reach people looking answers on the topics you know well.
Once connected with new people, you can send the guide via a message or email, whichever the contact prefers. If in a separate section of the guide you include your services, target client outcomes, testimonials and special rates or packages for new clients, that takes out a lot of guessing and eases the awkwardness when people want to ask how much you charge. It’s already there for them to see. Of course, for special projects, it can be a quote or price on application.
To continue getting news and career tips every week, sign up for the FI’s newsletter.
Click below to sign up in a matter of moments:
