Good question, nedwin Background: I'm a freelance marketer (soon to be) in Honolulu, Hawaii. My experience has been that freelance gigs for marketers come fro

Good question, nedwin Background: I'm a freelance marketer (soon to be) in Honolulu, Hawaii. My experience has been that freelance gigs for marketers come from 3 different sources: 1. Personal / Professional Referrals 2. Direct Outreach to Businesses 3. Craigslist / elance / community sites ## 1 — Referrals Referrals are the best way to get a client / gig because someone is vouching for your experience. I generate referrals by asking clients if they know of other business owners for have a need for {skillset}. ## 2 — Direct Outreach I wrote about this as a comment here (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4655212 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4655212). In short — manufacture interested customers by defining the types of companies you want to work with, making a list of companies that fit that criteria, identifying who is in charge of the department you want to work with, and set up an informational interview to learn about the company. ## 3 — Craigslist / Aggregate Sites These sites suck. When a job reaches these sites, it's generally because the employer went through options (1) and (2) and couldn't find someone capable. These jobs have been picked over. That said, I have some success browsing craigslist, seeing businesses that have listed an open position / a gig and emailing them. I like looking at businesses that post in the 'services' section (not advertising a need for a marketer) and then contacting them to learn about their business and offer my skills.