Vital Replace:
LinkedIn Profinder was discontinued in October 2021. For extra data on this modification and what you are able to do as an alternative, take a look at the three articles under. The primary is from LinkedIn assist heart; the second is our article on the right way to increase your LinkedIn profile since LinkedIn remains to be one of the best place to get inbound leads as a contract author; the third hyperlink offers you extra data on our LinkedIn bootcamps for freelance writers, which you will have entry to whenever you turn out to be a member of the Freelance Writers Den.
Unique Article:
If you’re attempting to e-book your self stable, advertising and marketing to get extra leads needs to be your precedence. Ever heard of LinkedIn ProFinder?
It’s a instrument you need to use together with your LinkedIn profile to get leads, bid on initiatives, and probably land long-term purchasers.
Sounds good, proper? In spite of everything, LinkedIn has 433 million customers. And it’s a social media platform that’s outlined itself as a spot for enterprise professionals.
LinkedIn ProFinder launched in 2015 as means to assist customers discover expertise and discover freelance writing work. Over the past two years, it’s been broadly utilized by enterprise professionals in lots of industries. And it’s additionally gone by a sequence of modifications. Now you’re in all probability questioning…
Does LinkedIn ProFinder work?
Let’s state the apparent, first: LinkedIn ProFinder is only one of many advertising and marketing methods you need to use to seek out purchasers.
Letters of introduction, question letters, in-person networking, social media advertising and marketing, and even chilly calling, for instance, nonetheless work.
If you wish to transfer up, earn extra, and make a full-time dwelling as a freelancer, you’ll have to spend a piece of time advertising and marketing constantly.
Need to know if LinkedIn ProFinder can assist you land extra freelance purchasers? Right here’s what you could know:
How LinkedIn ProFinder works
If you have already got a LinkedIn profile arrange, tapping into the advantages of LinkedIn ProFinder are fairly easy.
If you happen to don’t have a LinkedIn profile arrange but, you’ll have to handle that. And should you do, however your LinkedIn web page isn’t set as much as appeal to purchasers, give attention to that first earlier than diving into LinkedIn ProFinder. Then observe these steps:
Full the web software
Earlier than you can begin receiving freelance proposals you may bid on, it’s a must to apply to make use of the LinkedIn ProFinder service.
- Login to your LinkedIn profile, then click on on the Work tab on the high of your LinkedIn profile web page.
- Select the Linked ProFinder possibility from the dropdown menu and observe the steps to use. (You’ll want to ensure your profile is related to the kind of freelancing work you need to apply for.)
Get accepted to LinkedIn ProFinder
If LinkedIn’s algorithms determine you’re a great match for ProFinder, you’ll get an e mail letting you realize you’ve been accepted, like this:
Simply remember that should you’re accepted to LinkedIn ProFinder, it’s not a lifetime move to make use of this lead era instrument:
- It’s a trial membership. You’ll get to bid on 10 proposals, without cost.
- Month-to-month value: If you wish to reply to greater than 10 proposals through LinkedIn ProFinder, you’ll be prompted to improve to Enterprise Premium, which prices $47.99 a month.
Obtain notifications for freelance initiatives
When a LinkedIn consumer decides to make use of ProFinder to discover a freelancer to rent for a venture, they’ll submit all of the venture particulars, and provides certified freelancers an opportunity to submit a proposal. It really works like this:
- Prospect creates a venture request. Potential purchasers put up freelance jobs through LinkedIn ProFinder and invite as much as 5 freelancers to bid.
- Examine for notifications. If you happen to’re picked to submit a proposal and bid on the venture you’re obtain an e mail and LinkedIn notification.
- Assessment proposals. If you obtain a notification, you’re given the chance to bid on that gig. Right here’s an instance:
Submit a proposal
If you obtain an invite to submit a proposal, you’ll usually be competing with different writers to win the gig. Right here’s what to anticipate:
- Bid a worth. Based mostly on particulars supplied, think twice and estimate how a lot time the venture will take you. Then determine your required hourly charge and multiply it by the variety of hours to reach at a worth estimate. Pitch a venture charge, not an hourly charge. Don’t fear—that is an estimate you may change later in your dialog with the shopper.
- Present particulars. You in all probability received the invitation to bid on this venture due to your LinkedIn profile. That will get you in entrance of a potential shopper. Now what do you say in your proposal?
- Assume letter of introduction. How will you make a reference to this prospect? Why are you one of the best author to assist them with this venture. Customise your pitch very like writing an LOI. For instance, search for the prospect on LinkedIn or on-line and embody just a few fast concepts. You received’t have sufficient room for a prolonged proposal, so attempt to hold this part concise and centered.
- Free session? It’s an possibility LinkedIn ProFinder asks with each proposal submission. Are you prepared to supply provide a free 15-minute telephone session?
- Subsequent steps. After you submit your bid, the prospect can reply to you instantly and ask for extra data. From there, they’ll let you realize should you received the gig or in the event that they’re hiring another person.
ProFinder: What freelance writers say
If you wish to get probably the most out of LinkedIn ProFinder to develop your freelance writing enterprise, there’s much more to it than sitting round ready for results in are available in.
It requires stable negotiation abilities. You should be persistent. You should develop a watch for cheap jobs. And simply since you get a lead by LinkedIn ProFinder doesn’t imply that particular person pays professional charges.
To search out out what it’s like to make use of LinkedIn ProFinder gig, we received real-world reviews from two writers about their expertise utilizing this lead era instrument.
Be selective to seek out purchasers
Laura MacPherson, a freelancer author based mostly within the Greenville, S.C., says she makes use of LinkedIn Profinder as one advertising and marketing technique to efficiently discover nice writing gigs.
“I’ve had good luck with it, however I additionally don’t pitch 90 p.c of the gigs on there,” MacPherson says. She believes her selectiveness is a part of her success. Certainly one of her present purchasers discovered her with ProFinder and employed her for ongoing work.
However she turns down loads of venture work that comes by through LinkedIn ProFinder. Numerous the initiatives she sees are small, one-off initiatives. She’s selective and personalizes her proposals fastidiously.
“I counsel spending an additional couple minutes customizing your responses and researching your prospect,” says MacPherson. “I attempt to search for the prospect to make the contact actually private.”
One other author, Seattle-based freelancer Margaret Ziviski, recommends being cautious about who you’re employed with and the initiatives you select to bid on by LinkedIn ProFinder. There’s a ton of resume-writer requests, and prospects who aren’t essentially accustomed to skilled freelancing charges, too.
“I believe staying away from solopreneurs is a good suggestion,” says Ziviski.
Land extra work with LinkedIn ProFinder
If you happen to’re on the lookout for one other technique to join with LinkedIn prospects, then ProFinder may simply be an excellent addition to your different types of advertising and marketing. Test it out on LinkedIn, benefit from the free 10 free proposals you may submit, and see what occurs.
Have you ever used LinkedIn ProFinder to land freelance writing purchasers? Let’s talk about on my Fb web page.
Kaitlin Morrison is a contract healthcare and finance author in Moses Lake, Wash. You can discover her on-line at www.kaitlinmorrison.com.
