Lovely Girl   +  open thread

Open Thread: Hey! How'd You Get That Gig?

People always ask how I find freelance clients. The simple answer? Everywhere! Seriously, I've landed projects from referrals, from answering online ads, even from participating in a focus group. That's right. A few years ago, when business was slow, I attended a focus group for people who had recently bought a new TV online (I qualified thanks to my then boyfriend prodding me to upgrade on Black Friday). If I remember correctly, we were paid with $25 cash and a nice spread of snacks. They showed us their new electronics website and asked our opinion on colors, logos, fonts, and other features. I, of course, honed in on the copy. Why didn't their tagline express what they were really about? How about something more like ______? As soon as I'd blurted out a new tagline, I realized I shouldn't have given it away so cheaply. So the next day, I emailed my contact at the company saying how much I enjoyed the focus group and "oh, by the way, in case you need any more copy for your website, I happen to be a freelance copywriter." He hired me to write a few blog posts. Not a huge project, but it just goes to show that you can find clients virtually anywhere. What is your most unusual "how I landed a client" story? Or how did you find your favorite project?