How to Leverage AI to Find Writing Clients
AI writing prompts to type into ChatGPT (or any other AI tool).
Whether or not you’re on board with using AI to write your content, you still can take advantage of the technology and let it help you find your next freelance writing clients.
In this post, we’ll talk about what you can do within AI tools (like ChatGPT) and what you can’t, because they do have significant limitations.
You’ll also get actual AI prompts that can work to help you generate a long list of potential clients, all in a few seconds! I’ve tried all sorts of inputs. Some will work and some won’t.
It’s important to note that I have only used the free versions of AI tools, which may have limited features. However, most writers won’t need to pay for AI tools to be successful anyway, so let’s stick with maximizing the free versions!
What AI Can Do to Help You Find Writing Clients
If you’re totally stuck about which companies to pitch, AI can be a great place to start. Within seconds it can generate a long list of potential companies - from popular brands to up-and-coming small businesses.
Instead of you having to go out and Google search budding companies, AI can give you a long list of possibilities to explore.
When you’re just starting out, you may find the most success when pitching small companies. These companies won’t necessarily need a senior writer to work for them, and they may not have the budget to support the highest writing rates anyway. However, these smaller companies are often hungry for growth.
If you can convey that your writing services will help them accomplish their goals, then you’re more likely to land clients. Looking for some help with cold pitching? Check out these blogs posts!
AI Prompts to Use for Finding Clients
“Give me a list of 20 small XXX companies.”
“Find 50 XXX companies for me to pitch my services to.”
“What are some medium-sized XXX companies?”
“List off some little known XXX companies.”
“Top 50 XXX brands.”
“Who is the CEO of XXX?” (This really only works for large and/or established brands.)
“What are some ways to find freelance writing clients?”
Obviously, you should replace the “XXX” with your desired industry.
The more specific you can be with your prompt, the better. Adding parameters around the size of the company, the popularity and the industry will all help the AI tool refine its output.
If you’re stuck on what niche or industry you want to get into, don’t fret. You actually don’t have to establish a niche. Check out this post: Should All Writers Establish a Niche?
What AI Can’t Do to Help you Find Writing Clients
Even though AI’s background knowledge is immense, it is not the same thing as a search engine like Google or Bing. It’s also not as up to date.
With that in mind, you won’t be able to generate company information that took place after the AI’s last update - and sometimes the last update happened years ago!
For example: At the time of writing this article, ChatGPT’s last update was nearly 2 years ago. However, ChatGPT will be the first to say that the information it uses may be outdated.
AI Prompts That Won’t Work to Find Clients
“Find 10 XXX companies near me.”
“Find me clients to pitch.”
“Who is the head of content at XXX?” (AI tools usually have trouble with lesser-known information.)
“What is the email address for XXX?”
“How do I contact XXX?”
Per ChatGPT’s AI language model (free version), it is upfront in saying that it lacks access to “real-time data” and that its “browsing capability is disabled.” So, all it can give you is information about companies prior to the last update. This may be fine if you’re looking to work with a company that has been around for a couple years.
As you can see from the list above, you won’t be able to pull anything regarding personal information, the latest updates or geolocational information. Believe me, I tried it!
Once you have your list of companies, you’ll still have to go and check them out for yourself. You’ll have to find the right point of contact and analyze how your writing services will specifically help that company. You’ll also have to go and write your pitch. Ahh!
Not sure what to write in your pitch? Check out this post: How to Cold Pitch Your Writing Services
Using AI to Find Writing Clients: The Bottom Line
As with any AI tool, you can’t just take the information and run with it. Use your human brain to vet these companies. However, using AI can help kickstart your journey to finding clients.
For well-rounded and actionable ways to build a writing business, check out these client-finding blog posts. You’ll get a wide variety of ways to find clients and generate a long list of potential clients to pitch.
