Are you selling freelancing or you as a freelancer?

Selling your services as a freelancer can feel confusing, even when you know what you do. Too often, we jump straight into marketing without pausing to ask the simplest question: what exactly am I selling? This isn’t just about your skills, it’s about the outcomes, relationships, and value you bring to clients. By reflecting on past projects and testing your marketing approaches, you can create a clearer, more confident strategy that works for you.

What exactly are you selling?

It might sound like a no-brainer, but let’s break it down, shall we?

• What was the last project you worked on?

• What was the client going through at the time? (project background)

• What problem did they want to solve by working with you? What was their desired outcome?

• What solution did you offer them?

• How did you manage the working relationship?

• Were they happy with that level of customer service?

• How did you execute the project and get it live?

• What obstacles and challenges did you face along the way?

• What were the results for the client?

• What resulted for you? (e.g. did you learn something new, discover anything special, find out something interesting)

Repeat this three times for the last three projects (or the last three you were happy with). Then ask yourself:

• Are there any patterns emerging about the way you work or the service you offer?

• How can you replicate this insight in your marketing?

Are you accidentally selling freelancing?

Sometimes, instead of selling our services, we end up selling freelancing itself. That might sound strange, but it happens more often than you think. Here are some common traps to watch out for.

• Playing to your peers instead of your clients
  It can feel fun to vent about freelancing life, but there’s a balance. If most of your public posts are about “nightmare clients” or industry in-jokes, it creates a peer-to-peer dialogue that excludes potential clients. A good ratio to aim for is 80 percent client-facing content and 20 percent peer-sharing. Too much shaming language makes you sound unapproachable, even if your peers find it entertaining.

• Borrowing someone else’s sales voice
  Whether it’s copying the tone of your industry or echoing your course guru’s script, selling in someone else’s voice dilutes your impact. Clients want to hear how you work, not a recycled pitch that could belong to anyone. Developing your own language around your services makes you far more memorable.

• Forgetting your approach as a point of difference
  Clients don’t just buy outcomes. They buy the way you work. If your process is collaborative, fast-moving, or highly supportive, that’s part of your unique value. Failing to communicate this means you blend into the crowd of freelancers who appear to be “just another option.”

• Leaning on clichés and generic posts
  “I’m passionate about helping businesses succeed” or “I go the extra mile” are phrases clients have seen a thousand times before. They don’t reveal anything about your skills or approach. Instead, talk about the real challenges your clients face and how you help solve them.

• Selling the hustle, not the help
  Talking about how busy you are, how many late nights you’ve worked, or how many side projects you juggle might impress peers, but it doesn’t reassure clients. Clients want stability and solutions, not someone who’s always at breaking point.

• Highlighting the industry over your impact
  It’s easy to post about how “the future of freelancing is growing” or how “freelancers are the flexible workforce of tomorrow.” Interesting, but it sells the industry, not you. Clients don’t buy freelancing as a concept, they buy the specific results you deliver.

If you recognise yourself in any of these, don’t panic. The fix is simple: shift the focus from freelancing as an identity to freelancing as a client solution.

Testing your marketing

When it comes to sales, you’ve probably had people offer advice that didn’t work for you. Maybe you’ve also tried things that others told you wouldn’t work and they did.

Reflecting on both helps you see where your instincts, strengths, and client base differ from standard advice.

Ask yourself:

• What techniques did others tell you would work that didn’t?

• What happened when you tried them?

• What do you think was missing from their advice and or your approach?

• What did you try that others said wouldn’t work?

• Why do you think it succeeded?

Four simple exercises to test your ideas

1. Reality Check Review

   • Write down three techniques others told you would work.

   • For each, briefly describe what happened when you tried them.

   • Identify one thing you think was missing, either in the advice or in how you applied it.

   • Use these insights to adjust or avoid similar advice in the future.

2. Success Analysis

   • List two ideas you tried that others said wouldn’t work.

   • For each, note why it worked for you.

   • Highlight any strengths, skills, or conditions that made it succeed.

   • This will help you see where your instincts are stronger than assumptions.

3. Advice Filter Test

   • Before trying new sales advice, ask:
     a) Does this suit my style, market, and clients?
     b) Have I seen real examples (not just promises) that it works in my industry?

   • If not, tweak it to fit you better or test it on a small scale first.

4. Gut Check Experiment

   • For any new selling idea, plan two mini-experiments, one based on standard advice and one based on your gut instinct.

   • Run both with a small group or limited audience.

   • Compare results honestly to see what fits you and your clients best.

Your marketing review

Let’s review your marketing.

1. Review your last three activities.

2. Did your approach reflect your marketing image? Why or why not?

3. What needs to change so your marketing feels more your own?

Marketing reflection table

Selling yourself as a freelancer doesn’t mean giving up who you are 

Freelance marketing doesn’t have to feel like guesswork. Nor does it have to sound like selling you see working for other freelancers or brands. It is about reflecting who you are and what you do!

By breaking down what you sell, reflecting on past projects, and experimenting with what works and what doesn’t, you create a roadmap based on your own strengths and real client outcomes. Instead of chasing every piece of advice, you’ll have a clear picture of your services and a practical, personal marketing plan that actually works.

Need help figuring out how to sell yourself? Check out these great booklets via the Patreon shop.