Illustrating for Digital Platforms

I have made Over 1 CR as a Freelancer. Years ago, I was struggling to find clients, sending out pitch after pitch with no success. After trial and error, I discovered the strategies that turned my freelancing journey into a 7-figure success story. Today, I'm sharing my top pitching techniques with you. ✅ Strategy 1: Comment Strategy How to Use: Engage with top creators on LinkedIn, DM them, share resources, nurture relationships, then pitch. Benefit: Builds strong relationships and trust. ✅ Strategy 2: Video Pitches How to Use: Create personalized video pitches. Benefit: Personalization increases engagement. ✅ Strategy 3: Value Ladder Offers How to Use: Start with a low-commitment offer like a free audit. Benefit: Eases clients into your services. ✅ Strategy 4: Exclusive Insights How to Use: Offer exclusive insights or industry reports. Benefit: Demonstrates expertise and adds value. ✅ Strategy 5: Success Stories Follow-Up How to Use: Follow up with a success story from a similar client. Benefit: Provides social proof. ✅ Strategy 6: Free Tools or Templates How to Use: Share free tools or templates, then pitch comprehensive services. Benefit: Demonstrates value and expertise. ✅ Strategy 7: Social Proof Landing Pages How to Use: Direct clients to a landing page with testimonials and case studies. Benefit: Builds credibility and trust. ✅ Strategy 8: Follow-Up with Added Value How to Use: Follow up with additional valuable content related to the client’s business. Benefit: Keeps you top-of-mind and adds value. ✅ Strategy 9: Personalized Case Studies How to Use: Create case studies tailored to your potential client’s industry. Benefit: Shows clients how you can solve their specific problems. ✅ Strategy 10: Niche-Specific Content How to Use: Develop content highly relevant to the niche of your potential client. Benefit: Positions you as an expert in their industry. ✅ Strategy 11: Client Education How to Use: Educate clients on industry trends and solutions before pitching. Benefit: Builds trust and positions you as a knowledgeable resource. I've excelled at pitching potential clients and succeeded in sealing 99% of deals to date. I've taught my 5000+ students all the secret strategies of getting high-paying clients, and today, I see them making 50K-1Lac a month easily. 📌 If you're interested in learning from me & my 6-figure team, DM 'Freelance' for details. Question: Do you find it helpful?

Do you want to find freelance creative work? Don't overlook local clients: Many new creative freelancers will begin by send version 1 of their portfolio to big-name, recognisable clients and neglect the 'little guys'. If you're a new illustrator, sending your portfolio to The New York Times probably isn't going to secure your first freelance project. There is a lot of competition for the recognisable clients – they have a lot of options. Freelancers have to work their way up the ladder to be trusted and respected enough to work with top clients. Working locally with small businesses and friends of friends isn't the end goal, but it's a good start. If you can begin making money from freelance creative work quickly, even if it's not the kind of work you dream of doing, it will help you pay your rent, stay motivated and keep your skills sharp. - Bars - Cafes - Shops - Local events - Web designers - Graphic design agencies - Small non-profit organisations Introduce yourself: "Hey, i’m an illustrator and i wondered if you know anyone who might be looking for some creative work doing?” Do whatever freelance work you can get your hands on and make some connections. Become a big fish in a small pond and ask for referrals when you do a good job for someone. Focus on developing strong, personal relationships with local clients. Then when you ask if they know anyone else who might need some work doing, they will give it some serious thought and try their best to help you out. People love to help people they like. Helping you makes them feel good. Start small, make a good impression and make some money. That small circle grows over time and so will your portfolio. When i was starting out, I did graphic design jobs, I photographed a wedding, I designed event posters. I even had an exhibition of my own paintings in a local bar. None of these were the projects i really want to to be working on, but i gained valuable experience and they kept me going until the projects i did want came along. Over time, your reputation grows and you can start saying no to the projects you're not interested in and your portfolio will find a focus. These first local clients are valuable, but they are also stepping stones to bigger and better things. If you are ambitious, you will outgrow local clients quite quickly. Don't stay local for too long. It’s nice to be a big fish in a small pond, for a while, but make sure you’re still taking an active role in seeking out the bigger and better clients that you really want to work for, and developing the kinds of work you want actually want to do for your portfolio on the side.

It's a ⚡️HOT⚡️ topic right now—landing work as a FREELANCER—and having hired freelancers for 12+ years at GAP and eBay, and currently working as a consultant myself, I wanted to share my top strategies to help you "land" your next client... 1. Be Top of Mind Send out monthly availability updates to all producers and contacts, both current and prospective. A simple "Availability - Megan O'Brien AD July" type of email works wonders. Get creative too—consider sending a video text or another unique method to just provide a nice breath of fresh air from the millions of other stressful notes they receive! As someone hired to create and direct photography content, the goal is to stand out! 2. Be Original Don't send a generic note. You are the only YOU with your unique resume, gifts, talents, experiences. Make your communication personal! Share what excites you each month. For example, if I'm obsessed with shooting nature and tropical foliage, I might include a batch of a vibrant still-life images and say, "I love this color of ombre in this series." or "Spring is blooming." You catch the drift. 3. "Test" in Your Desired Space Testing can be tough, we all know, but it's essential. Before working with Levi's, I worked with savvy folks in the Bay Area on a classic Americana style creative exploration. When I sent my availability note, I'd add my recent test images to demonstrate why I specifically love art directing denim, how it's a blank canvas to tell stories, etc. Showcasing real-life examples as they might appear on a client’s site or socials is crucial. And, Producers love visuals. 4. Build Rapport Start your notes to clients with a open ended question, a check-in like, "How's business going this month?" or "I saw your new intimates launch, and the collection looks fantastic." Show genuine investment and authenticity. Remember, you are literally an extension of the brand and creative team. Don’t hesitate to share professional tidbits about yourself that enhance your work either. Being yourself- and human adds a personal touch that sets you apart. 5. Be Consistent You might feel like a stalker, (lord knows I have!) but consistency is key. Keep reaching out month after month, even year after year. Eventually, you’ll get a response like, "Love the inspo! Can we put you on hold for the week of XYZ?" Persistence pays off! And you just never know when it's your time! 6. Be Clear on Aligned brands (for you!!) Get CLEAR on who your ideal client is, and more importantly why? If you're an avid swimmer, surfer and also a photographer, that synergy is invaluable. Brands want to know how your passions align with their needs. As creatives, merging our lives and work creates an even more powerful connection! So, KEEP SHOWING UP, keep being YOU, and keep sending out those availability notes! There are amazing clients out there who can't wait to meet you. Here's to crushing the summer!

Submitting your illustration portfolio can feel like you're shooting in the dark. You're lucky if you even get a response. Sometimes the rejection is a flat out "No," other times a mysterious, "It's not for us." That's why, when you do get the rare feedback from an art director or agent, it's like striking gold! Even if the email is a rejection, at least you've got a target to work towards. (Must be said: Not all feedback is constructive, and you should only take what resonates with you!) But if the feedback is coming from a trusted source (a professional who’s been working in the industry for a while), then it’s an opportunity to grow. I recently had this experience: A publisher had many lovely things to say about my work, but there was one critique: They said my work looked flattened between figure and ground, and that it could use some depth. So this is what I did next: *Step 1: Study the technique I read and watched tutorials on creating depth in illustration. I also brushed up on other related technical skills, such as lighting and color. *Step 2: Create your action plan I wrote down a list of new art prompts. Think of this as designing your own personal training program. Each new piece should help you explore or practice a technical skill that you just learned. *Step 3: Find the sweet spot of challenge-skills balance When designing your own prompts, be mindful of your limits. You don’t want to stretch yourself too far from your current skills. Instead, choose something that challenges you just enough, so you don’t get bored or frustrated. For example, I knew I wouldn't master 3D perspective overnight, so I designed prompts that would allow me to explore other simpler ways of creating depth. Techniques like atmospheric perspective and layering. I was excited to experiment with these new tips, because I knew I could get good results without spending too many hours. *Step 4: Execute your action plan Since I got that publisher's feedback, I've made four solid pieces that experiment with depth. That's four new portfolio samples that I can go back and share to the same publisher in the near future. *Pro Tip: You can always ask an art director or agent if it'd be alright to follow up again in 3-6 months with new work, even if they rejected you. Beginners often wait until their portfolios are "perfect," before they start sending it out. Be honest with yourself, but don't wait forever either. Art directors know that an artist can grow and evolve over time. Plus, nobody will remember your bad art! So what's the main takeaway? I've learned that evolving as an artist requires: 1. Focused strategy 2. Trustworthy feedback loop 3. Consistent effort Rinse and repeat. -- Thanks for reading! Please let me know in the comments if you found this post helpful, or repost to share with others. As usual, I invite you to check out more of my children's illustration work here: https://www.annychen.art/

Are you looking to jump to full time freelance as a digital/3d artist? Here are a few tips to help with that transition (speaking from experience). 1 - Save up 6 months to 1 year of funds to live off of before you jump in. Nothing is more detrimental to your work/business than being desperate. This gives you a little mental stability to create without the pressure of "needing money" 2 - As you are working in a full time W2 gig, produce as much personal work as possible, and make sure you name is on EVERYTHING. Building your personal brand is key, it gives clients the same comfort as choosing their Coke product over grocery store "Cola". If you work at a studio or agency, try to put your name on work you contribute to if possible. Any form of name impressions help. 3 - Personal projects should always have a goal to target the clients and brands you want to work for. Don't just do tutorials and post them, it's just noise and blends in with everything that is out there. Choose a subject you are excited about, it will keep your interest in the project. Also, once you completed a project and you can't wait to show off... wait. Don't rush in posting the minute it's done, live with it for awhile (few days to a week) to make sure it's truly the end product that you want to attach your name to. I will sometimes leave the images open on a monitor in my studio so I glance at it throughout the day. I can't tell you the number of times I've started over after a few days living with it. 4 - While you are doing side gigs and personal projects, make sure you setup your LLC with a bank account and run everything through that from the beginning. This will help with taxes and building a credit history for your business before it even starts. There is an entire business side of being a freelancer that you need to perfect as well. How to create estimates (contract with process, deliverables, and terms), invoicing, business structure (do you stay LLC or go s-corp), equipment/software costs, and of course retirement planning. This could be it's own thread all together. 5 - Once you have 1-4 done, it's time to make that jump. It took me around 5 years to build my brand to the point I was comfortable enough to make the leap. Even though I was getting fairly consistent project requests, I was still scared as shit, but never... and I mean NEVER, let fear be the reason to make any decisions. It's a business, so treat the decision like a business decision. If everything is in place, you have a plan, give it a try. Hope this helps and I'm sure I forgot a million other things I did to get started, but feel free to ask any questions below. 🙌🏻 The attached project for Interstate Batteries (Firehouse agency) was my first as a full time freelancer - Jan. 2013. 😮