DEV Community: SHIHAJ

How to Get Your First Freelance Client When You Have No Experience

SHIHAJ — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:19:01 +0000

A digital marketing learner from Kerala on the practical steps between “I have skills” and “someone is paying me.”

Every beginner hits the same wall. You have learned the skills, you have watched the tutorials, and you are ready to work. But nobody is hiring, and you do not know where to find the first person who will say yes.

I am still learning myself, so I will not pretend to have all the answers. But from studying how freelancers start, watching local businesses, and thinking through what works, here is a simple path for getting that first client.

First, understand why the first client is hard

A business owner who hires you is taking a risk. They cannot see your past results, so they worry about wasted money and missed deadlines.

So your job is not to say “I am the best.” Your job is to make the risk feel small. Everything below is about doing exactly that.

Step 1: Choose one clear service

Do not say “I do everything in digital marketing.” It sounds unsure. Pick one service you can do well, like social media posters, Google Business Profile setup, a simple website, or short video editing.

A clear offer is easier to understand and easier to say yes to. You can add more services later.

Step 2: Choose one type of customer

Instead of “any business,” pick a group you understand. Cafes, clinics, boutiques, tuition centres, mobile shops, or small online sellers. When you speak to one type of business, you can talk about their real problems, and they feel you understand them.

Step 3: Look for businesses with a visible problem

This is where many beginners miss a big opportunity. You do not need to wait for clients to find you. Look around your own area and notice who needs help.

Some signs to look for:

A shop with no Google listing or an incomplete one
A social media page that has not posted in months
Posters with unclear text or poor quality
A business with no website or a very slow one
Great products with weak photos

Each of these is an opening for a friendly conversation.

Step 4: Start with people you already know

Your first client is often closer than you think. Family, friends, neighbours, and former colleagues may own businesses or know someone who does. Tell them clearly what you do and ask if they know anyone who needs it.

Be specific. “I help local shops get found on Google and look professional on social media” works better than “I do digital marketing, let me know if you need anything.”

Step 5: Reach out with a short, helpful message

When you contact a business, keep the message simple, polite, and focused on them, not on you.

A good message does four things:

Greets them and says who you are in one line
Mentions something specific you noticed about their business
Suggests one small improvement
Offers a quick chat or a free small sample

Avoid long messages and copy paste text. A message that shows you looked at their business will stand out from the many generic ones they receive.

Step 6: Reduce their risk with a small first offer

This is the key idea. Instead of asking for a big project, make the first step easy to say yes to.

A small paid trial. For example, one poster, one fixed setup, or one week of posts at a low price.

A free sample. Create one example for them, like a redesigned poster or a profile improvement suggestion, so they can see your quality before paying.

A discounted first project. Offer a lower price in return for honest feedback or a testimonial.

I would be careful with working free again and again. One free sample to show your skill is fine. Doing large projects for nothing teaches clients that your work has no value.

Step 7: Be clear about price and scope

Many beginners are nervous about money and stay vague. This causes problems later.

Before you start, agree on:

Exactly what you will deliver
How many revisions are included
The deadline
The price and how it will be paid
What you need from the client, like photos, logo, or details

Writing this in a short message or simple document protects both sides. It also makes you look professional, which builds confidence.

Step 8: Deliver more than they expect

The first client is not only about earning money. It is about building proof. So treat it seriously.

Reply quickly, keep your promises, and meet your deadline. Add one small extra, like a resized version for another platform or a short tip on using the work. These small touches turn a one time job into a long relationship.

Step 9: Ask for feedback and a testimonial

After finishing, ask politely how the experience was. If they are happy, request a short testimonial or permission to show the work in your portfolio. One honest review from a real client is worth more than many claims about yourself.

Also ask, “Do you know anyone else who might need this?” Referrals are one of the strongest ways freelancers grow.

Mistakes beginners make

Waiting to feel ready. Nobody feels fully ready. Start with what you can do now.

Charging too little for too long. Low prices attract difficult clients and make growth hard. Start fair, and raise prices as your skills improve.

Sending the same message to everyone. People can tell when it is copied. Personalise it.

Promising too much. Do not guarantee results you cannot control, like exact sales numbers or rankings. Promise effort, quality, and communication.

Taking rejection personally. Most messages will get no reply, and that is normal. Each attempt teaches you something.

Disappearing after the project. A simple follow up after a few weeks keeps the door open for more work.

My take

I believe the first client does not come from a perfect portfolio or a big following. It comes from clarity, courage, and a willingness to help. When you focus on solving one real problem for one real person, you stop sounding like a beginner and start sounding like someone worth trusting.

The first client is often the hardest. The second is easier, and the third even more so. Every honest project builds proof, confidence, and a reputation that slowly starts to work for you.

Final thought

Take ten minutes today. Write down one service you can offer, one type of business you want to help, and three local businesses that clearly need it. Then send one polite, personal message to the first one.

That single action is more powerful than another month of waiting to feel ready.

I am Shihaj, an AI digital marketer, web developer, and SEO expert from Malappuram, Kerala, sharing what I learn while working with AI and modern marketing. You can see my work at shihaj.com.

Canva Design Tips for Non Designers: Make Posters People Actually Stop and Look At

SHIHAJ — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 17:38:38 +0000

A digital marketing learner from Kerala on the simple design rules that make a poster look professional, even if you have never studied design.

Many small business owners tell me the same thing: “I am not a designer, so my posts look bad.”

I used to believe that too. But after designing posters, logos, and social media posts for a while, I realised something. Good design is not about talent or expensive software. It is mostly about a few simple rules that anyone can follow.

Canva makes the tools easy. What makes a design work is how you use them. Here is what I have learned.

Start with one clear message

Before you open any template, ask yourself what this poster should say. Not five things. One thing.

A poster that tries to show an offer, an address, five services, a quote, and a festival wish all at once becomes noise. A poster that says one clear thing is remembered. Decide the main message first, then build the design around it.

Create a clear visual order

When people look at a design, their eyes move from the biggest and boldest element to the smaller ones. This is called hierarchy, and it is the secret behind most good designs.

Make the most important text the biggest. Make the supporting details smaller. Keep the contact information neat at the bottom or corner. If everything is the same size, nothing stands out.

A simple test: squint your eyes and look at your design. Can you still tell what the main message is? If yes, the hierarchy works.

Use fewer fonts

Beginners often use many fancy fonts because they look interesting. The result usually looks messy.

Stick to two fonts at most. Use one bold, clear font for headings and one simple, readable font for everything else. If you are unsure, choose clean fonts that are easy to read on a phone screen. Readability always matters more than style.

Stay within a small colour palette

Too many colours make a design look confusing and cheap. Choose two or three main colours and use them throughout.

A good approach is one main colour, one supporting colour, and one neutral shade like white or dark grey. If your business has a logo, take colours from it so everything feels connected. Consistent colours help people recognise your brand even before they read the name.

Make sure the text is easy to read

This sounds obvious, but it is one of the most common mistakes. Light text on a light background, or text placed over a busy photo, is hard to read.

Check the contrast. Dark text on a light background, or white text on a dark background, works well. If you place text over an image, add a soft overlay or a solid shape behind the text so it stays clear. If someone has to struggle to read your poster, they will simply scroll away.

Give your design room to breathe

Empty space is not wasted space. It gives the eyes a place to rest and makes the important parts stand out.

Many beginners try to fill every corner. Leave margins around the edges, keep space between elements, and avoid crowding the text. A clean design with space always looks more professional than a crowded one.

Use good quality images

A blurry or stretched image can ruin a good design. Use clear, bright, high quality photos. If you are promoting a real shop or product, real photos usually work better than generic ones because they feel honest.

Keep the style of your images consistent. Mixing very different photo styles in one design makes it feel unplanned.

Align everything neatly

Look closely at professional designs and you will notice that things line up. Text aligns with text, images align with edges, and spacing is even.

Use the guides and alignment tools in Canva to keep elements straight. Small misalignments are often what make a design feel amateur, even when people cannot say exactly why.

Keep the style consistent across posts

If you post regularly, every design should feel like it belongs to the same brand. Use the same colours, fonts, and general layout style.

When someone sees your post in their feed, they should recognise it as yours without reading the name. This builds trust and makes your page look serious. Saving your brand colours and fonts in one place makes this much easier.

Do not copy templates exactly

Templates are a great starting point, but if you use them without changes, your design looks like thousands of others. Change the colours, fonts, images, and layout to match your brand and message. Add your own personality. A small custom touch makes a big difference.

Mistakes that make designs look unprofessional

Too much text. Posters are not paragraphs. Keep the words short and clear.

Too many effects. Heavy shadows, glows, and decorations rarely improve a design.

Stretching logos or images. Always resize while keeping proportions.

Forgetting the call to action. Tell people what to do next, like call, visit, or message on WhatsApp.

Ignoring the platform. A design made for a phone screen should be sized and readable for a phone. Check how it looks before posting.

A simple process I follow

Step 1: Decide the one message and the goal of the design.

Step 2: Choose the size for the platform where it will be posted.

Step 3: Set colours and fonts first.

Step 4: Place the main heading and image, then add supporting details.

Step 5: Check spacing, alignment, and readability.

Step 6: View it on a phone and ask whether it is clear in three seconds.

Step 7: Ask someone else for honest feedback before posting.

My take

I believe design is a skill that anyone can improve with practice. You do not need to become an artist. You need to learn how people look at things and then make it easy for them.

For a small business, this matters a lot. Your poster, post, or logo is often the first impression a customer gets. A clean, clear design tells them the business is careful and trustworthy, even before they read a single word.

Final thought

Open one of your old posters today and look at it with fresh eyes. Is the message clear? Is the text easy to read? Is there too much on the page?

Fix just one of those things and compare the result. You will see that small changes can make a big difference.

I am Shihaj, a AI-Integrated digital marketer and web developer from Malappuram, Kerala, sharing what I learn while working with AI and modern marketing. You can see my work at shihaj.com.

Email Marketing Is Not Dead: Why Small Businesses Should Still Build an Email List

SHIHAJ — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 17:34:07 +0000

A digital marketing learner from Kerala on why a simple email list can be worth more than thousands of followers.

Ask a small business owner where their customers come from, and you will hear Instagram, WhatsApp, or Google. Very few will say email.

I used to think the same. Email felt old, like something for big companies and office jobs. Then I started learning how marketing actually works, and one idea changed my mind.

Your followers belong to the platform. Your email list belongs to you.

Why that difference matters

Imagine you build an Instagram page with ten thousand followers over three years. One day the account gets restricted, or the app changes how posts are shown, and suddenly only a few hundred people see your content. You cannot do much about it.

An email list works differently. When someone gives you their email address, you have a direct line to them. No algorithm decides who sees your message. For a small business, that kind of control is rare and valuable.

What email is good at

Building trust slowly. An email feels personal. It arrives in the same place where people read messages from friends, banks, and work. A helpful email, sent regularly, makes customers remember you.

Bringing people back. Most customers do not buy on the first visit. A gentle reminder, a new arrival, or a useful tip can bring them back without paying for ads again.

Selling without a big budget. Sending emails costs very little compared to running ads. For a business that already has customers, it may be the cheapest way to earn repeat sales.

Sharing more than a post can. A caption is short and a reel disappears fast. An email lets you explain, tell a story, and give details properly.

Does email still make sense in India?

Fair question. Many local customers prefer WhatsApp, and that is true. But email works well for certain types of businesses, such as:

Training institutes and coaching centres
Service providers and freelancers
Online stores and product sellers
Clinics and consultants with regular clients
Anyone selling to working professionals or students

For a small shop that deals mostly with walk in customers, WhatsApp may come first. But even then, a basic email list can support it. The smartest approach is not choosing one channel, but letting them support each other.

How to build an email list honestly

This is where beginners often go wrong. Buying lists or adding random people is a bad idea. It brings people who do not care, harms your reputation, and may create legal problems. The right way is slower but much better.

Offer something useful in return. People will share their email if they get something worth having. This could be a free guide, a checklist, a discount coupon, a sample lesson, or early access to offers.

Add a simple sign up form. Put it on your website, your contact page, or at the end of your blog posts. Keep it short. Name and email are usually enough.

Collect emails in person. If you run a shop or a centre, ask customers politely whether they would like updates, and write down their details with permission.

Share the sign up link online. Add it to your social media bio, WhatsApp status, and posters using a short link or QR code.

Always ask for permission. People should know what they are signing up for and how often you will write to them.

What to write in your emails

The biggest worry for beginners is what to say. Here are ideas that work for most small businesses.

A welcome email. Thank people for joining and tell them what to expect. This email usually gets the highest attention, so make it warm and clear.

Useful tips. Share small pieces of advice related to your field. A tailor can share fabric care tips. A trainer can share study habits. A repair service can share ways to protect a device.

Behind the scenes. Show how you work, who is on your team, or what is happening in your business. People like real stories.

Offers and updates. Announce new products, events, and seasonal offers, but do not make every email a sales pitch.

Customer stories. Share a happy customer experience or a before and after result, with permission.

A good balance is mostly helpful content with a few offers in between. If every message says buy now, people will stop reading.

How to write an email people open

Make the subject line clear. It is the first thing people see. Keep it short, honest, and interesting. Avoid shouting words and fake urgency.

Write like a person. Use simple language, as if you are writing to one customer. Skip the heavy business tone.

One email, one main idea. Do not try to say everything at once. A single clear message works better.

Add one clear action. Tell the reader what to do next, like visit the shop, reply to the email, book a slot, or message on WhatsApp.

Keep it easy to read. Short paragraphs, plain text, and a clean look often work better than heavy designs.

How often should you send emails?

There is no perfect number, but consistency matters more than volume. For most small businesses, one email every week or two is a comfortable start. Pick a schedule you can actually maintain. It is better to send a good email every two weeks than to send five in a week and then disappear for months.

Also, always give people an easy way to unsubscribe. It may feel strange, but it keeps your list healthy and respects your readers.

Mistakes to avoid

Buying email lists. Those people never asked to hear from you.

Sending only offers. Readers will quickly lose interest.

Writing misleading subject lines. It may bring opens at first, but it destroys trust.

Being irregular. If you write once and then vanish, people forget who you are.

Not checking results. Look at how many people open your emails and what they click. These numbers show what your audience likes and help you improve.

My take

I do not think email will replace social media or WhatsApp, and it does not need to. But I believe it is the most underrated channel for small businesses. It is quiet, personal, and fully in your control.

In a time when platforms keep changing and attention keeps shrinking, owning a list of people who actually want to hear from you is a real advantage. It is like having a loyal group of customers who already said yes to your messages.

Final thought

You do not need fancy software or a big plan to begin. Start small. Create one useful free resource, add a simple sign up form, and invite your first fifty people. Then write them a genuine email that helps them in some way.

That one step can become the base of a marketing channel that works for years.

I am Shihaj, a AI-Integrated digital marketer and web developer from Malappuram, Kerala, sharing what I learn while working with AI and modern marketing. You can see my work at shihaj.com.