The agency world is a crazy one where creativity can come at a cost. Long hours are expected and tight deadlines are the norm. For those using a freelance agency for work primarily, it can be twice as taxing. On the other hand, agencies also usually pay the best and offer the best opportunities to build your portfolio with big brand names and projects.
Here are some tips on how to get freelance work from an agency and how to get the most out of your relationships once you’re there.
1) Know Their Brand
Agencies take a great deal of pride in their brand and unique creative identity. It’s how they pitched themselves to their clients in the first place, so they work hard at cultivating the same brand awareness. If you’d like to work for them on a project, you need to show that you understand who they are and how they present themselves.
Here are a few things to try:
- Read their website (all of it!) and research them online.
- Go through their past projects to see what they’ve done for brands in the past.
- Keep thorough notes on their communication style so that you can use the same style.
2) Connect with the Decision Makers
The agency world, along with its high-stress environment, can be blisteringly fast. There are very rarely available moments for agencies to search out new freelance contractors or properly vet and train them. The majority of freelance work goes to the people they’ve used before and know well enough to trust in dire situations.
To get first-time work, you’ll need to get connected directly with the people who make the call on when and who to use for freelance. These people aren’t the interns or the VPs, but rather the mid-level managers who make the decision to bring in outside help to finish up a project when all their in-house resources are spent.
- Research who occupies these positions on the company page or LinkedIn.
- Reach out to them through email, social media or cold calls.
- Try going to advertising networking events to meet organically.
- Do everything you can to ensure the agency can connect your name with your face (and your freelance service).
3) Pitch Your Work
If you push hard enough, you may be invited to pitch your services or present your portfolio to the agency. For some creative professionals, the idea of giving a presentation about yourself may seem intimidating, but it’s the best way to show your stuff to a captive audience.
Agencies are full of creatives, which can be a double-edged sword for your presentation. It’s great because they know their stuff and you can connect quickly on a technical level. It also means that they have solid opinions on what work is “good” or “bad” to them and their brand.
The best advice for pitching your work is to be yourself. Don’t sell skill sets that you don’t have, but don’t undervalue your worth. Show your best work and share how you could help out the agency.
4) Follow Up
Once you’ve made your connections and shown your chops, it’s really just a waiting game until you get an opportunity to work. The best way to speed up the process is to keep the relationship warm.
While you don’t want to pester or annoy your contact too much, it doesn’t hurt to drop a line every week or two just to share your availability and to let them know that you’d be happy to help out if they need any support on an upcoming project.
Top image via Jacob Lund
