There’s loads of discuss concerning the potential of AI, however how do you use it as a freelancer?
There are two fundamental use circumstances for AI for freelancers:
- Automate administrative duties
- Develop your online business (advertising and marketing)
I examined many widespread AI use circumstances for freelancers and located that whereas the executive duties have been pretty simple, the AI advertising and marketing use circumstances have been a bit trickier.
Many advertising and marketing AI instruments enhance effectivity on the expense of high quality, so I’ll share the use circumstances I discovered simplest at bettering effectivity whereas sustaining (or rising) high quality.
I’ll additionally share some administrative AI instruments freelancers can use to function extra effectively.
Advertising and marketing AI For Freelancers
#1. Automate Shopper Outreach
Chilly e mail continues to be an efficient solution to get new shoppers, however it must be customized, ship worth, and goal prospects who completely match your supreme shopper.
Whereas loads of AI instruments can help you blast generic e mail instruments, the best shopper outreach technique I examined is utilizing Apollo.io for lead analysis and mixing it with Smartlead.ai to ship the emails.
To begin, open up Apollo.io and create a Persona based mostly on the job title, trade and key phrases, location, and worker rely.
Then, it gives you a listing of people that match that standards.
Now that you’ve a listing of right-fit prospects, you possibly can create and ship an e mail. Apollo affords an AI instrument that writes an e mail template for you based mostly in your prospect’s ache factors and your resolution.
Nevertheless, watch out when sending mass emails, as you may get your account flagged and banned. To be secure, begin by sending not more than 20 weekly emails.
I really favor to obtain the record of leads generated by Apollo after which add it to Smartlead.ai, as Smartlead lets you purchase a very new area to keep away from risking your main area and automates the e-mail warmup course of.
Whereas importing the prospect record to Smartlead isn’t as seamless as sending emails straight in Apollo’s platform, it’s a lot safer and nonetheless lets you scale your outreach effectively.
Smartlead is understood for its glorious e mail deliverability, so though you need to use different e mail platforms, it’s one of many prime rated options.
Another choice is to make use of a platform like Manus.ai to automate your prospecting and outreach course of.
Manus not too long ago confirmed a case examine of how an area marketer uploaded an in depth doc outlining his supreme buyer. Then, Manus used it to generate a listing of prospects and mechanically uploaded the record to an e mail automation instrument:
After confirming the marketing campaign overview, it generated customized touchdown pages for every prospect:
Manus additionally wrote and despatched all the outreach messages.
You may see a whole breakdown of the method on this video right here:
The downside with Manus is that it’s nonetheless in beta and hasn’t been launched publicly.
You can too take a look at instruments like Lindy.ai, although I discovered that their lead prospecting requests weren’t at all times correct (e.g., in case you ask for B2B SaaS firms, a few of the firms added to the record have been B2C or ecommerce). AI brokers like Lindy might be extremely efficient, however it takes time to learn to use them.
I in the end discovered that utilizing Apollo.io and Smartlead collectively produced the perfect outcomes, even when it took a bit extra time.
#2. Create a Web site
You don’t want a web site to be a profitable freelancer, however it actually makes you look extra skilled.
If you’d like a easy one-page web site (like a touchdown web page), you need to use a instrument like Canva.
They’ve loads of touchdown web page templates you possibly can select from to customise:
Whereas the templates are all pre-made and customizable by means of drag-and-drop options, you possibly can generate your individual movies, graphics, and pictures with Canva’s AI generator, Magic Media.
For instance, I generated a number of Google Analytics graphics that I may add to my touchdown web page:
Then, you possibly can join it to your individual area identify and publish:
Canva additionally affords full web site builders, however the options and adaptability are restricted.
Alternatively, you need to use an AI web site builder with extra flexibility, like Wix.
Wix’s AI web site builder begins with a chat interface that asks about your online business and clients. Then, it generates a web site based mostly in your responses.
Right here’s an instance of the preliminary draft it generated for a advertising and marketing company web site:
After producing the preliminary draft, you possibly can ask it to tweak the theme, website construction, website description, or format.
For instance, I didn’t just like the preliminary format, so I requested it to generate a brand new one:
Notice that this web site requires rather more modifying than a easy touchdown web page, and I might rewrite a number of the copy myself if I have been to make use of this as an actual web site.
Alternatively, you might choose a template you already like, after which use Wix’s AI author to generate the copy for you.
If you’d like a extremely skilled web site, you may as well look into Relume. Relume connects with Figma and is right for skilled designers who’re snug making web sites however need to automate extra of the design course of.
Right here’s an instance of a Relume web site:
#3. Create and Optimize Weblog Content material
Even in case you don’t have a web site, you possibly can nonetheless create weblog content material and put up on different trade blogs to construct credibility as a freelancer.
For instance, in case you’re within the web optimization trade, you might pitch a weblog to Ahrefs, Search Engine Journal, the Content material Advertising and marketing Institute, or different trade leaders.
Even when trade publications don’t settle for your weblog put up, you might put up it on Medium or LinkedIn.
There are a number of methods AI will help with this course of.
Content material Ideation
Most individuals use AI to find key phrases.
Right here’s an instance of how Eric Siu used Manus AI to research a competitor’s excessive buy intent key phrase frameworks.
You may then use these key phrase frameworks and apply them to your online business.
Along with doing key phrase analysis, you may as well use AI that will help you craft thought management content material.
For instance, creating information research is without doubt one of the finest methods to earn consideration, shares, and backlinks.
The bottom line is creating a knowledge examine that solutions a controversial or trending subject that offers entrepreneurs actionable insights to enhance their technique.
So I took this information examine from Kevin Indig, pasted it into ChatGPT, after which gave it the next immediate:
Then, it gave me a handful of fairly glorious options, like the concept of testing the prevalence of tangible phrase matches in Google:
You may then ask the LLM how you can take motion and truly seize the info.
For those who don’t have entry to proprietary information, you might rent a VA on Upwork to manually gather information or associate with a SaaS firm that has information.
For instance, Brian Dean partnered with ClickFlow to research 4 million search outcomes (they later refreshed the examine and used the info from Semrush).
So, somewhat than simply utilizing AI to generate content material for you, use it to create a extra attention-grabbing angle on a trending subject or generate information.
Semantic Key phrases
There are additionally loads of AI web optimization instruments that make it straightforward to optimize your weblog content material by together with semantic (associated) key phrases.
For instance, instruments like Surfer web optimization provide you with a listing of different semantic key phrases to incorporate in your weblog put up as you’re writing:
Surfer web optimization additionally provides you a common content material optimization rating and even lets you “Auto Optimize” the content material. Auto optimization instruments might be useful, however double-check the AI’s work because it isn’t at all times correct and should lower the standard of the content material itself.
Inside Hyperlink Options
You can too get automated inside hyperlink options utilizing a instrument like Surfer web optimization:
Instruments like Hyperlink Whisper are designed to automate inside linking, although I’ve discovered that instruments that attempt to automate all the inside linking course of often aren’t totally correct. In my expertise, it’s nonetheless finest so as to add inside hyperlinks manually.
Moreover, I don’t suggest utilizing AI to generate the content material itself, as Google introduced that AI generated content material that reveals little to no originality is taken into account “lowest high quality.”
And, whereas informative content material can rank and get folks to your web site, these readers gained’t bear in mind you or purchase your merchandise/companies if there may be nothing memorable about your content material.
#4. Write Social Media Posts
Constructing a private model on LinkedIn is a perfect technique for freelancers to draw shoppers.
There are many AI writing instruments to generate posts for you, however make sure to inject your individual private expertise and information into the put up to make it distinctive.
For instance, I used MagicPost to write down a LinkedIn put up for me:
This could nonetheless require fairly a little bit of modifying to make it publishable, so there are two different choices.
First, I may additionally select the “import put up template” choice.
For instance, in case you see another person write a productiveness put up, you might import that template after which amend the content material itself to suit your productiveness suggestions:
The truth is, you might make a listing of a few of the LinkedIn TopVoice consultants after which make templates utilizing their prime performing posts.
For instance, I used Favikon, a B2B influencer advertising and marketing instrument, to seek for LinkedIn Prime Voices.
Then, you may make a listing of those LinkedIn Prime Voice accounts in a instrument like Feedspot after which use their prime performing posts as templates in MagicPost.
The hook can be vital, so I used MagicPost’s Hooks generator to create hooks for my posts:
MagicPost may repurpose weblog content material for you.
For instance, I had it create a LinkedIn put up summarizing the weblog put up Kevin Indig wrote on SEJ relating to Google’s AI overviews.
The outcomes have been fairly good:
The truth is, that is most likely my favourite method as a result of it takes a chunk of unique information after which organizes it right into a LinkedIn-friendly construction.
Do not forget that what makes a fantastic social media put up isn’t the content material construction – it’s the expertise, opinions, and concepts – the substance of the content material.
So even in case you’re utilizing a instrument like MagicPost, embrace your individual private expertise and concepts throughout the immediate.
#5. Generate Movies For Private Branding
Instruments like HeyGen can help you create AI avatars of your self, and Reply.io’s CEO, Oleg Bilozor, proved that this method works.
He created an avatar of himself in HeyGen and in addition dubbed his voice (I don’t know which instrument he used to dub his voice, however you need to use one thing like ElevenLabs).
Under is an actual video he posted on his TikTok account that presently has over 2,000 likes:
The hand motions don’t fairly align with the expressions, and after I performed with the instrument myself, I seen the sentence phrasing wasn’t at all times excellent (although you possibly can edit it).
For instance, you possibly can nonetheless inform that this isn’t fairly a human:
Nevertheless, that is an thrilling different in case you don’t have time to be on digicam.
You may log into the platform after which add a number of photos of your self:
Then, you possibly can write your video scripts, and your AI avatar will carry out them for you.
CapCut additionally affords related choices. Provided that the AI avatars aren’t excellent, I like that CapCut affords different AI modifying choices that can help you use actual video footage, however quickens the modifying course of with AI instruments.
You can too take written textual content and ask it to summarize it into a brief. For instance, I took a protracted kind weblog put up, and it created the next video:
I discover that the instrument was most correct in case you used a shorter textual content (like a LinkedIn put up or Tweet) somewhat than lengthy kind textual content.
You can too add lengthy kind movies and ask it to rework them into shorts for you:
Loads of different instruments, like Opus Clip, may repurpose lengthy kind movies into shorts for you.
#6. Enhance E-mail Advertising and marketing Effectivity
Constructing an e mail record is vital for freelancers since you personal the viewers. Then again, social media and even weblog content material is actually a borrowed viewers.
Even when folks observe you on social media, you possibly can’t make sure that the social media algorithms will present your content material to all of your followers, and you might be banned at any second.
Even in case you’re simply getting began, construct an e mail record.
AI will help you develop your e mail record in just a few alternative ways.
First, you need to use AI to create lead magnets.
For instance, right here at Copyblogger, our paid supply is Copyblogger Academy, a neighborhood that additionally comprises a wide range of programs on advertising and marketing associated matters, together with private branding.
Subsequently, I used Replit to code a LinkedIn put up template that lets you paste in a prime performing put up from one other individual’s account (ideally from a distinct area of interest), which can strip it all the way down to a template.
Right here’s the immediate I gave it, together with the put up I inserted.
Then, customers can choose a put up fashion (trade insights, knowledgeable roundup, and so forth.) and the instrument generates a template:
Under the template, you possibly can even insert your individual trade key phrases or titles.
Then, I may deploy this template and use it as a lead magnet that individuals can provide me to construct our e mail record. As folks utilizing this are clearly actively constructing their private manufacturers, this is able to appeal to and seize excellent prospects for Copyblogger Academy.
You may additionally use Replit to construct calculators and even dynamic checklists.
To advertise the lead magnet and get it in entrance of recent potential clients, I may even use Favicon to generate a listing of LinkedIn influencers after which use Smartlead.ai to ship out a marketing campaign asking them to check out my lead magnet and supply some suggestions.
In the event that they prefer it, ask them to share it on social media.
After you construct your e mail record, you might want to ship subscribers content material to maintain them engaged.
Many entrepreneurs use AI instruments to write emails for them, however much like weblog content material, I really feel that content material that doesn’t stem from your individual ideas, opinions, or information often isn’t very worthwhile.
One choice is to repurpose your lengthy kind content material in your emails.
That is Eric Siu’s technique:
You should use any AI writing instrument to explain the content material you’re sending to the record and ask it to summarize it right into a 200 phrase e mail.
For instance, let’s say I wished to advertise this weblog put up to our e mail record:
Enter the next immediate into the LLM of your selection. I additionally gave it the instance from Eric Siu’s e mail in order that it is aware of the format that I like:
Then, I informed it precisely what I preferred about Eric Siu’s e mail format after which pasted the complete information examine under the immediate:
Right here’s the ensuing e mail it generated:
This e mail is fairly good, however I felt it didn’t actually seize the essence of the info examine, so I tweaked it extra:
The next consequence was a lot better. For those who really feel that the LLM didn’t actually get the primary level of your analysis, inform it what the “fundamental level” of your put up is and inform it to give attention to that within the e mail:
Another choice is to create a e-newsletter round sure trade matters.
For those who selected this method, you possibly can use a instrument like Buzzsumo to warn you of the most well-liked content material associated to a particular subject:
You may then copy and paste the newest trending content material into an AI writing instrument or free LLM and ask it to summarize the put up (much like the technique above).
Nevertheless, there are many newsletters, so to make yours really distinctive, embrace both:
- Your distinctive tackle the matter or
- Actionable steps associated to the information so that individuals can take motion on the information somewhat than passively devour it
For instance, that is an attention-grabbing, standard piece of content material on LinkedIn:
I may use AI to summarize the put up after which incorporate my very own take (why I agree or disagree with this individual) together with particular examples of how different industries may duplicate this advertising and marketing stunt.
There are additionally loads of e mail advertising and marketing instruments that provide AI options for segmentation, A/B exams, and personalization.
Administrative AI For Freelancers
Listed below are a few of my favourite methods to automate fundamental administrative duties with AI.
Automate Calendar and Assembly Scheduling
One in every of my favourite instruments is Reclaim.ai, a gathering scheduler with superior AI options.
For instance, the Sensible Scheduler lets you set your availability and preferences for assembly occasions.
Then, Reclaim considers the opposite members’ availability and preferences and finds the perfect time slot that works for everybody, even throughout completely different time zones. It might additionally schedule recurring shopper conferences that match with everybody’s schedules.
You can too join it with challenge administration instruments like ClickUp, Asana, and ToDoist to set deadlines and prioritize duties.
The Behavior characteristic can be helpful, because it enables you to set particular habits (like meditating, going to the fitness center, and so forth.), after which AI finds particular occasions all through the week to ensure you get them achieved.
Further Calendar AI Instruments:
Automate Funds
There are many invoicing software program options, however a number of new AI-powered platforms make automating duties, like expense monitoring, simpler.
For instance, Invoicer.ai lets you do every part you’d anticipate from conventional invoicing software program and has AI powered options like an assistant and expense monitoring.
One other instrument that may enable you with taxes is FlyFin. This AI platform analyzes your revenue and bills after which finds each tax deduction you’re eligible for, which might prevent 1000’s of {dollars}.
FlyFin additionally has actual CPAs that may deal with your taxes from begin to end to double examine the AI’s work.
Further Finance AI Instruments:
Automate Mission Administration
Many of the challenge administration platforms you’re already aware of are incorporating AI to make freelancers extra environment friendly.
ClickUp is one in all my favourite challenge administration instruments, and right here’s an summary of a few of the AI options it affords:
- AI Writing Assistant: You should use this characteristic to write down emails, social media posts, weblog drafts, and challenge briefs with choices to regulate tone, size, and enhance grammar. It might additionally generate tables and templates.
- Summarization: If in case you have a protracted assembly or want to research a doc or net web page, the summarization makes it straightforward to rapidly get the details from prolonged content material.
- AI Mission Administration: As ClickUp is primarily a challenge administration instrument, it’s no shock that it lets you generate challenge summaries and standing updates with out handbook reporting. That is notably helpful in case you’re collaborating with different freelancers or shopper staff members.
- Sensible Chat: You may ask AI questions on your duties, tasks, and paperwork to get fast solutions and insights with out having to look extensively. It might additionally assist create duties from chat conversations.
- Sensible Docs & Information Administration: ClickUp AI can reply questions based mostly in your workspace Docs and wikis, performing as a centralized information base assistant. It might additionally assist draft paperwork and SOPs.
- AI Automation Builder: You may simply kind out what duties you need to automate and it’ll create a customized workflow.
- Translation and Localization: For those who’re working with a world staff, ClickUp will mechanically translate textual content.
- E-mail with AI: I really like that this characteristic enables you to draft and reply to emails straight inside ClickUp.
- Linked Search: You may join exterior apps (like Google Sheets) and this characteristic lets you ask questions relating to these sources.
Further Mission Administration AI Instruments:
Get Extra Assist Rising Your Effectivity As a Freelancer With AI
Many conventional software program instruments for freelancers incorporate AI options, and whereas some duties might be absolutely automated, I nonetheless discovered that producing really high-quality work often requires some human contact.
Nevertheless, AI is continuous to grow to be increasingly efficient, and freelancers who learn to use it to streamline operations could have an edge over their rivals.
If you’d like extra assist studying how you can successfully leverage AI, take into account becoming a member of Copyblogger Academy, a neighborhood of freelancers and entrepreneurs. Along with the neighborhood, you’ll even have entry to a number of advertising and marketing programs, from private branding and copywriting to web optimization and e mail advertising and marketing.
Copyblogger Academy is operated on my own and 7 determine entrepreneur and private branding coach, Charles Miller.Inside, you possibly can ask for suggestions in your work, attend accountability periods, and collaborate with different neighborhood members to share what’s working in AI.
Get immediate entry to Copyblogger Academy immediately and begin rising your revenue as a freelancer.
