There’s loads of discuss concerning the potential of AI, however how do you use it as a freelancer?
There are two fundamental use instances for AI for freelancers:
- Automate administrative duties
- Develop your online business (advertising and marketing)
I examined many frequent AI use instances for freelancers and located that whereas the executive duties have been pretty easy, the AI advertising and marketing use instances have been just a little trickier.
Many advertising and marketing AI instruments enhance effectivity on the expense of high quality, so I’ll share the use instances I discovered only at enhancing 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 strategy to get new purchasers, but it surely must be customized, ship worth, and goal prospects who completely match your ultimate consumer.
Whereas loads of AI instruments help you blast generic e mail instruments, the best consumer 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, business and key phrases, location, and worker depend.
Then, it offers you a listing of people that match that standards.
Now that you’ve got a listing of right-fit prospects, you’ll be able to create and ship an e mail. Apollo presents an AI device that writes an e mail template for you based mostly in your prospect’s ache factors and your answer.
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 truly want to obtain the checklist of leads generated by Apollo after which add it to Smartlead.ai, as Smartlead permits you to purchase a totally new area to keep away from risking your main area and automates the e-mail warmup course of.
Whereas importing the prospect checklist to Smartlead isn’t as seamless as sending emails straight in Apollo’s platform, it’s a lot safer and nonetheless permits you to scale your outreach effectively.
Smartlead is understood for its wonderful e mail deliverability, so although you should utilize different e mail platforms, it’s one of many high 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 ultimate buyer. Then, Manus used it to generate a listing of prospects and mechanically uploaded the checklist to an e mail automation device:
After confirming the marketing campaign overview, it generated customized touchdown pages for every prospect:
Manus additionally wrote and despatched all the outreach messages.
You’ll be able to see an entire 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 too can take a look at instruments like Lindy.ai, although I discovered that their lead prospecting requests weren’t at all times correct (e.g., when you ask for B2B SaaS firms, a number of the firms added to the checklist have been B2C or ecommerce). AI brokers like Lindy might be extremely efficient, but it surely takes time to discover ways to use them.
I finally discovered that utilizing Apollo.io and Smartlead collectively produced the perfect outcomes, even when it took just a little extra time.
#2. Create a Web site
You don’t want a web site to be a profitable freelancer, but it surely actually makes you look extra skilled.
If you’d like a easy one-page web site (like a touchdown web page), you should utilize a device like Canva.
They’ve loads of touchdown web page templates you’ll be able to select from to customise:
Whereas the templates are all pre-made and customizable via drag-and-drop options, you’ll be able to 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 might add to my touchdown web page:
Then, you’ll be able to join it to your individual area identify and publish:
Canva additionally presents full web site builders, however the options and suppleness are restricted.
Alternatively, you should utilize 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 prospects. 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’ll be able to 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 loads of the copy myself if I have been to make use of this as an actual web site.
Alternatively, you possibly can 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 too can look into Relume. Relume connects with Figma and is good 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 when you don’t have a web site, you’ll be able to nonetheless create weblog content material and put up on different business blogs to construct credibility as a freelancer.
For instance, when you’re within the website positioning business, you possibly can pitch a weblog to Ahrefs, Search Engine Journal, the Content material Advertising and marketing Institute, or different business leaders.
Even when business publications don’t settle for your weblog put up, you possibly can put up it on Medium or LinkedIn.
There are a number of methods AI might 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’ll be able to then use these key phrase frameworks and apply them to your online business.
Along with doing key phrase analysis, you too can 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 secret is creating a knowledge examine that solutions a controversial or trending matter 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 wonderful solutions, like the concept of testing the prevalence of tangible phrase matches in Google:
You’ll be able to then ask the LLM learn how to take motion and truly seize the information.
Should you don’t have entry to proprietary information, you possibly can rent a VA on Upwork to manually accumulate information or accomplice 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 information from Semrush).
So, slightly than simply utilizing AI to generate content material for you, use it to create a extra fascinating angle on a trending matter or generate information.
Semantic Key phrases
There are additionally loads of AI website positioning instruments that make it simple to optimize your weblog content material by together with semantic (associated) key phrases.
For instance, instruments like Surfer website positioning offer you a listing of different semantic key phrases to incorporate in your weblog put up as you’re writing:
Surfer website positioning additionally offers you a normal content material optimization rating and even permits you to “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 will lower the standard of the content material itself.
Inside Hyperlink Strategies
You too can get automated inner hyperlink solutions utilizing a device like Surfer website positioning:
Instruments like Hyperlink Whisper are designed to automate inner linking, although I’ve discovered that instruments that attempt to automate your complete inner linking course of often aren’t totally correct. In my expertise, it’s nonetheless finest so as to add inner hyperlinks manually.
Moreover, I don’t suggest utilizing AI to generate the content material itself, as Google introduced that AI generated content material that exhibits 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 keep in mind you or purchase your merchandise/companies if there’s 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 purchasers.
There are many AI writing instruments to generate posts for you, however you should definitely inject your individual private expertise and information into the put up to make it distinctive.
For instance, I used MagicPost to jot down a LinkedIn put up for me:
This may nonetheless require fairly a little bit of modifying to make it publishable, so there are two different choices.
First, I might additionally select the “import put up template” possibility.
For instance, when you see another person write a productiveness put up, you possibly can import that template after which amend the content material itself to suit your productiveness suggestions:
The truth is, you possibly can make a listing of a number of the LinkedIn TopVoice consultants after which make templates utilizing their high performing posts.
For instance, I used Favikon, a B2B influencer advertising and marketing device, to seek for LinkedIn Prime Voices.
Then, you may make a listing of those LinkedIn Prime Voice accounts in a device like Feedspot after which use their high performing posts as templates in MagicPost.
The hook can be important, so I used MagicPost’s Hooks generator to create hooks for my posts:
MagicPost may also 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 concerning Google’s AI overviews.
The outcomes have been fairly good:
The truth is, that is in all probability my favourite strategy as a result of it takes a chunk of authentic information after which organizes it right into a LinkedIn-friendly construction.
Do not forget that what makes an important 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 when you’re utilizing a device like MagicPost, embody your individual private expertise and concepts inside the immediate.
#5. Generate Movies For Private Branding
Instruments like HeyGen help you create AI avatars of your self, and Reply.io’s CEO, Oleg Bilozor, proved that this strategy works.
He created an avatar of himself in HeyGen and in addition dubbed his voice (I don’t know which device he used to dub his voice, however you should utilize one thing like ElevenLabs).
Beneath is an actual video he posted on his TikTok account that at the moment has over 2,000 likes:
The hand motions don’t fairly align with the expressions, and once I performed with the device myself, I observed the sentence phrasing wasn’t at all times excellent (although you’ll be able to edit it).
For instance, you’ll be able to nonetheless inform that this isn’t fairly a human:
Nevertheless, that is an thrilling various when you don’t have time to be on digicam.
You’ll be able to log into the platform after which add a number of photos of your self:
Then, you’ll be able to write your video scripts, and your AI avatar will carry out them for you.
CapCut additionally presents comparable choices. On condition that the AI avatars aren’t excellent, I like that CapCut presents different AI modifying choices that help you use actual video footage, however hurries up the modifying course of with AI instruments.
You too can take written textual content and ask it to summarize it into a brief. For instance, I took an extended kind weblog put up, and it created the next video:
I discover that the device was most correct when you used a shorter textual content (like a LinkedIn put up or Tweet) slightly than lengthy kind textual content.
You too can add lengthy kind movies and ask it to remodel them into shorts for you:
Loads of different instruments, like Opus Clip, may also repurpose lengthy kind movies into shorts for you.
#6. Enhance Electronic mail Advertising and marketing Effectivity
Constructing an e mail checklist is important for freelancers since you personal the viewers. Then again, social media and even weblog content material is actually a borrowed viewers.
Even when folks comply with you on social media, you’ll be able to’t make certain that the social media algorithms will present your content material to all of your followers, and you possibly can be banned at any second.
Even when you’re simply getting began, construct an e mail checklist.
AI might help you develop your e mail checklist in a number of alternative ways.
First, you should utilize AI to create lead magnets.
For instance, right here at Copyblogger, our paid provide is Copyblogger Academy, a group 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 permits you to paste in a high performing put up from one other particular person’s account (ideally from a special area of interest), which is able to 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 type (business insights, skilled roundup, and so forth.) and the device generates a template:
Beneath the template, you’ll be able to even insert your individual business key phrases or titles.
Then, I might deploy this template and use it as a lead magnet that folks may give me to construct our e mail checklist. 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 would additionally use Replit to construct calculators and even dynamic checklists.
To advertise the lead magnet and get it in entrance of latest potential prospects, I might 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 checklist, it’s good 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 possibility is to repurpose your lengthy kind content material in your emails.
That is Eric Siu’s technique:
You should use any AI writing device to explain the content material you’re sending to the checklist and ask it to summarize it right into a 200 phrase e mail.
For instance, let’s say I needed to advertise this weblog put up to our e mail checklist:
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 advised it precisely what I favored about Eric Siu’s e mail format after which pasted the total 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 information examine, so I tweaked it extra:
The next end result was significantly better. Should you 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 publication round sure business matters.
Should you selected this strategy, you’ll be able to use a device like Buzzsumo to provide you with a warning of the preferred content material associated to a particular matter:
You would then copy and paste the newest trending content material into an AI writing device 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, embody both:
- Your distinctive tackle the matter or
- Actionable steps associated to the information so that folks can take motion on the information slightly than passively devour it
For instance, that is an fascinating, fashionable piece of content material on LinkedIn:
I might use AI to summarize the put up after which incorporate my very own take (why I agree or disagree with this particular person) together with particular examples of how different industries might 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 assessments, and personalization.
Administrative AI For Freelancers
Listed here are a few of my favourite methods to automate fundamental administrative duties with AI.
Automate Calendar and Assembly Scheduling
One among my favourite instruments is Reclaim.ai, a gathering scheduler with superior AI options.
For instance, the Sensible Scheduler permits you to set your availability and preferences for assembly instances.
Then, Reclaim considers the opposite members’ availability and preferences and finds the perfect time slot that works for everybody, even throughout totally different time zones. It could actually additionally schedule recurring consumer conferences that match with everybody’s schedules.
You too can join it with venture 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 health club, and so forth.), after which AI finds particular instances all through the week to be sure to get them achieved.
Extra 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 permits you to do every little thing you’d anticipate from conventional invoicing software program and has AI powered options like an assistant and expense monitoring.
One other device that may allow you to with taxes is FlyFin. This AI platform analyzes your earnings 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.
Extra Finance AI Instruments:
Automate Undertaking Administration
A lot of the venture administration platforms you’re already aware of are incorporating AI to make freelancers extra environment friendly.
ClickUp is one among my favourite venture administration instruments, and right here’s an summary of a number of the AI options it presents:
- AI Writing Assistant: You should use this characteristic to jot down emails, social media posts, weblog drafts, and venture briefs with choices to regulate tone, size, and enhance grammar. It could actually additionally generate tables and templates.
- Summarization: When you’ve got an extended assembly or want to research a doc or internet web page, the summarization makes it simple to rapidly get the details from prolonged content material.
- AI Undertaking Administration: As ClickUp is primarily a venture administration device, it’s no shock that it permits you to generate venture summaries and standing updates with out handbook reporting. That is notably helpful when you’re collaborating with different freelancers or consumer workforce members.
- Sensible Chat: You’ll be able to ask AI questions on your duties, initiatives, and paperwork to get fast solutions and insights with out having to go looking extensively. It could actually additionally assist create duties from chat conversations.
- Sensible Docs & Data Administration: ClickUp AI can reply questions based mostly in your workspace Docs and wikis, appearing as a centralized information base assistant. It could actually additionally assist draft paperwork and SOPs.
- AI Automation Builder: You’ll be able to simply sort out what duties you need to automate and it’ll create a customized workflow.
- Translation and Localization: Should you’re working with a global workforce, ClickUp will mechanically translate textual content.
- Electronic mail with AI: I like that this characteristic enables you to draft and reply to emails straight inside ClickUp.
- Related Search: You’ll be able to join exterior apps (like Google Sheets) and this characteristic permits you to ask questions concerning these sources.
Extra Undertaking 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 totally automated, I nonetheless discovered that producing really high-quality work often requires some human contact.
Nevertheless, AI is constant to turn out to be increasingly efficient, and freelancers who discover ways to use it to streamline operations may have an edge over their rivals.
If you’d like extra assist studying learn how to successfully leverage AI, contemplate becoming a member of Copyblogger Academy, a group of freelancers and entrepreneurs. Along with the group, you’ll even have entry to a number of advertising and marketing programs, from private branding and copywriting to website positioning 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’ll be able to ask for suggestions in your work, attend accountability classes, and collaborate with different group members to share what’s working in AI.
Get immediate entry to Copyblogger Academy at this time and begin rising your earnings as a freelancer.
