There’s loads of speak in regards to the potential of AI, however how do you use it as a freelancer?
There are two principal use circumstances for AI for freelancers:
- Automate administrative duties
- Develop what you are promoting (advertising)
I examined many frequent AI use circumstances for freelancers and located that whereas the executive duties have been pretty easy, the AI advertising use circumstances have been a little bit trickier.
Many advertising AI instruments enhance effectivity on the expense of high quality, so I’ll share the use circumstances I discovered handiest 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 electronic mail continues to be an efficient technique to get new shoppers, nevertheless it must be customized, ship worth, and goal prospects who completely match your ultimate shopper.
Whereas loads of AI instruments let you blast generic electronic mail instruments, the simplest 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’ll be able to create and ship an electronic mail. Apollo affords an AI device that writes an electronic mail template for you based mostly in your prospect’s ache factors and your resolution.
Nonetheless, watch out when sending mass emails, as you will get your account flagged and banned. To be protected, begin by sending not more than 20 weekly emails.
I really choose to obtain the record of leads generated by Apollo after which add it to Smartlead.ai, as Smartlead means that you can purchase a totally new area to keep away from risking your major area and automates the email warmup course of.
Whereas importing the prospect record to Smartlead isn’t as seamless as sending emails immediately in Apollo’s platform, it’s a lot safer and nonetheless means that you can scale your outreach effectively.
Smartlead is understood for its glorious electronic mail deliverability, so regardless that you need to use different electronic 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 research 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 robotically uploaded the record to an electronic 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.
It’s also possible to 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 could be extremely efficient, nevertheless it takes time to discover ways to use them.
I finally discovered that utilizing Apollo.io and Smartlead collectively produced the very best outcomes, even when it took a little bit extra time.
#2. Create a Web site
You don’t want an internet site to be a profitable freelancer, nevertheless it definitely makes you look extra skilled.
If you need a easy one-page web site (like a touchdown web page), you need to use a device like Canva.
They’ve loads of landing page templates you’ll be able to select from to customise:
Whereas the templates are all pre-made and customizable by means of 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 may add to my touchdown web page:
Then, you’ll be able to join it to your individual area identify and publish:
Canva additionally affords full web site builders, however the options and suppleness 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 what you are promoting and prospects. Then, it generates an internet site based mostly in your responses.
Right here’s an instance of the preliminary draft it generated for a advertising 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:
Observe that this web site requires way more enhancing than a easy touchdown web page, and I might rewrite a variety of the copy myself if I have been to make use of this as an actual web site.
Alternatively, you could possibly choose a template you already like, after which use Wix’s AI author to generate the copy for you.
If you need a extremely skilled web site, you can too look into Relume. Relume connects with Figma and is right for skilled designers who’re comfy 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 an internet site, you’ll be able to 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 website positioning trade, you could possibly pitch a weblog to Ahrefs, Search Engine Journal, the Content Marketing Institute, or different trade leaders.
Even when trade publications don’t settle for your weblog put up, you could possibly put up it on Medium or LinkedIn.
There are a number of methods AI may 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 what you are promoting.
Along with doing key phrase analysis, you can too use AI that will help you craft thought management content material.
For instance, creating information research is likely one of the finest methods to earn consideration, shares, and backlinks.
The secret’s creating an information research that solutions a controversial or trending subject that offers entrepreneurs actionable insights to enhance their technique.
So I took this data study from Kevin Indig, pasted it into ChatGPT, after which gave it the next immediate:
Then, it gave me a handful of fairly glorious recommendations, like the thought of testing the prevalence of tangible phrase matches in Google:
You’ll be able to then ask the LLM the best way to take motion and truly seize the info.
In the event you don’t have entry to proprietary information, you could possibly 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 research and used the info from Semrush).
So, slightly 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 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 SEO provide you with a listing of different semantic key phrases to incorporate in your weblog put up as you’re writing:
Surfer website positioning additionally provides you a common content material optimization rating and even means that you can “Auto Optimize” the content material. Auto optimization instruments could 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.
Inner Hyperlink Ideas
It’s also possible to get automated inner hyperlink recommendations utilizing a device like Surfer website positioning:
Instruments like Link Whisper are designed to automate inner linking, although I’ve discovered that instruments that attempt to automate all the 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 announced 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 individuals to your web site, these readers gained’t keep in mind you or purchase your merchandise/providers if there may be nothing memorable about your content material.
#4. Write Social Media Posts
Building a personal brand on LinkedIn is a perfect technique for freelancers to draw shoppers.
There are many AI writing tools to generate posts for you, however remember to inject your individual private expertise and information into the put up to make it distinctive.
For instance, I used MagicPost to put in writing a LinkedIn put up for me:
This may nonetheless require fairly a little bit of enhancing to make it publishable, so there are two different choices.
First, I may additionally select the “import put up template” possibility.
For instance, in case you see another person write a productiveness put up, you could possibly import that template after which amend the content material itself to suit your productiveness ideas:
The truth is, you could possibly make a listing of a few of the LinkedIn TopVoice consultants after which make templates utilizing their high performing posts.
For instance, I used Favikon, a B2B influencer advertising device, to seek for LinkedIn High Voices.
Then, you can also make a listing of those LinkedIn High Voice accounts in a device like Feedspot after which use their high performing posts as templates in MagicPost.
The hook can be essential, 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 blog post 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 strategy 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 terrific 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 device like MagicPost, embody your individual private expertise and concepts throughout the immediate.
#5. Generate Movies For Private Branding
Instruments like HeyGen let 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 likewise dubbed his voice (I don’t know which device 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 device myself, I seen the sentence phrasing wasn’t at all times good (although you’ll be able to edit it).
For instance, you’ll be able to nonetheless inform that this isn’t fairly a human:
Nonetheless, that is an thrilling different in case you don’t have time to be on digital camera.
You’ll be able to log into the platform after which add a number of footage 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 affords related choices. Provided that the AI avatars aren’t good, I like that CapCut affords different AI enhancing choices that let you use actual video footage, however hurries up the enhancing course of with AI instruments.
It’s also possible to 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 device was most correct in case you used a shorter textual content (like a LinkedIn put up or Tweet) slightly than lengthy kind textual content.
It’s also possible to 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 electronic mail record is essential for freelancers since you personal the viewers. However, social media and even weblog content material is basically a borrowed viewers.
Even when individuals comply with you on social media, you’ll be able to’t ensure that the social media algorithms will present your content material to all of your followers, and you could possibly be banned at any second.
Even in case you’re simply getting began, construct an electronic mail record.
AI may help you develop your electronic mail record in a couple of other 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 associated subjects, together with private branding.
Due to this fact, I used Replit to code a LinkedIn put up template that means that you can 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 right 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 (trade insights, professional roundup, and so forth.) and the device generates a template:
Under the template, you’ll be able to 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 electronic mail record. As individuals utilizing this are clearly actively constructing their private manufacturers, this is able to appeal to and seize good 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 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 electronic mail record, that you must 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 precious.
One possibility is to repurpose your lengthy kind content material in your emails.
That is Eric Siu’s technique:
You should utilize any AI writing device to explain the content material you’re sending to the record and ask it to summarize it right into a 200 phrase electronic mail.
For instance, let’s say I wished to advertise this weblog put up to our electronic mail record:
Enter the next immediate into the LLM of your alternative. I additionally gave it the instance from Eric Siu’s electronic mail in order that it is aware of the format that I like:
Then, I instructed it precisely what I favored about Eric Siu’s electronic mail format after which pasted the complete information research beneath the immediate:
Right here’s the ensuing electronic mail it generated:
This electronic mail is fairly good, however I felt it didn’t actually seize the essence of the info research, so I tweaked it extra:
The next end result was significantly better. In the event you really feel that the LLM didn’t actually get the primary level of your analysis, inform it what the “principal level” of your put up is and inform it to give attention to that within the electronic mail:
Another choice is to create a publication round sure trade subjects.
In the event you selected this strategy, you’ll be able to use a device like Buzzsumo to warn you of the most well-liked content material associated to a selected subject:
You would then copy and paste the latest trending content material into an AI writing device or free LLM and ask it to summarize the put up (much like the technique above).
Nonetheless, there are many newsletters, so to make yours actually distinctive, embody both:
- Your distinctive tackle the matter or
- Actionable steps associated to the information so that individuals can take motion on the information slightly than passively devour it
For instance, this is an interesting, fashionable 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 particular person) together with particular examples of how different industries may duplicate this advertising stunt.
There are additionally loads of electronic mail advertising instruments that provide AI options for segmentation, A/B exams, and personalization.
Administrative AI For Freelancers
Listed here are a few of my favourite methods to automate primary administrative duties with AI.
Automate Calendar and Assembly Scheduling
Considered one of my favourite instruments is Reclaim.ai, a gathering scheduler with superior AI options.
For instance, the Sensible Scheduler means that you can set your availability and preferences for assembly instances.
Then, Reclaim considers the opposite members’ availability and preferences and finds the very best time slot that works for everybody, even throughout totally different time zones. It may additionally schedule recurring shopper conferences that match with everybody’s schedules.
It’s also possible to join it with venture administration instruments like ClickUp, Asana, and ToDoist to set deadlines and prioritize duties.
The Behavior function can be helpful, because it enables you to set particular habits (like meditating, going to the gymnasium, and so forth.), after which AI finds particular instances all through the week to ensure you get them performed.
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 means that you can do the whole lot 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 may prevent 1000’s of {dollars}.
FlyFin additionally has actual CPAs that may deal with your taxes from begin to end to double test the AI’s work.
Extra Finance AI Instruments:
Automate Challenge Administration
A lot of the venture administration platforms you’re already aware of are incorporating AI to make freelancers extra environment friendly.
ClickUp is certainly one of my favourite venture administration instruments, and right here’s an summary of a few of the AI options it affords:
- AI Writing Assistant: You should utilize this function to put in writing emails, social media posts, weblog drafts, and venture briefs with choices to regulate tone, size, and enhance grammar. It may 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 simple to rapidly get the details from prolonged content material.
- AI Challenge Administration: As ClickUp is primarily a venture administration device, it’s no shock that it means that you can generate venture summaries and standing updates with out handbook reporting. That is significantly helpful in case you’re collaborating with different freelancers or shopper crew members.
- Sensible Chat: You’ll be able to ask AI questions on your duties, tasks, and paperwork to get fast solutions and insights with out having to go looking extensively. It may additionally assist create duties from chat conversations.
- Sensible Docs & Data Administration: ClickUp AI can reply questions based mostly in your workspace Docs and wikis, performing as a centralized data base assistant. It may 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: In the event you’re working with a world crew, ClickUp will robotically translate textual content.
- E mail with AI: I really like that this function enables you to draft and reply to emails immediately inside ClickUp.
- Related Search: You’ll be able to join exterior apps (like Google Sheets) and this function means that you can ask questions relating to these sources.
Extra Challenge 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 could be totally automated, I nonetheless discovered that producing actually high-quality work often requires some human contact.
Nonetheless, AI is continuous to turn out to be increasingly efficient, and freelancers who discover ways to use it to streamline operations can have an edge over their opponents.
If you need extra assist studying the best way to 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 programs, from private branding and copywriting to website positioning and electronic mail advertising.
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 periods, and collaborate with different neighborhood members to share what’s working in AI.
Get instantaneous entry to Copyblogger Academy right this moment and begin rising your earnings as a freelancer.
