How to Get More Freelance Clients With This 2-Minute Strategy

Welcome to the first installment of How I’m Finding Work Wednesday — a weekly blog series where I share specific strategies and mindset shifts that help me grow my freelance writing business.

There’s a piece of advice floating around freelance circles that makes me cringe every time I hear it. It’s some variation of, “Don’t feel like you have to answer client emails right away, or even within 24 hours.”

Not only is this advice wrong — it’s actually costing you work.

Understanding the boundaries myth

The freelance world talks a lot about boundaries — and for good reason. We’ve all heard horror stories about clients expecting 24/7 availability. But somewhere along the way, “boundaries” got confused with being intentionally hard to reach.

Waiting 48 hours to respond to an email doesn’t signal confidence — it signals unreliability. And that’s the fastest way to lose work to someone else.

Why fast responses win every time

When a client or lead reaches out to you, they’re not just evaluating your portfolio or rate. They’re trying to figure out, “Can I count on this person?”

You may not want to hear this, but your response time is the first clue.

💡 The rule: During your workday, respond to client or lead emails within 1–2 hours. This won’t cause clients to take advantage of you — they’ll appreciate your promptness.

Think about it from their perspective:

They email 3 freelancers.
One responds in 10 minutes. One in 6 hours. One in 2 days.
Who’s most likely to get the job? Probably not the third freelancer.

Real-world results of fast responses

I can point to dozens of examples where a fast reply led directly to paid work — here are two:

🟢 A past client emailed me on a Friday afternoon with an urgent need. I responded within an hour and booked a $1,200 rush job.

🟢 A potential client messaged me on LinkedIn. I replied in minutes and booked a Zoom call the next day. On the call, she thanked me for getting back to her so quickly, explaining that many freelancers don’t even respond to her messages.

These aren’t flukes. They’re what happens when you treat responsiveness as a business advantage.

How I respond quickly — without being glued to my email

Here’s what I do:

I check email and LinkedIn 2–3 times during the workday.
When I see a message from a client or lead, I respond right then.

That’s it.

I’m not checking messages at night or on weekends. I just treat client communication as a top priority during working hours.

Most replies take 2 minutes or less:

“Sure, that deadline works for me!”
“I would charge [PRICE] for that.”
“Great, I’ll have a draft ready for you by Friday!”

Responding quickly isn’t about hustle culture or perfectionism — it’s about removing friction.

And believe it or not, it’s less stressful than letting messages pile up and wondering what you missed.

Try This This Week

Here’s your challenge: For the next 5 business days, respond to every client or lead email within 2 hours.

Check your inbox 2–3 times per day.
Respond the moment you see something important.
Track what happens.

Do you book more calls? Get faster responses? Feel more in control?

You might be surprised how far 2 minutes can go.

The Bottom Line

It’s not 2021 anymore. Freelance writers need every advantage they can get. While other writers are sitting on emails or avoiding communication, you can: