Work feels harder to come by right now. I hear it constantly from other freelancers, and I feel it myself: charities are stretched, budgets are tighter, and more of us are chasing the same opportunities.
So, when it’s harder to get noticed, how do you make sure you’re the one who does?
For me, the answer has been personal brand. Not in a flashy, “become an influencer” sense, but simply being visible, recognisable, and known for something specific. It’s a big part of why work has kept coming my way, and it’s something any freelancer can build, whatever stage you’re at.
Why personal brand matters
When a charity needs a freelancer, they rarely start from a blank page. They think of someone they’ve already come across — a name on LinkedIn, a carousel that stuck in their mind, a comment that was actually useful. That recognition builds higher levels of trust before a pitch has even landed in an inbox.
In a market where charities are being careful with every penny, choosing a freelancer they already have a good feeling about is far less risky than taking a chance on someone they don’t know.
Research and thought leadership shows that individuals with strong personal brands build more trust in their work – data you can use to justify the investment in your personal branding. For example, 82% of people are more likely to trust an organisation when people are active on social media. While recommendations, credentials and your portfolio can show (not tell) prospective clients why you’re a good fit they can trust.
What makes you different
Here’s the tricky bit: everyone reading this is already in charity comms.
“Specialise in charity comms” isn’t the advice — you need something sharper.
What’s made a difference for me is having a clear point of view, not just a list of services I keep promoting. My angle is doing good comms without the burnout — practical, sustainable ways of working, rather than “always on” and always stretched. That’s a philosophy, not a service offering, and it’s consistent across everything I put out, from the content I share to how I actually work with clients.
Put into practice
Try writing your point of view down in one sentence (not your services, your philosophy) and test it against your last five social posts or emails. If it isn’t obviously there, that’s your starting point.
Relationships count too
It’s tempting to think your personal brand is purely about what you post. In my experience, it’s just as much about the rooms you’re in and the relationships you build.
Some of my best opportunities have come from a conversation at an event, or a genuine friendship with another freelancer who thought of me for a work opportunity. Sometimes it’s simply being a familiar, friendly face in the spaces where charity comms people gather.
If creating content feels like a lot right now, don’t underestimate the value of simply showing up.
Put into practice
Comment thoughtfully on three posts a week from people in your sector, say yes to one event or webinar a month, and message one person whose work you admire to say so.
Consistency over perfection
You don’t need every post to be polished or perfectly branded. You need to show up regularly enough that people start to recognise and trust you.
That said, there’s a balance. Posting for the sake of it, with nothing to say, just adds noise and burns you out, which defeats the point.
The sweet spot is showing up often enough to stay visible, with something useful or honest each time, even if it’s not perfectly produced.
Put into practice
Pick a frequency you can actually sustain — once a week is plenty — and protect it like a client deadline, rather than aiming for daily and quietly giving up the following month.
Turning visibility into enquiries
Does it actually work? In my experience, yes. I’ve had enquiries from people who’d seen my content or recognised my name before I’d ever pitched to them. I’ve built up a genuinely engaged following on Instagram and a growing email list, entirely from being consistent and clear about what I do and how I do it.
You don’t need a big follower counts to start seeing results.
Even a small, engaged following can be enough to generate enquiries, because it’s about being remembered by the right people for the right reasons, not reaching the most people.
Put into practice
A simple way to track whether it’s working is to ask. I ask on discovery calls how someone found me, and I’ve built the same question into my website enquiry form. It costs nothing, and over time it tells you exactly which bits of your visibility are actually earning their keep.
Quick wins to start building your personal brand this week
- Update your bio or headline to say clearly who you help and how
- Post one piece of proof-of-work content — a result, a lesson learned, a before-and-after
- Comment on other people’s posts in your sector – put a limit on the number of comments if that helps!
- Join one freelancer or sector community if you’re not already part of one
- Say yes to one event, webinar or catch-up a month
- Pick one platform to focus on properly, rather than spreading yourself thin
- Reach out to one person you’d genuinely like to work with, just to say hello
If this feels like a lot alongside client work, start small. None of this needs to eat into billable hours in a big way. It’s regular deposits rather than one big push.
Remember, personal brand isn’t about shouting the loudest. It’s about being clear on what you’re known for, showing up consistently, and building real relationships along the way. Do that, and you won’t need to chase work quite so hard — it’ll start finding you.
Image credit: Kampus Production on Pexels.
