How to Find Clients as a Freelance PPC Specialist (And Build a Business That Lasts)
I've worked in PPC since 2010 and started 4M Digital Consulting in 2019, so I've experienced multiple sides of the industry, working in agencies, client side and running my own business. And while knowing how to manage Google Ads accounts, dealing with stake holders, optimise Shopping feeds and deliver results is important, going freelance introduces a completely different challenge. How do you actually find clients, and once you've found them, how do you build a business that's financially sustainable?
It's something we explored in Episode 2 of the Don't Panic PPC Podcast, where I was joined by Veronica Ruiz Morcillo and Thuha Wright to discuss finding clients, building networks and getting noticed. We all came into freelancing with different experiences, and our approaches haven't always been the same. Over the years, I've learnt plenty about finding opportunities, managing client relationships and recognising when something isn't right for my business, sometimes through lessons I'd rather not repeat!
If you're thinking about going freelance, or you've already started and are wondering where your next client might come from, here's what I'd encourage you to consider.
Start With the Experience and Connections You Already Have
Before you start worrying about building a personal brand or finding completely new ways to generate leads, look at the experience and relationships you've already built. If you've spent three or four years working in an agency, you've probably supported different clients, worked across several industries and developed relationships with people who know what you're capable of. Those connections could be more valuable than you realise, especially when former colleagues or marketing managers move into new roles.
LinkedIn is a good starting point for exploring those relationships. Have any marketing managers you've previously worked with moved to other companies? Are there former colleagues who might need additional PPC support? I'm certainly not suggesting you approach your current agency's clients and try to take their business, but there's nothing wrong with reconnecting with someone who has moved to an unrelated company and letting them know you're now freelance.
It doesn't need to be an elaborate sales pitch either. Something as simple as, "Hey, hope you're doing well! Just wanted to let you know I've recently gone freelance, so if you ever need any PPC support at your new company, I'd be happy to have a chat," is enough to open the conversation. You've already got a relationship with that person, so there's no need to make it sound like a cold sales email.
I'd also recommend announcing that you're going freelance on LinkedIn so your wider network knows you're available. However, before you hand in your notice, make sure you've thought about the financial side of things, especially if you don't already have work lined up.
When I started 4M Digital, I made sure I had enough money saved to cover three months of rent and bills. That gave me some breathing room to find clients without immediately worrying about how I was going to pay for everything. I also used Upwork to pick up smaller PPC audit projects while looking for more substantial opportunities. Freelance platforms aren't for everyone, and you need to be selective about the projects you accept, but those smaller jobs were useful when I was getting started.
There's sometimes an expectation that you need to launch your freelance business with a full client pipeline and everything perfectly organised. In reality, plenty of people build things gradually, taking on smaller projects while developing relationships and establishing their reputation. Just make sure you've got a realistic understanding of how much you need to earn and how long you can afford to spend building up your client base.
Networking Doesn't Mean Becoming a LinkedIn Influencer
Networking is one of the most valuable things you can do as a freelancer, but it doesn't need to involve publishing daily LinkedIn posts or turning every conversation into a sales opportunity. It's more about being present, contributing to discussions and getting to know people across the industry.
There are plenty of free opportunities to do this. PPC Chat hosts weekly Tuesday discussions where specialists can share their experiences and opinions, while our Don't Panic PPC community runs fortnightly Coffee Breaks where people can meet, ask questions and discuss what's happening in their working lives. You'll also find LinkedIn events covering everything from eCommerce and lead generation to advertising platforms and marketing tools. Even if you're not comfortable speaking during a call, asking a question or contributing to the chat is a good way to get involved.
If you don't enjoy in-person networking, that's absolutely fine. There are loads of online events and communities available, so you can still build relationships without travelling to conferences or networking events. I'd also encourage people to look beyond PPC specialists because connections with people working in SEO, CRO, email marketing and other areas of digital can be just as valuable. They might need PPC expertise for one of their clients, or you might need someone with their skills to support a project.
When it comes to personal branding, I'm not going to pretend I'm particularly consistent with LinkedIn. I probably post once or twice a month, and although I have a newsletter, I've struggled to get it out on time this year because I've been busy with work and life. Could I do more? Absolutely. But I don't believe in forcing myself to publish something just because someone has decided we all need to post five times a week. I'd rather contribute to conversations when I've got something useful to say, which is something we explore further in Episode 3 of the Don't Panic PPC Podcast.
It's also worth remembering that networking doesn't always lead directly to clients. Danny, who now works with 4M Digital, was originally a PPC specialist on my team when I worked agency-side. We both eventually left the agency, with Danny moving client-side while I started my business. Four years later, when I needed someone I trusted to support the business while I got married and went on my honeymoon, Danny stepped in to cover my work and has continued supporting 4M Digital ever since.
I originally thought I should have started my business earlier, but looking back, that might have meant never meeting Danny. It's a reminder that some of the most valuable relationships you build won't necessarily turn into client contracts. They might lead to collaborations, referrals or opportunities that help you develop your business in completely different ways.
Not Every Client Is the Right Client
When you're starting out, especially if you're worried about covering your bills, accepting every opportunity can seem like the sensible thing to do. But one of the biggest lessons I've learnt is that finding clients and finding the right clients are two very different things.
Communication is something I pay close attention to during an introductory call. How does someone talk about their team, their previous agency or the people they've worked with? Why are they looking for support and how do they communicate with you? Sometimes you get a gut feeling that a working relationship isn't going to be right before you've even discussed the finer details.
I once had an introductory call with someone who spent much of the conversation telling me how easy PPC was, how everyone he'd previously hired had been useless and how he knew exactly what needed doing. Apparently, he just didn't have the time to do it himself, which was why he needed to hire someone. After listening to all of that, I decided we weren't a good fit. If someone thinks PPC is incredibly easy and everyone they've previously worked with is incompetent, you have to wonder how they're going to treat the next person they hire!
Clients don't need to understand every technical detail of PPC before working with a specialist, but there needs to be mutual respect and realistic expectations about what can be achieved.
I'm also careful about taking on businesses with very small budgets or those that simply aren't ready to invest in PPC. I know some freelancers will take on those accounts, but personally, I don't agree with charging someone for ongoing management if I don't believe they're in a position to get meaningful value from it. Instead, I'll often offer advice about what they need to work on first, suggest a consultancy call or introduce them to someone who might be better suited to supporting them at that stage.
That business might come back when they're ready to invest, or they might not. Either way, I'd rather be honest about whether PPC is right for them than take on work simply because there's money available. Running a business is obviously about earning a living, but it's also about staying true to your values and deciding what kind of work you want to be associated with.
The same applies to specialising. Having an area of expertise that people associate with you can make referrals easier, but that doesn't mean you have to restrict yourself to one industry or service. Thuha loves travel and has built a reputation around that sector, although she works across other industries too. I love eCommerce and do a lot of Shopping feed and eCommerce audits, but I also work extensively in B2B too. I'd encourage freelancers to develop expertise in areas they enjoy and are good at, rather than forcing themselves into a niche because someone on LinkedIn has said it's the only way to succeed.
Working With Agencies and Understanding Your Contracts
Direct clients aren't the only route to finding freelance PPC work. When I first started 4M Digital, I also did contract work where I'd go into agencies and support their teams. Changes around IR35, the UK tax rules that affect how certain contractor arrangements are treated, influenced how we approached that type of work, and today we provide white-label services instead.
For us, that means supporting agencies as an external business rather than working as temporary employees. It can be a great arrangement when an agency needs additional capacity, specialist expertise or support while building a team, but there are a few things worth understanding before agreeing to anything.
Contracts are a big one, especially when it comes to intellectual property. Some agreements include clauses stating that the agency owns the documents and materials produced during the relationship. At 4M Digital, we bring our own audit frameworks, templates and processes into projects, so we make sure there's a clear distinction between our existing intellectual property and the work or information belonging to the agency and its clients.
You also need to establish how requests will be managed. White-label work can become quite messy when you've got a CEO, digital director and several team members all asking for different things, especially when they have different priorities. Having one main point of contact, an agreed scope of work and a clear process for approvals makes a huge difference.
Before signing an agreement, I'd make sure you're clear on who owns your existing templates and processes, who owns the deliverables and client data, what work is included, how and when you'll be paid, and what happens if the agency or client delays providing access, information or approvals. Those details might seem less exciting than winning a new contract, but they're much easier to agree upfront than argue about later.
We're also clear about the type of support we provide. When an agency needs a significant number of hours, we're often there to help while they recruit rather than become a permanent replacement for an employee. Setting that expectation early helps everyone understand the arrangement, and even when the work comes to an end, I always try to maintain a good relationship. The industry is smaller than people think, and there's no benefit in burning bridges unnecessarily.
Pricing Your Services and Learning to Set Boundaries
Pricing is one of the hardest things to get right when you're starting out. You want to win clients, but you also don't want to undervalue yourself or agree to fees that make your business financially unsustainable. And while looking at what other PPC specialists earn can be helpful, there's a big difference between being employed and running your own business.
I share Duane Brown's PPC Salary Survey in the Don't Panic PPC community yearly. It's a useful resource for understanding earnings across the industry, with breakdowns by location, experience and employment type. However, the figures are self-reported, and a salary isn't the same as the amount a freelancer needs to charge. You have to account for the costs and time that an employer would previously have covered.
For example, imagine you're leaving an agency role paying £40,000 a year and want to maintain a similar level of personal income. If you allow £5,000 annually for business expenses and assume you'll have around 1,000 billable hours across the year once you've accounted for holidays, admin, business development and other non-billable work, you'd need to bring in approximately £45 per billable hour just to reach £45,000 in annual revenue.
And that's before properly accounting for tax, pension contributions, unexpected costs or a financial buffer for quieter months. It's not a recommended hourly rate, but it shows why simply dividing your old salary by the number of hours in a working year doesn't tell you what you should charge.
There's nothing wrong with starting with smaller projects and gradually increasing your fees as your experience and business develop. Annual price increases are reasonable too, but you need to understand what your services cost to deliver and how much money you need to earn. Don't just think about your rent, mortgage and household bills. Your business has expenses too, and those need to be covered!
Payment terms were one of the first things I learnt to be firmer about. When I started, I offered clients 30-day terms, but after dealing with late payments that sometimes meant waiting around two months to get paid, I reduced that window to 14 days. When you're running your own business, having invoices outstanding while your expenses continue to come out can quickly become a problem.
Scope of work and time allocation were other lessons I learnt through experience. In the early days, I was much more likely to agree to additional requests because I wanted to be helpful, without considering whether the work was included in the original agreement. Now I'm clearer about what's covered, how much time has been allocated and when something needs to be quoted separately.
Deadlines can be another challenge, especially when you're relying on clients to provide information or access. I've had situations where a project was discussed two weeks before the deadline, but the client then took a week and a half to provide the necessary access. That left us with only a couple of days to complete the work, yet they still expected delivery on the original date.
I've learnt to make those dependencies clear from the beginning. If we need access, assets or approvals by a certain date, that needs to be communicated, along with the fact that delays may affect delivery. Being helpful doesn't mean agreeing to impossible timelines or constantly absorbing additional work that wasn't included in the original scope.
These are the sorts of things that are easy to overlook when you're excited about finding your first clients, but they're just as important as the PPC work itself. You can have a full client list and still struggle if your fees don't cover your costs, your invoices aren't being paid and you're spending far more time on accounts than you've agreed to.
🔹 Final Thoughts
Looking back at when I started 4M Digital in 2019, there are plenty of things I've learnt that would have been useful to know at the beginning. I've dealt with late payments, learnt to recognise difficult working relationships, become clearer about contracts and scope, and built a network of people who have supported the business in different ways.
But when I was asked what I'd change if I could start again, my answer was actually nothing. Every experience has taught me something, and even the decisions I questioned at the time have played a part in shaping the business I run today.
If you're thinking about going freelance, start by looking at the experience, relationships and opportunities you already have rather than assuming you need to build everything from scratch. Get involved in communities, explore different routes to finding work and be realistic about your finances. You don't need to follow someone else's approach to networking, specialise in exactly the same way they have or become a full-time content creator to find clients.
And while getting that next client through the door is important, think about the business you want to build around them. The people you work with, the boundaries you establish and the relationships you maintain will all influence whether freelancing becomes something you enjoy or simply another job with a lot more admin.
Want to hear more about finding clients and building your PPC career?
In Episode 2: Finding Clients, Building Your Network & Getting Noticed Thuha, Veronica and I share our different experiences of freelancing, networking and creating opportunities across the PPC industry.
If you'd like to connect with other PPC and paid media professionals, join the free Don't Panic PPC Community.
And remember, we're all figuring it out as we go. Don't Panic.
4M Digital is a Google and Microsoft Ads Partner specialising in paid search and paid social, from Google and Microsoft Ads to Meta, LinkedIn, Pinterest and TikTok. Working in paid media since 2010, we help brands, retailers and agencies grow through campaign management, audits, training and white-label PPC support.
