Note from Jennifer: As promised, we are going to talk more about networking on this blog since many writers are finding that to have higher results than cold LOIs. I am heading to a conference next week in Raleigh (High Five – if you are going let me know so we can meet up) and wanted to psych myself up to go since I’m ‘nervouscited’ (my kid’s word for being both nervous and excited at the same time). 

I called my writer friend from the parking garage and told her I was going home. Luckily, she had the time to talk me off the ledge, and she convinced me to actually walk into the local marketing conference. Thankfully, she is exceptionally patient and kind, since she had already spent at least 15 minutes earlier in the morning giving me the pep talk I needed to leave my house and drive the 30 minutes to the conference.

I was full of excuses. I had work I needed to do. My son had to eat dinner at a neighbor’s house, which he wasn’t happy about. And I was tired – maybe I was coming down with something. But the real reason is that I didn’t know a single person at the conference and was scared to death of walking into a conference full of strangers.

If the mere idea of going to a conference or event to meet potential clients gives you a queasy stomach, you are not alone. Many freelance writers are introverts who find networking with strangers to be an extremely nerve-wracking prospect. But this is why going to in-person events, such as conferences, association meetings or meetups can be a great time investment – very few other freelance writers typically attend these events.

I’m not talking about events for writers, which I highly recommend as well, but about events where people in your industry are likely to be.

Here are my eight tips for networking at an industry event:

1. Go with a fellow writer. I hesitated to put this one, because it can be easy to hang around with your writer friend and not meet anyone. But if you are both set on networking and don’t stay joined at the hip, it can make networking much easier when you know you have someone to sit with at lunch or during the keynote. For me, I am more confident and willing to network if I know that there is at least one familiar face in the room.
2. Start a conversation about the conference. The trick to networking is finding something in common, and everyone at the conference has exactly that in common – the conference. I have had great luck asking people at conferences about other sessions that they attended. The opening line “So, have you been to any really great sessions today?” really worked for me.
3. Take advantage of food as the great equalizer. Meals and cocktail hours are my favorite time to network. And I’ve found that sitting at a table with other people I don’t know is a fantastic way to meet people. Two of the conferences I attend regularly have high, round tables during snack times where three to four people will gather while standing. I have made some great connections by asking if there is room and joining a table that looks open and friendly. If there are group dinners or networking lunches, take advantage of these because everyone is looking to make connections as well.
4. Have an elevator speech that explains your niche. When someone asks whom you work for, have a few lines on the tip of your tongue that communicate that you are a freelancer and describe your niches. If you have anything that immediately shows your experience level, you can tack that on. Don’t just say you are a freelancer, because the next question will be, “What do you write about?” My elevator speech is, “I own my own freelance writing business and specialize in writing about technology. My strength is translating geek to real people. I mainly work with big brands like IBM, Verizon, Samsung and Adobe – these are my current customers.” The person immediately knows that I am a freelancer (and likely always looking for work), what my niche is, what my strength is, and that I am most likely very good at my job or I wouldn’t work for top companies.
5. Don’t ask for work at the conference. It’s easy to think that networking means trying to get clients. But I have found that the best strategy is to just focus on making a connection with someone at the conference on both a personal and a professional level. You want them to leave feeling like you know your stuff and are someone that would be easy to work with. Sometimes the client will bring it up by saying that they are looking for a freelancer or something like that. But you shouldn’t be the first to bring it up. Instead, you should…
6. Exchange business cards. As the conversation is wrapping up, get your card out and hand it to your new found friend. They will likely reciprocate, but if they don’t and you really want to keep in touch, it’s perfectly fine to ask if they have a card. I find it very helpful to write notes on the back of the card about what we talked about. If you are prone to lose things, which I am, then have a plan for storing the cards. For me, a ziplock bag in my laptop bag works great because otherwise my cards end up in six different places and I lose half of them. Another writer uses an app where you can take pictures of the business cards and store them for later use.
7. Connect on LinkedIn as soon as possible. I usually try to send a LinkedIn connection request as soon as I get a chance. It keeps me at the top of my new contact’s mind and also gives me a way to track who I met in case I still lose my cards. (Yes, this has happened more than once. I know, I know. I once left all my cards in a hotel room when I checked out and then had the hotel mail them to me.)
8. Follow up with an email. A few days later, send your contacts an email. I might send a link to an article about something we talked about or send a compliment about a project that they told me about during our conversation. My follow-up really depends on the conversation that I had with the person. I follow my gut with the goal of building a connection that turns into work. If I take the soft sell approach and I hear back from the person, then I usually ask if their company uses freelancers.

Do you go to networking events? What is your experience? Any tips?