Landing My Biggest Client Ever

Helloooooo!
How have you been?

I just got back from another Banaras trip with the same crew, taking it slow. We worked a bit, lounged on the ghats, and yes, it was humid AF.

Now I’m back in my OG workspace (a.k.a. my parents’ bedroom) editing this newsletter at 11.50 pm on Thursday Night.

Some traditions never change.

In this edition, I wanted to cover how I cracked neat prompts, my biggest client yet.

The Crack of Dawn

It all started on 16 Aug 2024, the day I hit “send” on my very first newsletter. I’d just quit my job, freelancing felt exhilarating and terrifying, and LinkedIn posts were far too cramped for everything I wanted to say.

Blogs were too long. Newsletters felt Perfect.

They let me share wins, fails, strategies, and the occasional rant, and your encouragement kept me going.

Spinning Up More Newsletters

One newsletter wasn’t enough. I launched Fully Content for B2B content tips, plus two more (one for personal essays, one for book reviews). Four newsletters in a year, and I’m still posting in all of them.

I talked about them everywhere: LinkedIn, group chats, random DMs. That transparency is how most people discovered my work.

The DM + The Referral

Vikra was already working with NeatPrompts.

When they needed a newsletter writer, he pinged me and separately dropped my name to the founder, Aadit. None of us realized it was the same gig.

The Interview

I was completely honest. I said I’m no AI expert, but I understand what newsletter readers want.

I felt confident, mostly because I had zero expectations. I answered every question, then Aadit said he’d have liked me to come with a sample outlining how I’d tweak the newsletter.

So I asked if I could share my thoughts live. He agreed. I shared my screen and showed five or six changes I’d make and why. I’d studied the past issues, just hadn’t created something to show.

He was impressed and gave me a small assignment: rewrite the next day’s edition.

To my surprise, the draft already included most of my suggestions. I tightened a few sections and sent it back.

They loved it, and we officially started the following Monday.

TL;DR

I doubt Aadit would have reached out if I hadn’t been publishing my newsletters in public; proof of work is everything.

A referral tipped the scales, so staying in touch with people is always a plus.

Quick thinking in the interview sealed the deal. Confidence, honesty, and clear ideas go a long way.

That’s the formula:

Proof of Work + Referrals + Skills (plus confidence)

Got questions about any step? Just ask.

If you’d like more client-cracking case studies, let me know and I’ll share them.

Quick Help

I’m building something new in this Q3.

The main questionnaire is here, and I’d love your input especially if you’re a freelancer who struggles with accountability.

Wishing you better clients and even better rain.

See you next Friday.

Love,
Nikita