how new freelancers can build an authentic online presence

Every freelancer hears the same advice: Post valuable content. Show up consistently. Be authentic.

And it’s good advice. It works. 

It gets you noticed, builds trust, and lands you opportunities you wouldn’t find by lurking in the shadows of the internet.

But how exactly do you build an authentic online presence as a new freelancer without feeling like a knockoff version of the people you’re learning from?

What do you write about if most of what you know is from books, courses, blog posts, and social media posts by experts? 

Turns out, you don’t need “groundbreaking” ideas or a personality transplant. You need these three things: building blocks, excellent thinking skills, and some experience.

In this article, I’ve expanded on these three tips for being original and standing out as a new freelancer without simply rewording other people’s ideas.

1. Use building blocks

Building an authentic online presence isn’t about inventing entirely new concepts. It’s about using already existing building blocks to provide value in a way only you can.

As Austin Kleon mentioned in his book, Steal Like An Artist:

“Nothing is original.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean copying other people’s ideas word for word.

Edward Cosmos, a SaaS copywriter, shared his perspective with me on building authority online.

He said:

“Don’t focus on creating something from scratch. Be an integrator or a distiller. Car manufacturers don’t invent the wheel every time they build a car. You either piece together other people’s insights in unique ways (integrator) or you boil them down to their essence (distiller). Both with the same purpose: to help people solve a problem.”

Look at the ideas and concepts around you. What makes them effective? What patterns do they follow? Take inspiration, but add your own spin.

2. Think deeply before you share

Anyone can regurgitate ideas, but building authority comes from dissecting them, adding your unique take, and tailoring them to your target audience’s needs.

Don’t become an echo chamber of existing content. You will need to anchor those ideas in your niche and experience to stand out.

Ask: 

• Why should my target audience care about this?
• What’s my perspective on the topic?
• What’s the one thing I’d like the reader to take away from this?

Here’s an example from one of my LinkedIn posts to illustrate this.

Instead of simply repeating Drew Eric Whitman’s principle, I analyzed his core idea (the building blocks) of changing consumer beliefs and identified its relevance to sales page conversions (a hot topic for my target audience).

I highlighted why presenting customers with an alternate reality works to build their trust. This shows I thought about the topic‘s most useful angle for my audience. 

As a takeaway, I provided real-life examples to ground the concept in practical use.

Here’s another example from Joanna Weibe, founder of Copyhackers.

In her article on reciprocity and persuasion, she used a quote from Dr. Robert Cialdini as a building block.

When you learn something new or find a building block, first understand why it works or exists and how it applies in real life before you share it with your audience.

3. Own your experience level 

You don’t need decades of experience or a portfolio packed with case studies to build an authentic online presence. What you do need is to show up as someone who’s actively learning.

Start by sharing what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and why it matters.

Pull back the curtain on your workflow. Talk about the systems you’re testing, the mistakes you’ve made (and fixed), and your everyday work process. 

Did you underestimate a project timeline? Share how you adjusted.

Do you have an onboarding process? Share why it matters. Completed a new course?

Write about how you’re applying one tip, even if you’re still figuring out the rest.

Read a book that changed your perspective? Explain why it resonated, not just what it taught. 

Every lesson, half-baked experiment, or aha moment becomes content that shows you’re growing and builds trust with your audience.

Here’s an example of me sharing a part of my conversion copywriting process:

Here’s another example from Nicholas Cole, co-founder of Ship 30 for 30, sharing mistakes he’s made and won’t repeat.

Own where you are, share where you’re going, and the right people will want to come along for the ride.

A practical strategy for building an authentic online presence

1. Begin by learning with purpose. Absorb books, courses, or podcasts, but don’t just collect tips like digital clutter. Focus on one building block at a time like writing better outreach emails, for example. 
   
   
2. Then, do the work. Apply what you learned to a real project, even if it’s a hypothetical brief or a pro-bono gig. The goal is to wrestle the theory into practice.  
   
   
3. Share with your audience as you learn and do.
   
   
4. Find a tribe of other freelancers in your niche (or adjacent fields) who are also in the trenches and build relationships with them. Join niche communities or local coworking meetups and engage authentically.

Just start

Yes, building an online presence is slow. And awkward. But only for a while.

You won’t wake up viral, but you will wake up relevant. And in freelancing, “relevant” beats “viral” every time. 

Start small, but start. 

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