How to ask for work in an email: Your complete guide

Being a freelancer has its perks. You can set your own hours, work with diverse clients and contribute to interesting projects. But what about expanding your work and taking on more projects from clients you like to work with? Here is a quick guide on how to ask a client for more work as a freelancer.

How do you ask a client for more work?

As a freelancer, you may be interested in broadening your scope of work with a particular client or going further with the project you’re currently working on. To navigate this, first make sure that you have or have had a strong working relationship with that client. This means that you completed your projects to the client’s satisfaction, on time and you are sure of payment.

Next, create a list of all the successes in the current or past project you worked on with that particular client. And then think of a challenge that you were able to overcome with the client. This list will come in handy shortly.

Now that you have that ready, you can put together an email outlining why you should take on more work, with reasoning to back it up. Check out the next section for practical tips for drafting an email to a client.

How do you write an email asking for more work?

When you are ready to reach out to your client to ask for more work, here are a few practical tips to consider:

1. Be concise:

Often with email requests, the shorter the better. You don't need to write long paragraphs or take time to build your reasoning. Instead, keep the email to the point.

Make it a new email:

It is recommended to let your clients know why you are emailing as early as possible. This can mean creating a new email to your client (rather than a response on an email thread) and being clear in your subject line about the topic.

Be clear:

Have a good outline for your email so there is clarity on your ask. A great way to go about the email is to lay out your request, present the reasoning with your successes and overcoming challenges list, and then how your client would benefit.

Try to stay light:

You don’t want your client to feel like they are being pressured to provide more work for you or that there would be other consequences on current projects. So keep a tone of understanding when putting your email together.

The best email asking for more work is one that is efficient, clear, understanding, and backed with a strong track record that will help your client.

Sample email to client asking for more work

To get an idea of what an email can look like when you are asking for more work, here are 3 different sample emails. While these can be used as guideposts and examples of how the tips above can be written, the samples are not meant to be templates or copied directly. Instead, create emails that are authentic to you and your work.

Sample email: content writing

Subject: Additional Content Assignments

Hi [client name],

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to touch base as I have been enjoying working with you and your team on the current content writing project. I have been able to learn much more about the industry and the needs of your clients. And we have also been able to work through challenges- such as deadlines and finding ways to make the content work with the web development team- efficiently and to move the project forward.

This is all to say that with my deep understanding of the brand and audience, I’d be happy to work on additional articles and website content you may have. I have the time available and we can simply expand the current contract to include additional work. If the timing is not right at the moment, I completely understand but please keep me in mind for the future.

Thank you & best regards,

[name]

Sample email: design

Subject: Expanding Design Contract

Hi [client name]

Thanks again for the opportunity to work together on your project. I’m very proud of the design collateral we have created together, and I look forward to seeing users interact with the work.

Given the success of the first launch, I’d love the chance to continue working with you. I have numerous ideas of how we can provide fresh and new content for the next social media drops. And we could maintain the current timelines and payments outlined in the contract so no further changes would be needed.

Let me know what you think and I’d be happy to discuss and brainstorm on possible new design work over a meeting.

Thank you!

[name]

Sample email: web designing

Subject: Web Design for Online store

Hello [client name],

I hope you are having a good week.

I enjoyed working on your brand website and I’m glad to see your email on how it is running smoothly and getting traffic online. As we have reached the end of the website building project, I wanted to reach out and see if there was any interest in expanding our current contract if the opportunity exists.

I know you had mentioned the online store project and its tight time frame. My current bandwidth has opened up to take on more work, and I could complete that specific project within the date required. Or if there are additional web designing opportunities in the pipeline for your company, I would appreciate being considered for the work given our successful track record working together.

I’d be happy to go over specific details and answer any questions about what an expanded contract may look like.

Sincerely,

[name]

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How do I ask for more challenging work from a client?

If you are looking to increase your work but also the type of work you do, communicating with your client is essential. Here are some tips on how to request for more challenging work from a client:

1. Be clear:

Know what specifically you are asking for. If you say more challenging work, a client may not know what to give you. But if you are clear about working on a longer article, a video graphic, or a more complex website, a client can more easily imagine how to meet your ask.

2. Show a track record:

Make sure you have a track record of projects completed within the required timeframes. Keep that data on hand as evidence of your ability to take on more challenging work.

3. Show samples:

Present samples of past experience taking on more challenging work or show how you would take on a better task for your client. Allowing your client to imagine how you could get the challenging task done will get you closer to your goal.

4. Be sure to ask:

This can sound simple, but often clients don’t know how much time, bandwidth, or interest you have to take on more. So instead of hoping a client will bring it up, be sure to ask for more challenging work. You may be surprised by their eagerness to continue working with you.

Below is a sample email of how all these tips can work together.

Sample email for more challenging work

Subject: Increasing the scope of work

Hi [client name],

It was great to see the positive feedback on the recent project and to see it moving forward. On this note, I wanted to ask if I could contribute to the larger project in regards to the brand website. I have worked on a website project like this before, which you can see here:

1. Link 1
2. Link 2
3. Link 3

I believe we have worked together well, and I have submitted all required projects within or before the 72-hour deadlines. I’d be interested in taking on this more complicated project and execute to the deadlines and quality your company has come to expect.

I can also present my method and process for the expanded website project so that it meets your expectations and we are on the same page. If you don’t feel it is a good fit, it is no problem and I appreciate the work we are doing together immensely.

I look forward to hearing from you!

[name]