Welcome

You’ve got your awesome productized design service up and running in the form of a landing page with a killer case study, what’s next?—Attract clients.

No network? No ad budget? No problem

In this guide we turn our focus toward effectively attracting customers by delivering immense value. This tactic revolves around identifying your ideal customers' hangouts online and engaging with them in meaningful ways. Let’s dive into how you can make sure you’re providing targeted solutions that really resonate.

If you’ve launched your offer using The Launch Fast Formula, you already have the foundation: who you help, what problem you solve, and how to package it.

But now comes the question:

How do I consistently find the people who actually want this?

Most designers think this means cold outreach or daily content. But that’s not your only option.

This playbook is about learning to show up where your best clients already are—and becoming the obvious choice without pitching.

You’ll learn how to:

• Pinpoint your ideal market
• Understand how real people signal buying intent
• Build visibility by solving, not selling
• Show up in the right places with the right message

You won’t need a massive audience. You’ll just need clarity, consistency, and a bit of courage.

The Shift: From Designer to Problem-Solver

Most freelance designers never fully switch out of “creative” mode.

They stay stuck thinking:

• “I just need to make my portfolio better”
• “Maybe if I post more carousels…”
• “People will find me eventually”

The problem isn’t talent. It’s perspective.

Designers who win long-term don’t just design things. They solve specific problems

This guide will help you think like a consultant, act like a guide, and show up as a trusted expert in the places your clients already hang out.

Sam vs. Bob: Why Most Designers Stay Stuck

Meet Bob

Bob’s a great designer. He’s got skills, a good-looking portfolio, and a few clients under his belt. But things are quiet now, so Bob starts “looking for leads.”

Bob’s plan?

• Post more work on Instagram
• DM a few random SaaS founders on Twitter
• Join five Slack groups but never speak

When things don’t pick up, Bob gets frustrated. He thinks the market is too crowded, that people don’t value design, or that maybe he’s just not lucky.

Now Meet Sam

Sam has the same skills. But instead of spraying his work everywhere, Sam takes time to answer a few key questions:

• What problem do I solve?
• Who has this problem right now?
• Where do they talk about it online?

Sam figures out that B2B SaaS founders with high churn are actively asking UX questions in product forums. He joins the conversation. He gives thoughtful answers. He offers advice with no pitch.

Within a few weeks, Sam starts hearing:

“This was super helpful—do you take on clients?”

The Truth

Bob’s not struggling because of talent.

He’s struggling because he’s fishing with cheeseburgers in the wrong ocean.

Sam? Sam’s using the right bait, in the right pond, with the right mindset.

If you want aligned clients, stop trying to attract everyone. Focus on becoming undeniably helpful to the people already searching for help.

Market Mapping

Find your lane so clients can find you.

Why This Matters

When designers struggle to find leads, it’s rarely a skills issue. It’s a positioning problem. You’re either trying to serve too many people at once—or you’re swimming in a pool that’s too quiet.

The truth is, most buyers aren’t browsing random portfolios looking to “hire a designer.” They’re actively looking for solutions to specific problems.

That’s where you come in—but only if you know which room the conversation is happening in.

To get there, you need to map your market.

The Psychological Reason This Works

People don’t buy design. They buy certainty.

They want to feel confident that you understand their specific situation.

When your website, your posts, or your advice speaks directly to the language they use to describe their pain, you instantly stand out.

Why?

Because it signals:

• “I know your world.”
• “I’ve solved this before.”
• “You’re not alone—and I can help.”

It’s the opposite of generic. It feels like relief.

That’s what this section helps you do: speak directly to a specific problem that someone is already motivated to solve.

The Market Pool Framework

All problems fall into one of three big markets:

• Health (e.g., fitness, nutrition, mental wellness)
• Wealth (e.g., business, investing, making money)
• Relationships (e.g., dating, parenting, social skills)

Designers almost always serve the Wealth market, helping people make, save, or protect money.

This includes:

• SaaS startups
• Coaches or course creators
• Agencies or freelancers
• E-commerce brands

Inside these, your job is to go a layer deeper.

That’s a real audience.

You can find them. You can speak to them. And if you’re solving the right problem, they will pay.

How to Build Your Own Market Map

Think through these layers:

1. Market: What is the big promise your work helps fulfill? Health, Wealth, or Relationships?
2. Sub-market: What kind of business or system are they using to try to reach that promise? SaaS? Coaching? DTC? Ecom?
3. Niche: What type of person or business are you best suited to help? Solo founders? 5-person teams? Post-accelerator startups?
4. Sub-niche: What’s the specific problem you help them solve? Conversion? Clarity? Churn? Credibility?
5. (Optional) Micro-niche: Can you describe them in one sentence so they immediately know you’re talking to them?

Mindset Check: Isn’t that too narrow?

Not at all. Focus = trust.

You’re not only allowed to work with this group. You’re just choosing to speak directly to them first—so your signal cuts through the noise.

You can always broaden later. But you can’t optimize what’s vague.

Bonus Reflection:

Think of a real person you’ve worked with before (or want to work with). What problem did they have? How did they describe it? What happened after you helped them?

Audience Fit

How to spot the clients who are actually looking for you.

Why This Matters

Finding clients isn’t about convincing people they need design.

It’s about finding people who are already trying to solve a problem that your design solves better, faster, or more clearly than what they’re doing now.

This is the difference between:

• “Hey, you should probably hire a designer” vs.
• “I saw your post—here’s what might fix that onboarding drop-off problem.”

When your skills match their current pain, trust builds fast.

And trust is what converts browsers into buyers.

The Psychology Behind It

Most of us are already scanning the world for ways to feel better, move faster, or stop bleeding time and money.

But here’s what we’re not doing:

We’re not looking for more decisions.

Here is what we are doing:

We’re looking for relief from indecision.

This is why niche service providers win. When a founder sees a designer who specializes in exactly their kind of product, they don’t feel overwhelmed. They feel safe.

That safety turns into:

• More replies
• Higher rates
• Shorter sales cycles
• Easier yeses

What Makes a Great-Fit Audience?

Here’s the profile of a strong audience worth building your positioning around:

✅ They have a problem that’s urgent and obvious

✅ They are already trying to fix it

✅ They are spending money to fix it (even if not effectively)

✅ They have a clear goal or outcome they’re working toward

✅ You can speak their language and understand their world

✅ They hang out in places where you can see them talking about their problems

When these six boxes are checked, your offer feels less like a pitch—and more like a shortcut.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

🚫 “They could use design.” Yes, everyone could. That doesn’t mean they want it or are ready to invest in it.

🚫 “I just help anyone with a business.” That’s a resume, not a strategy. It puts all the work on the prospect to figure out how you fit in.

🚫 “They’re broke but have potential.” If they’re broke, they’re not your ideal client. Focus on helping people who have momentum, not dreams.

Real-World Designer Examples

Laura – UX Designer

Laura noticed that in Indie Hackers, early-stage SaaS founders were constantly complaining about poor onboarding and drop-off. She started leaving detailed Loom feedback on signup flows—no pitch, just value. Within a month, she landed her first paid teardown gig.

Miguel – Brand Designer

Miguel focused on Shopify brands doing $30k–50k/month. Not the beginners, not the megabrands. He offered “brand tightening” sessions—just enough to signal authority and diagnose gaps. Those sessions became paid projects.

Takeaway: Your best clients are already active online, already solving their problem—but not well. You’re showing up with clarity and giving them better tools.

How to Spot Signal vs. Noise

Strong signals from a niche:

• You see people asking the same few questions
• There are recurring complaints (e.g., “users aren’t sticking,” “nobody’s clicking this button,” “our site feels off”)
• There are tools or influencers that everyone in the niche talks about
• People pay for help (coaching, consulting, software, etc.)

Weak signals:

• Conversations are vague and infrequent
• No clear budget or buying behavior
• The problem isn’t “costing” them anything
• You don’t understand how to talk like them

Bonus Prompt:

Who have you helped in the past where it felt easy—like you knew exactly what to do and how to talk to them? What made that project so smooth?

Visibility Pools

Go where the right people are already talking—and be the one who helps.

In every facebook group, comments thread on youtube, instagram, reddit, twitter, you name it… thousands upon thousands of people are asking questions about problems they’re trying to solve 24/7. They don’t want a generic solution, they want a custom-tailored, well thought out, 1-1 direct solution from someone who has successfully solved that problem before. And they want it fast.

Identify where your potential customers discuss their challenges and seek solutions.

Create a list of every place online that already has your target market as their audience and customer base, like LinkedIn groups, SubReddits, and industry-specific forums.

Focus on those that are frequented by your target market, and start participating in these communities to gain insights into their needs and pain points.

Dig into their activity on each platform, look at the related accounts suggested and uncover all the corners of the internet where you target audience gathers.

Immerse yourself in the discussions: Even if people aren’t talking about your exact offerings, they are still your people discussing problems related to your market. This is where you’ll gain critical insight into your audience’s needs.

Why This Matters

Once you know who you’re helping, the next question is:

Where are they already hanging out and asking for help?

This is the secret to showing up with pull instead of push.

You don’t need to broadcast your offer to the entire internet.

You just need to show up in the right digital rooms and make yourself useful.

When you do, you tap into something powerful:

Existing demand. They already know they have a problem. You just become the person who helps solve it.

This is a shortcut most designers overlook. They jump straight to creating content—when what they really need to do is go where their buyers are already talking.

The Psychology Behind It

We trust people who are nearby when we’re in pain.

If someone answers your question right inside the community where you asked it, that’s instant signal:

• They’re here for the same reason I am.
• They understand my world.
• They’re not trying to sell me something—they’re helping.

This triggers what’s called the Proximity Effect:

We assign more credibility and trust to people who show up in the places we already trust.

If your client is venting in a product Slack group and you drop in with clarity and value—you’re no longer just another designer.

You’re the first one who made them feel seen.

What Visibility Pools Actually Are

Think of them like watering holes.

You’re not trying to drink from every puddle—you’re looking for lively, recurring places where your ideal clients:

• Ask questions
• Share frustrations
• Crowdsource solutions
• Talk shop
• Compare tools
• Complain about bad design

Your job is to:

1. Find those pools
2. Lurk and listen first
3. Show up with clarity, not a pitch

Examples of High-Value Pools

Twitter/X

Ideal for tech, SaaS, indie hacker, and B2B niches. Watch replies under founders, VCs, product builders. Start by replying with insights, not links.

Slack & Discord Groups

Startups, bootstrappers, DTC, and creator communities often live here. Ask around or use tools like Slofile, Sidekick, or GroupFinder.

Facebook Groups

Still active in niches like Shopify, course creators, or consultants. Use the search bar to look for questions about design, UX, or landing pages.

Reddit

Subreddits like r/startups, r/SaaS, r/UXDesign, r/Entrepreneur, and niche tool subs (e.g., r/Webflow, r/Framer) are goldmines for raw, unfiltered pain points.

Product-Specific Forums

Communities around tools like Figma, Notion, Bubble, Zapier, and Webflow often feature real-world discussions from founders and builders.

Newsletter Comments & Twitter Replies

Follow newsletters like Indie Hackers, Trends, Lenny’s Newsletter, and SaaS Weekly. Check the replies. People who comment often have questions you can answer.

Podcasts & Interviews

Founders talk about problems on podcasts. Find one in your niche, listen to an episode, and DM the guest with a helpful takeaway (no ask).

What to Look for in a Pool

✅ Frequent, recent activity

✅ People asking questions or venting pain

✅ Specific tools, business models, or industries mentioned

✅ A mix of beginners and experienced members (you want upward mobility)

✅ No gatekeeping or pitch-policing (you’ll still add value, not self-promote)

Reflection Prompt:

Which 2–3 pools feel the most active and aligned with your ideal client? Lurk in them for 15 minutes today. What are people frustrated with?

Section: Value Bombs

The simplest way to earn trust, build demand, and start conversations without pitching.

Why This Matters

Even when you’re in the right room, you still need to do something that makes people stop and think:

“Whoa—this person gets it.”

This is where most designers stall. They lurk. They heart posts. They maybe drop a vague comment or two.

But they never say anything that actually helps.

Here’s what works instead:

You find a real person with a real problem you know how to solve, and you solve it. Publicly. For free. No strings attached.

That’s a Value Bomb—a self-contained, highly specific solution that shows your expertise, communicates your style, and builds instant trust.

The Psychology Behind It

Why does this work?

1. Reciprocity bias – When someone gives you something useful without asking for anything, you want to give back. That’s human nature.
2. Certainty bias – People trust those who make complexity simple. When you help them clearly and quickly, you become a low-risk, high-trust option.
3. Belief shifting – A value bomb subtly reframes how someone thinks. It changes “maybe I need design someday” to “oh, this is the missing piece.”

Value Bombs flip the dynamic. Instead of asking for attention, you’re earning it by being useful.

What Is a Value Bomb?

A Value Bomb is a high-utility micro-project tailored to someone’s specific pain.

The best ones are:

• Specific to a problem they just expressed
• Built with context (you did your homework)
• Delivered clearly and visually (ideally via Loom)
• Designed to get them closer to their “Point B” (desired outcome)

It’s not a pitch.

It’s a “solve first, explain later” move.

What It Looks Like

Here are some Value Bomb ideas:

• UX teardown – Walk through someone’s onboarding flow in Loom. Identify friction. Suggest 2–3 changes. Be clear and encouraging.
• Mini wireframe or diagram – Share a quick visual that rethinks a user flow, feature, or layout. Add a note explaining why it works better.
• Brand tightening checklist – Create a punchy “here’s what’s working / what’s not” based on their landing page or pitch deck.
• Microcopy improvement – If a site’s messaging is unclear, rewrite the headline + CTA and explain your reasoning. Show, don’t just tell.

How to Deliver a Value Bomb (Step-by-Step)

1. Find a thread or question in a community you’re watching
2. Click into the poster’s profile and get some context (their startup, their product, etc.)
3. Solve part of their problem—either directly or by giving them a huge head start
4. Record a 5–7 minute Loom video walking through your thinking
5. Comment publicly on their post (don’t DM):

“I started typing a reply but figured it’d be easier to show you—here’s a Loom :)”

No branding, no links, no pitch.

Just end with: “Was this helpful?”

What Happens Next?

When your value bomb lands, three things tend to happen:

1. They thank you publicly—giving you visibility and credibility
2. They DM you privately—often with some version of “Do you do this as a service?”
3. Other people in the thread click your profile—passive lead gen on autopilot

This is why you don’t need to post daily or cold pitch 100 people.

You just need to help one person well in public—and let the ripple effect do its thing.

Prompt:

What’s one small thing I could create today that would make someone’s problem feel lighter—without needing them to hire me first?

The Visibility Loop

Turn attention into trust—and trust into booked clients.

Why This Matters

At this point, you know how to:

• Identify who you want to work with
• Understand what they need help with
• Find where they’re already talking
• Show up and help them publicly

Now, the final step is making it repeatable.

Because this isn’t a “growth hack.”

It’s a system you can run every week to create steady opportunities, stay top of mind, and attract clients without chasing them.

This is the weekly rhythm that keeps you in demand—without grinding.

Observe → Engage → Help → Attract → Repeat

Here’s what that looks like:

1. Observe

Spend 30–60 minutes reading in your top 2–3 communities. Look for trends, repeated questions, or strong emotional signals (frustration, confusion, overwhelm).

2. Engage

Leave thoughtful replies—no links, no fluff. Be genuinely helpful. This builds name recognition in the pool.

3. Help

Pick 1–2 posts a week where you can drop a value bomb. These are your “portfolio in action” moments.

4. Attract

Don’t pitch. Don’t ask. Let them come to you—or let the people watching reach out. You’re building trust in public.

5. Repeat

Stack small actions consistently. Over time, your inbox fills itself.

What Happens When You Do This for 30 Days?

By the end of a month:

• People in your niche recognize your name
• You’ve built “asymmetric goodwill” (you gave more than you asked for)
• You’re top of mind when someone needs help
• You’ve had at least 2–3 inbound convos that lead to real work or referrals
• You feel calm about marketing—because now you know how to create leads on demand

This is what consistency does.

It compounds.

The 7-Day Launch Plan

Here’s how to get your first few value bombs out the door this week:

Repeat this rhythm every week, and you’ll never worry about “where to find clients” again.

Final Thought

You don’t need to scream to get noticed.

You just need to be consistently useful to the right people.

Design is your skill.

Solving problems is your service.

Showing up is your superpower.

If you do this right, you’ll stop “looking for clients”—And start attracting the ones you actually want.