There are Slack communities for almost every topic you can imagine and freelancing is no exception. At any moment, you can hop in and start talking with digital nomads, work from home moms, freelance bloggers, and any other group that comes to mind. At least, that is, if you know where to find them.
The good news is, most Slack communities aren’t ‘underground’ groups. Many popular channels even have websites to get more people to join. In most cases, it’s just a matter of looking around until you find a group you feel comfortable in.
For this article, I put together a short list of my favorite Slack freelancing communities . Within these channels, you’ll meet everyone from freelancing newbies to some of the most veteran folks in the business, so let’s hop right in!
1. Affiliate Marketers Chat
Affiliate marketing is a very competitive field of blogging. Running a successful affiliate blog is one of the best ways to earn a decent income from writing online. However, it’s also not for everyone because it requires a hefty commitment to niche research, publishing new content often, and keeping up with trends.
In my experience, the most successful affiliate marketers are those who dive in headfirst and keep trying out new things. Those kinds of people tend to be goldmines when it comes to discussing marketing ideas, which is where this community comes in.
Affiliate Marketers Chat is a private Slack community that’s all about sharing affiliate marketing ideas. It’s a place for users to network, share offers, discuss niches, and more. More importantly, a lot of reps from affiliate marketing companies also hang out within its channels, so if you’re a regular, you might get to build some profitable relationships.
2. #Backlinks
Building backlinks is one of the most important things you can do from a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) perspective. Usually, I like to say that if you focus on creating great content, backlinks tends to follow. However, I’d be lying if I said being proactive in seeking backlinks doesn’t often yield better results.
The fact is, getting links back to your site takes time. Anything you can do to speed up that process is a huge help. #Backlinks is all about helping website owners network and find linking opportunities.
However, it’s not always just people asking for links. You can also find yourself becoming part of interesting discussions about marketing and Q&As with more experienced bloggers, so it’s definitely a community worth checking out.
3. Digital Freelancer
Let’s be honest – freelancing can get a bit lonely, even if you’re the kind of person that puts on pants and goes to coworking spaces or cafes. Wherever you go, it’s still usually a bunch of people working on very different projects, which makes building a support network difficult.
However, we’re in 2019 so there’s no reason why you need to limit networking opportunities to face-to-face situations only. Take the Digital Freelancer community, for example. It’s got over 1,500 members who work in almost every field you can imagine. It has channels for freelance designers, developers, writers, and more.
If you do want to meet some cool people face to face, there’s also a channel within this community dedicated to coordinating meetups. If you live in a big city, chances are you’ll find some meetup opportunities there.
4. WorkFromAnywhere
There’s a lot of romanticism surrounding the idea of freelance work. Most notably, when it comes to the idea you can work from anywhere. You most certainly can, but the digital nomad lifestyle is not for everyone.
Sure, working from poolsides and cool cafes can be fun, but the constant moving around takes a toll. To succeed, you need to be good at meeting new people both offline and online, so the long periods of solo travel don’t hit you as hard.
I can’t help you that much with the meeting people offline part of things beyond telling you to go out and try new things. However, WorkFromAnywhere can pretty much cover your online networking needs.
This particular community is full of remote workers from all over the world. It’s got hundreds of members who use it socialize, organize meetups, and even post remote work opportunities. Although if you’re looking for freelance writing jobs in particular, they are not as abundant within this community.
Keep in mind, though – unlike the other communities I’ve shared so far, this one often charges pro members a yearly fee. Last time I checked, it was $50, but it can be worth it for the work opportunities alone.
5. Online Geniuses
At first, I was pretty skeptical about this group due to its name. However, it’s turned out to be one of my favorite Slack freelancing communities after a while.
First off, this community is absolutely massive, with over 18,000 members to its name. It’s all about digital marketing. There are a lot of people with tons of experience who are very active within its channels.
If you’re looking for advice on SEO, online ads, email and affiliate marketing, then Online Geniuses is a goldmine. Plus, the do regular Ask Me Anything (AMA) events with experts in their field. If you keep an eye out for those events, you’ll get invaluable opportunities to interact with well-known marketers you might not otherwise meet.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever used a chatroom before, then you’ll take like a fish to water on Slack. It’s got a lot of bells and whistles, but the underlying core experience remains the same – you get to talk to a lot of cool people you would’ve never met otherwise. If you’re a freelancer, that becomes all the more important, because a good support network is key to your mental health.
When it comes to Slack communities for freelancers, you have hundreds of options to choose from and some of my favorites are:
Are you part of any cool Slack freelancer communities you’d like to share? Tell us about them in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pixabay.