30 Under-the-Radar Ways to Get Customers (No Cold Emails, No DMs, No

Begging)

Most people think client acquisition is just about sending more DMs or firing off cold emails.

It’s not.

There are smarter, faster, more strategic ways to get clients. Ones that don’t rely on you
spending hours pitching strangers who don’t know (or trust) you yet.

This list is proof.

Inside, you’ll find 30 client acquisition strategies that don’t involve cold outreach, and can be
implemented within 2 weeks. Some are lean.

Some require budget. But every single one is designed to get you more clients without you
chasing.

These are the exact kinds of plays I’d run if I were starting from scratch… or scaling
something that’s already working.

Pick 3. Run them hard. Watch what happens.

Let’s go.

How we’re ranking them. Each of these will be ranked in Ease/ Impact/ Money
Required

-​ Ease (/10): How easy it is to implement

​ •Impact (/10): How powerful it can be for generating clients

​ •Money Required (/10): How expensive it is to execute

Let’s go:

1. The Lead Capture Content Collab

Co-create a guide, checklist, or resource with a complementary service provider. You both
promote it and grow your lists through shared opt-ins.

Example:

A Facebook ads expert and email marketer release “The 7-Figure Launch Stack.” They each
promote it and capture 300+ leads in 5 days.
How to Use It:

​ 1.​ Partner with someone your audience already trusts.

​ 2.​ Create a freebie solving a shared audience pain.

​ 3.​ Set up a joint landing page or swap lead magnets.

​ 4.​ Promote for 5–7 days.

Ease: 7/10

Impact: 8/10

Money Required: 1/10

2. The Embedded Training Play

Offer a free training or resource to someone else’s client community, cohort, or paid
program. This gives you trust-by-association.

Example:

A creative strategist runs a 20-min session inside a coaching community. She gets 4
inbound leads from 60 members.

Ease: 6/10

Impact: 8/10

Money Required: 2/10

3. The “Hosted by a Tool” Case Study Feature

Write a case study showing how you used a tool to generate results, and pitch the tool
company to feature it.

Example:

A marketing consultant writes a post showing how she used Notion to 5x client onboarding
speed. Notion’s team features her and that leads to 3 clients booking calls.

Ease: 7/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 2/10

Enter a project or business into relevant awards. The visibility and credibility from even just
being shortlisted can attract leads.

Example:

A creative agency submits a project to a niche design awards site. They get featured and
land 2 inbound leads from founders who saw it. Even better, you can just use it for your
social.

Ease: 6/10

Impact: 8/10

Money Required: 3/10

5. The SEO Landing Page Strategy

Build a dedicated landing page targeting one high-intent keyword like “Shopify email
marketing expert” or “webflow designer for coaches.”

Example:

An SEO consultant builds a landing page titled “B2B SEO for Fintech Startups.” It ranks for
long-tail keywords and brings in 1–2 leads/month organically.

Ease: 4/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 4/10

6. The Comment Leader Strategy

Leave thoughtful, tactical comments on content your ideal clients read. It builds attention and
profile views.

Example:

A sales strategist consistently comments on influencer posts. 2–3 founders per month click
his profile and DM him.

Ease: 9/10
Impact: 4/10

Money Required: 1/10

7. The Free Resource Hosting Swap

Create a free tool, checklist, or guide and let someone else distribute it to their audience with
your CTA inside.

Example:

A copywriter’s “5 Sales Email Templates” gets shared by a coaching software company as a

Ease: 3/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 1/10

8. The One-Time Webinar Play

Run one high-value webinar, solving a specific problem, and pitch your offer at the end.

Example:

An ops consultant runs “Fix Your Project Chaos in 30 Minutes.” 80 people attend. 10 book
discovery calls.

Ease: 8/10

Impact: 8/10

Money Required: 2/10

9. The Client Result Story Series

Share a weekly post breaking down a client win. Before/after, what changed, and a soft CTA.

Example:

A conversion copywriter posts a weekly “Win of the Week” and ends with: “Want help getting
results like this?” Brings in consistent DMs.

Ease: 8/10
Impact: 6/10

Money Required: 1/10

10. The Instagram Highlight Funnel

Turn IG highlights into a silent funnel: “Start Here,” “Client Wins,” “Book a Call,” etc.

Example:

A fitness coach uses IG Highlights to tell her story and showcase proof. She closes 3
clients/month from inbound DMs.

Ease: 9/10

Impact: 3/10

Money Required: 1/10

11. The Client Upgrade Check-In

Message past clients offering a check-in + upgrade call. Many want more, they just forgot to
ask.

Example:

An automation consultant checks in 2 months post-project. One client books a second £2K
upgrade.

Ease: 8/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 1/10

12. The Behind-the-Scenes Drop

Show your audience how you solve real problems, “Here’s what I fixed in a client’s ad
account this week…”

Example:

A media buyer shares “Here’s why I killed this client’s top-performing ad.” It drives 3 calls in
a week.

Ease: 7/10
Impact: 4/10

Money Required: 1/10

13. The Weekly IG Live Ritual

Go live for 15 minutes weekly, solving one micro problem. Position it like a live newsletter.

Example:

A mindset coach does “Tuesday Tune-Ups” every week. It builds trust and converts viewers
into clients.

Ease: 7/10

Impact: 3/10

Money Required: 1/10

14. The Live DM Sprint

Set a 90-minute timer and go live responding to DMs, story replies, and mini-requests. Treat
it like a pop-up value session.

Example:

A consultant posts: “DM me your onboarding flow and I’ll audit 5 today.” 4 of those turn into
paid calls.

Ease: 9/10

Impact: 7/10

Money Required: 1/10

15. The One-Problem Newsletter

Launch a newsletter solving one specific problem every week. Super short, punchy, and
CTA-driven.

Example:

A deliverability consultant starts “Inbox Hero” a weekly email solving one email issue. She
gains 400 subs and books 2–3 calls per issue.

Ease: 4/10
Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 1/10

16. The Client Chain Strategy

Find out who your client used before and after you — then partner with those businesses.

Example:

A wedding planner partners with a dress shop (used before her) and a honeymoon service
(used after). All refer her to new brides.

Ease: 3/10

Impact: 10/10

Money Required: 2/10

17. The Carousel Case Study Funnel

Turn a client result into a 3–5 slide carousel. Final slide = “Want me to do this for you?”

Example:

A UX designer shows “Before/After: 3 Things I Changed in This SaaS App.” Ends with “DM
‘UX’ if you want a review.” 4 leads in 2 days.

Ease: 6/10

Impact: 8/10

Money Required: 1/10

18. The Tiny Tool Turnaround

Turn one internal checklist or doc into a freebie. Offer it with a CTA: “Want me to apply this to
your biz?”

Example:

A project manager shares her “Kickoff Checklist for New Clients” as a Google Doc. 70
downloads. 6 DMs. 2 clients.

Ease: 8/10
Impact: 3/10

Money Required: 1/10

19. The Paid Newsletter Sponsorship Blitz

Buy a shout-out or ad slot in a niche newsletter your clients already read.

Example:

An email copywriter pays $500 for a sponsored spot in “The DTC Dispatch.” 3K clicks. 5
calls booked.

Ease: 7/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 8/10

20. The Podcast Guest Loop

Appear on niche podcasts. At the end, pitch a freebie or audit.

Example:

A productized service founder appears on “Founder’s Faves.” She offers a free landing page
audit. 7 leads.

Ease: 2/10

Impact: 5/10

Money Required: 1/10

21. The Creator Collab Carousel

Make a co-branded carousel with a complementary creator where you each share it.

Example:

A brand designer and ad strategist co-create “5 Ways Your Brand Is Losing Money.” Each
posts it. They both get DMs.

Ease: 4/10

Impact: 8/10
Money Required: 1/10

22. The Retargeting Mini Funnel

Spend £300–£500 running retargeting ads to warm audiences with a case study or
result-based CTA.

Example:

A sales coach runs Instagram Story ads saying: “We added £34K with one email change.” 2
new clients book.

Ease: 4/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 8/10

23. The Strategic Co-Workshop

Partner with another service provider and co-host a workshop. Share the list. Share the
clients.

Example:

An offer strategist + video editor run “Make Offers That Sell with Reels.” 60 signups. 10 total
bookings.

Ease: 4/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 4/10

24. The Reverse Guest Post Strategy

Ask someone influential to contribute a 1–2 sentence insight for your newsletter or post —
then tag them.

Example:

A fractional CMO gets 3 SaaS founders to share “What worked for you this year?” in her
LinkedIn post. They reshare it. 2,000+ views.

Ease: 8/10
Impact: 4/10

Money Required: 1/10

25. The Offer Repositioning Launch

Rename, reframe, and relaunch your core service as if it were a brand-new product.

Example:

A freelancer rebrands their basic retainer into “The Funnel ICU” an emergency funnel fix
service. It gets way more attention and 3 new clients in 5 days.

Ease: 8/10

Impact: 4/10

Money Required: 1/10

26. The Private Newsletter Syndicate

Partner with 3–5 micro-newsletter writers and agree to feature each other once per month.

Example:

A conversion strategist gets featured in 4 micro-newsletters and gains 180 new subscribers
in 3 weeks.

Ease: 8/10

Impact: 5/10

Money Required: 1/10

27. The Directory Optimization Play

Join curated directories, but write a hooked headline for your listing that grabs attention.

Example:

Instead of “Email Marketing Consultant,” someone writes:

​ “Turn Abandoned Carts Into PayPal Pings”

…and triples click-throughs.

Impact: 4/10

Money Required: 2/10

28. The Free Tool + Paid Follow-Up Funnel

Offer a high-value Notion or Google Sheet, then pitch a strategy call to implement it.

Example:

A project ops consultant gives away a “Weekly Sprint Planner.” People opt-in, then get
offered a “Team Alignment Call” for £197.

Ease: 4/10

Impact: 8/10

Money Required: 2/10

29. The Strategic “DM Me This Word” Post

Post a story, carousel, or thread with a CTA like “DM me ‘Audit’ if you want help.” No pitching
just permission-based convos.

Example:

An ad buyer posts: “Want me to review your top-performing ad? DM me ‘Hook’.” 12 DMs. 3

Ease: 9/10

Impact: 8/10

Money Required: 1/10

30. The Paid Discovery Experience

Charge for your first discovery session and credit it toward future work. Filters tire-kickers
and creates trust.

Example:

A strategist offers “The £197 Brand Audit Session.” It comes with a 5-page doc and applies
toward her £3K package.
Ease: 7/10

Impact: 9/10

Money Required: 2/10