Freelancer Insides Gabka Koščová – Freelance Marketer from Slovakia

Gabka is a freelance marketer hailing from Slovakia. With a few years of freelancing under her belt, she has a fresh and interesting perspective for newer freelancers,

Hi Gabka, we are delighted to have you in our Insides series! Could you tell us a bit about yourself and what you areup to?

Hi, thank you for having me. I am from Slovakia, but I actually started freelancing while I was living in Berlin. As a freelancer, I specialize in content marketing and link building. I help companies to create content and initiate link building strategies, and I help them to coordinate their activities.

Currently, I have a few small clients from different niches, such as traveling and fashion. And besides these clients, I am working part time for a new SEO tool Spotibo, which is a very exciting experience for me. 

What exactly made you want to work in marketing?

It was kind of a coincidence. My “career” started when I studied at the University of Economics in Prague. Part of my studies included marketing, but it was focused on offline and traditional marketing as well. I didn’t actually know anything about online marketing at that time.

As I was looking for a job, I found out that one of the largest Czech marketing agencies was looking for link builders. I had no idea what those words meant, but it was super easy to learn in the beginning. Later, I found out that it gave me the opportunity to become even more creative. I liked it and continued doing that for a while. This job opened the online marketing world for me, and I fell in love. And it’s lasted.

How long have you been freelancing?Did you face many problems? Could you share with our readers some important lessons you learned on the way?

I have been freelancing for 2.5 years (since July 2015). There were lots of challenges that I faced, and I think in some ways, I still face them.

I had a hard time finding other freelancing friends, as I wanted to be part of the community. Mostly, because I lived in the city, where I didn’t have any contacts and background. However, it was better when I came back to Prague.

Another issue that I had was a very thin portfolio of clients. I only had a few clients, which was good to create a better focus and build long-term relationships but thinking back I didn’t gain as much experience or as many references as I could have at the time. I didn’t try so hard in the beginning because I was comfortable with the clients I had. I think I should have gotten a bit more uncomfortable when I was starting so I could learn more. But I am doing this now. 

What do you love most about your work? Is there one particular project that you are especially proud of?

I love that it has the possibility to get really creative, and I love that it is a different type of work all the time. I like to work on new projects because I am not able to do one single thing for a long time. I also love the process of creating content by itself and the rewarding feeling when I can finally click on the “Publish” button. So there are very general and also very particular things that I love. 

A few weeks ago, I finished a two-year cooperation with one of my favorite clients. I am very proud of this project and collaboration. The client was a travel agency, and together, we created a very complex content strategy that we worked on over the course of two years. We did our best, and the organic traffic had grown to 225 percent in those two years. I loved the project, I loved the client, and the results were remarkable. But we had to move on. I needed something new and fresh to work on, and the client needed new pairs of eyes in order to apply new things.

I think I should have gotten a bit more uncomfortable when I was starting so I could learn more.

If you would search for your profile on Google, which are the three keywords you would type in the search bar?

I would search for “the digital nomad,” “content strategist” and “link builder.”

How does your working routine look like and how do you manage the pressure of meeting deadlines?

If I have a chance, I try to work during the typical work week, starting in the morning and finishing before dinner. But it is not always possible. I am a freelancer, and I try to make the most out of it. So it means that if I want to go to yoga or I have some errands to run, I do that during the day, because it is not so busy outside. But then I have to catch up my work during the evenings or weekends. Therefore, it depends. But in general, I try to have an average working week.

I am a person who doesn’t like high-pressure situations, so I try not to save my work until the last minute. I am very well organized in that way, but I don’t use any special tool. I prefer an good old paper notebook where I write everything I need to do and other essential things. I tried lots of tools for productivity, but they just were not the right fit for me.

How do you find new clients? Are there any tips you could give to fellow freelancers?

Good reputation works for me. When I started freelancing, I had to rely on my existing contacts, through whom I found my first few projects. Later, I also started to write a blog. I don’t write often, but when I write something, it is of good quality. Through that content, I found new contacts between other freelancers who recommend me to new clients. So, it is the combination of having a good reputation and having connections among other freelancers.

Besides your work, what are you passionate about?

I love to travel. That’s why I spent 5 months in Asia, where I was working and traveling at the same time. And I am going to do that again.

Besides traveling, I do yoga; I like to write, read books and to watch movies.

Don’t become a freelancer to earn more money. Become a freelancer to have work that you enjoy, and so that you can have more free time. It’s all up to you.

What tools are essential to your life?

Gmail and Google apps like Drive, Calendar and Analytics are essential for me. Other than that, I use Toggl, Basecamp, Slack and Grammarly for my day-to-day work.

For SEO, link building and content activities, I couldn’t live without Spotibo, Marketing Miner, Majestic and Ahrefs.

In my personal life, I have essentials like 1password, Spotify or Getpocket.

Last chance! Is there anything more you would like to tell our readers?

Don’t work too much and be sure to take advantage of the freelance life. You can work anywhere in the world, and you can have the day off on Monday and work on Sunday. Don’t become a freelancer to earn more money. Become a freelancer to have work that you enjoy, and so that you can have more free time. It’s all up to you.

Where to find Gabka Koščová