It took me 5 months to break into the climate technology industry.

But once I landed that first climate tech client, I was able to land 6 more climate clients in less than a year.

If you're trying to get a sustainability job or freelance gig but getting no traction, copy the five strategies I used.

With these strategies, you can get your first opportunity quicker than I did.

1. Used the Work on Climate Slack channel

When I was having trouble landing clients, a friend of mine suggested I join the "Work on Climate" Slack channel.

I did, and I was blown away by how many gigs and jobs were posted every month. I applied to a few of the gigs and had a call with the client. A week or so later, I landed the work!

This was my first-ever climate gig, and this Slack channel is perfect for beginners.

2. Sent direct emails

I landed my second client from email outreach.

I sent a hundred or so email messages over a few months, and it turns out one of them needed my services. We did four small projects together, and I learned an incredible amount.

It was a fantastic portfolio-builder, and critical to grow my experience in the niche.

3. Got visible on LinkedIn

One of the best things I did to break into the climate tech niche was to show up consistently on LinkedIn.

I optimized my bio and profile for the climate tech niche, added hundreds of potential connections, commented on posts, and wrote posts tagging companies I was interested in.

It took some time, but I ended up landing three out of seven clients from my LinkedIn activity.

4. Stalked people

When you're trying to break into an industry, it's helpful to try some things in person and not just online.

When I was desperate for work, I applied for a full-time position. I didn't land the job, but I ended up joining the coworking space where they worked. (It happened to be near my house.) When I told them I was working there, too, they were intrigued — and we ended up doing a writing project together.

It may sound extreme, but it worked!

5. Talked to friends and family

Your network has more opportunities than you realize.

Last Christmas break, I spoke with my brother-in-law about my work. He suggested I get in touch with one of his friends who'd founded a climate tech startup in my niche. I did, and a few months later we did a ghostwriting project together.

This project was one of my biggest-ever projects — and this type of work is now what I'm focusing on.

Any of these strategies can work

Any of these strategies can work if you try them enough.

But the biggest takeaway is this: when you want a certain type of work, don't wait for opportunities to come to you.

Go and get them!