How Freelancers in Regional Areas Compete: Differentiation and the Mindset of Securing Work from Cities

When working as a freelancer in a regional area, I am often asked, "How do you get your work?"

It is true that there are fewer people and fewer jobs in regional areas compared to urban centers.
Having moved from the Kanto region to the Hokuriku region myself, I sometimes feel that work cannot be completed solely within the place where I currently live.

On the other hand, I also believe that being in a regional area can be a strength in itself.
With the vast majority of freelancers located in urban areas, simply living in a regional area creates a sense of scarcity.
Because there is less competition, there are aspects where it is easier to be noticed.

So, how should freelancers in regional areas go about expanding their work?

In this article, I will write about the ways of working and thinking as a regional freelancer, while also incorporating episodes I have actually heard.

Being in a regional area is a form of differentiation

I personally do not consciously work with the idea that I live in a regional area.
Since my work is primarily completed online, I work in a way that doesn't really matter where I live.

However, there are not many people working this way in regional areas yet.
Therefore, I sometimes naturally catch people's attention.

Previously, someone I had only exchanged business cards with invited me to a work-from-home seminar hosted by the prefecture as a "senior remote worker."

I didn't do anything special.
I think it was just that the fact that I was doing online work in a regional area was seen as rare.

There are freelancers and remote workers in regional areas, too.
However, because the absolute number is smaller compared to urban areas, the options when in trouble are also limited.

I plan to work as an administrative scrivener supporting freelancers, and I feel that it is precisely because I am in a regional area that it is worth the effort to market myself.

It is easy to stand out and easy to be needed.
In that sense, I realize that being in a regional area is a form of differentiation.

But the reality is that people and work are concentrated in cities

That said, I must also talk about the reality of the situation.

Regional areas have a smaller absolute number of jobs compared to urban areas.
This is an undeniable fact.
Not limited to freelancers, urban areas cannot be beaten in terms of the number of job openings, the number of companies, and the number of people.

I myself gave up on changing jobs in a regional area and chose the path of a freelancer.
I thought it was better to start working on my own than to compromise when there were few job openings that met my conditions.

You can stand out, and it can be a form of differentiation.
That is true, but the pie itself is small to begin with.

I believe that how to overcome that is one of the challenges for making a living as a freelancer in a regional area.

Securing work from cities online

So, what should we do?
My answer is to "use online tools to get work from urban areas."

Just because you are in a regional area doesn't mean you have to limit your clients to where you are currently located.
If the work can be completed online, it doesn't matter where the client is.
It is entirely possible to work with companies in Tokyo while living in the Hokuriku region.

To achieve this, I have consistently focused on sharing information.
I used to focus heavily on running a blog, and as a result of putting a lot of effort into SEO, I acquired most of my work through that blog.

At the same time, I also managed social media to increase traffic to my blog, and I sometimes receive work inquiries through social media as well.

Currently, I have closed my blog and shifted my focus to note and social media, but the policy of "connecting to work through sharing information" remains unchanged.

I don't use being in a regional area as an excuse; I expand my scope of activity online.
That is my current stance.

The story of a regional freelancer who keeps urban areas in mind

This way of thinking is not unique to me.
Among those working as freelancers in regional areas, there are people who consciously look toward urban areas.

I once heard a story from someone who runs a web media outlet for a specific region.
They usually share information about that region, but they said that the content they put the most effort into is actually aimed at people in urban areas.
They also mentioned that they put extra effort into updates before long holidays.

Web media revenue is largely dependent on page views, so if people in urban areas access the site, advertising revenue increases and it is easier to lead to purchases.
Even for regional media, I thought it was a rational decision to keep people in urban areas in mind.

I have also heard stories of people who were freelancing in regional areas and saw their work increase after moving to an urban area.
Even for work that can be completed online, being able to meet and have meetings in person seems to have a significant impact on work.

While sharing information rooted in the region, keep an eye on the flow of money from urban areas.
Or, physically move to an urban area.
Even if the forms are different, I feel that the direction they are facing is the same.

Regional freelancers work without being tied to a location

I don't think there is no work just because I am in a regional area.
But I also don't think work will come just because I am in a regional area.

Ultimately, no matter where you are,work will not be created unless you take action yourself.
It's just that the difficulty level is a bit higher in regional areas, and if you use online tools, you can expand your scope of activity as much as you want.

Don't blame your location.
But, take advantage of the parts where you can utilize your location.

Within that balance, I build my own career.
I believe that is the way of working as a regional freelancer.

Thank you very much for reading until the end.

I will continue to update my note magazine "Work Records of a Regional Relocation Freelancer" with my daily life working as a freelancer in a regional area, how to get work, how to work, and how to create work in the future.

I would be happy if you could like and follow!

★I also write articles like this

• How to get work as a freelancer living in a regional area: My method of receiving orders through blogs and social media without cold calling

• Choosing freelance work: My decision-making criteria as a parent raising a child alone with no time

• Freelance blog strategy: My failure story of how my personality died when I made a niche blog, and what comes next