Start with people who already trust your work
For most fractional CMOs, the first clients come from their network: former bosses and colleagues, founders they have worked with, investors and agencies. Tell those people clearly what you do, who you do it for and what a typical engagement looks like. A specific offer is much easier for someone to pass along than a general one.
Apply to roles that are already posted
A public posting means the company has already decided it wants part-time marketing leadership, which removes the hardest part of the sale. The roles below are live examples, and the full board is checked every day. Apply early, and show results from a company at a similar stage or in a similar industry.
Reach companies that just raised
New funding is one of the most common reasons a company brings in marketing leadership, and the work often starts before a role is ever posted. Our list of startups that just raised shows recently funded companies with the round, the date and the investors, so you can reach out while the plan for the new money is still being written.
Look for growing companies with no marketing leader
Companies that are expanding, hiring or acquiring often outgrow founder-led marketing before they notice. Our growing companies list shows companies with a sourced growth trigger where we found no marketing leader on their website or LinkedIn, along with the date we checked.
Make the first message about them
Whichever source you use, the first message works best when it names something specific about the company, such as the round they just closed, the market they are entering or the gap in their marketing team, and offers one clear next step. Keep it short and send it to the person who would hire you, usually the CEO or a founder.
Related: startups that just raised, growing companies with no marketing leader, open fractional CMO jobs, how to become a fractional CMO, funded startups hiring marketing.