⏱️ ENDS TONIGHT: Get 30% off ALL freelance books + templates! →

The Simple Tweet That Got Me Featured on Dribbble

Freelancing 101: Download my FREE 52-page book! Get the free book!
What's in this article?

Dribbble.com is one of the most popular online design communities ever created. It’s where clients often go to find the very best design talent and where designers are invited to post their best work.

In February 2016, I was honored to be featured as a success story in their “For the Win” series. You can read about how I made over $150,000 in just 3 years (and catch a glimpse of my home office) here:

Read My Dribbble Success Story

Dribbble + Twitter

There are plenty of designers on Dribbble who have great stories to share about how the platform helped their career. So why me? How did I manage to get featured as a success story on Dribbble? It started with a kind word on Twitter.

After landing a great project through a Dribbble inquiry, I began reflecting on how much the platform has impacted my career. Being an active Twitter user, I posted a tweet to express my gratitude. Since I mentioned Dribbble in my reply, they saw it and asked if they could use it as a testimonial:

Screen Shot 2016-02-29 at 1.19.43 PM

Then, one of my followers asked me to elaborate, so I briefly explained how the pro account encouraged clients looking at my page to contact me for work which resulted in more income, better relationships, and a steady flow of work. Dribbble asked me if they could snag up that tweet for a testimonial as well.

View the Conversation on Twitter

This time when I responded, I mentioned I would be happy to share the entire story with them if they were interested.

They immediately told me to send them an email about it, so I did. They loved my story and scheduled it to be featured in their “For the Win” series. It didn’t take long for me to gain about 75 new followers and the likes on my recent shots saw a big boost as well. Being able to say that I was featured on Dribbble is huge benefit for my design career.

Key takeaway

Sometimes great things happen as a result of simple gestures. What started out as a quick compliment on Twitter turned into a ton of great exposure for my design career. Take the time to be helpful and compliment others when they help you. You never know what might become your next big break.

Last updated on April 10th, 2020

About Matt Olpinski
I've been freelancing since 2009 and have worked with over 100+ clients including some of the biggest brands in the world. I later started my own company Matthew’s Design Co. and now teaches 50,000+ freelancers each year how to succeed through my personal blog, newsletter, and community for freelancers.