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How to get more clients for an architecture firm

Where developers, institutions and owners find architects, which referral sources matter, and which channels deserve your hours.

Find [client type] planning [building type] projects in [region] and write to them about our similar past work, with every message waiting for my approval.

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How to get more clients for an architecture firm

Pick one or two building types and client types where you can show finished work, and market only those. Then build steady relationships with the people who refer projects: structural and MEP engineers, general contractors, commercial brokers and owner's reps. Watch planning commission agendas, permit filings and public procurement portals so you meet owners before a project is crowded. Finally, publish a page for each building type you design, with real photos and your role stated plainly, so owners searching for that niche find you.

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  1. 01

    Choose your building types and say so

    Look at your last several projects and pick the one or two building types where you have the most finished, photographed work. Rewrite your homepage and firm description around them. An owner planning a vet clinic wants the firm that does vet clinics, not a firm that does everything. You can still take other work, but market the niche. Your call; tell Revnu and it works from it.

  2. 02

    Build a project page for every finished job

    Give each project its own page with professional photos, the client type, the square footage, the challenge and how you solved it. State your role accurately, especially for work done at a previous firm, since the AIA Code of Ethics and many state boards treat misleading credit as a violation. Get the client's permission before naming them. These pages become your proposal material and your search content at the same time. You make the change, or Revnu opens a pull request if your site is on GitHub.

  3. 03

    List your referral sources and meet them on a schedule

    Write down 20 engineers, contractors, commercial brokers, owner's reps and land use attorneys in your market. Set a regular rhythm to have coffee, send a project update or invite them to a site walk. Track these touches in Deltek Vantagepoint, BQE Core, Monograph or whatever CRM you use, so the relationships don't depend on memory. Send referrals back to them when you can. Revnu finds the partners and writes to them; the meetings are yours.

  4. 04

    Watch the public record for early projects

    Each week, scan planning commission agendas, zoning board filings and permit records in your target cities for your building types. Register on your state procurement portal and SAM.gov with the NAICS codes for architectural services, and set alerts for RFQs. Track school bond measures and capital plans, because those projects come out as RFQs later. Reach out to the owner while the project is still early. This step is yours; Revnu doesn't do it.

  5. 05

    Respond to fewer RFQs and win more of them

    Before you start an SF330 or proposal, ask whether you have directly relevant projects and whether you've met the client. If both answers are no, pass. Spend the saved hours making your shortlisted responses specific to the site and the selection criteria. After every loss, ask for a debrief, since public clients usually give one. This step is yours; Revnu doesn't do it.

  6. 06

    Add targeted outreach and narrow ads once the basics work

    With project pages live, write to named owners who match a real trigger, like a developer whose parcel just hit the planning agenda. Run search ads only on building-type terms you actually want to win. Enter your best project in your AIA chapter's design awards and pitch it to local business press. Each of these points back to the project pages you built. Revnu runs the outreach and the ads, and asks before it spends.

Who buys from an architecture firm

The client who signs is usually an owner: a developer, an institution's facilities or capital planning lead, a business that needs a building, or a homeowner with a serious budget. Committees, lenders and the owner's rep often shape the shortlist before the owner decides.

  • Commercial and multifamily developers

    They care about entitlement risk, buildable unit count and whether you can get a project through the planning board without delays. They hire when they close on land or start a feasibility study.

  • Facilities directors and capital planning staff at schools, colleges, hospitals and local governments

    They buy through RFQs and qualifications-based selection, so they weigh relevant past projects and the team named in the SF330 or proposal. A bond measure, capital plan update or new grant usually starts the search.

  • Business owners and practice groups building their own space

    Dental groups, veterinary practices, breweries and light industrial firms want someone who knows their building type and the code issues that come with it. A lease ending or a growth plan pushes them to call.

  • Owner's representatives and project managers

    They run the selection for owners who lack in-house expertise and keep a short list of firms they trust to hit deadlines. A firm that makes their job easier gets invited back.

  • High-end residential clients

    They choose based on portfolio taste and how you make them feel in the first meeting. A land purchase, a teardown or a major renovation triggers the search, often after browsing Houzz or Instagram.

Where to find them

Planning commission and zoning board agendas
Developers file land use applications in public before they finalize the design team. Reading agendas in your target cities shows you who owns which parcels and what they plan to build.
Public procurement portals and SAM.gov
State, county, school district and federal agencies post RFQs for design services there. Federal and many state agencies must select architects on qualifications first, which gives a small firm with the right niche a fair shot.
ULI, NAIOP and CoreNet Global chapter events
Developers, brokers and corporate real estate leads gather at these. You meet the people who decide on buildings instead of other architects.
Engineering firms and general contractors you already work with
Structural engineers, MEP engineers and builders hear about projects early and get asked who should design them. They refer the firms that draw clean sets and answer RFIs fast.
Your local AIA chapter and SMPS chapter
AIA design awards put your work in front of owners and press. SMPS connects you with marketing leads at engineering and construction firms who team up on proposals.
Houzz and Instagram for residential work
Residential clients browse photos long before they call. A complete Houzz profile with project photos and reviews gets you onto their list. Revnu doesn't post to Houzz or Instagram, so this one is yours.

What to say

You have built this exact building type

We've designed [number] [building type] projects in [region], including [project name], which opened last [season]. Happy to walk you through what we learned about [specific code or layout issue].

Entitlement and approvals experience

I saw [project or parcel] on the [city] planning agenda. We've taken [similar project] through that same board and know what they push back on.

Help the referrer look good

If any of your clients are planning [building type] in [area], we'd be glad to do a quick feasibility look before they commit. Your team would stay on the project.

Early feasibility before the big decision

Before you sign on [site or lease], a test fit can show how many [units, chairs, bays] you can get. We do these for [client type] in [city].

Which channels fit

  • Referrals from engineers, contractors and brokersStrong fitOwners trust a name passed along by the builder or broker they already hired, so this is where your best projects come from. Revnu finds the partners and writes to them; the meetings are yours.
  • Public RFQ responsesStrong fitFor schools, municipalities and federal work, qualifications-based selection rewards relevant projects and a strong team, so a focused firm can win without competing on fee. Revnu doesn't do this one; it's yours.
  • Search pages by building type and cityStrong fitOwners search for things like "brewery architect Denver" and pick firms that show that exact work, so one strong page per niche keeps paying off. Revnu writes and publishes these pages.
  • Cold email and LinkedIn outreachSometimesIt works when you write to a named owner about a real trigger, like a land purchase or a planning filing, and fails when you send a portfolio blast to every developer in the state. Revnu finds these businesses and writes to them.
  • Google and Microsoft search adsSometimesAds on narrow terms like "medical office architect" can bring real inquiries, while broad terms like "architect near me" pull in small remodel requests you'll turn down. Revnu runs these ads and asks before it spends.
  • LinkedIn adsSometimesYou can target developers and facilities directors by title and region, which is useful for promoting a case study, though the audience in one metro is small. Revnu runs these ads and asks before it spends.
  • Paid lead marketplaces and generic directoriesWeak fitThey sell the same small residential leads to many firms at once, and commercial owners don't pick architects that way. Revnu doesn't buy lead lists or shared leads.

Lead generation

Architect lead generation

Good leads for an architecture firm come from projects that exist before anyone posts them. Planning agendas, land sales, permit filings, bond measures and capital plans all show who is about to need design work. Pair those signals with your niche, and you have a short list of owners worth calling. Skip lead marketplaces that sell kitchen remodels to five firms at once. They eat your time and train you to compete on fee. One concrete example: a firm that designs charter schools can track state charter authorizer approvals. Every newly approved school needs a building, often within a tight window before opening, and the founders rarely have an architect yet. A short note to the founder offering a site test fit puts you in the conversation before the real estate broker brings in someone else.

Cold email

Cold email for architecture firms

Cold email works for architects only when it reads like a note from someone paying attention. Write to one named person at a developer, practice group or institution about one specific thing: their parcel on last week's planning agenda, their new location announcement, their capital plan. Mention a comparable project you finished and offer something small, like a code read or test fit. Don't attach a portfolio PDF and don't send the same message to every developer in your state. It looks like spam and owners remember. Check your state board's rules on advertising and don't call anyone on staff an architect unless they're licensed. Example: "I saw your application for the mixed-use site on Elm Street. We took a similar four-story project through the same board last year and learned what they ask about parking. Want a quick look at your massing?"

Advertising

Architect advertising

Architect advertising pays off only when it's narrow. On Google and Microsoft, bid on building-type phrases like "dental office architect", "winery architect" or "church architect" plus your region, and send each ad to the matching project page. Skip broad terms like "architect near me", which bring deck drawings and small additions. LinkedIn ads can put a case study in front of developers or facilities directors in your metro, which helps when you're chasing a public RFQ and want the selection panel to recognize your name. Facebook and Instagram ads rarely reach commercial owners, though organic Instagram still matters for residential work. Keep ad claims factual, since the AIA Code of Ethics bars misleading statements about experience. Example: a firm focused on self-storage runs search ads on "self storage architect" in three states, and every click lands on a page showing their finished facilities.

How clients decide

Commercial and institutional clients rarely hire on the first conversation. A developer may talk to you during feasibility, go quiet through financing, then call when the lender wants drawings, while public clients move through an RFQ, a shortlist interview and board approval. You speed it up by staying in touch through those gaps, sharing a test fit or code read early, and having the engineer or contractor they trust vouch for you.

One prompt, worked through

We're a nine-person firm in Boise that designs medical office buildings and dental clinics. Find developers and dental groups planning new space in Idaho and eastern Oregon, and help us show up when they search.
  1. 1Revnu reads the firm's website, sees the medical and dental projects, and works out that the buyers are healthcare developers, multi-location dental groups and the brokers who represent them.
  2. 2It finds those companies and the right person at each, then writes to them by email and LinkedIn in the owner's voice about relevant past clinics. The owner's first sequence waits for the owner's yes.
  3. 3It writes and publishes pages like a dental clinic architect page for Boise, built to rank on Google and get cited by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, and runs Google search ads on clinic design terms.
  4. 4When someone replies, Revnu drafts the response and sends the owner's booking link, and it reports what moved every morning on Slack.

Frequently asked questions

Are architects allowed to advertise?

Yes. The AIA Code of Ethics and state licensing boards allow advertising, but they bar false or misleading claims about your experience and qualifications. Check your state board's rules on using the word "architect" and on firm registration before you run anything. Only call people architects if they hold a license.

How do I show projects I worked on at my previous firm?

You can show them, but state your role exactly, such as "project architect at [firm name]", and credit the firm of record. Claiming the whole project as your own can break AIA ethics rules and upset the people who refer work to you. Ask the former firm and the client before using their photos.

Should I respond to every RFQ that matches my services?

No. Pass on RFQs where you have no directly relevant projects and no relationship with the client, because the firm that met them earlier usually wins. Put that time into fewer, more specific responses. Always ask for a debrief after a loss.

Do I need to be on Instagram?

For residential and hospitality work, yes, because those clients judge your taste from photos. For institutional, industrial and developer work, it matters much less than your project pages and referral relationships. Post finished work there, but don't let it replace the pages owners find on Google.

Should I put my fees on my website?

Public clients using qualifications-based selection pick the firm first and negotiate fees after, so posting fees doesn't help there. For residential clients, explaining how you charge, such as percentage of construction or hourly for early phases, filters out bad fits. Keep exact numbers for the conversation, since every project's scope differs.

What does it cost?

Plans start at $99 a month, and Revnu starts on what you typed as soon as you sign up. Cancel any time in Settings.

Does anything run before I sign up?

No. Nothing is checked or generated on this page. Revnu does the work inside your account, where it can read your website, keep what it finds and carry on from there.

Where do I learn how Revnu works?

The docs at revnu.com/docs/get-started walk through your first day, and revnu.com/docs/what-revnu-can-do lists everything it can do.

Last updated October 15, 2026

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