If you are looking for an additional income or a flexible way to make money, becoming a freelance writer might be just the right fit.
The main advantage of this type of work is choosing your clients and when you want to work. So, you can create a better balance between your personal life and your work.
The process can be highly flexible; however, it’s essential to keep track of your income, expenses, and taxes.
Here are nine important tips to help you increase your earnings as a freelance writer.
Why Is Freelancing Important?
Freelancing is the act of working for multiple clients at the same time. There are many benefits to freelancing. You get to work on what you love when you want and with whom you want. You can also set your own hours and work from anywhere in the world.
It’s a great way to make money and find your passion. The only thing you need is a computer and an internet connection.
However, freelancing doesn’t come without its challenges. It takes a lot of time and effort to find clients, negotiate contracts, and maintain your portfolio.
In addition, the first few months may be challenging; you may not make enough money. But, with patience and perseverance, you can overcome these challenges over time.
9 Steps to Make Money Online Freelancing
Identify Your Freelancing Skills
The first step in learning how to earn money as a freelancer is deciding what type of freelancing you want to do. Most freelance jobs are performed online, so you’ll have the opportunity to work with clients around the world.
However, you must also be aware of taxes and other fees. In addition, you’ll need to deal with late payments and commissions, so make sure you keep up with your paperwork.
Once you’ve identified your skills, it’s time to focus on increasing your portfolio’s appeal. But, again, don’t start with a high-profile project unless you’ve got an excellent track record and an impeccable work ethic.
You should also make sure to allow for non-billable time, such as answering emails and answering the phone.
2. Build Your Own Website
The next step to start earning from freelancing is to build your website. Remember, it does not have to be a big one, just a portfolio with a few samples of your work.
It’s worth the investment to set up and maintain your own website if you plan on freelancing for any length of time because it shows professionalism and gives you the most control over marketing yourself and your services.
It will also help you improve your credibility in the marketplace and increase your potential for a full-time job. The essential ingredients for a successful freelancing career are your skills, a computer, and the Internet. The next step is to create a practical step-by-step plan.
However, you should understand the market and what to expect before starting. There are freelance clients worldwide, and you must know which ones will pay well. You should also see the competition so you can make the right choice.
3. Join a Freelance Social Network
These sites connect freelancers who have similar skills and talents and allow them to post their portfolios and get paid. You can even find gigs that require different skills and interests.
If you’re skilled in a particular field, consider joining a freelance social network. It will help you find more opportunities and increase your earnings. For example, freelance social networks are great if you love writing.
As a freelancer, you are your boss. You are free to put on whatever you want and work wherever you want. And you’re not subject to the corporate structure of a traditional job.
4. Decide What to Sell and Whom to Sell to
Many freelancers don’t like to figure out their prices. They are too tempted to compare themselves with other remote workers and overprice their services.
However, the best way to price your services is to consider how much you want to earn per week or month. Once you have an outstanding idea of how much to charge, you can begin marketing yourself.
When you start freelancing, it’s essential to decide what type of work you want to do. You can start with a small project, like writing, or you can expand into other areas.
It’s an excellent idea to set a minimum rate because it protects you from losing money. Then, you can charge based on the scope of the project.
5. Find Freelance Jobs
Freelancing sites can be a great way to find freelance jobs. Frequently, these platforms will connect freelancers with customers. In addition, you can use your website for advertising your services and get paid for them, giving you more freedom to set your rates.
The more you market yourself, the more client you will get. So if you can attract more customers, you’ll be able to charge higher rates than your competitors.
6. Develop Your Skills
Many freelancers struggle with administrative tasks and are not confident in their abilities. But, once you’ve established your skills, you can start seeking new projects and earn money.
However, it would help if you weren’t afraid to ask questions. And also open to feedback from clients.
While freelance jobs are incredibly flexible, it’s best to have a consistent schedule. This way, you won’t become too discouraged if you don’t find a lucrative project at the right time.
You never know when a new client will need your skills. You also want to be consistent, so try to find projects simultaneously every week.
7. Build a Portfolio
To earn money freelancing. It’s essential to build a portfolio. When looking for freelance work, always include your website link to keep your work transparent and reputable.
Avoid skimming long lists of clients – this isn’t an excellent way to earn money. Instead, it would help if you concentrated on finding a niche you’re passionate about and working consistently.
You can begin by offering services for a fixed price or providing an hourly rate. Once you’ve built a portfolio, you’ll need to increase your fixed or hourly rate. And of course, you’ll get better at your job and earn more money over time.
8. Build Connections
It would be best to focus on building connections to scale your freelancing business.
As a freelancer, you should maintain healthy relationships with your clients and work hard to build your network. In addition, you should ask them for recommendations or reviews and give them good feedback.
There’s no need to worry about your finances because the money you earn will grow over time. You don’t have to worry if you’re starting; you can generate income by doing your best.
There are thousands of freelance websites, but if you’re committed and have a passion for your work, it’s possible to beat your competitors.
However, you shouldn’t expect to be a perfectionist in every field. You can pick one particular area of expertise. For example, a graphic designer can specialize in websites and other types of design. If you’re an expert designer, you can work for a company that specializes in e-commerce.
9. Learn To Promote Your Business Online
Promoting yourself online is critical if you want to land freelance jobs quickly and easily. Start by creating a professional-looking social media profile that makes you stand out from others in your field (show off projects you’ve worked on, for example).
Then, connect with people in the industry by joining groups related to the type of work you want to do. Finally, be sure to include a link to your website in every email you send and make sure it’s easy to find.
Can I Make Money Freelancing?
Of course, you can; there is an increasing number of people making good money as freelancers. Statistics by DDIY show that there are 57 million freelancers in the US alone. In addition, freelancers contribute $1.3 trillion to the US economy every year.
Moreover, the number is expected to grow as more and more people get involved in freelancing. The reason is that freelance work is flexible.
For example, you can work from anywhere; you name it at home, office, or cafe. It means you have the freedom to set your schedule and choose your working hours.
In addition, you have the flexibility to take on more work if you need extra cash or less work if you want more time off.
So, if you’re looking for an easy side gig that will make you some extra cash (and potentially even turn into a full-time income), freelance work may be a good choice for you.
However, before hopping on the freelancing bandwagon, it’s essential to consider the costs of this work type. For example, your earning potential may be limited when starting freelance work. It all depends on your skillset and the services you’re able to provide.
What are the top freelance jobs for beginners?
Here’s a list of high-paying freelance jobs. These pay well because they are in demand and highly skilled positions.
1. App Developer
If you are skilled at creating apps for cell phones and computers, an app developer is a good fit for you. However, there’s much competition to get your app noticed. This means you will have to charge appropriately since there is more competition in this field.
2. Graphic Designer
Another high-demand freelance job is Graphic design. You can create logos, ads, brochures, posters, animated videos, and other creative designs used in marketing campaigns and materials.
However, your earnings depend on how much time you spend freelancing and what types of projects you do.
3. Freelance Writing
If you have a way with words, you may consider freelance writing. Thousands of people are looking to hire writers, especially writers who can write SEO-rich content.
One of the most popular ways to make money online from home is writing articles for other sites. Thousands of websites pay you to write articles for them.
Moreover, you can write on any topic of your choice. They will pay you per article depending on the quality of the content and the number of words used.
The main thing is to produce good content and submit it on time regularly. You can also make extra money by submitting guest posts on other blogs related to your areas of interest or expertise.
Though it will take some time before you build up an audience, there is good money to be made here once you do.
4. Tutoring Services
If you’re good at math, English, or other academic subjects, you can tutor kids or students via sites like Tutor.com.
Tutoring is one of the highest-paying freelance jobs on Upwork. However, tutors must have extensive knowledge of a subject area and excellent communication skills to work with students.
Also, you can choose your own hours and get paid up to $25/hour.
In addition, you can find tutoring jobs on Craigslist, Upwork, Fiverr, etc. Just go to the appropriate site and post your services.
5. Web Design
If you have experience with WordPress, HTML, CSS, and other coding languages, you can help small businesses set up websites through services like PeoplePerHour or Fiverr.
6. Data Entry
If you’re not afraid of doing data entry, this is another great job to apply for. The pay rate is up to $18 per hour, which is more than half of what minimum wage.
7. Consultants
Companies or individuals hire consultants to provide expertise on a specific topic. Hence, they tend to be highly skilled in their field of choice. Still, they need excellent communication skills to make clients feel comfortable sharing sensitive information.
However, consultants may have to travel for business trips or conferences, reducing their earning potential for a particular day.
What Are The Best Freelance Marketplace For Beginners?
One of the largest and most popular freelance marketplaces out there is Toptal. It works with both startups and large corporations.
Toptal’s success lies in the quality of its network of freelancers. The company only accepts about 1% of applicants to its platform, ensuring that you are likely to find some of the best talent available online.
Furthermore, Toptal is great for freelance talent in software development or design.
2. Upwork
This platform is a great place to find full-time or contract work from startups and large companies alike. Although, Upwork takes a 10% cut of your earnings. Still, they provide tools to help you improve your profile, manage projects and clients, and even get paid quickly.
3. Guru
Guru is the world’s largest freelancing marketplace for work. Choose from thousands of projects, post your project and hire professional freelancers for any job.
Guru is a marketplace specifically designed for finding developers. You can even go so far as to specify exactly what kind of developer you need on their website.
4. Freelancer
Freelancer is probably one of the most popular websites for hiring freelancers. They have millions of members and thousands of jobs posted on the website every day. Freelancer is a global marketplace for outsourcing work to people around the world. Freelancers can find customers and get paid by accepting jobs from the site’s employers.
Freelancer is an online outsourcing website that allows users to post jobs, hire freelancers, get project updates and manage projects within their platform. It has over 1 million projects posted on its website every month, with over 500 thousand registered freelancers from over 180 countries worldwide using its platform to earn money while working from home.
5. Fiverr
With over 5 million services available on this site, Fiverr is a great place to find just about any kind of gig you can imagine.
It’s one of the best sites for outsourcing graphic design, app development, and other work. You can get a quality logo for just $5 or a high-quality ebook cover for $5 as well.
Fiverr enables people worldwide to provide creative, professional, and business services at affordable prices. Each year, it has 100 million dollars in sales, 2 million registered users, and over 50 million downloads on mobile app stores.
In terms of price and quality, Fiverr offers some of the best services in the industry.
This website connects businesses who need things done with freelancers who can do those things for a fee. Since 2008, GetAFreelancer has grown into one of the largest online Freelance Marketplaces and connects companies with thousands of skilled professionals from around the world.
PeoplePerHour is a marketplace connecting businesses with highly skilled professionals while offering jobs to over 400,000 companies and over 3.5 million freelancers globally.
It’s an international site allowing people to outsource tasks to others at an hourly rate.
Wrapping It Up
Freelancing is a great way to earn some extra cash. Remember, be realistic about your commitment level and what you can achieve. After all, it is a self-employed job, so you’ll need to work hard at it and market yourself too. Take advantage of the tools available to you as a freelancer and learn clever ways to save time and effort when working on client projects.
In addition, you’ll still need to commit a good chunk of your time. Still, you will see results and eventually reach where freelancing brings in steady income with the right mentality.
Starting your career as an online freelancer can be intimidating, especially if you don’t have many experiences.
But there are plenty of ways to pick up these skills, and it can be hugely rewarding to get paid to do what you love. All it takes is a little grit and determination.
And, sure, some knowledge and expertise won’t hurt either.
If you have any questions, please drop them in the comment.
SHARE THIS POST WITH YOUR FRIENDS!
