How to Make Money at Freelancing

     When it comes to working, most people harbor the fantasy of quitting their office job to take on remote online jobs that enable them to work from anywhere in the world. It's a travelers dream, right? Definitely, but it requires the same work ethic and effort that a 9-5 job does. You can't just jump into freelancing and expect to be making enough to live on from the very beginning. You will have to work harder just to make a name for yourself, especially if you want to do something like travel writing. So, follow these tips and maybe, just maybe, you will be one of the lucky ones who is able to quit their day job and freelance for a living. And if not, you can at least make some money on the side for your shopping habits.

How to Make Money at Freelancing
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Tell Everyone

     The first step to starting a successful freelance career is telling everyone you have ever met. Tell them the areas you are planning to work in and when you are planning on starting – even better if you are starting right away. Though your third grade teacher may not need any help with something like social media strategy, that teacher may know someone who does. Telling as many people as possible will get you a bevy of references and potential contacts. 

Build a Portfolio

     No matter what type of work you are looking for, whether it's writing or graphic design, no company is going to risk working with you unless you already have a portfolio of quality work to show. If you don't have this already through your current job, you may have to take on a lot of jobs that pay very little (or nothing at all) in order to build up a portfolio of your skills. This is especially important if you want to become a travel writer. A lot of people think they can just email an editor and be handed free trips, but no publication is going to pay someone they have no relationship with to travel to exotic locations under their name. You need to work for that and it may take a while. Be prepared to struggle. Build a portfolio on Clippings and impress potential employers. 

Find Your Skills

     After you have a solid foundation of work backing you, you have to figure out what you are the best at and stick with it. This is the time when you can start being pickier about the work you take and start charging more for that work. Though you may think it is better to offer a wide array of services in order to catch more work, it may not look that great to a prospective client. Think about it. Let's say someone is looking for help with SEO for their business. Well, they will probably want a specialist who really excels when it comes to SEO and not someone who appears to just dabble in it.

Know How to Brand Yourself

     When working freelance, you don't have a company to back you. You have to promote yourself and your brand in order to pull in new clients. Not only are you selling your skills, you are selling yourself and if people don’t like you, they won't want to work with you. Take advantage of platforms like LinkedIn and fill out every bit of information that you possibly can. Join groups relevant to your services and be active. Do the same thing for social media platforms. If you don't want to mix business with pleasure on sites such as Facebook, create a business page and make your personal account as private as possible.

How to Make Money at Freelancing
photo from pexels.com

Know Your Worth

     It can be really difficult to know how much your services are worth, especially if you are the type to undervalue your skills. It is always a good idea to look at what your competitors are charging and align your prices with them. You want to be competitive, but you don't want to be too cheap either. Potential clients will see a cheap price and assume that the quality of work you will be delivering will mirror that price. Whereas a steep price will bring with it higher expectations as to the quality of your work. It's important to remember that if the work was easy, the client would be doing it themselves and not hiring you to do it.

     Making money at freelancing is simply about knowing your worth. Use these tips and turn your freelance career into a lucrative opportunity.