Freelancing has become a big deal in recent times, as people strive to better manage their schedules and income. For this reason, more individuals are beginning to take on freelance work in marketing, website design, customer support, and writing.
However, navigating your newfound career as a freelancer can be challenging. And for many, the market appears “too competitive,” taking them longer to establish a foothold.
Nevertheless, this is not always the case, and you can definitely land your first client within a few tries. With the freelance market, you just need to take advantage of the money-making opportunities and hit high incomes through smart work.
Whether you’re seeking an additional income source or becoming a full-time freelancer, learning “how to make money as a freelancer” is crucial. This guide takes you from building a portfolio and getting hired to rendering your services and getting paid, seamlessly.
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15 Ways to make Money with freelancing
How do freelancers land good clients and start earning without stress?
If you have been in the freelance market for a while, you’ll find this to be a common question. It is true that some people become successful quickly and earn higher incomes, and this is not due to sheer luck.
This takes implementing smart strategies and utilizing core skills to boost their income. These specialists build stronger portfolios and attract high-paying clients while enjoying the flexibility that comes with being their own boss.
If you are beginning your freelance journey, mastering these strategies can help you start earning fast. So, here are some foolproof ways of making money as a freelancer.
1. Pick a relevant niche
Many people are tempted to quickly land “any gig” on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
However, working on random projects will not take your freelance career anywhere. While this may be fine at the beginning of your freelance journey, you’ll need to move more strategically as you go deeper.
Focuses on a specific niche does not mean that you’re being picky; rather, it makes you an expert in the field.
You should be aware that experts charge higher rates for specialized services and are in high demand across the freelance market. Most clients will opt for specialists more often than generalists.
When you stick to a specific niche, the competition decreases, and you can avoid getting lost in the crowd. Also, this move helps you build trust and simplifies your marketing strategies.
What’s more, sticking to a niche saves you from the problem of trying to master several things simultaneously.
If you’re interested in settling for a niche, put your ideas into use and go for something you love doing. You may want to list out your strengths and core skills, highlighting them based on your passion.
Then, look out for potential clients in that area to ensure it is profitable, and you can narrow down your options. Don’t get locked in at the beginning; you’ll have to test, adjust, and then settle once it’s productive.
2. Be clear about your offerings
So, after finding your niche, what next? You start receiving projects in your area of specialization, but you need your services to be well-defined. Doing this will help present a better image of you and your business to prospective clients.
You want to take on gigs that bring you closer to your goal of becoming a highly sought-after specialist and eliminate distractions.
If you’re into content writing, you may want to focus solely on website copywriting, food content writing, or become a product description writer. A software designer can decide to focus on UI/UX design for apps and websites or work as a game interface designer.
When you launch into the right niche, and specialize in a key area, you’ll definitely reap the benefits sooner than you expect. So, take advantage of this advice and start branding your business, earning a profit while offering specialized services.
3. Know “your ideal client”
No doubt, there are many clients in the freelance space, but not all will suit your best interests. Instead of running around seeking new clients interested in your services, picture your ideal client.
Are you focused on startups or interested in pursuing larger companies? What budget should your potential clients have? Do you prefer clients with ongoing contracts? These are some common questions that require clear answers.
If you want long-term work contracts and take on projects more effectively, you may want to settle for startups that you can relate to.
This option also works if you’re trying to build confidence and gather more experience, as startups often require constant help across multiple areas in your field.
4. Build a high quality portfolio
As a freelancer, the best way to demonstrate your skills is by having an excellent portfolio. One of the best ways of doing this is by developing a stellar portfolio site for your brand.
If done properly, this can show clients your expertise, highlighting relevant past work experiences. Don’t forget to include your contact details so that prospective clients can easily reach out to you.
It is understandable that you may not have much experience as a newbie. However, you can begin by creating a few samples that showcase the quality of your work.
This way, you can spark that interest in potential clients and convince them to pick you for specific technical gigs. After setting up your portfolio, you can then include the link on your social profiles or in your email signature.
5. Set your pricing
Pricing remains one of the most challenging things for many freelancers, as they can’t seem to decide how much their services are worth.
Note that there are several factors that contribute to pricing in freelancing. These include your skill and experience level, your niche, and the type of service, market demand, project flexibility, location, and operating costs.
If you’re unsure of how to fix your rates, you can begin by researching average rates that professionals charge in your niche. In the US, freelance copywriters charge around $15-$40, and web developers charge from $20-$100 per hour.
Be aware that you can always increase your charges over time as you improve your skills and gain more experience.
As long as you plan to deliver high-quality services, you’ll find good clients willing to pay more. So, don’t set your prices at the lowest rate; remember that your fees must be able to provide you with a comfortable and sustainable living.
Ensure you get paid for the actual value you’ll provide. Working at a price point that is satisfactory will further motivate you to deliver increasing value over time.
6. Send out custom proposals
Your skills are merely enough, as you don’t get new clients by just sitting or waiting around. So, you have to pitch to clients and send out proposals. To land on new projects, you must put in great effort, exploring the market, and sending out valuable propositions.
When you design your proposal, ensure that you outline details of projects, revealing your expertise and convincing clients of the value they’ll get from hiring you. Yet, you’ll want to send these propositions to prospects that you’ve defined as “your clients.”
On freelance platforms, you can easily filter by your preferences, but it is very different when conducting cold outreach.
With cold emailing, you must first conduct due diligence, filtering by your niche, the presence of a technical problem the client wants to address, and the likely funding available to the prospective company.
7. Land long-term gigs
There are numerous freelance jobs available, and these opportunities come and go quickly. However, one of the key things to keep in mind is securing the right client and job.
You should go for an offering that supports deep professional growth and allows a predictable cash flow.
Drafting proposals takes a considerable amount of time and requires extensive research; therefore, prioritize quality over quantity. With good long-term contracts, you avoid the problem of revisiting the market to pitch or find new clients and manage new leads.
You’ll also save time on multiple invoicing, onboarding, and various administrative tasks. You can choose to focus on that client/work for a while if you feel it is good enough.
Doing so helps you to better understand the project’s dynamics and build better freelancer-client relationships. Furthermore, you can enjoy better stability and structure with a few good and long-term gigs than searching for one-time projects repeatedly.
8. Establish trust
Freelancers who have been rehired have often stated how being credible has set them apart. Fortunately, there are many ways to build trust, regardless of your niche.
First, ensure that you interact honestly with clients and prospects. Such honesty must be paired with resourcefulness; therefore, ensure that you deliver high-quality services to your clients.
In turn, seek their recommendations, testimonials, or reviews after each project.
Whatever you showcase in your portfolio must be clear and professional, with genuine samples of your previous work. Also consider networking opportunities to improve your visibility within the industry as you interact with other professionals and prospects.
Try to build your social presence by providing proof of the companies you’ve worked with.
You may want to attach the logos of these brands and write about when you started working with them. Another important thing could be the establishment of clear terms, particularly pertaining to project details/steps and payments.
9. Leverage your connections
It can be pretty daunting to find a steady stream of good clients, which entails a great deal of research and pitching.
While freelance workers seek opportunities across various freelance boards, which seems easier than cold emailing, many have been hired through referrals.
You therefore have to use your network, including your friends, colleagues, and previous clients. These can connect you with relevant gigs or point out a place where you can easily find prospects.
Maintain good relationships with both personal and professional networks and communicate with them regularly. Do not go silent; instead, politely ask them for referrals, as they may know someone in need of your services.
Besides referrals, these contacts can be utilized for sending letters of introduction and recommendations on your behalf.
Seting up new connections at any point in your career is possible. You can use your Quora platform and Reddit account or use LinkedIn and other similar platforms.
10. Plan your entry carefully
It is essential to get a feel for this new environment before finally letting go of your day job and settling into freelancing full-time. You can start small by building your portfolio and brand while still maintaining a 9-to-5 job, preparing yourself for freelance opportunities.
First, freelancing will be your side hustle: find clients, deliver high-value services, and manage your time. You will learn to persevere in managing both projects and understand the responsibility that comes with delivering projects and meeting tight deadlines.
This means that you should be able to build the side income to at least 50% of your current earnings before quitting your full-time job.
Another critical reason to freelance alongside your job is that it helps you be more selective in your career choices. You can comfortably identify the valuable clients and decline those that aren’t worth it, since you are not desperate for money.
11. Keep upskilling
Experience can only take you so far, but your skills will make all the difference to how far you can go. Recent technological growth demands that one continue to upgrade one’s skills to stay abreast of the trends. Competition in the market is already high.
So, whether you are a graphic designer or a content writer, you want to offer great services that make you stand out.
Yes, it is not always easy, especially with perhaps the tasking projects that you may have at hand. You don’t want to be left behind and unable to pick up new gigs once this one is over.
Fortunately, you can take online courses through such places as Udemy or Coursera, or even watch short videos on YouTube that are relevant to your niche. Once better equipped, you can attract potential clients who pay better and expand your portfolio.
This move is also necessary if you’re considering breaking into another niche.
12. Don’t become unproductive
Are you stuck in a loop, hoping the universe will grant you clients that will offer plenty of projects with flexible deadlines? If you are working hard, yet seemingly not getting closer to these goals, then there’s a problem.
First, you must know that time is of the essence, and the longer you spend on projects that take you nowhere, the more resources you’re losing. So, break free from such unproductive cycles, improve your skills, update your portfolio, and start pitching.
You need to start pursuing opportunities that offer visibility, with a means of sustaining yourself financially. Ultimately, productive activities will help keep your mind thinking strategically, reducing the likelihood of poor performance.
13. Try blogging frequently
Once you establish a website for your brand, it doesn’t stop at showcasing your portfolio. It is crucial to engage with prospects at every opportunity on your website, and this may include the publication of high-quality, well-curated content.
Even though you are not a dedicated writer, you can try to publish at least two blogs a month. This should be informative and provide value to businesses in need of freelancers in your niche; you never know who might be reading.
Once prospects find and love your content, you’ll come to mind each time they need to hire for the services you offer. Additionally, this setting can provide an extra source of income, as you can earn a commission by monetizing your blog.
14. Get active on socials
Indeed, many professional freelancers can attest to the fact that they gained more visibility by commenting on relevant industry posts and securing new clients.
You may want to start engaging across different social platforms by commenting on appropriate posts. Having a few publications and blogs will definitely have a great impact on your brand.
Sometimes, these discussions may be as simple as “how to set up a Reddit account” or “use your developer token.”
Please note that on certain platforms, constant engagement may result in being blocked by network security. Don’t fret, this is a common protocol to prevent malicious activities. If you think you’ve been blocked, rule out the possibility of a misconfiguration.
You can do this by checking your “continue log” or looking for a “blocked by mistake file.” in case of a mistake, file a ticket to get the issue resolved. Additionally, you can clear your browser’s cookies and cache or restart your internet connection.
15. Maintain good relationships
If you hope to earn a steady income, you should begin by establishing a solid foundation of maintaining good relationships with clients.
A good freelancer-client relationship provides many benefits for your career in the long run. It creates a comfortable place that you can turn to for recurring gigs.
You can achieve this by communicating more effectively and setting clear expectations when working with these clients. It would help if you maintain good work ethics, with swift response and turnaround times.
Be transparent, as this will create an easy way for the communication to continue and also offer you opportunities to keep rendering your services.
And after the said project has come to an end, do well to check on them a few times. You can nudge them and say hello; they’ll definitely keep you in mind. It won’t be a bad idea to ask if they have any tasks they need you to work on.
How to land high-paying freelancing jobs
While you are in the market to find potential clients, you must know that not all freelance projects pay equally. Those that pay really well require specialized expertise, and they are mostly in high demand.
Here are some key features to help you land high-paying freelance gigs.
- Specialization:
Focus on developing advanced skills that will command higher rates. For instance, freelancers who specialize in areas such as blockchain development, machine learning, and SEO optimization have been seen earning higher salaries.
- Focusing on High-Demand Areas:
As you build your work and portfolio, it’s helpful to focus and start branching out into high-demand industries. Trending niches these days include e-commerce, healthcare, and finance, and they are more likely to pay higher.
- Scalability for Multiple Streams of Income:
The ability to handle multiple gigs simultaneously remains key for freelancers. It is essential for you to earn more and increase your income. But this is also possible when you land and effectively manage scalable gigs (e.g., business consulting or digital marketing).
- International/Global Skills:
If you are able to offer your services across varying nationalities, you can land better-paying gigs. Widely sought global skills include technical writing, different types of software design, graphic design, and even social media management.
High-paying freelance jobs to consider
There are a different types high-paying freelance roles that may also allow you to work flexibly and earn better with multiple clients available. You can find these roles advertised, along with their required core skills, across various freelance job websites.
If you are just getting started or seeking profitable freelance skills to learn, you can choose from the list below:
- Machine learning engineer
- AI/Prompt engineer
- Cybersecurity developer
- Business/digital marketing consultant
- Data analyst
- Photographer/Videographer
- Public relations managing specialist
- Copywriter
- Content writing professional
- SEO specialist
- Technical writer
- Mobile app and web developer
- Web design expert
- Social media manager
- Accountant
- Virtual assistant
Across various freelance job platforms, job openings in the aforementioned areas could reach up to 40,300. Hourly rates for these roles ranged from $10 to $200 per hour, depending on the extent of the services rendered.
Tips to land the best freelance gigs
If you are passionate about securing high-paying freelance projects, you must approach them strategically. You’ll need to put in more, beyond ideas and technical abilities. So, here are a few helpful tips to make the process easy:
- You should develop a stellar portfolio with samples of previous projects that you’ve worked on. Doing so demonstrates your expertise and credibility to potential clients.
- Try freelance platforms and job boards to land high-paying gigs. Platforms like LinkedIn can help you connect with professionals and businesses in your niche that’ll love to hire you.
- Within your niche, endeavor to specialize in a few skills. This way, you can offer better services than generalists and earn more, as clients prefer specialized freelancers.
- Whether on your website or social media page, ensure you highlight your availability for job opportunities. Many projects may require immediate onboarding, or some may be long-term. So clearly state why you’re the ideal candidate.
Conclusion
Becoming a successful freelancer takes time, but it requires strategic positioning to earn a good income. Given similar skills and opportunities, no two freelancers can enjoy the same benefits.
Thus, it is crucial to launch into freelancing, gain experience, and employ strategies that will help you earn more. You’ll have to create an engaging portfolio and be ready to pitch, converting prospects into full-time clients.
Pitching requires a lot of research, especially when you choose to do it the traditional way (cold emailing).
However, many freelancers are now turning to job boards for an easy way out. One of the benefits of using a freelance board is that you can seamlessly filter your options, even based on the amount that the client is willing to pay.
And for newbies seeking a suitable skill to learn, place more effort in doing what you love, but ensure it is an area that is profitable.