These days, it seems like nearly everyone is living the freelance dream. Why not you?
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The pitch: Quit your job! Ditch the grind! Travel for free!
The truth: There’s probably less than a dozen bloggers who make a full-time income off of their blog alone. The rest of us are freelancing, writing, consulting, designing, you name it.
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What it boils down to is: You can quit your (traditional) job and travel the world, if you so desire. But if that is what you want, you are going to have to work for it.
If you are a brave soul who thinks they may want to try their hand at freelancing but has no idea where to begin. This guide is for you.
Eureka! A Lucky Break
I honestly sort of fell into freelancing when I needed money and a way to figure out how to make it. I did a lot of Google searches and stumbled across Elance, Upwork (formerly oDesk), and Guru. They seemed easy to navigate and promised loads of job opportunities for talented individuals. I was excited to get started and signed up for all three.
I immediately found Upwork to be the most straightforward. I built a profile and advertised my services. I knew with my English background I could be well-suited to writing, editing, and proofreading. Having written for Two Drifters for some time, I also included the category of travel writing. I wrote a bio and made myself sound as friendly, capable and least desperate as possible. Upwork asked me to set an hourly rate for myself. $12/hour? I thought. At least it was more than I was making in gift basket hell.
I didn’t just register in the writing and editing categories, however. I applied to jobs in transcription, voice over, and data entry, among the many other options on Upwork. It wasn’t terribly hard to get my first few jobs. My rates were reasonable enough and I took the time to compose a nice cover letter with each application (a key point).
Then I made a series of videos explaining how to use a new smartphone app for preschool teachers… Oy.
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I was awarded a first task as a transcriptionist. Then I made a series of videos explaining how to use a new smartphone app for preschool teachers. That was an interesting experience. Oy.
But I began to get jobs writing about travel and often doing “copywriting” which was a new thing for me. Copywriting is essentially writing for business, marketing, or sales purposes. For me, this has grown to include website content, blogs for businesses, marketing emails, landing pages, and product descriptions, but can include other tasks as well. Over time, I increased my rates little by little and began to look outside of the Upwork platform for work.
Figuring Out What You’ll Offer
The first thing to consider is what you’ll offer customers (and/or the world). For a business to succeed, it generally needs to fill a void.
…choosing a market that was already quite “tapped”, such as copywriting, seemed like the right choice.
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For me, choosing a market that was already quite “tapped”, such as copywriting, seemed like the right choice. There’s plenty of room for more writers to thrive here. In the beginning, as I mentioned, I didn’t go at it as purposefully as I would now.
If you’re looking to get on board the digital nomad sort of lifestyle, start brainstorming what it is you have got to work with.
Let’s Pause to Define Some Terms
When you’re first starting out in freelancing or working online, its easy to feel pretty lost when it comes to terminology, so please read on for brief definitions:
Copywriting – Typically writing for the purpose of sales or marketing. This could be direct response copywriting (sales letters), scripts for email marketing, content for websites, product descriptions, advertisement copy, and more. I ghost write blogs for several businesses, for example.
SEO Copywriting – Focused on using certain techniques and keywords to optimize your content for Google and other search engines, SEO is in essence, writing copy or content that helps a website rank higher when people search for certain terms. SEO is not overly complicated and you can learn all about it online.
Content writing – Often an interchangeable term with copywriting. When I think of content writing, I picture an assignment of blog posts or articles for a website, that maybe aren’t for a sales purpose. Perhaps more in-depth pieces, personal writing, or general writing.
Proofreading – Reviewing a piece of text or document to check for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and word usage, proofreaders typically don’t alter content.
Editing – Many clients will seek out a combination proofreader/editor for documents. An editor’s primary job, however, is to evaluate the piece for clarity, fluidity, word choice, etc. The editor takes a piece of writing and molds it to make it better. If working with academic papers, it is helpful for editors and proofreaders to be proficient in different reference styles such as MLA or APA.
Freelance Writer – In my mind, a freelance writer perhaps seeks to contribute to magazines and online publications. Somewhat similar to a journalist, their writing pieces are less news-based. A freelance writer will often receive a byline, which means they get credit for their writing! (a major difference from copywriters who are nearly always “behind the scenes”).
Social Media Marketing – Sometimes called social media management, this work entails writing and publishing social media posts for a business, organization, or even an individual. Your aim is to engage with its customers. You should be very familiar with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and other popular platforms. Graphic design and basic photo editing skills are also a plus.
Professional Blogger – These writers cover every imaginable niche. They make their money through ads on their sites, affiliate marketing (making a small commission by promoting others’ products), sponsored posts, partnerships, speaking engagements and the sales of their own personal products such as ebooks, ecourses, or diet plans. An effective way to generate an ongoing portfolio and to build an online presence .
Remember, you don’t have to pursue one field alone, but you can pick from a variety of endeavors!
It’s OK to Start Small, Just Don’t Stay There
If you’re considering writing or editing, go ahead and follow my lead and start on a site such as Elance or Upwork. But my caveat is: don’t stay there forever.
Why not?
Platforms like Upwork are ideal for the beginning freelancer. You see what kinds of tasks are available and get to know the way it all works. However, these sites are well known for advertising appallingly low-paying jobs. The diamonds in the rough (jobs that pay a decent rate) are there, but you will have to search for them with gusto.
Once you’ve gotten some work under your belt, you may want to start raising your rates.
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Once you’ve gotten some work under your belt, you may want to start raising your rates. This is difficult with these freelance websites. It is even harder to land a job on there when you’re demanding a higher rate. Those who are willing to pay for the quality of your service are now going to be found elsewhere. It is at this point that you can take your next steps.
Websites, approaching clients, marketing
Freelancing, copywriting, web design. Whatever you are doing, you have to view it as a business. That’s a big part of turning your part-time, side venture into a full-time (paying) career.
If you’re a business in this day and age, there’s no excuse not to have a website. Your website is a way to showcase your services, experience and work. I prefer publishing via WordPress and hosting with Bluehost. You might have to find some tutorials online if the whole website thing is new to you, but these are fairly straightforward. Through Bluehost or another service you can register your domain name and host your domain. If you’re starting out as a freelancer, why not just grab a domain with your first and last name? Alternately, you can name your business something clever.
As you design your website, keep things simple and straightforward. No one wants a cluttered site. Put time and effort into sprucing up your site and really “sell” yourself. Make clients feel they just have to hire you!
Services like copywriting, social media and web design are something that nearly every business will require at some point. So start right in your own neighborhood. Are you a regular at a local coffee shop? Consider approaching the management and offering to design a new website, write blog posts, or assist with social media. You might get a lot of “no’s” before you get that first “yes.” But with persistence, it will come. If your portfolio is lacking, you may opt to provide a sample for free, or work on a trial basis. Do what you need to do to get your foot in the door.
…do great work. Your quality will speak for iself, and your reputation will grow.
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Once you’re hired, do great work. Your quality will speak for itself, and your reputation will grow. Plus, now that you’ve landed your first gig, you can start beefing up that online portfolio.
To become a successful, money-making freelancer, you need to market yourself and talk yourself up. Don’t forget to utilize other resources: LinkedIn and social media especially. This is an easy way to put your name out there and connect with others, both those who may want to hire you and those you can learn from. Don’t be afraid of networking, both in person and online. The harder you work to get noticed, the more projects and clients you’ll get.
My Next Steps
Having a copywriting website, approaching potential clients, and marketing myself via LinkedIn and other groups is how I took the leap and moved from Upwork and Elance to working directly for clients. Taking these steps is how I was able to increase my rates over time and finally make a decent living. And hopefully the rates will continue to climb as I get more and more experienced. I had to put myself out there a great deal. But when you do solid work, clients recommend you to others. So many of my projects have come to me via this approach. Despite the many perks of working online, it’s important to remember that this is still a job.
Links and Resources
To help you get started on the road to working online, I’ve compiled a list of what I consider especially useful resources. You are very welcome!
Here’s a list on Freshbooks of 17 great sites to find freelance jobs. Side note: Freshbooks is an excellent online accounting and invoice tool for freelancers.
Some suggestions from writer Linda Formichelli on where to pitch freelance writing ideas.
An incredible free ebook that helps you price your services. Get paid what you’re worth!
A copywriter’s manifesto by Ed Estlow via Steve Roller. Fantastic business tips for the copywriter and tested ways to hone your skills.
The entirety of the Copyblogger website. So much good stuff.
Struggling with productivity? Here’s a nice concise path to overcoming procrastination.
And, if you want to take the plunge and become a professional travel blogger, here’s a swell comprehensive guide.
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Original article appeared at Two Drifters. Reprinted with permission.
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Photo credit: Two Drifters
A Beginner"s Guide to Working Online as a Freelance Marketer While Traveling the World
