How to Build a Successful Freelance Career?

As of 2022, the United States had 70.4 million freelancers, which is 36% of its workforce, and this doesn’t seem to slow down any time soon. Companies and employees also embrace remote work, with 87% of respondents from a recent survey showing that it improves their work-life balance.

And the pay is also tempting; we are talking about $33 per hour! However, as a new freelancer, you have to work hard to build a good client base and expertise to earn a reasonable income.

For this reason, we provide 7 freelancing tips for beginners to help you build a successful freelance career. Keep reading to learn more. You might also enjoy reading: 9 Ways To Make Money Online as a Translator (How to get started and where to find gigs!)

Tips For Freelancing Success

Know your niche and expertise
Build a freelancing portfolio.
Set competitive prices and adjust as needed.
Create a process
Develop freelancing marketing strategies.
Choose the right freelancing job board.
Build strong communication skills.

1- Know Your Niche And Expertise

If you want a successful freelancing career, you must first know what service to offer.

But how do you know what profitable service to sell? Find out what you love or are passionate about. Then research to find out its demand on the market. Once you establish that people are willing to pay for your freelance services, narrow down to your expertise.

For instance, if you are selling blog writing services, you can settle on one of the best niches for blogging with low competition instead of being a generalist. While writing on any topic can help you make money, specialization can help you earn more.

Bloggers and website owners look for experts with lots of experience in their niche to write engaging and original content. And specialization is the only way to register as an expert.

But what if you still don’t have experience in your specialization? Spend time learning how to do your job better through online courses and personal practice. A burning desire to be your own boss and belief in your abilities is enough to propel you to freelancing success.

2- Build a Freelancing Portfolio

Building a freelancing career involves bidding for jobs or cold pitching for clients to hire you. You need a freelancing portfolio to demonstrate your skills and expertise to potential clients.

A well-crafted portfolio tells your prospect that you know what you are doing and can solve their problems. If you have a live portfolio (website), you can attract new clients who come across your work and are impressed by it.

What do you include in a freelancing portfolio?

High-quality samples: Choose your best work and make sure it represents a range of your abilities. When bidding for a job, include samples relevant to the projects you want to work on.
Client testimonials: Testimonials from satisfied clients are a great way to build credibility and can sway potential clients without a word.
About Me Page: This section overviews your background, experience, and skills. You could also include relevant education, certifications, and work experience. And remember to add a professional photo of yourself.
Services you offer: If the portfolio is on a website, outline your services and what sets you apart from other freelancers.
Contact Information: Have contact information that potential clients can use to reach you. Also, have a clear call to action like “order now” or “get in touch”, and ensure your email address and any social media accounts you want to share are up-to-date.

If you haven’t worked with anyone or don’t have a website, you can post your writing samples on Google Drive or other free online portfolios, such as:

3- Set Competitive Pricing And Adjust as Needed

Pricing your freelancing services is another valuable freelancing tip. It can be stressful for beginners to know the ideal price for their service, but with research, you’ll choose wisely.

As a beginner, you may not charge as an expert in the field since you may not have testimonials or result to back them up. However, as you continue to work with many clients and gain positive reviews, you can increase your prices accordingly.

But how do you set your freelancing rate as a beginner?

Research industry standards: Research will help you know what other freelancers charge for similar work, allowing you to set a competitive rate.
Consider your experience and expertise: Be honest about your skill level and what you can realistically charge. Check out what other beginners charge on freelancing job boards like Upwork or Contently.
Set your minimum acceptable rate: Your basic expenses, including rent, bills, food, and transportation, and determine the minimum rate to help you to cover necessities. Don’t be desperate to accept any work at mediocre pay.
Value your time: Time is the most expensive thing, so charge your services depending on how much time you need to complete a task.

4- Create a Process

You can have a stellar portfolio, competitive prices, and expertise in the industry, but without a definite plan and process, building a freelancing career will be a tall order.

As a freelancer, you must have an elaborate work process that outlines everyday activities and be willing to stick to them.

A freelancing process helps with time management and revenue generation. Competition is stiff in the freelancing world, so ensure every minute counts. You can get helpful information in the article “7 helpful time management tips for freelancers”.

Include the following in your freelancing process:

Time for collecting relevant contacts, pitching to potential clients, and follow-ups.
Learning to update your knowledge of the industry
Contact creation and signing
How to onboard new clients
Follow up on invoices and payments

Time management tools for freelancers like Indy, Toggl, and harvest can prevent time wastage and burnout.

5- Develop Freelance Marketing Strategies

If you want to attract high-paying clients, you should market your services. Marketing connects you with your ideal client, who may not have known you exist.

As a freelancer, you’ll need to sell yourself even if you hate sales. The question is, how do you market your freelancing services?

Here are some practical ways to market yourself:

Create a professional website to show your portfolio, services, and client testimonials.
Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with potential clients and share your work.
Network: Go to industry events, participate in online forums to meet potential clients, join professional organizations, and establish yourself as an expert in a niche.
Ask for referrals: Once you’ve done an excellent job for a client and built a rapport, you can ask them to refer you to others who may need your services.
Build an email list: You can share free content with your audience for their emails. You can then advertise your services via an email campaign.

6- Choose The Right Freelance Job Board

Cold-emailing clients for freelancing jobs can be challenging for newbies. However, looking for freelancing job boards is the best tip to jumpstart your career.

Which job board comes to mind? Many people immediately think of Upwork or Fiverr; however, there are better freelancing job boards with clients who pay higher than traditional forums.

FlexJobs.com, LinkedIn, contently, and Indeed.com are good places to start if you are a freelancer writer.

The secret is to identify the best job board you can find high-paying clients in your industry. Instead of wasting time applying for work on generic websites without the chance of getting hired, do your home to identify sites ideal for your niche.

Here are some tips to help you win a freelancing job on job boards

Create a professional profile with your picture and a well-written description of your skills and experience.
Use relevant keywords to your skills and industry to allow clients to find you easily.
Read the job description carefully and write a proposal tailored to clients’ pain points.
Provide examples of your relevant work, including links to your portfolio or previous work samples in your proposals.
Respond to job postings and client messages promptly and professionally to stand out from the competition.
Research rates for similar projects and experience to ensure your prices are competitive. After completing a task, request the client for feedback and a review. Positive feedback and reviews can do wonders for your freelance career.

7- Build Strong Communication Skills

Many blog posts won’t mention communication skills as one of the best freelancing tips you should have.

Why should you learn to communicate well? Because clients are humans, they want you to communicate clearly and concisely about your offer. If you fail in this area, you may not convince them you can do the job.

You should personalize your cold pitches explaining how you intend to address the client’s pain points.

Good freelance communication skills also entail telling clients your project expectations, potential delays, deadline extensions, and anything you want a client to address.

Final Thoughts

Whether you intend to shift from a 9-5 job or want to change your career, a freelancing career can be exciting. Working remotely and being your own boss is worth pursuing, but you need the correct information to succeed.

I hope these freelancing tips will help you jumpstart your career ad be a free bird. Remember, anything good takes time, so be patient and consistent with your learning and job applications.

FAQs

What Is Freelance Work?

Freelance work is a form of self-employment where a freelancer provides services to clients on a project-by-project basis instead of being employed by a company full-time.

What Are Some Benefits of Freelance Work?

Some benefits of freelance work include the following:

Ability to set your own schedule
You choose your clients and projects
You can earn more than you would in a traditional job.

How Do I Find Freelance Work?

You can find freelance work with these methods:

Join online job platforms
Reach potential clients directly through cold emails
Join freelance job boards
Referrals from other clients
Social media platforms

How Do I Set My Rates as a Freelancer?

Setting your rates as a freelancer can be a tricky process, but here are some factors to consider:

Your level of experience
The amount of time and effort required for the project,
The prevailing rates in your industry.

How Do I Market Myself as a Freelancer?

You can market yourself as a freelancer by creating a professional website, building a solid social media presence, and showcasing your work in an online portfolio.