How to Make Money as a Freelancer – A Step-By-Step Guide

 

How to Make Money as a Freelancer – A Step-By-Step Guide

There’s a long list of benefits you’ll get when you make money online freelance. From working on your couch in your sweats to setting your own rates and work timings, freelancing is the ultimate way to fuel your creativity. 

However, a critical aspect of freelance ways to make money is that you have to operate them as your own business instead of working as a typical day job. 

As a freelancer, you’re your boss, but that comes with a whole set of responsibilities as well. 

If you’re thinking about how to make money as a freelancer, you’ll have to take up the following tasks alongside your job. These include, 

• Marketing yourself online
• Pitching potential clients
• Providing support 
• Budgeting 
• Time management 

Besides that, getting started as a freelancer isn’t easy. No matter how talented you are at what you do, hundreds of individuals are just like you looking for work. 

That’s why, if you don’t devise a proper strategy for yourself, you’re likely to fade into oblivion along with 49% of all freelancers who return to their day jobs. 

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Go through my guide for how to make money as a freelancer for all the details you need. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find, 

• A step-by-step guide to becoming a freelancer
• Profitable and popular freelance disciplines you can choose from
• Reliable freelance platforms where you can connect easily with potential clients

So, while freelancing is not a walk in the park, you can make it accessible for yourself if you know the right way. Let’s start with the steps for how to make money as a freelancer first. 

Step 1 – Choose Your Field 

If you’re wondering how to make money as a freelancer, the first thing you’ll have to do is choose your field of work. 

In this case, you can make your choice depending on two main factors. Either you pick a niche that you’re skilled at or one that sparks your passion. Whatever you do, don’t just sign up for any job advertisement you find online while starting your freelance career. 

While this might help you get started on popular freelance sites, if you want to stay on for the long run, you’ll have to narrow your search down to a specific niche. 

There are many fields in which you can provide your services on a freelance basis. These include writing, designing, and even high-paying jobs like financial consultancy and digital marketing. 

The benefit of choosing a single specific niche is that it helps you establish your personal identity on any platform you consider. 

Think about it this way, if you want to hire someone for a task, would you choose an expert in his respective field or a person who is the jack of all trades? Probably the former. 

That’s why, instead of just getting any work, you should restrict your job prospects and only go for the leads that match your profile as a professional. This will help you gain more credibility in the long run. 

Step 2 – Specify Your Services

Once you’ve figured out your specific field, you’ll have to narrow down the services you’ll provide as well. I know what you’re thinking. What if you stop getting any work if you restrict the number of job leads you’ll approach? 

That isn’t the case. If you keep working consistently providing one primary service, you’ll slowly gain popularity and credibility. Besides that, you’ll even get better at it as you connect with diverse clients from all over the world. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you cannot expect to go into every designing discipline there is. You’ll have to pick whether you’ll do UX, UI, visuals, illustrations, logos, advertisements, or complete brand identity. 

Similarly, instead of generalizing your approach by becoming a digital marketing expert, you can specify your services to content marketing or social media marketing. 

The main idea is to keep your eyes on your ultimate goal. If you want to become the most popular UX designer on the internet, don’t entertain any other projects even when starting. 

Yes, sometimes you may need to grab any job opportunities you get to generate an income, don’t make it a habit, as it will stop you from making any real progress as a freelancer. 

Step 3 – Compile a Digital Portfolio

Next, if you’re thinking about how to make money as a freelancer, you’ll have to build an impressive work portfolio. Now, when I say portfolio, I don’t mean you should cram all your work up into a single document and post it online. 

Instead, if you want to display your professionalism creating your portfolio website is the ideal way. Remember, a website portfolio’s whole idea is to attract your potential clients and impress them enough to hire you for their job. 

The fundamental aspects you should include in your portfolio include:

• An insight into your personality
• Past work experience
• Education details
• Work samples 
• Testimonials from former clients

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have some of the components I’ve mentioned above. But, if you create an appealing portfolio, you’re sure to land clients even without previous work experience. 

You can check out resources about building your portfolio and create one that defines your approach as a freelancer. 

Once you’re done, remember to include a link to your website whenever you pitch your clients. This will help you maintain the transparency you need in an ideal freelance work relationship. 

Step 4 – Choose Your Clients 

If you’re still wondering how to make money as a freelancer, the idea of skimming through long lists of clients may seem entirely far-fetched. However, that’s not what I am talking about either. 

By choosing your clients, you’ll have to define the type of problems your services will solve. Even if you don’t have clients swarming around to hire you initially, you’ll need to specify this concept in your head to streamline your approach on a personal level. 

That’s why, before you start pitching clients, decide whether you’re going to work with established companies, ambitious start-ups, or small businesses. 

For instance, if you offer a six-figure designing package for a small business, they won’t be able to afford you in the first place. Similarly, if you’re not equipped to handle a project for a multi-international company, you can end up getting bad reviews even if you put in your maximum potential. So, choosing the specific types of clients initially will help you pinpoint the standard of work and the price range you’ll set for future prospects. 

Step 5 – Take a Headstart Before Leaving Your Job 

If you want to freelance while working full time at your office job, it’s not a good idea. Yes, side hustles can get you a few extra bucks every month, but that’s about it. 

But when you actually decide to become the captain of your ship, there’s no turning around. That’s why you’ll have to give your freelancing career a go before you leave your day job. 

Yes, I know, working on your start-up while continuing your day job can be exhausting. But, it is what it takes to become an established freelancer. It will also help you determine whether you’re equipped to handle the pressure that comes with becoming a permanent freelance worker. Besides that, I am not saying you should leave your job as soon as you land your first client. Instead, wait for your passive income to grow before you put in your resignation.  

Your freelance income should at least be 50% of what you’re getting from your day job. This way, you’ll be taking a calculated risk by jumping into the freelance industry. 

Most importantly, having an established day job while you’re beginning as a freelancer will help you stick to your goals. 

You’ll select your clients and projects appropriately, rather than signing up for any job available to pay your bills. This ultimately promotes your professional growth as a self-employed individual in the long run. 

Step 6 – Sharpen Your Saw

When you’re working as a freelancer, your remuneration depends on the work you put in. This means if you want to increase your rates, you’ll have to work on your skills. 

Even if your existing skills help you generate a steady workflow, look to enhance your portfolio further in your respective field. 

You don’t necessarily have to enroll in a university program or earn a degree when it comes to enhancing your skills in the freelance world. Instead, you can try out online courses and tutorials to sharpen your skills.

After that, try to indulge in some high-profile projects to make your portfolio more attractive. This shows your clients your diversified skill set and helps you gain more credibility in your field. 

Step 7 – Approach Clients

The basic rule for landing clients in the freelance world is to widen your reach. Create your account on popular freelance sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer. Besides that, look for potential clients on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

Whenever you get a lead, skim through their friend’s list to see if they have any mutual connections like you. After that, use that connection as leverage to land the client. 

Besides that, take some time and do some background vetting of the company. Looking closely at the company’s profile will help you determine its needs. Using that information, you can easily create a proposal that meets their demands and even make some impressive recommendations in the first meeting. 

Remember, the more time you put in while pitching a client, the higher rates and longer work relationship you can ensure for yourself. 

Step 8 – Be Consistent 

According to the general outlook, freelancers seem like people who’re spending their days tucked into their blankets. The reality is quite the opposite. 

Most freelancers are usually overworked compared to people with typical 9-5 jobs. Moreover, freelancers rarely take vacations and are generally working throughout significant holidays as well. 

However, these are a few disadvantages that come with the flexibility of working on your terms. If you’re really thinking about how to make money as a freelancer, the trick is to stay consistent. 

You’ll have to maintain your work quality and impeccable work ethic at all costs if you want to stay in the game. Furthermore, work to increase your visibility online by creating your blog or writing guest posts for other blogs in your field. 

Additionally, you can even create tutorials and courses to increase your popularity on the internet and create a steady workflow for yourself.