Freelancing is a type of work with the least cost of investment. A freelancer is a person who is free and renders services as and when required by any employer. He is an agent who works for employers at less cost. It is mostly a part-time job.
People prefer to become a freelancer because they have the right to work in their own way without any time limitations. They can work for more than one employer and get paid from them.
Since people who are employed and those who are searching for employment have free time and want to earn extra income, they search for freelancing jobs as per their profession.
Freelancing is a very bright opportunity given to people to move one step ahead to follow their dreams. Sometimes, freelancers get a star opportunity to get associated with one employer on a permanent basis.
Basically, it is the easiest and lowest cost method to start to work for yourself and earn some extra pocket money apart from your salary.
Based on the experience of some successful freelancers, here are some websites and strategies on how to start your freelancing career even though you have no prior experience in writing:
Freelance Writing Career Complete Guide:
1. Decide whether to generalize or specialize:
Generalizing will make you involved in things you are professionally qualified at and also things in the list which attract you other than your profession.
For example, if you are an accountant by profession but your hobby was writing articles, then there are websites which offer a list of works available. This is a quality of freelancing that anyone can do any type of work and any number of works. So, you can do accounts works and also a writing job.
And if you want to specialize in a subject and get yourself highlighted or grab the monopoly in the market, Then you can choose one type of work and grab that type of work from all the possible employers and establish a name.
2. Become a jack of all trades:
Try looking into sites like Elance, Freelancer, Odesk etc to get a variety of tasks at good prices. The worklist is so huge and full of variety that you don’t need to restrict yourself in one area.
With some clicks and registration. You can start your work by choosing yourself. Calculate how many hours you need to work to make a good living. And you can do all types of works and avoid getting bored.
3. Make an introductory paragraph about yourself:
Be professional in a casual way. Always start with an email to the employer explaining who you are and what your work experience is. Give a reason why you want to work as a freelancer and what is the proportion of dedication you are devoting to freelancing work. That often gives your work a kick start.
Just ask them to accept you as a potential contributor and show your works. Don’t force them to give you work. Let them decide whether your experience is suitable enough for the work they are going to assign.
4. Figure out the value of your offer:
Read the assignment very carefully and the estimated time assigned to do the work. Do preliminary work to judge the quality of work you can publish. Then quote the value of your work citing some examples related to the same work. The examples should be such that your profile becomes attractive.
5. Aim for success:
One golden rule for freelancing doesn’t postpone the work for tomorrow or you will miss opportunities which may come to you tomorrow. Read blogs and maintain your updates. Every tomorrow employers give a better opportunity to freelancers. If with this thought, you start your career, you will reach the top of the ladder very soon.
Whether you are just starting or have developed a background, more and more work is always welcome. Here is some mix of websites and marketplaces where you can find people requesting you to write for them. You can go through and search for these websites and find a couple of work that suits you best. To start with some common websites, this may help you to begin your career with:
Websites for Starting your Freelance Writing Career:
1. Freelancer:
It is a job board that provides you over 100 different types of jobs. The only thing you require is talent. With the never-ending list like IT, programming, designing, writing and much more, Freelancer can help you find clients. It is a greater site for writers because the employers give bulk orders of say over 100+ articles to be written.
2. Upwork:
At upwork, the category of jobs posted can easily be accomplished online. Even if the pay scale is not too much, but the number of jobs will always give you something to do. It is basically the main contender for freelancing boards.
3. Elance: – Acquired by Upwork
More than 25,000 jobs are posted on a daily basis with free registration and 100% payment protection. More than 5 lacs companies have approached elance to hire temporary writers for their websites. It is a matured website and very helpful for people who are seeking online pay.
4. Blogging Pro jobs Board:
This site lists a heavy load of writing jobs. There is a heavy stream of employers looking for writers who are versatile and can write for any subject.
5. LinkedIn Jobs:
LinkedIn Profile should not be wasted. In the freelance world. Networking helps a lot and the main source of networking is LinkedIn.
6. Morning coffee newsletter:
These are weekly newsletters who demand heavy topics and excellent writers on their list for a fresh start of the day articles.
Off late, these sites have become a rush for lowest bid and as on date without your knowledge, you are competing against hundreds if not thousands desperate freelance writers.
Unless you are some brand spanking author, you have to make additional efforts. Just don’t keep on selling yourself because you are new. Have patience and follow the tips mentioned below to expand your database and attractiveness.
Best Tips for Freelance Writers:
1. Generate a lot of ideas:
People become freelancers because mainly they can’t work on an instruction based profile. They need independence and want to work for themselves as they want to work in their own way.
Employers who opt for giving their work on a Freelance basis either can’t manage with their own employees or demand some kind of innovative ideas related to the work. So, to establish a career, you have to generate lots of ideas.
The more ideas you generate the more income you earn. Train yourself to be better than others. It is good that you are a critic and you contradict to the ancestral followed ideas. Continue with your quality and grow in this field of career.
2. Consider your initial works as your building blocks:
Don’t consider your work as a small work. All your initial works are building blocks in your career. One hit work and you will become the star of your field. You have to be in touch on a daily basis with the works released by the employer.
There may be times where you would not be able to make enough money from some work, but remember, you are making a reputation and enhancing your worth in the market. If your work of art is published, remember the creditability you get on publishing.
Always make your comfort zone a bit higher than your required area. Stretch your work hours to enhance your skills, experience, and networking. Freelancing works demand fearless jobs.
3. Try to build relations with the employers:
Employers want to work with freelancers who are accurate and work within the time assigned to them. They have so many options that when one person doesn’t deliver on time, they simply snatch the work and move onto another person simply because they don’t have any contract with them.
To be on the “a” list, work within the time or inform them that you are unable to finish and you need some more time. Be transparent in your profile. Build the trust of the employees.
4. Educate yourself regarding blogging and social media:
Blogging is a way to display your work when none is approaching you. And if you are confident and experienced in your work, then blogging can lead to a foothold in a new area even if you get very little pay for your initial works. You have to be cautious with blogging as it may allow someone to copy your saleable ideas.
Every freelancer is different in their own respect. So, no one plan works for them all but successful people work hard to set off a new trademark in their field of expertise.
5. Have the courage to ditch your current job:
Either you are employed and want to work in your office timings or you don’t want to work as an employed and want to lose your job. In either of the ways, you will have to find the courage to ditch your current job sooner or later.
You will have to build up an act of courage to choose Freelancing as your career as it is downright scary. You cannot assure monthly stable income in the case of freelancing. So, One major item of your life i.e. Income stability will remove.
You will have to be prepared for this drawback. But, when you establish yourself well and land up with permanent tie-up from clients, you are assured to get monthly income.
6. Be in your limits:
It is good that you are ambitious and want to work ahead of time. But be judgmental in taking works and decide whether you can complete the said work by meeting with the expectations of the employer.
Judge whether the profile of the work is within your capabilities. Don’t make yourself tied down with work you are not supposed to do.
7. Set nominal rates for works:
Beginners who are immune to the industrial rates find it difficult to set rates for works assigned to them. Do yourself a favor by researching what other writers are quoting and see their quality of work also? Freelancing rates can be adjusted once you gain momentum and experience. You can adjust your rate for potential client base as per your experience.
8. Try to learn everything that comes your way:
You never know what topic might be useful to you in what way. Freelancing work calls for variety. You need to be equipped with each and every area of the industry to accept the work assigned. Choose a webinar and listen to the recordings. Become an online guru with attaining everything in just one click.
10. Hire a mentor:
Don’t think that you know it all. Take training in your field of interest. Consult concerned people and ask for feedback. Make strategies and ask for guidance to help you judge yourself whether you are right with it or not. Make a benchmark and admire your role model. Work as hard as possible to achieve the benchmark of your role model.
11. Interact with your fellow freelancers:
Don’t ignore the whole freelancing community. Interact with them. Connect with them on Social Media. Consider them as your competitors and share some ideas with them. Consider them as your friends and exchange knowledge to become a group member rather than a lonely fellow.
There you are: these are some of the strategies that will allow you to create a solid freelancing career. It is very simple to put all of the above tips into practice. The tips will not make your freelancing work as a constraint. Apart from face booking and twittering, there are other ways you can spend time on the computers earning a handful of money with and only with Freelancing. So, only one word-Go for it!