5 Things That Every Freelancer Needs To Know
There’s a lot that goes into freelancing you may not be aware of! Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Being a freelancer can be an exciting adventure and can have them feel like they are taking the world by the reins and are masters of their destiny. While freelancing may conjure up beautiful daydreams of only working in cozy cafes, any experienced freelancer knows it's far from easy.
Many choose to freelance as a way to build their own businesses and work for themselves, and others start freelancing as a side hustle to build up savings. No matter why you start there are important skills you need to have to be successful as a freelancer. We’re going to cover the most overlooked but essential skills you need to have to be successful as a freelancer!
How To Build A Portfolio
Before you can book your first freelance client, you need to make sure you have an attractive portfolio for potential clients. Designing a show-stopping portfolio can be daunting, as your freelance career depends on it. No matter your industry or the type of freelance work you do, portfolios demonstrate what you can do for potential clients. A great portfolio will showcase your best work, show clients what their projects will look like, and how you will make their lives easier.
Your Portfolio Should Include:
Variety of Your Best Works
Testimonials
Examples of any services provided
Whether you code, blog, or design, clients will want to see what your finished products look like. This helps them to see your style, clients' experience with you, and what they can expect if they work with you.
If you have never freelanced before, either create mockups or share examples of other paid works you have made (with permission, of course). Additionally, creating samples to showcase is another way to build your portfolio.
If you offer any type of service it should be showcased in your portfolio. A well-made portfolio can include before and afters, samples, and reviews from past clients. Make sure your portfolio is neatly designed, and well-packaged for easy look through.
Once you have a well-crafted portfolio, you can focus on how to market your freelance services!
Marketing Yourself As A Freelancer
The only way to be successful as a freelancer is to have clients. There are a wide variety of freelancer platforms that make it easy to find and bid for potential clients. The top freelance platforms are Upwork, Fiverr, and Toptal, but there are plenty of platforms you can join. No matter what platforms you use, marketing yourself is a great way to ensure you get more clients.
How To Market Yourself as A Freelancer
Have A Portfolio
Have a website and blog
Use SEO
Use social media
Get reviews
As we mentioned before, having a portfolio is a great way to showcase your work and set expectations. Having a website is a great way to market yourself as a freelancer. You can showcase your own web design, graphic content, and even promote yourself through the use of blogs. You can pitch the type of projects that you do well, share the behind the scenes of what that looks like, blog, and use SEO to drive potential clients to your site.
You need to know how to use SEO to be successful as a freelancer. SEO, or search engine optimization, is key to getting eyes on your profile or your website. Make sure you know what your ideal clients are searching for and that your site and profile has related content that will result in clicks.
Social media is another easy way to market yourself as a freelancer. Facebook groups can be a gold mine if used correctly for your freelancing. Often small businesses will post asking for referrals for freelance work. Other groups are devoted to sharing openings for gigs, and others allow you to promote your services..
Lastly, reviews are one of the best ways to continue to get work as a freelancer. Highly reviewed profiles are more likely to be recommended. So make sure that once your freelance work is complete, you get a review from your clients to help promote your services.
How To Interview
After creating your portfolio, and properly marketing your services, you’ll be on your way to successfully interviewing and landing clients. Freelance interviews are a great way to learn more about the potential project, and expectations of a project. It’s important to know how to interview in order to properly land a freelance client.
Top Questions You Should Expect When Interviewing As A Freelancer
What's your work process like?
What do you charge?
What’s your availability?
What's the best way to communicate with you?
When sharing your work process they may want to know the technical steps it takes to complete the job or even how the final project is confirmed. Explain your process and share the steps it takes for both parties to leave with a finished project.
Price may vary on the project or service you are offering. While you may have set prices, it’s important that you discuss the scope of the project and what is entailed to get the project completed. You can get more information on how to discuss pricing here.
When asked about your availability, make sure to ask about the deadline of the project. You also should make sure to inform when you can get started and how long the project will take. If you have set working hours, make sure to share those as well.
Every client will want to know the best way to contact you. If it is email or Skype or any other service. Additionally, they will want to know how they will get status updates and how they will receive the finished projects. You can also share your working hours as well. This is a great time to set the ground rule of your working style.
These important questions will shed light into your work style, experience, and what they should expect if they hire you. Giving examples of how you work and how you deliver projects can help set expectations.
Productive Freelance Habits
With more people working from home than ever before, productivity has been a hot topic. As a freelancer, you can easily set yourself up for success with the right daily habits. With these productive habits, you can get more done in your days and complete your freelance work faster.
Productive Habits For A Freelancer
Have a morning routine
Designate your space
Designate a start and end time
Follow a checklist
How you start your day can have a huge impact on your productivity. Having a regular time you wake up, eat breakfast, and even workout can make the rest of your day more productive, and help you be more focused. Even a morning routine of journaling or spending time to wake up can help you be more productive overall.
A home office goes a long way into how effective you can be in your day. Having a designated work space will help you focus and get your mind ready for work.
Additionally, having a start and end time will make it easier to plan your days and your projects. This can also help your mental health when you work from home as it makes it easier to take a mental break from work and log out when you need to. You will also find it easier to communicate with clients and get more done in your day.
Checklists are an office favorite around the world. When you work as a freelancer it is up to you to make sure that projects are completed on time, and that you communicate with clients. So having a checklist and following up on projects status will help you make sure that nothing falls between the cracks so that you and your clients know exactly what is going from day-to-day.
Being productive will help you ensure clients are happy, and that you enjoy freelancing.
How to File Taxes
This is one of the most important things a freelancer needs to know! The amount of money you need to earn and to file a tax return is $400. When you are self-employed, you are responsible for filing your income, federal tax, and state income. That means that you need to have a proper way to track your earnings and costs of your freelancing.
How tax laws affect your income can vary from state, and by country, but if you earn money from freelancing you need to report, and pay taxes on it. You can do this in a variety of ways, such as software or accountants. For first-time freelancers, you must work with a tax specialist to ensure you are properly reporting your income and expenses.
If you earn money as a freelancer you need to make sure you claim it correctly on your taxes.
Being a freelancer is a great way to be your own boss. No matter your skill set, you can find work as a freelancer. Before you start your freelancing journey, make sure you know these essential skills! What’s a skill you were surprised to see on this list?
Catherine Way graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor's in Advertising. A freelance content marketer for industries such as photography, mortgage, and real estate, she has written for Silver Doctors, The Paper Source, Active Rain, and Progressing Income. She enjoys creative outlets like writing, designing, dancing, and modeling. She currently writes and reports for Prime Plus Mortgages - Hard Money Lenders Arizona.