FAQ
Freelance home working can be beneficial to all in the current climate - but you need to know how to get started.
There are people all over the world who are able to take the steps to become a freelance content writer, although many don’t know where to begin. You could use this to earn extra cash, or you could even make it your full time gig and aim to earn a living from it. The great news is that anybody can become a freelance writer. You don’t need any formal training or a degree, despite what many incorrect articles will try to tell you. It could be a perfect venture for those who already have a blog, stay at home moms, or those who simply want to do away with the 9-5 and live life on their terms.
Using the right platform is key to land high paying clients. If you want to be compensated fairly for your time, and you should, then you should avoid doing really low paying jobs. Figure out what the going rate should be for X amount of words and ensure you’re happy. As somebody just starting out, you may want to do a few cheaper jobs to build up your portfolio - however, knowing your worth is crucial.
There are platforms you can use to put yourself forward for work and bid for jobs, but you can also build your own website to advertise yourself as a writer.
It’s a good idea to do your own research before you begin content writing. Find blogs and websites of other content writers and see how they do it. Take advice from them - even ask them if you feel like you can approach them! Freelance home working can be tough to begin with, so finding out as much as you can in advance can be a big help.
Once you’ve researched as much as you can, don’t stop learning. Aim to keep on learning and improving no matter what.
Having your own writing portfolio filled with your best work can help you to attract quality clients. If you want them to come back for more, ensure you double check your work for errors, and that you’re accommodating if they ask for revisions. It could be best if you offer a limited number of revisions to ensure you’re not working for free all day.
Freelance home working presents its own set of challenges. A good routine will ensure you can get everything done to a high standard. Set your own work hours, and ensure you have an effective writing process. How do you outline your work? Where do you make notes? Is there software and are there tools you can use to improve your work and make it more readable?
If you’re looking for a way to make more money, making money online as a graphic designer could be a good idea.
The graphic design profession is soaring in popularity, and many people have chosen to take it on over the last few years. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a saturated market and you shouldn’t do it - graphic designers are in demand. If this is something you could be good at, then you should take a look and see where it could get you.
Creating graphic design content and blogging about it could help you to attract clients. If you blog as you learn and share your journey, you may just be able to pick up clients this way. The great thing about blogging is that you will continually learn new things about graphic design and help others to see that you are good at what you do.
If you are already a dab hand at graphic design but you want to figure out ways to make even more money, you could teach others. Create a workshop or even an online course. If you build an online course, you can continue to make money whenever anybody buys the course, and you only do the work once. Of course, you may want to provide support, but other than that you can generate passive income.
Creating fun merch and selling it is another good way you could create passive income. Create some cool designs and upload them to t-shirt production services. You don’t have to buy any stock - simply wait for people to pick your designs and watch the cash roll in. Just make sure you choose a reliable company to work with.
Decals can look great on a macbook or iphone, and people are always looking to personalize their devices in some way, you could use your skills to create some designs.
People are always looking for unique typefaces. Developing custom fonts and selling them can be a lot of fun. Many brands want to use custom typefaces to differentiate themselves and make an impact, so you could end up creating for some brands that will one day become household names.
How about designing a Wordpress Theme? Some designers can make as much as 7 figures by designing and selling wordpress themes. All you need is a great portfolio and to register yourself on a marketplace and you could begin generating passive income.
You may be a designer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t flex your writing skills. Mastering the art of writing and creating an eBook to help other people could help you to generate passive income. An eBook would work very well with a blog, as you can promote it within your other pieces and link to it.
There are all kinds of things you can design and create as a graphic designer looking to earn more - make your way through this list and see what happens.
Making the transition to freelance life can be intimidating in the beginning.
How do you know you’re going to find enough work to make a living?
What’s your plan for going out there and making sure you get the work you want?
There are so many freelance job sites out there that could help you to find work. Many sites will allow you to bid for work so you can put yourself forward for the jobs you want in a way that you see fit. Look for both general freelance sites as well as sites that specialise in the work you offer. There’s usually competition for work, and some of the jobs are low paid, so make sure you are selective and know your worth before putting yourself forward for work. These sites can be extremely helpful in the beginning, but having other strategies is a good idea.
In some cases, you may be able to find work on regular job sites. They may not be full to the brim with freelance work, but it’s worth a look.
If you know certain companies work with freelancers, then you may want to contact them directly with your portfolio to see if they are looking for anybody to join their team. Look at local companies first, as you could easily set up a meeting with them if you need to. Don’t be afraid to look at nationwide companies, though, as there’s always email and zoom if you need to speak to them.
Make sure you tailor your approach to each company - don’t just send out the same boilerplate email to everybody. Take your time, find out the name of the person you’re contacting, and write out a nice email. If you want to sweeten the deal, you could even add an introductory deal to your email.
Word of mouth is an extremely powerful marketing tool. Make sure your industry contacts know that you’re looking for work and ask them to spread the word if they hear of anything. If you are friendly with other freelance professionals, you may be able to pass work on to one another if you can’t take it on for whatever reason.
When you do start getting work, make sure your work is such a standard that people actually want to tell others about it and recommend you to people in the industry. The better the service you offer, the more people are going to want to tell others about it and leave you good reviews.
Don’t forget, social media can be a great place to sell your skills, too. Keep them up to date, share interesting news, and network with those in your industry.
Making money from home is something anybody can do - although that doesn't mean it’ll be easy, especially at the start. That being said, once you’ve established your niche, you should be able to begin building your portfolio and finding clients to work with.
The key thing is to practice and hone your skills in your chosen field. You don't need a degree or even qualifications for any of it, but you do need to be good at it if you’re going to attract clients and make them want to come back to you time and time again.
There are a range of skills you can utilise to get work as a freelancer, including but not limited to, content writing, graphic design, virtual assisting, consulting, affiliate marketing, building a store on Amazon, creating online courses and many more.
Remember that whatever you choose, there’s all kinds of software and many tools out there that can help you.
Once you know what you’re going to focus on, marketing yourself is crucial. People aren't going to work with you if they don’t know you’re there. Pay for ads online and keep your social profiles up to date with what you’re doing. Ensure you’ve told any contacts in the industry what you’re doing, too, so they can pass your name on. You can also market yourself by creating your own website and creating content based around what you’re doing so that people know you can be trusted.
Some people get embarrassed about marketing themselves, but you need to get over this if you’re going to get anywhere with your venture.
You don’t need to leave your 9-5 job right away - and in fact, you shouldn’t. Try to stick to part time work at first to ensure you enjoy what you’re doing and you can continue to learn what you need to do while making money at the same time. Eventually you’ll need to leave your job if you want to take it seriously, but this way, you’ll know that it’s viable for you and that you can do it without taking a risk first. Even a few hours in the morning or the evening could make a difference to your efforts. Here are a few things you can do to make it easier:
- Set solid working days and hours so you don’t procrastinate.
- Create a good home working space where you can concentrate.
- Come up with a step by step plan so you know what you’re aiming for and want to achieve.
One of the most effective things you can do is build connections with people who are already doing what you want to do. See if they’ll answer a few of your questions, and see if they have created content based around what they do. Learning from others who have already been where you are is a great way to get started, so take their advice!