This article is written by Udemy instructor Emilie Schrevens-Wester and is part of The Entrepreneur Masterclass.
A lot of people want to level up their life and make some money on the side, and they have valuable skills, but they just don’t know where to start. We’re gonna talk about that today!
Here is a quick to-do list to get it all going:
Select your main skill (the one you master the most) and two side skills. Eg: Building websites is your main skill. SEO and logo creation are your side skills.
Learn if you need to. Update your skills if you need to, especially for things that evolve quickly like programming languages, data science, etc. Summarize what you know right now, put a date on that summary. We’ll get back to it later.
If you already worked with clients on your main and side skills, gather testimonies, ask what they thought about your review and if they’re willing to write a public review.
Get everything ready: your portfolio of previous work, testimonies, a nice profile picture, a good personal bio, and a cleaned up computer, ready to get some work done. You can host your portfolio on the freelancer website directly sometimes. If not, host it on your website or on sites like Portfoliobox or Behance. If your portfolio is a bit empty, simply work on a new project to practice your skills and upload them into your portfolio. You can also offer your skills for free in exchange for testimonials.
Research the main freelancing sites and read their terms of use and figure out their fees to adapt your hourly price. A lot of sites already did a comparison of freelancer websites but they’re not always up to date. Here are the main websites you can check:
Upwork, Nexxt, Guru, Fiverr, Crowded, Freelancer, FreeUp, FlexJobs, TaskRabbit, Outsourcely, Truelancer, iWriter, DesignHill, PeoplePerHour, SimplyHired, SolidGigs, Toptal, Hireable, Aquent, AngelList, Jobspresso, Powertofly, Working Nomads, Remote.co, Virtual vocations.
Make sure to pick platforms you feel comfortable with. Also please note that there are some scams happening on freelancer websites. The main one is being offered a job but having to pay a small fee to confirm the contract. Don’t get paid outside the freelancing platform and don’t click suspicious links. Check the employer’s profile and you will see if anything is suspicious (new employer profile, lots of freelancers hired but no reviews, only bad reviews, etc). (article continues after the picture)
Set up gigs/freelancer profiles and adapt them to the style of the freelancing platform if needed. The best way to be found is to search your own skill in the search engine of the freelancer site, what shows up? What words are automatically suggested? This is what people search for!
Search how other freelancers in your area of expertise are doing it. No harm in checking how the pros do it.
Browse jobs and see the skills that employers are asking for in your area of expertise. You might be missing a skill in a specific software and it’s slowing you down.
It sounds easy on paper, but after setting up all your profiles (and saving them in your browser so you can check all of them quickly), you will also have to dedicate time to learn how to market your gigs, find clients, get your clients to review you, learn some SEO, etc.
Use the search bar of freelancer websites to figure out what people search for. Once you know that, you can use those keywords to your advantage. Search for people doing the same thing as you, what keywords do they use?
Proofread anything you’re writing in your bio or when you’re replying to a job ad.
If you apply to similar jobs, save your application letters and turn them to templates to save time.
Your freelancer profile:
Never lie about your past work, experience or diploma/certificates.
Have a headline ready. Examples:
David Mike, SEO specialist and website design advisor
Judith Fox, expert copywriter and entrepreneur
Max Vander, certified life coach and digital nomad
You can even add your achievements, like “published author”, “member of xyz”, “10 years in the business”, “praised by xyz journal”, “over 12K students”, “over 1000 five star reviews” and so on. Your profile needs to say “I’m an expert in this field”
Your profile should be clear. Within 10 seconds of reading, someone should be able to figure out if your skills match their needs. Looks matter (unfortunately) and you need to upload a decent profile picture to show you mean business. A well lit picture taken from a decent phone on a neutral background should do the trick. You can always edit it for free on GIMP if needed. Include any certificate you may have. Keep your bio “client focused”, meaning you talk about common problems and how your expertise can solve them.
Include links in your bio: your website, a newspaper talking about you, your published e-book, your blog, your podcast, whatever you have to show. Don’t share your personal social media profiles (the ones you use to have fun with family and friends). Pick the most relevant social media platforms to have. It’s nice sharing your art on Facebook but maybe Instagram or Pinterest are better platforms.
Create multiple profiles if needed. I did that to avoid confusion. I’ve got one profile for business advising, SEO services, and more B2B services, and I have a profile for voice acting.
When communicating with potential clients, follow those tips:
Be yourself and be honest about what you can do and how much time it will take
Keep the discussion on the freelance platform to avoid being scammed
Don’t change your hourly rate last minute to try making a quick buck
Don’t send a copy paste cover letter. Read the job description fully and explain why you’re the best freelancer to solve the customer’s problem.
Ask questions, gather the information you need, it will save time in the long run, especially if you do logo design.
If you’re struggling, take small jobs first, get your first 3-4 five star ratings and then move on to bigger projects.
Provide a free sample, but don’t work for free.
Be available, reply quickly, read your messages, it makes the difference.
Are you ready to make some side income with your freelancer skills? A good platform to start is Fiverr! Sign up here.
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