Month: July 2021

Anyone can be their own boss these days. In the wake of COVID, companies are embracing the benefits of remote contract work, and freelancer demand is surging.

Becoming a freelancer gives you a chance to work on your own terms and maximize your earning potential. You can fill in gaps in your day and start a lucrative side hustle to supplement your monthly income. Maybe you can even turn in the 9 to 5 for a full time career built around your passions.

As work opportunities and online job services expand, you can be confident that your freelancing efforts will be supported. With that said, not all freelance websites offer the same ROI for serious contractors. It can be easy to fall into work that is inconsistent, pays poorly or does not advance your career.

To help you realize your freelancing goals, we compiled this list of the best freelance websites in 2021. Whether you want part time projects or a full time job, these services set you on the right path.

What is Freelancing?

Being a freelancer means working for yourself. Freelancers sell their work to companies as contracted hires rather than employees. Common labels for a freelancer include self-employed, independent contractor or contract-to-hire.

Because freelancers are not technically employees, they are not beholden to most HR policies. They can set their own hours, work remotely and operate according to their own style and schedule.

While they enjoy considerable independence, freelancers also have more accounting responsibilities than on-the-books employees. Earnings are not automatically taxed and they have to keep track of their own hours and rates.

Top Websites that are Known to Hire Freelancers

There are countless places to find freelancer jobs online in 2021. We handpicked the top freelance websites based on the following criteria:

• Reputability
• Client profile
• Earning potential
• Ease of use
• User support

This article will look at the best freelance websites serving general job hunters as well as high-demand niche sites.

General Freelance Websites

Indeed

As one of the leading general job search websites, Indeed is rich with opportunities for freelancers. Employers like Indeed for its affordable posting costs, making it a go-to for filling project freelancer roles.

If you are just starting your freelance career, Indeed is a great place to start. Many employers do not require extensive experience or education, and the service itself offers useful resources for finding success.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a trusted, secure website built for easily connecting freelancers with projects. It hosts a wide array of marketing, writing, editing and design jobs, giving newbies numerous chances to build portfolios. Freelancers and buyers both enjoy the secure guaranteed payments and talent matching system.

SolidGigs

One thing freelancers can all agree on is the nuisance of hunting for clients. SolidGigs happily takes that weight off of your back by manually checking nearly 100 sites, gig lists and job boards for the best freelancing opportunities you can find on the web.

SolidGigs provides its freelancers with only the highest quality leads. Giving you the top 1% of gigs found in their extensive search so you can trade your worst clients for some of the best companies in the world.

Upwork

Finance and IT jobs are exploding in the freelance market. Upwork is a great source for those starting their careers in these lucrative industries.

New users are helped out with free proposals to get started. Once you establish yourself, it is common to find recurring clients who can give you reliable, well-paying jobs. Upwork careers are an excellent starting point for building your own small business.

CloudPeeps

CloudPeeps connects clients to freelancers working in social media, SEO copywriting, marketing and graphic design.

CloudPeeps is excellent for experienced freelancers looking to sell their services. Users can create profiles, set package rates and negotiate with clients. Top performers can also be promoted on the platform, receiving additional perks to make job hunting easier.

FlexJobs

FlexJobs is one of the best freelance websites for job seekers and employers in any line of business. The simple platform covers a broad range of careers, making it a great choice for anyone seeking part or full time jobs.

The portal makes it easy to establish a profile and engage in a secure job search with trusted employers. FlexJobs earned its credibility, so freelancers can feel secure in finding a job that fits their life.

Designing Websites

99designs

Graphic designers can generate excellent income with 99designs. Clients connect with designers to make everything from logos to web apps.

New designers benefit greatly from the experience of working with clients and handling briefs. For a platform fee, 99designs helps you manage your business so you can grow as a professional. And if you stick with them, 99designs will even reduce your fees, keeping more money in your pocket.

DesignHill

Like 99designs and similar graphic design websites, DesignHill helps talented creatives find clients, often through contests. Buyers like DesignHill’s services because of the vast selection of design services and relatively low costs. Companies can get comprehensive branding for their website, collateral and even giveaways like t-shirts.

Behance

Gigs, full time jobs and internships are all available for designers and art directors at Behance. Job postings cover a diverse blend of artistic avenues, including freelance web design photography, fashion, graphics, and much more. No matter your niche specialty, if it involves creativity, you can find opportunities on Behance.

Dribbble

Product and new media designers can find a wealth of engaging opportunities on Dribbble. Job hunters and clients connect easily through the user-friendly platform, making it ideal for first timers. Plus, users can draw inspiration from other artists and use the Dribbble educational resources to grow as designers.

Developer Websites

Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is a community of developers helping each other answer technical questions and grow professionally. Teams are able to open private workspaces to collaborate and companies can build their brand. Developers are actively sought after on the job board, where employers offer easy applications for high-paying freelance programming jobs.

CodePen.io

Front-end developers looking to grow their careers can benefit from CodePen’s collaborative environment. The platform gives coders a chance to develop and test projects, expand their knowledge and promote their work.

Major industry leaders bring their development teams to CodePen’s community, giving them a workspace to present, educate and create. If you are looking for freelance web developer jobs, CodePen gives you a platform to grow your network.

Gigster

Gigster is a web and software development provider that curates top talent for freelance coding jobs. If you pass their rigorous screening, you can become a “Newster” and start working on client projects. If you are a talented freelance web developer, Gigster handles the business side for you.

Freelance Writing Websites

Contena

For a reasonable fee, you can access freelance writing jobs for beginners and amazing resources to build your skills. Members have access to open remote and on-location jobs, as well as a database of companies that regularly hire. If you upgrade your membership, you can even get a personal coach to help you build your portfolio and refine your craft.

Textbroker

Textbroker is free to use for freelance writers, giving them direct access to clients and writing resources. Writers can select from numerous open orders, allowing them to write as much or as little as they want. They can work on a flexible schedule, but they can also connect and form relationships with specific clients as well.

ProBlogger

Freelance content copy and content writers can find remote work with established small businesses across various niches. The job board is easy to navigate and manage, with new positions constantly opening up.

Freelancers can take projects or find contracts that pay on a weekly or per month basis. The dashboard allows users to say on top of new jobs, manage their resume and use helpful writer resources.

Constant Content

Constant Content is one of the best freelance websites for beginner writers. Writers can make custom content for clients but the site also has ready-made content to pick up as needed. The service offers great flexibility and the chance to work on content that interests you.

SEO Websites

SEOclerk

If you are an expert SEO freelancer, SEOclerk is one of the best freelance websites to start building a resume. Freelance marketing jobs are available that focus on building web traffic, improving on-page SEO and other online marketing initiatives. For beginners, the low barrier to entry makes SEOclerk a low-risk venture.

Konker

Another great platform for SEO professionals, Konker gives freelancers project opportunities that touch on every corner of SEO. Sellers benefit from low fees and extra ways to make money from promoting services. They can also create special deals and market themselves with help from the service.

Konker is great for SEO experts but there are many other marketing and tech fields in its mix. Audio engineers, videographers, designers and programmers can all find great employment opportunities.

There are plenty of amazing opportunities to capture in today’s freelance market. By starting with our list of the best freelance websites, you can begin pursuing your passions in a fulfilling career. For more great resources on winning clients in a thriving freelance landscape, follow our blog.

In order to get paid, you must send an invoice to your clients. You’re aware of the situation. However, in your haste to send those bills, you may commit certain frequent invoicing errors, resulting in payment delays.

If you’ve been freelancing for long, the chance is you’re making at least one of these invoicing mistakes. They’re simple to avoid or correct if you’re aware of them. And many mistakes can even be fixed by using a free invoice generator.

Invoicing is possibly the most fundamental part of any business. Therefore, ensuring that the invoicing cycle is liberated from blunders is essential for business achievement. Unfortunately, since invoicing is a persistent cycle, invoicing errors occur most of the time.

Thus, one needs to audit the invoices continually so you can create errorless invoices. It is very much essential when we generate invoices online, as there are fewer chances of correction.

Here are some basic invoicing mistakes to avoid while using an online invoice generator:

1) Not Sending Invoices on Time

One of the key invoicing errors of any cycle isn’t sending invoices or not sending them on a prescribed schedule. Multiple times, organizations are occupied with helping their customers and disregard creating invoices.

It creates setbacks for the payments, and the entire business endures. Using an online invoice generator, one can timely send ideal invoices to customers. While I have talked to a freelance writer, he told me he usually submits his invoices immediately after submitting his first draft to the client.

However, where he had negotiated an upfront deposit, he sent the invoice before starting work and requested the balance upon submitting the article. In either instance, don’t wait for your clients to request an invoice; they’re busy, and they’re likely to forget.

The responsibility is yours. The sooner you send that invoice, the faster you’ll get paid. So, don’t wait for the month to end, act promptly once your work is complete!

2) Sending Invoices to the Wrong Person

Sending invoices to some unacceptable individual/email addresses is also one of the regular invoicing errors. It may make you resend the receipt to the individual in the future, burning through a ton of valuable time.

Instead, one should ensure that the correct email address is gathered from the customer and sent. Has this happened to you? For example, you send an invoice to your contact at a company, only to find that they still haven’t paid for two days.

When you follow up, the client says they’re not the correct person to contact and that you should send the invoice to person X. You’ve now lost two days and must begin the invoicing procedure all over again. Instead, ask who your primary billing contact is at the start of the connection to tie up any loose ends.

3) Not Adding Proper Item Descriptions

Adding a legitimate item description is perhaps the major part of invoicing errors. Assuming legitimate things aren’t added, the customer may get confused about the receipt. In such cases, the customers will overlook the receipt and defer its payment. Some customers do not require thorough and itemised service breakdowns, while others do.

It’s a matter of process for many clients, and it aids in the tracking, documenting, and reporting of spending. Making it a practise to provide itemised service breakdowns to all clients is a guaranteed approach to prevent receiving emails from clients who request them.

4) Unclear Pricing of the Items

Often, when estimating the items and administrations aren’t sure about the receipt. It is another justified error for customers. The evaluating of items alongside the essential charges and limits ought to be referenced on the receipt.

5) Unprofessional Invoicing

One of the critical explanations behind deferred payments is unprofessional invoices. Invoices made ineffectively in dominant designs with no legitimate templates are frequently disregarded and not treated appropriately.

Instead, one should create an invoice online using a free online invoice generator. The app helps in the formation of customized invoices with the organization’s logo on them.

Have you ever sent an invoice only to discover that the date is inaccurate, the invoice number is incorrect, there are spelling errors, and you have forgotten to reference the PO or include information that the client requested?

I’m sure you’ve made at least one of these mistakes, especially when creating invoices in Excel. To avoid endless back-and-forth emails, edit your bills before sending them.

Upgrade to an automated online invoicing system as an alternative.

6) Not Adding A Late Fee

Not keeping customers from paying late can be one of the greatest invoicing errors in the business. Instead, a late charge should be added to the invoices, or an early payment rebate can be incorporated—this aids in getting the customers to settle upon schedule.

7) Not Adding Terms and Conditions

Adding payment and different terms and conditions are vital for each business. It guarantees that the customer and the provider are in total agreement. The customer knows the hour of conveyance of items and the cutoff time for payments.

To avoid scope creep on any project, it’s critical to establish terms and provide a clear breakdown of services and expenses. It’s also crucial to restate these terms and specify what services you provided when you invoice.

Clients can occasionally place additional demands on your work after you’ve invoiced them by demanding further edits and modifications. Restating the terms protects you from this behavior.

8) Not Storing A Backup

You should save a reinforcement of the first receipt for future reference. It is significant if the customer has any inquiries regarding something very similar. Online invoice generators help in keeping a PDF duplicate of the receipt in the work area.

Other than that, all invoices are effectively put away on the cloud. It’s always important you have backed up your invoices. You’ll need these for your financial records at the end of the tax year. Because printing on paper is always risky, make sure you have a digital backup.

Invoicing software will automatically backup your invoices and ensure your files are safe, giving you peace of mind. In addition, you can manually back up your invoices by exporting your data and saving this on your hard drive for additional security.

9) Not Sharing Work Reports

Sharing work reports with customers is a significant part of the invoicing interaction. You should send work reports alongside invoices, so the customer knows whether the advancement is as wanted.

10) Not Adding the Payment Method

Adding the payment method is vital for the invoicing interaction. It makes it simple for the customer to make the payment. The clients received your invoice, but there’s one problem: they do not know how to pay you. Sound familiar?

It would be best if you let your client know how to pay you, whether via a bank transfer or through online payments platforms such as Stripe. Even if you have specified the payment method, ask yourself, “Have I made it easy for my client to pay me?”

Have you ever heard of the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none”? That phrase seems to have been coined specifically for the digital marketing world.

The generalist wants to do everything. It all seems enticing without having to concentrate on a particular niche. Such freelancers rarely break even; they find it difficult to become an expert in any particular niche.

Hence they run from one job board to the other and are often priced low. If you are reading this already, I believe this is not you.

So, who are you? You are the specialist—the one who develops a high skill set and becomes an expert in a profitable niche. Clients want experts to handle their job. Hence, the specialist is in high demand and commands a higher price.

To make the most of the digital marketing space as a freelancer, it is best to focus on a specific niche, develop expertise, and become a highly sought-after freelancer.

Well, many beginners are yet to understand the nitty-gritty of the various digital marketing services available. Hence, they find it challenging to make an informed decision.

In this article, I have highlighted ten profitable, ever trending, and in-demand services you can offer as a freelancer.

source: Unsplash

Content Writing

No matter the type of digital marketing service you chose to offer as a freelancer, content is all-encompassing.

Most brands use written content to educate their customers about their products, promote their brand, and generate authentic leads to increase conversion.

Content is the backbone of digital marketing. Most marketing strategies utilise written words to help consumers understand what brands represent and how buying a product can positively impact their lives.

Brands want their existing customers to understand their products and continue to patronize them. They also want new prospective customers to recognize what they represent so that they can buy from them.

There are no better ways to do all these except using words that inform, educate and connect. If writing is something you are good at or interested in, then there are enormous opportunities to thrive as a freelance content writer.

As a content writer, your job is to help brands connect to their audience and improve their overall brand awareness. The goal is to turn mere readers into lifelong customers with the power of storytelling and information sharing.

There is a wide range of specialities you can focus on as a freelance content writer. You can opt to write long-form or short-form blog posts, newsletters, white papers, e-books, articles, product descriptions, affiliate reviews, and lots more.

You can also tap into profitable freelance writing niches such as cryptocurrency, gaming, finance, health and fitness, business, technology, etc.

One aspect of content writing you can easily learn and profit from is affiliate marketing. There are many good resources on creating affiliate marketing content with actionable tips you can adopt and quickly master.

Copywriting

Copywriting is not the same as content writing, and the difference lies in its purpose.

With content writing, the goal is to educate and entertain readers. While in copywriting, the goal is to persuade readers to take a specific action usually related to a business end goal.

This action is often sales-related and might be to subscribe to a newsletter, download an app, buy a product, book an appointment, try a demo, or simply make a call.

Most brands are out to sell one thing or another. Hence, they need experts to convince prospective customers that their product is worth buying.

Excellent copywriters can evoke an emotion and stimulate a buying action with the least number of words possible.

They also help brands build a better image and attract new customers through clear, credible, compelling, and concise use of words.

Are you good at persuading people with written words to take the desired action? If yes, then you can build a lucrative career as a freelance copywriter.

One of the beauties of building a career in copywriting is that there are several sub-niches you can focus on.

This includes writing landing page copy, sales emails, social media ads, website sales copy, video scripts, product descriptions, and so on.

An aspect of copywriting that will always remain trendy is the writing of email sales copy. Emails may sound cliché, but it is still one of the best digital marketing channels, especially with e-commerce and retail brands.

Emails are well insulated from the regular changes in algorithms social media platforms undergo. That is why most brands seek to have their own email list to send targeted sales copy to their customers.

Graphics Designing and Infographics

Visual content is essential to the success of any digital marketing campaign, and brands cannot overlook this.

This is because selling online involves the skilful display of products and communicating vital information using well-presented images.

The pictorial display of content offers a dynamic way of communicating information than any other means.

There’s no better way to reach the buying mind than through captivating visual content. This is because the human brain processes images thousands of times faster than it does texts.

Thus, graphics are a vital part of all content, and companies will forever need those who can tell their stories using visual aids. To put it more simply, graphics design and digital marketing are two sides of the same coin.

Graphics designers are involved in every aspect of a company’s branding and marketing, from designing advertisements to logos, flyers, brochures, web content, social media graphics, and product designs.

An expert graphics designer can use a combination of forms, shapes, fonts, and colors to capture attention and evoke a buying emotion. This can be the ultimate difference in converting a mere audience to a lifelong customer.

Infographics which are a combination of graphics, text, and data, are also gaining wide popularity in expressing complex information in an easy-to-understand format. They are attention-grabbing and can turn a piece of otherwise dry information into an enticing piece of content.

Many small businesses are outsourcing their graphics needs. So, if manipulating templates on platforms like Canva or coming up with creative designs on Photoshop is your thing, then you can earn a sumptuous pie from the digital marketing cake.

Social Media Management

In the world of digital marketing, social media is on a level of its own. More than half of the world’s population is on one social media platform or the other.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest are filled with small businesses and large companies trying to promote their products and services.

With social media, the opportunities are endless for you as a digital marketer.

Companies are ever seeking to grow their customer base, promote their brand, engage their audience, and generate more quality leads and sales. Hence, social media marketing is indispensable.

As a social media manager, you are in charge of helping businesses promote their reputation and brand identity using various content.

This entails coming up with content ideas and strategies for each social media channel, engaging their audience and customers, and ultimately building vibrant online followership.

The definitive goal of social media marketing is to help brands gain more businesses through these channels. Facebook, for example, is especially ideal for using graphics to build links to landing pages where the final sales may take place.

Each social media platform is different, and the type of content best suited for each platform also differs. Instagram has a strong visual appeal; hence, it thrives on videos and rich imagery.

LinkedIn is best for professional networking, Twitter for promoting articles and interactions, and the list goes on.

As a social media manager, you must understand these differences and create engaging content for each platform.

Another essential skill for you to thrive as a social media manager is being on top of trends.

New updates, tools, styles, and fads are popping almost every second. Companies can’t afford to lose grasp of trends, and this is where your expertise as a freelance social media marketer may be most appreciated.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Hundreds of million tons of information are uploaded on the internet every day. Yet, when you make a query with some set of words using a search engine, only a handful of relevant pages are brought up. This is search engine optimization at work.

Businesses need their website page(s) to appear at the top of search engine result pages. This is to get more people to visit their website, read about their products, and take the necessary action.

Search engines rank pages using predetermined parameters and guidelines. An SEO specialist utilizes on-site and off-site SEO techniques to ensure that companies’ web pages appear at the top results pages when relevant searches are done.

Onsite techniques can include optimizing website structure, links, keywords, images, file size, page meta description, headlines, and overall content. Off-site SEO involves building a strong network of backlinks to help in page ranking.

SEO is free, and it helps brands come off as more authentic compared to the other type of search engine marketing, which is paid advertising.

As an SEO specialist, you are responsible for increasing website traffic through organic search. Your job involves creating a keyword strategy, optimizing website content for search engines, and building relevant backlinks.

Creating a keyword strategy helps brands produce relevant content that people are already searching for, which helps search engine ranking.

Paid Advertising

Another way brands use in driving traffic to their web pages is through paid advertising. Unlike SEO involving organic search, companies pay to have their pages appear at the top of search engines for selected keywords in this model.

You can find lots of paid ads on social media and search engine result pages. With search engines like Google or Bing, companies buy the top spots on search results via an auction based on location, demographics, and keywords.

This works on a Pay Per Click (PPC) model, i.e., and brands only pay when someone clicks the ad. Although there are other types of paid advertising such as pay per view, pay per download, pay per install, etc., PPC is the most popular and also very efficient.

When a paid ad appears at the top of search results, it comes with the word “Ad” at the top left-hand side of the site’s description. This lets you know that it’s a paid ad for that keyword you inquired about.

Running paid ads for clients is another excellent digital marketing service to specialize in. You can become a paid ads specialist for any of the many channels like Google AdWords, Facebook paid ads, Instagram advertising, etc.

As a paid ad specialist, you are in charge of helping brands make the most of the amount spent on such marketing campaigns.

Your job may involve creating a robust ad strategy, researching keywords, selecting target audiences, setting up paid marketing campaigns, writing and optimizing ad contents and formats.

Web Design and Development

If you are good at explaining things to a computer rather than humans, there is still an aspect of digital marketing you can specialize in and that’s creating websites for brands to sell their products.

More brands now understand the need to have a sleek and well-optimized website for their business. A well-designed website is vital for search engine optimization and the general branding of the business.

One of the key factors online shoppers use in rating an e-commerce store is the overall user experience. The ease at which they can navigate a website and find what they are looking for is very crucial. This is why top brands are investing large sums into having an optimally designed website.

A plain and slow-loading website is usually a turn-off for most online shoppers. Hence, brands seek to make a lasting first impression with the speed and design of their website.

Designing, upgrading, and managing an excellent website requires special skill sets not easily acquired. Thus, small businesses are ever willing to outsource this important job to freelancers.

As a freelance web developer, your job is to create and continually optimize brands’ websites to give customers the best user experience. This will surely entice them to always come back and buy from that brand.

Project Management

Marketing campaigns can be quite tasking and challenging to run, especially with large teams. Different professionals to manage, stakeholders to report to, several tasks to assign, suppliers, contractors, vendors, tools, and the list goes on.

With the workload, one can easily lose track of the core objectives and details, leading to a messy campaign. Hence, the need for professional project managers.

Project managers are in charge of the overall efficiency of marketing campaigns. They keep track of communication, budget, timeline, and tasks assigned to each individual. They ensure that everyone is on the same page and every aspect of the campaign is on schedule.

Not everyone is good at enterprise project management, and for this reason, there is high demand for project managers to help facilitate day-to-day activities in a remote setting.

As a freelance project manager, your job is to help companies run a seamless digital marketing project.

You’ll be in charge of resource planning, coordination of team members, budget allocation, tracking progress, campaign reporting, identifying possible challenges, and ensuring that deadlines are met.

Marketing Automation

This is one of the most profitable services at the moment. Marketing automation uses software to handle most of the time-consuming and repetitive marketing actions such as sending emails or posting social media content.

Marketing automation helps businesses leverage the use of automation to streamline marketing processes.

Due to the rise of various marketing automation tools like ClickFunnels, GetResponse, Kartra, WebinarJam, MailChimp, etc., there is a need for specialists in these tools to help companies and busy founders set up their marketing automation on these tools.

A marketing automation specialist is highly skilled with marketing apps and software that provide a dashboard to handle multiple tasks at once.

They help ease the workflow and are involved in critical campaign processes such as lead generation, lead nurturing, lead scoring, segmentation, and routing.

Remember we talked about email marketing and its ever-green importance before. Well, email marketing services are one of the most automated aspects of marketing. And as a freelancer, you can easily tap into this.

Video Editing and Whiteboard Animation

Approximately one billion hours of YouTube videos are watched across the world every day. Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Snapchat also have an abundance of video content for marketing campaigns.

The reason for this is not far-fetched. Videos are ideal for explaining complex processes and this is why how-to videos are popular on the internet.

Be it live videos, short interviews, animations, or product reviews, more businesses are now using video content as part of their digital marketing strategy.

Video content is easy to digest, entertaining and drives engagement as it can be easily shared across various channels.

Videos aid SEO and boost conversion as watching a video help consumers make buying decisions. This is because videos appeal to the audio and visual senses at the same time. Hence, may easily evoke the right emotions and prompt a buying action.

Anyone can create a video and post it online. But creating high-quality, well-optimized videos that drive engagement and produce desired results requires a sophisticated set of skills.

Similar to videos in marketing is the use of whiteboard animation. Whiteboard animation is a video illustration that helps viewers understand the accompanying story. Such videos are especially ideal for demonstrating a procedure or showing how a product works.

A video editor helps brands to create high-quality videos to promote their brand and market their products.

Your job may involve editing, manipulating, and reordering recorded videos to produce easy flowing, top-quality video content. It may include the addition of graphics, music, special effects, sounds, and animation.

Most of these activities are done using video editing software. Hence, you need to be adept at the use of such tools to enjoy a career as a freelance video editor or whiteboard animation expert.

Ready to Get Started?

There are numerous avenues and opportunities for you to thrive as a freelancer in the digital marketing space.

No matter your background or interest -writing, coding, graphics, videos, animations, or project management- you can carve out a niche for yourself and build a successful career as a freelance digital marketer.

For getting consistent clients, take advantage of Solidgigs, a premium service that sends high-paying gigs to your inbox while you focus on doing what you do best.

On that note, congratulations and good luck on your journey to becoming a badass freelancer.

The freelancing boom is only going to get better. Many companies adopted remote working due to the recent pandemic, and this gave impetus to the emergence of more freelancers.

Freelancing puts you in control of your work life, time, schedule, and most importantly, your finances. With freelancing, you are the only one that can put a lid on how much work you do and how much you earn.

Sounds interesting, right! A major challenge you would have to overcome to achieve your goals as a freelancer is getting high-paying freelance clients.

The struggle for getting high-paying clients is fundamental. Every freelancer has to face it at one point or the other.

But relax. It is not an insurmountable challenge. With the tips provided in this article, you can land high-paying clients in no time.

Irrespective of your specialty as a freelancer- writing, marketing, graphics design, programming- the information herein is all-encompassing.

Landing high-paying gigs should be your routine and note a one-time fluke. And here’s how to start that journey.

Specialize in a Niche

The notion about freelancing not providing job security is untrue. If you provide highly specialized value to a targeted set of clients, you’ll never be out of job.

Being a jack of all trades and mastering them all might be possible elsewhere. However, when it comes to freelancing, you have to position yourself as an authority in a particular field. And you cannot do that if you keep delving into other things. Hence, it would help if you streamline your services.

For example, saying you are a writer is understandable. But calling yourself an e-book writer is more specific. So people now know the kind of content you write.

You’ll attract more high-paying clients if you portray yourself as an email sales copywriter with years of experience working with XYZ brands than just as a generic copywriter.

Specializing in a niche is particularly important in attracting high-paying clients for two reasons.

• It keeps you focused on your strength: you become an expert by honing a high-value skill over the years. This allows you to sell yourself better and attract the right clients.
• It helps you define your potential client base to the fullest: where are they? What are they looking for? What are their pain points, and how can I solve their problems? Answering these questions will help you target clients that will pay you what you are worth and more.

The essence of all of these is to build a personal brand around a particular niche. Your brand will go a long way in attracting clients to you because of authority in that field. Additionally, people like to give their money to experts to handle jobs for them. So, go through the process of discovering your niche and honing it.

Build a Website

Building a website might be one of your best investments as a freelancer. You can generate leads and conversions from your site if it is appropriately designed, optimized, and managed.

If your website provides high-quality content and is properly optimized, search engines like Google will recognize it as an authority.

Your website layout, font, colors, etc., determine whether visitors will come back to your site or if your bounce rate will increase steadily.

However, building a website is not enough to help you generate customers.

The goal is to create an exciting story with your platform. Captivate prospective clients with your headlines, sell values in the form of solutions, display social proofs, and call them to take action.

Here are some ways to make the most of your site.

SEO

Daily, the internet receives 2.5 quintillion bytes of data. This is a lot of information, and your site can just be a needle in a haystack.

An excellent way for your input to be recognized amongst this swarm of data is through search engine optimization (SEO). There are plenty of ways to optimize your page, but some are:

• Optimizing meta and title tags
• Reducing picture size on your site to ensure the site loads faster
• Incorporating external, internal, and outbound links

Create High-Quality Content

Content creation and marketing, regardless of your profession, is a sure way to gain recognition. As a result, brush up on your writing skills or hire a writer to assist you in explaining key concepts related to your business.

When prospects find your website, your depth of knowledge, and how simply you present it, they’ll realize you are very good at what you do. This portrays you as an expert, and that’s what attracts high-paying clients.

Consistently Improve your User Experience

Always be open to feedback from users about your website. Your site may not be perfect, and it is not aimed at impressing you but prospective clients. There are many benefits you can get from customers feedbacks and you should always listen to their opinions instead of your intuition.

If your prospects think that your site is not easy to navigate or does not load on time, then you should get it checked. Remember, your customers and prospects are always right.

Search engines will rank your site well when they see the value you offer. And, value is what high-paying clients are after.

Join Communities

A community is a place you can learn, improve your skills, and also find clients. You can find many freelance communities relating to your field on social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Linkedin, and even Quora.

What these communities do is help you meet people who share your interests and network with them.

You meet other freelancers, create synergy and show how good you are in your field. Demonstrating your expertise this way is very important in marketing yourself and attracting the right clients.

Additionally, most high-paying clients don’t list jobs in random places. It’s typically through people they know that you will get to find them.

Therefore if you are not in any community relating to your niche, you should join one. If you are already on one, you should become more active there and showcase your skills. People will not come to you if they don’t know what you do.

Collaborate With Other Freelancers

Collaboration with other freelancers is an excellent opportunity to improve your services, get fresh inspiration, and attract new clients.

The term iron sharpens iron is something you should apply to your networking. So, the more professionals you meet in your field, the better you get.

Furthermore, collaboration with other freelancers opens you up for opportunities you never knew existed.

You can collaborate with these two types of freelancers.

The ones who are directly in your niche

Working with somebody in your niche is an ideal career move. When they have an overflow of jobs and need an extra hand, they will automatically think of you.

Plus, working with someone in the same niche will help you rub off ideas from the person, especially if they are professionals.

If you are wondering where to find people you can partner with, Twitter and LinkedIn are excellent places to start.

You will find people from different niches and specialties. So whether you are an SEO specialist, programmer, writer, or anything at all, you will find someone in your field.

You just have to follow the right industry players and be active on these platforms. You are sure to meet up with new industry friends who might refer clients to you.

Freelancers that Complement your Service

Sometimes, you may meet a client whose request is related to your field but not necessarily your niche or specialty. Teaming up with such a fellow will help you not to miss specific opportunities.

As a copywriter, you can team up with a web developer or graphics designer. When they get jobs for website design and management projects, they are sure to need your help in writing web copy and content on landing pages.

Importantly, if you want to succeed with your collaborations, you have to lay down principles. The following principles will help you make the most out of your cooperation:

• No matter how open-minded you are about partnering, always ensure you stand your ground.
• Sign a written contract to avoid future issues.
• Ensure that equality reigns in the collaboration.

When you notice your partner going off-track or making a mistake, call them to order. Ultimately, whatever affects your partner may also affect you in the long run.

Ask for Referrals

It is natural for humans to trust and work with people they know instead of strangers. Therefore, even if digital marketing, having an optimized website, and collaborations are working fine, personal referrals still reign supreme.

When somebody trusts you enough to recommend you to another person, that is a blessing in disguise. Nothing makes a person more eager to work with you than an endorsement from people they are close to.

So, in your quest for big clients, if you already have some, don’t hesitate to ask them to refer you to others.

However, simply asking for a referral doesn’t mean that you will get one. So, what steps can you take to make sure you get a referral, whether you ask or not?

Let’s find out.

Make a Deal about Referrals from the Beginning

When you start the talk of getting referrals from your clients early, you reduce the pressure. It’s more like you are putting your fate in your hands, which will make you more accountable.

So, when you have the conversation early, you are automatically telling your clients that if you do a good job, they should refer you.

But if you don’t, then they can leave you. Therefore, you give your clients the deciding power and set a high expectation for yourself to deliver a good job.

Your Service Should be Exceptional

Mediocrity will not help you get referrals. Therefore, you should put your all into the job at hand. Eventually, the quality of your job will have a direct effect on your brand and determine whether you will get referrals.

Take Advantage of Clients’ Happiness

Another perfect time to ask for referrals is after a client just finished praising your work.

At that point, their heart is full of admiration for your skill. That is the best time to say something like: “I’m happy you’re pleased with my work. Do you know of anyone who may need this service? Please do well to recommend me to them.”

That line, up there, is enough to make a client drag their friends to you. When they are happy about your job, the iron is still hot, so striking it can make them refer you almost immediately. Therefore, you should be sensitive to your clients’ needs.

Try Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a business process that involves you attracting customers through content that is tailored to their needs and solves specific problems.

Most times, when people hear the word “content,” they attribute it to writing. However, there are various forms of content, and writing is just one.

This section will show you how to leverage the most popular forms of content to reach your target audience.

Start a Blog and Become an Expert in your Niche

Blogging or written content is the most popular form of content. Earlier, we talked about why you need to niche yourself down and become an expert.

Blogging helps you demonstrate that expertise. You can display your knowledge as a true professional by explaining the most complex concepts in a way that even a 5th grader would understand.

Whenever prospects read your blog, they should see that you understand what you are saying. It will motivate them to employ your services.

Guest Blog on Authority Sites in Your Niche

Another way to show your expertise to the right clients is through guest blogging on authoritative sites in your industry.

This complements your blog, boosts your industry profile, and gives you access to a larger audience.

Additionally, the fact that your name appears on an authority site increases your credibility because it shows that other people in your field trust you enough.

Start a Podcast

You should note that not everybody enjoys reading long-form content. However, some don’t mind listening to an entire course.

Therefore, you should utilize this, especially if you are better at talking than penning down your thoughts.

Louis Grenier, the voice behind the occasional podcasts on Everyone Hate Marketing, uses this method to get clients. Your depth of knowledge will attract prospects if you are eloquent, and your inbox may blow up with messages.

LinkedIn is a Great Tool for Leads

As a freelancer, if you don’t have a LinkedIn account, you are in the wrong. LinkedIn is a melting pot of professionals and specialists. A good profile and frequent knowledgeable posts about your niche will position you as an asset.

You can encourage people to join your network or search for prospects manually and add them. The more extensive your network, the more leads you will generate, and the more deals you are likely to close.

Conclusion

Freelancing is fun, especially when you are doing what you like. Then, you get to work on your terms and determine how much you want to earn.

You can become overbooked with high-paying clients by taking specific steps to advance your career as a freelancer.

Become an expert in a highly-prized niche, build a captivating and well-designed portfolio website, join like-minded communities, collaborate with other freelancers, ask for referrals from current clients who pay well, and create the right content to market yourself.

Since you work for yourself, you might as well pay yourself more.

First and foremost, congratulations on beginning your freelance writing career.

As a freelance writer, you can work whenever you want and charge what you’re worth, and there’s no limit to how much money you can make.

Well, this isn’t the reality for many, a lot of freelance writers find it difficult to navigate the feast and famine that freelancing comes with.

Does it seem like you can’t possibly earn more than a measly $200 every month?

Well, you’re in luck. This guide highlights everything you need to start earning at least $1k every month.

What Does it Take to Earn your First $1k/month as a Freelance Writer?

For the record, you may not earn a thousand dollars in your first month of being a freelancer. Heck, many new freelancers give up after the first two months because they didn’t make a single dime.

So, don’t expect this to be a get-rich-quick scheme because it’s not.

Here’s a breakdown of a few things you need to do to earn your first 1,000 dollars as a freelance writer.

1. Choose an Industry (Specialize)

While it’s good to be a versatile writer, it is best to choose a particular writing discipline or a couple of them to create a niche of your own.

This helps you concentrate on a form of writing and become the best at it. It also ensures that a steady group of clients will always want to hire your writing services.

Having a writing niche also helps you stand out and, over time, create a brand name for yourself.

It is impossible to specialize in every writing discipline, so choose one or a few and become a juggernaut niche writer.

Here’s a list of writing niches to choose from:

• Landing pages
• Cold emails
• White papers
• Ghostwriting
• Product reviews
• Academic write-ups
• Ebooks
• Fiction
• Long-form blog posts
• Copywriting
• Video Scripts

You can also become a specialist in any of the following hot topics:

• Cryptocurrency
• Beauty and Fashion
• Personal and Global Finance
• Technology
• CBD products
• SEO
• Nutrition and Health
• Digital marketing
• Global warming and other environmental topics
• Real Estate

2. Package your Offer

In the introduction to this guide, we mentioned that you would face fierce competition from millions of other writers, right? Well, what you offer is what will make you stand out and seal major deals.

Clients are most impressed by unique pitches and special offers.

Answer these questions:

• What are your most significant achievements, certifications, and campaigns?
• Where is social proof of your writing prowess?
• What can you offer that others cannot?

List out the answers to these questions and include them in your proposals.

Also, when applying for a writing gig, you should use ingenious and original content. Something that’ll tickle the fancy of your clients or address their struggles as a company.

If you’re applying for a juice company copywriting gig, for example, you can say something like,

“I help beverage companies create marketing content that triggers a thirst that their products can only quench.”

It sounds somewhat superficial, but it’s the type of creative and simple content that impresses clients.

3. Join a Job Board and Freelance Marketplace

Job boards are online platforms that advertise open job opportunities in various sectors, including freelance writing.

You’ll find dozens of adverts for freelance writing gigs on job boards, but it’ll be up to you to convince the clients to hire your services.

You should target job boards like Solidgigs.com, LinkedIn, MediaBistro, Contena, ProBlogger, Glassdoor, CareerBuilder for freelance writing opportunities.

These platforms get the most freelance writing job adverts and are used by top clients with fat budgets.

Solidgigs.com, for example, is designed to help freelance writers find potential clients, thereby eliminating the hassle of going through endless job listings.

The team takes the initiative of searching over 100 sites, job boards, and other online platforms for quality freelancing gigs from top-tier clients all over the globe.

It is a freelancer-centric platform and a great place to source for high-paying freelance writing gigs.

Setup Accounts on Freelancing Platforms

Think of freelance platforms as online service marketplaces where writers post their writing services, and clients visit to hire them.

There are dozens of freelancing platforms where you can list your writing services or approach potential clients, the best of which are Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Contena, BloggingPro, and CraigsList.

Some of these platforms also allow clients to post requests for writing services for which you can apply.

The downside of freelance platforms is that bidding is a race to the bottom, with freelancers willing to work for as little as $10.

However, these platforms also have high-paying clients. So, if you stick to your guns, you may be able to hit your target.

To get started, create a convincing profile, list your writing services, prowess, and achievements, and apply for gigs using compelling pitches.

4. Build a Freelance Website

There are many advantages of having a freelance writing website. First, it exposes your writing services to millions of potential customers looking for writers for hire online.

It also makes your business look professional – that way, it won’t seem out of place when you charge high rates. Another perk of having a writing website is that you can display social proof of your writing prowess using product review sections.

In other words, you can create a segment where all your satisfied customers rate your services.

You must understand that it is not enough to create a professional freelance writing website; you must also ensure that it is SEO-optimized.

Optimization increases your website’s search engine rankings, thereby making it easy for potential clients to locate your website when they search for freelance writing options on Google or any other search engine.

Here is a list of things to do to optimize your website

• Optimize for off-page SEO
• Optimize for on-page SEO
• Use relevant keywords
• Update website content
• Get backlinks from quality websites
• Keep the number of plugins on your website at a minimum
• Host your website on high-ranking platforms using Shared hosting, Virtual Private Servers (VPS) hosting, or a dedicated server
• Make your website mobile-friendly

5. Exploit Social Media

Social media is the place to advertise any product and service, including freelance writing. However, you need to reach the right audience for this to be effective.

Building and getting the right audience on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, and whatnot will take some time and effort, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

First, you need to create a professional profile using an official display picture and stating your writing services in your bio. That way, people will know what you do immediately when they check out your profile.

Next up, consistently post content. In the beginning, you might want to avoid talking about your writing services and stick to talking points or trending topics in your industry.

When you start to gain followers interested in your content, you can promote your writing services alongside your usual content.

You must also learn how to use keywords and hashtags that members of your target audience often search for.

That way, you’ll be priming your content and social media page for massive exposure to the right group of people on social media.

You can also send cold pitches to companies and individuals you feel require your services.

When these parties check your profile and see your posts, followers, and engagements, you can bet that they will be inclined to hire and pay tidy sums for your services.

6. Get the Best Business Tools

Yes, you’re a fantastic writer, so you probably think you don’t need any special writing tools or marketing tools.

You couldn’t be more wrong.

Writing tools improve the quality of your writing, no matter your level of experience; plus, they also save time and increase productivity, which are skills for writing optimally and delivering jobs when due.

There are many tools for you to choose from, and each of them will improve your time management, writing proficiency, SEO, and organization.

Here are some of the writing tools you need as a freelance writer:

Grammarly: This writing tool is everything you need to create error-free and plagiarism-free content.

There are free and paid (premium) versions of Grammarly, both of which will save you from vocabulary and structure mistakes.

You can decide to post your writing content on Grammarly and have it correct your errors or add it as a plug-in to your Google Docs.

Google Docs: Think of Google Docs as a better version of Microsoft Word. With this writing tool, you can access all your synced contents on any device, including mobile phones – as long as you have your Gmail username and password.

It comes with every possible writing tool, including a word counter, spelling and grammar checker, dictionary, script editor, and various formatting features.

Google Sheets: Google Sheets is an all-in-one organization tool you will find handy for your writing biz. You can use it to organize your gigs, clients, and topics, create calendars to monitor deadlines, and share spreadsheet content with clients.

Canva: This would make a lot more sense if you were a graphics designer, but sometimes as a freelance writer, you may need to create graphics content for your work.

Canva should be your go-to app for this because it is user-friendly and features a myriad of design and editing tools, as well as sources of stock images and designs.

Ahrefs: Ahrefs is a simple but highly efficient SEO tool. It comes with tools for keyword research, content analysis, link-building, and other features for boosting search engine ratings.

Applying Ahrefs to your written content makes it highly SEO-optimized, which is something every client today wants.

7. Invest in your Business

When we hear the word “invest”, the first thing that usually rings a bell is money. In the writing biz, that’s not always the case.

Yes, investing in your business as a writer could mean taking a paid course or workshop, hiring a coach, buying equipment like a MacBook or ergonomic furniture, or paying for premium versions of writing tools, but it goes way beyond that.

Here are a couple of other ways to invest in your writing biz:

Attend conferences and events

While it’s perfectly normal to want to stay in your workspace and work on your gigs, taking a break to attend writers’ events and conventions now and then might be better.

Such gatherings give you and other writers the chance to share ideas with like-minded people, which is good for inspiration and networking.

Stepping out of your workspace to interact with other writers or personalities in other disciplines will augment your creativity and give you opportunities to meet new potential clients.

A large number of these events now take place online via webinar tools. So, you don’t need to leave your desk to attend an online conference in your industry.

Study the work of other writers

No matter your level of experience as a writer, there’s always something new to learn. And while there are tons of sources for you to explore, your best bet is to study successful projects of model writers in your niche.

Do this by buying their books, articles, or journals, and study them and over time, you’ll become a master wordsmith yourself.

Join a writing community

Being a part of a community of writers in the same niche will help you hone your writing skills and get access to high-quality gigs.

Members of your writing community, for example, may give professional insights into your subject topic, critique your work, serve as beta readers, or generally inspire you.

Of course, this will only work if you join a dedicated and truly talented group, so don’t just opt for anyone.

Social media is the most obvious place to find and join writing communities, but you can also keep an eye out for options around your home, office, or favorite restaurant.

8. Get your Pricing Right

Pricing is where many freelancers miss it. It is a delicate and largely overlooked subject, but it can make or mar your journey to the $1000 per month mark.

First, you need to understand that you should never be afraid of asking for your worth. Because some clients are ready to pay top dollar for quality, others? Not so much, and you don’t want to end up underpricing.

There are three significant factors to consider when pricing your writing services:

1. Time required to complete the project
2. Amount and level of research
3. The economic value of the project

Your rates should follow suit with the levels of each of these factors. For example, if the project requires you to dig deep to find legit information and data or takes you quite a long time to research and compile, your rates should be high.

In combination with the above-stated factors, you can also charge clients by the hour, word count, number of pages, or arrange for a retainer fee.

9. Get Retainers

Try to get your clients to hire you on a retainer basis. That way, you’ll get paid at higher rates and in bulk for writing services to be rendered.

Retainers also guarantee you a constant flow of gigs and income every month.

It is important to note that retainers can be a little bit tricky because once you agree to one, you’ll have to see it to the end.

So, you must ensure that you’re not underpricing your services and that you understand the job description.

To do this, try running a couple of single projects with clients on similar projects; that way, you’ll know how to set your price and see if you can put up with the clients’ requirements.

Pro-tip: Treat all your clients well, but treat your retainer clients even better. Prioritize their projects and ensure that you deliver nothing but the best.

Conclusion

Freelance writing is highly lucrative biz, and only a few smart people have clocked this.

You can also join the smart tribe of freelance writers by leveraging all the tips in this guide, and before you know it, earning $1k every month will be a piece of cake.

In a freelancer’s career, there comes a time, when it becomes painfully evident that the rates charged are too cheap for the amount, quality, and level of value delivered. Raising your fees is an important component of being a more successful freelancer. However, raising your freelance rates while dealing with existing clients might be difficult because they may not appreciate the concept of having to increase their budget.

How to raise your freelance rates?

Boosting your rates from time to time is important because it means developing your skills. In this article, we’ll walk you through strategies for increasing your freelance fees without losing clients.

Clients should be informed in advance

When it comes to boosting your freelance fees, one of the worst mistakes you can make is not giving your clients enough time to process it. Take a look at these two messages, and it should be clear which one will be more effective:

• Hello, John! I’m writing to inform you that, for all new and existing clients, my charges will be increased to $0.1 per word. Best wishes!

Hello, John! I’d like to discuss reassessing my per-word rates as per our contract. For all of our projects, I’m now charging $0.09 per word. As of February 2022, I intend to raise the charge to $0.1 per word. This will be in three months, I hope you have enough time to think about this.

Those are just a few examples. The second email is important because it provides ample warning to your client, allowing him to budget in the change. It’s not only polite, but it also saves people from feeling pressured, which almost never goes well.

In the worst-case situation, raising your rates may cause current clients to drop you. If you believe your talents are worth the wage raise, then you should stick to your guns.

To be safe, always keep your portfolio up-to-date and be on the lookout for new clients.

Raise your rates periodically

One of the smarter things you can do as a freelancer is to inform potential clients that you usually re-evaluate your rates around the same time each year. That’s absolutely logical, as costs can vary greatly from year to year.

Offer long-term client loyalty

Many clients will go through many freelancers before finding someone who can deliver high-quality work on time. That means that if a client finds a trustworthy freelancer, he’ll most likely want to work with him constantly, which is great news for you. Offering ‘loyalty’ discounts to these types of clients is a great way to make them loyal.

Since extra bonuses and prizes make customers feel valued and appreciated, loyalty programs have been shown to increase sales and keep customers coming back. The same strategy works in client services. Rewarding loyal customers creates positive feelings about your relationship, services, and fees.

As a freelancer, you can reward your clients for their loyalty in the following ways:

• Create special rates- a special discount is a perfect way to thank your clients.
• Grant a grace period.
• Clients frequently work with planned budgets that were established long before you chose to raise charges.
• Simplify the transition of existing customers to the new rates by giving them additional time.
• Make a fresh package

Some of your most loyal customers may not be willing or able to work with you at your new rates. Consider designing a new package with fewer features or more automation so that they can maintain the same level of investment.

Don’t raise your rates too quickly and sharply

If you want to build a long-term client base, try making small increases in your freelance prices, such as 5-10%. Meanwhile, there is nothing stopping you from taking on additional tasks at significantly greater pricing.

You get trusted clients who can help you build a broad portfolio using this technique, and you still get to make decent money (at least if you are good at pitching!).

Prove your worth

Some clients may want you to demonstrate that you are worth the extra money. You must dig deeper and show the client that the work you’ve done has had a positive influence on their company.

Can you demonstrate that your articles have provided value to a client’s website? Do you have numbers to prove what you did (increased engagement by X percent) and how did it benefit the customer (more website visitors signed up for the newsletter)? How many likes and shares did your client receive? How many of those likes and shares turned into paying customers?

To make your workflow smoother, take advantage of successful employee performance management software, so you can effectively contribute to the organization’s mission and purpose. It will save you time, money and simplify processes in the long run, proving your value and professionalism.

When you can show that you had a good impact on your client’s bottom line with numbers and data, you’re more likely to get past the objections and receive rate rise since you can prove you’re worth the extra expense.

Provide alternatives

If clients decide not to work with you after you raise your rates, respect their decision. They trusted you enough to employ you and give you their business; now it’s your turn to repay their faith by assisting them in finding another employee. Don’t abandon clients that aren’t willing to continue with you; instead:

• Offer other service providers who would be a good fit, as well as personal introductions.
• Assist with the transfer to the new service provider and be available to answer queries for a limited time.

Suggest upsells

Upsells are most commonly used by providing a list of other services that can be purchased in addition to the main product or service. Consider a copywriter who offers proofreading as an add-on service. Videos, audiobooks, e-books, extra services are the most common upsells.

An upsell’s purpose is to make you more money with no further work. But how can you figure out what you might be able to use as an upsell? Asking your clients what you could do to improve your service is the answer. For example, when sending an invoice, include a questionnaire asking how you may improve your service or if there is anything else relating to the service or product you provide that is missing.

Charge per month instead of per hour

Why not charge per month, or even three months, instead of per hour? Let’s say your hourly charge is $30 per hour, but you can only bill 30 hours per week since you spend so much time looking for new clients. You’ll earn $10.800 every three months this way, but if you sell your service in three-month blocks, you’ll earn $12.000 every three months by reducing the time it takes to find new clients. So, if you operate in 3-month blocks, your revenues will increase without you having to work more. Also, this method of working is suitable for any (new) client.

Additional points to consider when setting a freelancer rate

The scope of the project – A complex project will have more stringent standards and will require more sophisticated abilities, allowing you to charge a greater cost.

Education – You may be able to charge more for your services if you have an advanced degree or industry certification.

Always take advantage of helpful freelance employee apps like time tracker, to-do and planning, proposal and budget planner, email manager, project management apps, etc. Choose a useful and suitable employee app for your project and take advantage of its benefits.

Geographic location – The Upwork job marketplace connects freelancers with clients all over the world. When it comes to pricing, however, it’s a good idea to think about the current rates in your client’s area. In general, a client in France would not pay the same price as a client in China, thus tailoring your prices to the region you service is very important.

Communication is king – Communication with clients is essential. You must comprehend the client’s objectives and how your project fits into their overall plan. Effective communication will assist you in identifying ways to add value to your services or increase your service offering.

It’s critical to note that your freelancing rates should provide you with financial independence. If your rates aren’t providing you with the lifestyle, flexibility, and income you desire, it’s time to rethink your pricing approach or how you provide value to your clients.

The advantages of increasing your rates

Lower charges may generate more initial inquiries since you are undercutting your competitors, but they also attract the worst types of customers. These are the clients who will treat you as if you were a cheap commodity rather than a skilled professional.

Clients will believe you are more experienced and capable of producing high-quality work if you raise your prices. Clients are more respectful and allow you to focus on what you do best, saving you time and lowering your stress levels.

Higher rates also allow you to reduce your working hours and spend more time with your family while earning more money.

Self-assessment questions for your freelance business

There are a few questions you should ask yourself before increasing your charges. It’s important to prioritize your pricing because clients may ask why you’re increasing your fees.

Here are some examples of questions to consider while assessing your company:

• How long have you been in business?
• Has the value of the dollar changed since you established your company? Has it been affected by inflation?
• How many clients do you keep in touch with over a long period of time?
• What is your industry’s market average rate?
• Do you believe the price you’re asking currently is reasonable?
• How long have you been in business and how much experience do you have?
• Since your last rate increase, what new skills have you acquired?
• What costs have risen since you started your business? Examine your business’s equipment and operations.
• Do you value your time now more than when you first started your company?

These are just a few of the important questions to consider before increasing your freelance costs. The most important thing is to study your company, how you value your time, and how you see it in three to five years.

How to cope with rejection?

You’ve informed your clients, and sadly, some of them have declined. So, what’s next? If you follow all of the above tips and still get a negative response, you may have to accept the fact that you will lose your client, which is okay. If you have to let a client go, realize that it’s for a good reason and that you should concentrate on the ones that recognize your worth.

Conclusion

Give clients notice if you believe a rate increase is necessary. A three-month notice period is sufficient. This allows them to change their budget or find a new partner.

If you want to raise your rates, you’ll have to let some clients go. With certain long-term clients, this can be difficult and even sad. However, they are not doing you any favors if they are unable to pay you the rates you deserve and require. They’re not your friends; they’re your clients. If you don’t boost your charges, your business will never grow.

It’s critical to make sure you have higher-paying clients on board and more similar prospects in your pipeline before letting clients leave. This will eliminate the possibility of you ending up with nothing.

It’s important not to entirely cut off long-term low-paying clients when letting them go. Make it easier for them to transfer. You can achieve this by introducing them to an experienced and talented colleague who works at their usual rates. This implies that you really care about their company.

If you serve these clients well, they may either find a way to expand their budget, or they may come to you as someone they can trust when they have a more important project.

It’s easier than you think to raise your prices. Don’t let self-doubt and anxiety keep you from earning more money. Decide whether you’re willing to charge more for your valuable services right now.

When it’s time to ask clients for a higher rate, don’t feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. If the new fee is well-earned and appears reasonable, it will be well-received and well-deserved by clients. It is a good idea to work with clients who will pay you well for what you’re worth.

Running a small business of your own can be exciting and challenging at the same time.

The interesting part is usually the freedom to decide when to work, whom to work with, and for how long. Yet, one of the challenges that abound is in managing your cash flow.

As a business entity -vendor, supplier, freelance, digital, or bricks and mortar- there is no way you are entirely free from the problem of clients who would not clear their invoice as and when due.

Clients who refuse to pay their past-due invoices can cause financial constraints and disruptions in your cash flow.

It is not a good situation to be in as it threatens the very financial freedom and independence you seek by working for yourself.

Your best strategy in dealing with such a situation is to be proactive in selecting the appropriate clients with the correct history. However, no matter how careful you are, the odds are still high that you may encounter such scenarios.

Now comes the ultimate question, how do I get clients to pay past due invoices?

Honestly, there is no clear-cut answer. Clients and situations differ. However, the tips highlighted in this article will be of immense help in handling such cases.

1. Discuss Payment Terms with Clients

Before you begin a project, you should explicitly discuss payment. This should be contained in a contract or any pre-project arrangement.

In the recent past, most freelancers and small business owners do not take this contract issue seriously. Many freelancers are still guilty of this. This lackluster attitude is partly responsible for the high rates of payment burnouts from clients.

According to Freelancer’s Union publishers of The World’s Longest Invoice, freelancers lose an enormous amount of money each year, and as much as 71% of freelancers struggle to get paid.

A well-negotiated contract with explicit details of terms of payment is the first step in ensuring you get paid for your effort. An invoice without an adequately documented agreement to back it up can be seen as just another piece of paper.

Discussing your payment terms with clients and putting them down in a written agreement puts both of you on the same page regarding your invoice and payment policy.

Each party will have a clear picture of what the contract entails in terms of fees, deadline, and means of payment.

Setting up terms of agreement from the onset helps kick start your relationship on a healthy note. Maintaining a good rapport with clients can help resolve past-due invoice problems or even prevent them entirely.

If for some reason, you arrive at the worst-case scenario of suing your clients due to non-payment, a well-documented agreement will save you and your attorney a lot of stress.

2. Make it Easy for Clients to Pay

Your clients might be busy, or some emergencies may be the cause of the delay. Thus, it would be best if you made the invoicing and payment process as easy as possible.

The easier it is for clients to pay, the better your chances of being paid without any hassle.

Here are some things you can do to make the invoicing and payment process as effortless as possible.

• Emphasize Details of the Work: don’t be like other freelancers who just accept a contract from a client and then wait till the deadline before dropping the final job without any details.

It is best to be in constant communication. When your clients know how much effort you put into your work, you are less likely to have a problem with getting paid.

• Send Your Invoice Immediately After the Job: there should be no delay in invoicing clients upon completing a project.

The invoice should contain details of what the client is paying for, your contact information, and agreed terms of payment. This connects the invoice with the completed project.

• Offer Discounts for Early Payments: you can give your clients some incentives to pay early or clear their past due invoices as soon as possible.
• Be Flexible with Payment Options: payroll systems and preferences of clients are different. Some prefer to pay by check, others by direct deposit, online payment, or use of credit cards. More options, less delay.
• Know Your Client’s Payroll Schedule: you might have sent your invoice on the 15^th of the month to a client who operates a monthly payroll system.

This in itself might lead to some confusion and delay in payment. It is advisable to know the right time to send your invoice and stick to a consistent schedule.

3. Follow up on them

Sometimes, your client may forget about your invoice, or the invoice might not reach the right channel. A follow-up will go a long way in sorting out any such issue or answer any question the client might have regarding the invoice sent.

You can send a follow-up email or put a call through to such clients. It will serve as a sort of reminder and may prompt the client to act accordingly.

Keeping in touch after sending your invoice will help you track any potential source of delay and resolve it appropriately.

The delay might be due to technical issues or some acts of negligence on your part. You don’t want to come down hard on your clients for something a simple email or phone call could resolve.

If you are dealing with an agency or a large company, you should follow up with appropriate authorities such as the billing department or the accounting officer.

You have two options for setting up the tone of voice in your follow-up email. The best of these options depends on your current and future relationship with such clients.

• Be Polite to Keep the Relationship: you can decide to play the nice guy depending on the client’s record and the prospects of your future working relationship.

Here, positive reinforcements and appreciative phrases may do the trick. You may receive payments from clients with outstanding fees after sending such a message.

• Be Straightforward and Risk the Relationship: this can be from the onset or after some polite follow-up email.

A strongly worded correspondence expressing your disappointment may save you further stress in collecting what you are owed.

It may have some ripple effect on your working relationship in the future. Hence, you have to be careful and strategic when sending such a message.

4. Charge Upfront Before the Task

If you’re experiencing a lot of past-due invoices not being cleared up, then you should consider charging upfront. Getting paid in advance is not only an excellent motivation to work with a client, but it can also be of immense benefit to your cash flow.

You don’t have to charge the total price upfront; you can request a 20% – 50% upfront payment depending on the nature of the project and the client involved.

A client agreeing to this is a good indication that you won’t have to pursue them to get paid after completing a project. This can also help set the stage for other payments.

Another variation of this is to ask clients to pay by milestones. This strategy is especially important for long-term projects. The bill might pile up and become difficult for your client to clear up at a go.

Payment can be divided into three or more parts, a 30% payment in advance, another 30% after reaching a milestone, and the rest upon completion of the project.

Breaking a long project up into checkpoints and milestones is beneficial for both you and your clients.

You get paid on time and prevent any trouble of late payment. Your clients also get to manage their finances appropriately and avoid a huge debt.

For clients with a history of delayed payment, you might want to take a more drastic approach. You can hold on to the final work until payment is made.

This might not be the best course of action, but it can be practical for clients who don’t pay on time.

5. Charge a Late Fee

When clients know that not clearing past due invoices comes with additional costs, they might be more prompt in doing so.

The additional fee can be a percentage of the total invoice amount with specific time frames—for example, a 2% increase in charges for every 15 days of non-payment.

This should be clearly explained in your contract as part of your payment terms. It will prevent any surprises when clients see this clause as part of your invoice.

The penalty fees may motivate the client to quickly pay what is owed or reach an agreement on when to pay up. The extra fee can also help you cover some financial costs incurred due to the late payment.

Enforcement is critical for late fees to be efficient in getting your clients to pay past due invoices.

Except if you are running a charity organization or in business for humanitarian purposes, there is no reason for not sticking to your guns when it comes to being adequately compensated for your work.

6. Involve a Third Party/ Take Legal Actions

If you are still having trouble with due payment after going through the regular route, then it’s time to take the bull by the horn and outsource the payment collection.

Although this escalates the situation, it might be your final option in getting back what you are owed.

A downside to taking any of these steps is that you won’t claim all that you are owed as some part will be used for paying for services hired. Yet, half bread is better than none. It is still a good option, especially if you are owed a large sum.

Here are some of the available options depending on the specific situations and jurisdictions.

• Hire a Collection Agency: collection agencies specialize in collecting payment from debtors for a service fee.

The fee charged is usually a percentage of the total amount owed. These agencies are experts at what they do, and they may be your best bet in dealing with demanding clients.

• Use a Business Mediation Service: the client might want to pay but has a cash flow problem of their own. A trained business mediator can help both parties reach a more favorable agreement with different terms.

If you met the client online via a freelance platform, you could report to the customer service section.

• Approach a Small Claims Court: small claim courts help resolve issues involving small amounts of money, usually not more than $10,000. Every state has one, and you don’t need an attorney to approach one. You can represent yourself.
• Hire an Attorney: for large amounts of money more than what a small claims court can resolve, you should consider hiring an attorney and approaching a superior court. This takes more time and will require an expert attorney to represent you.
• Go to Arbitration: more like a small claims court but less formal, an arbitration also offers a less expensive and swift way of collecting payment from clients. An arbitration is presided over by an arbitrator rather than a judge, but the verdict can be enforced similarly.

Conclusion

As a freelancer, your priority should be to easily get clients and gigs at your doorstep and get paid for your efforts timely and appropriately.

Running after clients to pay past or outstanding dues can be stressful, inconvenient, and time-wasting. Nevertheless, it is still bound to happen and cannot be eliminated.

The best approach is the preventive ones. Scrutiny and proactive policies can go a long way in significantly reducing your number of clients with past-due invoices.

Discuss payment terms with clients, sign a contract with clear payment terms, make it easy for clients to pay, send a prompt invoice, follow-up appropriately, charge upfront or by milestones, charge a late fee, and if all these fails, bring in outside help to do the job.

Freelance professionals often strategize on their own to attract and gain clients. Creating an online presence can be quite challenging without a marketing and promotion team to back you up. So, how can you promote your skills and portfolio on your own?

Why it matters

An online portfolio is a great way to showcase what you can do as a freelancer. It’s easier to access and more convenient to view. Unlike a resume, a portfolio allows you to show, not just tell. It’s visual proof of your skills and abilities.

But no matter how impressive your portfolio is, getting people to actually have a look at it would be a bigger challenge. Sure, you can hire a marketing team that specializes in promoting brands and building online visibility and rankings but such services are not cheap. But there are ways you can do it for less (or even free) even without any professional help.

Set up a portfolio site

There are free website makers online that you can use to set up your portfolio. Most offer customizable templates but there’s no fixed method on how to set it up. You can get creative as you want, especially if you are in the art industry and want to learn how to sell art online. However, there are things you need to do right to get the most engagement and clients out of it.

• Best works come first

As the saying goes, you need to put your best forward. Show the works you are proudest of or have gained the most recognition at the beginning of your portfolio. If you’ve worked with well-known clients in the past, position those projects on the first page so as to make a good first impression.

• Make it easy to browse through

Your online portfolio should be easy to navigate. Adding some fancy buttons and complicated layouts may confuse your viewers. It should be simple enough for potential clients to want to browse through it to the very last page.

• Keep it short and sweetIf it won’t affect a customer’s decision to hire you, no need to add it to your portfolio. Mention only the important things like your skills, proficiencies, your projects, previous clients, and experience. You can add a brief introduction and story about yourself but be concise.

Create a video resume

Printed resumes are great for detailing your skills, expertise, experience, work history, and other professional specifics. But if you want to make it more interesting, create one in video format. Potential clients and employers are more likely to view a resume when all they have to do is watch and listen. The fact that you put in the time and effort to record your video resume is a good sign that you are determined and hardworking.

You don’t need a full production team to come up with a video resume. All you need is your phone or laptop and a video recorder. Use a free online video editor to record your webcam or your screen. Edit it afterward to cut out any unnecessary parts and add captions so viewers can watch the whole video even with the sound off.

After exporting the video, watch it to make sure that you have everything covered and that there are no unpleasant glitches or errors while it plays. Then post your video resume on your social media, on your website, or email it to potential employers or customers.

Gather video testimonials from past clients

If you have worked with clients before and the results are quite successful, ask them if they would be willing to record a video testimonial for you. It’s important that you ask for permission rather than just ambush them with a video camera so they can think about it and prepare if they are willing to do it.

Prepare a guide for them so they won’t have to worry about what to say on camera. It can be a set of questions like:

• Who are you and what’s the name of your company?
• What project did you work on with [your name or business name]?
• How satisfied are you with the results?
• Would you recommend [your name or business name] to your contacts?

Gather the videos and post them on your website, LinkedIn profile, or social media accounts. People often check for reviews and ratings, and video testimonials are more believable and reliable.

Share a video slideshow of your best works

A slideshow spares your viewers from having to swipe or click through your entire portfolio. By automatically showing one image after another, they can just sit back and watch your best works on their laptop or phone screen.

Use only high-quality images for your slideshow. If you don’t have any, photograph your works with enough lighting. If you need to edit them, do so but do not overdo it. If you are in a business that deals with events and crowds, and retaking the photographs is not possible, kindly ask previous clients and guests if they could provide you with some of theirs.

Make sure that you allot enough time for each slide so the audience can fully absorb what’s being shown before it moves to the next slide. Add captions on each slide and include important details like the title of the project, when it was completed, who the client was, and more.

There are many free platforms available where you can create a slideshow. Use an online video editor to put together images and have them play with transitions and effects to make it more interesting and enjoyable to watch. You should also add background music. Just make sure that it matches the vibe of your slideshow and that it won’t distract the viewers from what matters most—your portfolio.

Get listed on a freelance jobs website

Signing up to a job post website can help you find jobs and clients. This platform gives you a space to create your profile, post your online portfolio, and share your resume. There are free websites and those that charge a minimum fee. Although free accounts can help you gain access to jobs and clients, paid accounts provide extra perks and advantages.

Once you’ve set up your profile, you can go handle other matters in your life and career. The website will hand-pick and deliver potential jobs to your inbox based on the information and resume you provide. The online portfolio you post will help potential clients see what you can do, thus, making the selection process faster and easier.

Create an online learning course

If you think you have something valuable to share, create an online course to connect with people while showcasing your skills and expertise. If you are in the art business, create an online course related to it, like how to paint landscapes or getting started with portraits.

An online learning course is a more valuable type of content to promote yourself or your business. While blogs help bring traffic to your website, online courses can help engage visitors and turn them into subscribers. How? By creating a series of courses that they can sign up for.

Using the same example above, you can attract potential customers by creating mini online courses about different art techniques. Make a course for oil painting, then acrylic painting, how to paint sunlight, how to paint water, how to blend colors, and more. Plan your posts ahead of time so that you can promote the next online course at the end of the previous learning video.

When visitors see that your courses are very informative, they are most likely to sign up and subscribe to your upcoming courses. By gaining more and more subscribers, you get more traffic to your website while helping put your business on the first page of search engine results.

Also, your subscribers are more likely to recommend you to other people if they get a good experience out of each content or course you put out. Remember, word-of-mouth is still a powerful promotion technique even in the era of digital technology.

Conclusion

The success of a business does not depend on how many people are manning the marketing and promotions. Although it can help to have more heads than one, freelancers can make do even without a team to back them up.

You can easily find free or affordable tools and platforms to help boost your online business and promote your products and services. Customize your online portfolio and make sure that it highlights you and your work in a good light. Share it on social media but do not overshare. People could get tired of seeing it and they might block your posts. Create a schedule for posting and be consistent.

There’s no need to rely on experts and pros when it comes to promoting your business. As long as you highlight your skills and expertise, share proof of your work, and be truthful about them, your online portfolio will speak for itself.