It might be quite appealing to work as a freelancer. Imagine being able to work from anywhere, be your own employer, set your own hourly rate, and choose exactly who you want to collaborate with. You’ve come to the correct site if you’re wondering how to start freelancing with no experience.
Without any prior experience, I began freelancing approximately two years ago. All freelancers must begin somewhere, and I currently have a large number of clients. Believe me when I say that you are not alone, and that freelancing for beginners is entirely achievable!
Stop looking for articles on how to become a freelancer with no experience; this one will cover all you need to know. You might be well on your way to finding your first customer if you follow these instructions.
Here’s my beginner’s guide to freelancing.
Contents
Create a web page
Creating a website for your services is perhaps the simplest method to get started freelancing with no experience.
You can discover templates for almost every online platform out there, even if you aren’t a web designer. All you have to do now is change the colors to fit your logo.
Wix and Elementor are two of the website systems I recommend for beginners. The latter is more cost-effective. Consider WordPress if you want a little more flexibility.
When building a website, one thing to remember is to have your own domain name. (For example, www.yourwebsite.com)
This immediately makes you appear more professional to your clients, and you can generally acquire a free email account with your domain, so you won’t have to use Gmail.
You don’t need a lot of information on your website if you don’t want to boring your visitors. Concentrate your copywriting on your client, what you have to offer, and how you can assist them. Make sure you have a home page, a about page, a contact page, and a services page at the very least.
Consider launching a blog on your website to increase your domain authority. This is a fantastic approach to share information with potential clients and demonstrate your expertise so that you can begin to demonstrate to others that you are an expert in your industry and should be employed because of your abilities.
Start your website with this link and you’ll get a free, step-by-step video lesson to help you set it up quickly and accurately.
Go to freelancing websites and see what you can find.
There are several freelancing websites out there with potential clients searching for someone to complete one-time (and occasionally continuing) assignments for them. Graphic design tasks to authoring blog entries for various websites are examples of these.
FlexJobs, Upwork, and Fiverr are among the top freelance websites for beginners, but there are many others. I frequently utilize Upwork, particularly when looking for new clients.
I’ve made over $10,000 on Upwork since joining, proving that there is money to be made as a freelancer if you have the talent and the effort.
One thing to remember is that you shouldn’t concentrate all of your efforts on freelancing websites because these platforms typically take a part of your earnings, resulting in you earning less. On these sites, you may also encounter lower-quality customers.
However, these platforms make freelancing for novices simple, and I used them for my first few months of freelancing.
Display Your Work
Another wonderful method to get the word out about what you do (and start attracting regular clients) is to show off your work.
If you want to provide graphic design services, for example, show off pieces you developed in college or in your previous job as a marketer.
Even though it’s better to have your work on your own site, you don’t need a website to construct a portfolio.
You might easily make a presentation using Canva to show off some of your projects and their outcomes. Then save it as a PDF and distribute it to anybody who might find it useful.
It’s probable that as a newbie, you’ll have nothing to show off just yet. Don’t be concerned! Instead, have a look at #7 on this list; it could be of assistance.
When exhibiting your work, bear in mind that you should only include projects in your portfolio that you are interested in working on.
For example, perhaps you formerly developed an app for a school project but now wish to concentrate on freelance writing. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to include this in your portfolio because it can give the impression that you’re willing to work on app design projects.
Provide complimentary services
When you’re more established, I don’t believe in providing free services, and it’s critical to understand your worth. However, if you’re just starting out, there’s nothing wrong with giving part of your services for free.
Just make sure you restrict the amount of persons to whom you provide this service and that you still have a contract in place.
Finally, the last payment should be a client testimonial that you may display on your website. You should also have the right to include the work in your portfolio so that visitors to your website may examine some of your previous work.
You should keep in mind that I said you should have a contract in place for free services. This is critical because it protects both you and the customer if they begin to demand more than you originally agreed to.
You want to make sure you’re not being taken advantage of because of scope creep.
When providing free services, you might want to make your bundles a little smaller so that you can get some wonderful portfolio work out of it.
You don’t have to include a mood board, five submarks, or social media templates, for example, as part of your standard branding package.
Simplify it so you’re not giving away too much for free, and then offer the rest of your services as an upsell to the client who got free work.
Make Connections Within Your Circle
It’s all about networking, networking, networking! If you’re looking for a way to start freelancing with no experience, this is the place to go. When it comes to freelancing for beginners, one of the finest recommendations is to get the word out in any way possible that you are now providing these services.
Reach out to former bosses and coworkers using LinkedIn. Inform them about your new services and costs, and ask if they know anyone who would be interested.
Make sure to share your new offerings on your own Facebook profile and inform your friends and family. Thanks to some family friends who required graphic design skills, I got a couple of my first clients by posting on my personal Facebook profile.
If you’re wondering how to start freelancing with little experience, keep in mind that social media may be a powerful tool for promoting your services. I suggest you consider your ideal client and where they could be. Would they be active on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook? YouTube?
If you’re not sure where they are, start with the social media networks you already use and establish profiles with your new company name.
Utilize Reels on Instagram, make Guides, try to post regularly, and use Stories to display your face. You never know who could stumble over your website.
If you seek in the correct locations on Facebook, you may find a lot of clients. Make sure you join Facebook groups that are full of the people you want to collaborate with. If you want to collaborate with travel bloggers, for example, you should join as many travel blogger groups as possible.
Don’t advertise yourself in any manner once you’ve been allowed into the groups.
Instead, wait until someone asks a question that you can answer in one of these groups, and make sure it’s about your services. I’ve gotten a lot of clients this way, and it’s a great way to show off your expertise, even if you don’t have any.
Make up fictitious client projects
Making up bogus customer projects and posting them on social media and in my portfolio is one of my new favorite strategies to gain clients and show off my skills.
Instead of lying and saying you developed the project for a client, explain you made a prompt and envisioned it being done for a specific sort of client, and reveal your thinking process.
For example, I recently began selling branding services, but my portfolio does not include any logo work.
To compensate, I’m going to start generating branding kit templates that I can include in my portfolio and eventually transform into digital goods so that I can open a store on my website for those who can’t afford my full-fledged branding services.
Make sure you’re just performing the job you want to do for your clients when you’re generating phony client projects. If you want to collaborate with course developers, don’t focus on designing for a botanical store, for example. There is no link between the two.
If you’re having problems coming up with ideas for these fictitious customer assignments, go online and perform a quick search. With a fast Google search, you’ll be able to locate a number of prompts without having to think too much.
Make a pitch for your services
Many freelancers teach that you should only pitch warm leads, however if you’re looking for a way to get started freelancing without any expertise, I advocate cold pitching.
Now, this isn’t something you should do every day, but if you come across a company that shares your beliefs and you believe may benefit from your services, send them a cold email introducing yourself.
You should never spend too much time advertising your services in your initial email. Instead, concentrate on the company you’re emailing and explain how you share their values and enjoy what they do. Make sure you’re being as descriptive as possible so they realize this isn’t a bulk email.
Finally, give a one-sentence summary of what you do and tell them you’d be pleased to set up a time to talk further. Cold pitching doesn’t always work, but I’ve gotten two clients this way.
Recognize your strengths.
This may seem apparent, but take some time to reflect and determine what abilities you currently possess and what you like doing. After that, construct your services around them.
Maybe you have your own blog and discover that you enjoy and are good at writing. Perhaps you could establish a monthly subscription that includes 5 blog entries for a set price.
Making a list is one of the finest methods to discover out what you’re excellent at.
Add to the list when you come up with new ideas. If you discover that it’s something you like doing but aren’t very good at, you know it’s a talent you should work on improving.
Think about interning
I understand that when you think of an intern, you usually think of someone who works for free or is underpaid for their labor.
Believe it or not, many independent company owners recruit interns to assist them with activities they don’t have time for, such as social media management, email replying, and other duties.
What’s more, many freelancers pay their interns, and they provide a decent rate since they understand how difficult freelancing can be. I interned for $18 an hour when I initially started, which was more than I would have made anywhere.
This internship led into a lengthy connection with the freelancer I worked with, who has now become one of my business mentors and regularly introduces me to new customers.
Examine Facebook groups and job board websites for internship opportunities.
You now know how to start working as a freelancer without any prior experience. It isn’t that tough if you concentrate on your strengths and are willing to accept lower pay at first.
3 Best Jobs For No-Experience Freelancers
Now that you’ve learned some of the greatest methods for landing a freelance work with little experience, I’m sure you’re wondering what types of jobs are ideal for newbies. Fortunately, there are a number of freelance services for which you don’t require a lot of expertise.
1.Transcriptionist
You don’t need any previous experience dealing with customers to become a transcriptionist. All you need is a computer and the ability to quickly copy what you hear. While this isn’t a high-paying position, it may provide valuable customer experience.
2. Composing
If you went to school, you probably spent a significant amount of time writing essays. As a result, one of your services may be writing. Beginner authors don’t make a lot of money, but as your work becomes more specialist, you may charge more.
I have some freelance pals that charge $0.25 per word, which may rapidly add up if you’re producing articles of several thousand words.
3.Assistive technology
To work as a virtual assistant, you must be able to follow instructions given to you by your customer. Virtual assistants help with anything from meeting scheduling, emailing customers, and delivering bills to assisting with social media posts. Furthermore, virtual assistants can easily earn $50 or more per hour.
One thing to remember as a new freelancer is that your rates may fluctuate. If you find yourself overbooked, boost your rates and charge what you’re worth. If you have a sluggish month, consider decreasing your pricing until you can attract a few more customers.
I hope you find this guide useful as you begin your freelance career. Please share this article with your friends on social media or send it to them via email if you found it useful.
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