According to research, freelancers earn more than regular workers in most countries. Payments processor Payoneer surveyed 23,000 freelancers in 180 countries and found that the average freelancer works 36 hours a week at a rate of $21 per hour. If that's more than you're currently earning then life as a freelancer may be for you.
What is a freelancer?
A freelancer can be defined as someone who is self-employed and hired to work for different clients on specific assignments. At the end of each assignment a freelancer usually issues the client with an invoice. This differs from regular employment in that ordinarily you would work for one company all of the time, and your payment would be in the form of regular monthly pay checks.
How to succeed as a freelancer
First, you will need to find a freelancer platform, there are several of these to choose from, including the one you’re on right now. But that’s just the start, you will need to be prepared to spend some time setting up your profile and being proactive about finding work. Here are some tips to help you maximize your chances of success and help you on your way to a good freelancer income:
Register on a freelancer platform
There are several platforms to choose from, including our very own. You can create an account here, it’s free to register and there are no subscription fees.
Complete your profile
Write a couple of paragraphs about you and your experience, nothing too long-winded. Make sure you add your skills, too, as these are used to match against new projects when they are listed.
Add a photo/logo and cover image
This is something a lot of freelancers don’t bother with, and you should. Why? Not only does it make your profile really stand out, but it shows clients that you have put time into it and are taking it seriously. Freelancers with fully completed profiles get more clients, that’s a fact.
List all your services
Kodie is a service based platform, this means that in order to sell to clients you need to list your services and rates. You can create as many services as you like, and your rate for each service can be different. We currently have over 1,000 freelancer services listed, you can view them here.
Don’t sell yourself short
There is a common misconception that you have to price everything lower in order to make a sale. Yes, it’s good to be competitive, but you shouldn’t under-value your skills. If you are good at what you do and you deliver on time, this should be reflected in the rates you charge. Most buyers will pay good money for good service.
Share on social media
Our service listings are optimised for sharing on social media, so go ahead and spread the word. Share each of your listings on Facebook groups, Twitter, etc. and you’ll soon start to pick up new clients.
Good communication
One of the biggest complaints we hear from buyers is that freelancers either write too much, use copy-and-paste responses or have not read the brief properly. Make sure you understand what the buyer needs, and make sure this comes across in your proposal. When completing your profile use a grammar and spell checker to ensure it’s free of mistakes. All of this will create a good impression.
Try to maintain one message thread rather than starting a new one each time, and do not harass the buyer by sending multiple messages. Buyers are put off by this behaviour. When sending a proposal for a project, make sure you have read the brief and answered any questions, and always include your quote (i.e. the cost of doing the work) and your estimated timescale.
Work hard and be pro-active
So, you’ve created a stunning profile that tells the world how wonderful you are, now the work will come flooding in, right? The question we are asked most by freelancers is “Why haven’t I made any sales?” In pretty much every case they have a partially completed profile, with no skills listed, no service listings and they have made no effort to bid for projects or share their profiles on social media. No surprise then that they get no work. You need to be pro-active and spread the word. Make sure your listings and profile are outstanding, and be professional at all times.
Getting a good reputation will help bring repeat business. Buyers like freelancers who are polite and helpful and deliver on time. When you get feedback it will be displayed on your service listing for other buyers to see. So, like any job, work hard and the rewards will follow.
Next steps
Being a freelancer can offer freedom and flexibility not found in regular employment, it’s a lifestyle that more people are choosing across the world every day. For more about using Kodie to build your new career as a freelancer, read our Getting Started guide or get in touch and we’ll talk you through it. Details of our fees and how to get paid can be found here.
If you’re a buyer looking for a freelancer to help with your next project, we have thousands to choose from. We also offer a free project management service to get you up and running.