THINKING ABOUT GETTING INTO FREELANCING?
Awesome news!
Nowadays, freelancing isn’t only limited to jobs like content writing or web development. In fact, you can run a full business from the comfort of your house!
Here’s what you can do as a freelancer:
- Writing
- Virtual assistants
- Transcriptions
- Marketing
- SEO
- Programming & Web development
- Web design
- Graphic design
- Online tutoring
Read on to find out what you can do as a freelancer and the top places to look for freelance jobs!
WRITING
Plenty of business are now present online – and there is so much writing that needs to be done!
You can pick from different writing jobs: SEO writing, content writing, copywriting, content marketing… the list goes on and on.
Of course, it goes without saying that proper English is a must. Another top priority should be knowing how to write in an easy-to-read manner for the online audience.
But if you have a knack for words and you’re creative, don’t let that scare you. All you need to do is polish up your writing skills and start writing.
TOP PLACES TO LOOK FOR FREELANCE WRITING JOBS:
Bonus tip: If you want to offer your clients high-quality content, make sure to niche down!
VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
If you’re organized, punctual and know how to get things done, then take a look at the VA jobs — the world needs more people like you!
You can literally do everything as a VA.
From filling out spreadsheets to data entry to more fun tasks, like planning trips & buying wedding gifts. As long as know how to google properly and have an awesome sense of responsibility, there isn’t anything you won’t be able to do.
A great thing about VA jobs is that often, they offer you the consistency many other freelance jobs are lacking. Plenty of companies would rather train and keep the same VA on board for months and sometimes even years!
TOP PLACES TO LOOK FOR FREELANCE VA JOBS:
Bonus tip: Competition may seem overwhelming in the VA niche.
If you’re still not sure which services you can offer, specialize in some of the most popular software or online tools that companies use nowadays.
TRANSCRIPTIONS
If you can type fast and have excellent attention to detail to all things audio, then transcriptions may be your thing!
Nowadays, plenty of companies need a transcription of something at least once. The thing is, many of them are recording meetings instead of having someone manually write them down.
On top of that, with video content helping companies boost their SEO rankings, companies produce more and more of the video content, which in return, creates a greater demand for titles.
Transcriptions can be done in several fields: general, medical, law, business, etc. Pick one depending on the terminology you feel most comfortable with though general transcriptions are a good start.
TOP PLACES TO LOOK FOR FREELANCE TRANSCRIPTION JOBS:
Bonus tip: If you want to become better & faster at transcriptions, consider taking a look at a transcription software. There are both paid and free options that can help you.
MARKETING
Long gone are the days when marketing needed to be done right on the spot.
True, some clients would prefer if you’d be able to meet them up in person. However, there are many more who wouldn’t mind having a Skype meeting instead.
With digital marketing on the rise, there are hundreds upon hundreds of job opportunities out there.
Your job can be anywhere from leading full marketing campaigns and developing brand identities, to creating and implementing social media marketing strategies, writing press releases and generating more leads.
If you’re creative, witty and know how to attract the attention of Internet users then marketing could be your superpower.
TOP PLACES TO LOOK FOR FREELANCE MARKETING JOBS:
Upwork, People Per Hour, LinkedIn, JobRack, ProBlogger — and creating your own website counts as well!
Bonus tip: Digital marketing trends change fast. Make sure you’re keeping up with the trends as they happen!
SEO EXPERT
If you’ve told someone 15 years ago that there would be Search Engine Optimization Experts, they’d probably laugh at you.
However, most business owners — or better said, most people — have absolutely no idea how search engines work, nor have a clue how to use Google to their advantage.
In all fairness, becoming knowledgeable in SEO may take you some time. And no, you’re probably not an expert if you know how to use keywords.
Another thing to keep on mind is that search engine policies and algorithms are constantly changing, so you’ll have to be open to learning all the time.
The best part about SEO is that it can be learned completely for free online. You’ll just have to set aside a bit of time and put some actual effort into it.
TOP PLACES TO LOOK FOR FREELANCE SEO JOBS:
Bonus tip: If you’re serious about making it as an SEO expert, make sure you’re tracking progress for all of your past & present clients. Prospective clients like nothing more rather than seeing good optimization results.
PROGRAMMING & WEB DEVELOPING
Everyone needs digital solutions for their businesses. They can be anything really: software, apps, websites. That means plenty of companies are looking to add remote programmers & web developers to their teams.
In the beginning, coding is very likely going to scare the cr*p out of you. However, as long as you’re an excellent logician and like to think of problems as challenges, then this one should fit right up your alley.
There are countless online classes and academies where you can sign up and start learning everything you’ll need. Don’t forget that programming can mean plenty of different things so before you enroll in a class, make sure it’s offering you the knowledge you’re looking to get.
TOP PLACES TO LOOK FOR FREELANCE WEB DEVELOPMENT JOBS:
Bonus tip: You can’t learn to code in a day — it’s very likely going to take months and even years to polish up your skills the way you want them to be! However, don’t give up on the first obstacle!
WEB DESIGN
All of those websites that are built need to look pretty and be functional at the same time. As long as you’re creative enough and you are tech-savvy, then this could be your calling.
The web designer job could sometimes overlap with the job of the graphic designer but that doesn’t necessarily have to always be the case.
Depending on what you decide to niche down at when it comes to web design, you could be working on different design aspects, such as UX or UI design — or often, both. The main goal would be to make the website (or the app) friendly and easy to use.
Other aspects could include working on the layout, the typography, the colors and so on.
TOP PLACES TO LOOK FOR FREELANCE WEB DESIGN JOBS:
Bonus tip: No matter your skills, make sure to have an online portfolio on hand. Your clients would want to know what you can do for them before they hire you!
GRAPHIC DESIGN
People like to look at beautiful things – it’s that simple.
Everything visual that a company does was probably done by a graphic designer: ads, posters, images, etc.
People often think of graphic design as web design but that’s not always the case. Graphic designers also do stuff like logos, business cards, and flyers that get to see the light of the day in the real world as well.
But being artistic isn’t enough! Often times, your job will be to tell the company’s story with a single logo!
If you’re intuitive, creative and know how to listen & mash up different ideas into a single product that will look nice in the end, make sure to go for it!
Top places to look for freelance graphic design jobs: Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork, Behance, Dribble, Toptal, Awesome Web, Design Crowd
Bonus tip: No matter how creative you are, you need to be a great listener if you want to become successful as a graphic designer.
Some clients already know what they want and are just lacking the skills to make their vision come true — always hear what they have to say first!
ONLINE TUTORING
If you have supreme knowledge of any of the skills above, then you can easily tutor others and earn money while doing so!
Apart from doing one-on-one Skype lessons — that people would pay you per hour — you could also create and publish various digital products.
Think websites, blogs, tutorials (both written & video), eBooks, podcasts, webinars, and everything else you think people may find useful.
It’s up to you to decide whether you will charge something for your products or give them away for free as an exchange for something else — exposure, let’s say.
Even if you don’t have any particular skills, being fluent in English opens up a variety of options as there are millions of people around the globe trying to learn English. For example, italki lets you create a profile without much fuss and set your price on your own.
Bonus tip: You can teach anything you like online by filming videos and posting them on YouTube.
However, do some serious work on the quality of your videos — no one wants to watch a low-quality video that they can barely hear/understand.
There are so MANY more jobs, that I’ve barely touched the surface with the job suggestions listed above. Thanks to the Internet, you can pretty much do anything you have always wanted to do!
Are you thinking about starting out as a freelancer? What are you going to pick?
Leave me a comment and let me know!