Have you recently left your job and want to start working from home? Or are you a stay-at-home parent who misses that monthly paycheck from your office employer and wants to earn by becoming a freelancer? Well, don’t worry; we are here to solve all your problems and to give you tips for making your first $1000 as a freelancer.
Being a beginner in the world of freelancing can seem like a tough challenge to cope with as you will be competing with others who are experienced and have higher possibilities of getting more work than you.
Nonetheless, stay with us and follow our tips on how to apply for a freelancing job and what you can do to earn that $1000.
Read How to Get Potential clients through strategic connections
Tip 1: Concentrate On A Specific Skill
Practice makes a man perfect! The more you do one thing over and over again, the more skilled you become at it.
First, sit and think about the area of work that interests you. It could be writing, video editing, graphic designing, and so on, but make sure you pick one to begin with.
The next step is to learn that skill either with the help of a professional by attending courses, or you can always opt for self-studying methods through the internet.
Nowadays, we have YouTube, which is filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of freelancing tutorials based on any job. For example, if you want to be a freelance writer, simply search for it on YouTube, and you will find a whole list of videos that will guide you step by step on how to become a skilled one.
Keep practicing till you are fairly certain regarding the field you want to work in. Once you are skilled and confident, it’s high time to utilize your learning practically to create some samples of your work. By doing so, you can quickly assess and evaluate your own work and see where amendments and improvements are needed.
Once you are satisfied with your work, it would be a good idea to show friends and family the samples you have created just to get their opinion before you start dealing with clients on a professional level.
Tip 2: Build A Portfolio
Now the most important tip to make your first $1000 as a freelancer is to have a portfolio that will attract clients. But since you are a beginner, your portfolio will be more or less empty as there will be no information on previous projects, samples, and client reviews.
More than that, the chances of you getting hired for a job are very low since you are without any experience, and obviously, clients prefer to hire those who are experienced and guarantee up-to-the-mark services.
However, there is one thing that you can do, and that is to prepare dummy projects. This is where you make samples in the way that they will be delivered to actual clients. But in reality, they are just to make your portfolio look good and maybe prevent employers from overlooking your application.
Since the samples are ready, just add your details, educational information, accomplishments, aims, and the kind of work you are interested in.
Tip 3: Learn To Accept Rejection
Being a beginner, it’s pretty natural that clients will pay less attention to your application and not hire you for their projects. In fact, this may happen more than once until you gain some experience and work on filling up that portfolio.
Nonetheless, you must learn to accept rejection and keep working harder by practicing more for self-improvement.
Just because you get rejected a few times doesn’t mean you have to give up and throw away the idea of earning as a freelancer.
Tip 4: Keep Your Eye On Freelancing Platforms
So you are skilled and have your portfolio ready. The question is, how do you get a job? Well, there are plenty of freelancing platforms online where thousands of people log in every day to find the perfect client to work for.
All you have to do is check out the platforms we have mentioned below, open an account, and upload your portfolio. Once that is done, you are ready to look for projects that interest you.
Overview of the top 5 freelancing platforms
| Name of the platform | Types of jobs available | Pros | Cons | Payment Method |
| Fiverr | Graphic Designing, online marketing, consulting, web editing, and more. | 1. Online courses available.2.No registration fee. | 1.Lengthy payment process. 2. High commission fee. | 1.Debit card 2. Wire transfer 3. PayPal |
| Toptal | Software development, financial consulting, interim management,and more. | 1.Well-known companies are clients.2. Invoices and payments are made without any charge. | 1.Big projects only.2. Long screening process. | 1.PayPal 2. Payoneer 3. Direct local bank transfer |
| Jooble | Data entry, graphic design, data entry, and more. | 1.No need to sign up.2. Email alerts on job openings. | 1. It takes a long time to apply for a job | 1.Bank transfer 2. Wireless transfer |
| Freelancer.com | Logo designing, web development,programming, and more. | 1.24/7 customer service.2. Progress tracker. | 1.Fake clients.2. Spam applicants. | 1.PayPal 2.Wire transfer |
| Upwork | Writing and translation, finance, accounting,web design, and more. | 1.Projects of different budgets are available. 2. Credible clients. | 1.Service fee is high.2. The selection process is lengthy. | 1.PayPal 2.Wire transfer 3.Direct transfer |
Tip 5: Take Up Projects That You Are Skilled At
At first go for projects that you are skilled at and feel confident about so that you can deliver the work on time. For example, if you are good at academic writing, then reach out to those clients who are looking for only academic writers. This way, you can gather more experience and earn at the same time.
Moreover, since you are a beginner, it’s best not to bid on jobs that pay a high amount or look for contacts that have hourly rates, as it’s more of a possibility that your application will be rejected due to no visibility of past work on the platform.
It will be much more beneficial for you to bid on projects on a lower budget which is also quick to finish. Your current goal is to earn positive reviews from your clients and add work experience to your application rather than completing big projects.
Another useful piece of advice for you to get the attention of clients is to make a low bid for a project. For example, if the project has a budget of $200, then bid $190. This will likely increase your chances of getting the project, as the other competitors will bid the given amount or more.
Tip 6: Build Up Reviews From Clients
Your work will speak for itself, showing your skills and efficiency; hence always concentrate on giving everything you have when delivering projects to clients.
More than that, another tip to make your first $1000 as a freelancer is to always communicate with your clients and give them updates on how far along you are with their projects. Possibly ask for feedback so you can review and make necessary amendments to get paid properly.
After delivering the work, ask your clients to give reviews about the work and also inform them that you are highly interested in doing tasks for them in the future if anything comes up.
And keep in mind that when it comes to freelancing, client reviews are very important as it helps you gain trust, increases earnings and recognition on different platforms, also opening up more work opportunities.
Tip 7: Make Your Profile Page Stand Out
When it comes to freelancing platforms, the competition is very high, as other freelancers are always on the lookout for potential clients.
For you to make yourself stand out among competitors, you may pay close attention to the profile page and work on keeping the details short but easy to read.
Simply add your previous employment, a few lines related to your skills, and not to mention reviews from past clients. This will always help you to get future work.
Tip 8: Keep Your Tools And Gadgets Up To Date
So you just made a deal with a client on a $200 project which is the biggest one you have been hired to do so far, and it has to be delivered urgently.
But suddenly, you find out that your PC has started that auto-update that you saved for later whenever the notification popped up on the screen. Now you have to wait until the update is complete as the PC is non-operational.
This may cost you the big project you received due to not being able to deliver on time. As a result, you gain a negative image in the freelancing community and, needless to say, fail to earn a single cent from the project.
Now when it comes to tools, especially writing, most of us use Grammarly to check grammatical errors in our content. Just imagine you have finished your content and are almost ready to deliver it to the client, but just before checking it on Grammarly, you realize that your subscription date is over.
How will you give that piece of writing to your client which has uncountable grammatical errors and misplaced punctuation marks? In that case, your client is most likely to reject the work and not pay you a single cent.
A vital tip to make your first $1000 as a freelancer is to always check on your equipment, keep an eye on updates and check the subscription date on tools.
Tip 9:Consider Learning Something New
Now that you have become an expert in your current field of work, how about learning a new skill? Not only will this make your portfolio look more professional, but you can also approach clients who offer jobs that require another skill that you learn.
For example, if you are an academic writer, then maybe you could start watching tutorials on blog writing and learn how it’s done.
This way, you will be an expert in two types of writing and can select projects that suit your skills and allow you to earn more as a freelancer
Read my ebooks to learn the best client-hunting strategies
Tip 10:Things To Avoid
Lastly, if you want to be hired to earn well, then there are a few things that you must avoid; otherwise, it may affect your freelancing career in the long run.
As you have a mindset of earning as much as possible, make sure you act like it too. Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean limited working hours like a 9 to 5 job. If you want big bucks, you must spend as much time as needed to deliver quality work.
If your client is from another country, there is a huge possibility of unclear communication due to language barriers. Make sure you go over the details repeatedly with your clients, reconfirm each instruction, and paraphrase what they say if necessary. One tiny error can cause the whole project to be a disaster leading to negative client reviews and loss of earnings.
Failure is the pillar of success. Do not give up no matter what. Although continuous rejections from clients will leave you in doubt regarding your capability, that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Keep practicing what you have learned, improve yourself, and work with clients that offer a lower budget. Within no time, you will be on top of your game, earning more than you ever imagined by freelancing.
Bottom Line
Figure out your passion, learn a skill related to it, and become an expert and earn all you can by paying heed to our tips to make your first $1000 as a freelancer that we have mentioned above so that when you present yourself on freelancing platforms, clients consider hiring you.
Not only that, but we have also advised you on what you should do to stay in the good books of the clients to earn positive reviews for your portfolio, which will assist you in getting future jobs and also help you make more money.
Most importantly, avoid things that will hamper your career and make you give up freelancing.
Stay honest, keep practicing, work hard, and look out for new opportunities. You will learn your first $1000 within no time.