If you need money fast and don’t have time to set up elaborate online systems, freelance work will be your first money-making method of choice. All you need is a PayPal account and to know the places to look to find work.
I’m going to give you my best advice as to where to look for freelance jobs. I’m also going to throw in a couple of tips along the way to make your experience with freelancing go smoothly.
Freelance Work Sources #1; Content mill sites
I’m not a big fan of content mill sites. There might be some good ones out there, but I’ve never had any good luck with them. The last time I put some bids out on a freelancing site, was over a year ago. There were several bids cheaper than mine so, needless to say, didn’t get any of the jobs. For the price people are willing to work for, I can’t believe they are making a living doing it.
That is unless where you live, it is much cheaper than in the United States. A decent-sized article will take me several hours to complete. Then it needs to be edited. To do that article for less than $20 doesn’t seem to make sense to me. So, I’ve decided to pass on the content mill sites.
Freelance Work Sources #2; Craigslist ads
I’ve found some of my best freelance gigs on Craigslist. There are a lot of scams and junk low-paying jobs being offered there, but there are a ton of great business owners surfing Craigslist looking for freelancers. I noticed that most of the people placing ads on Craigslist looking for freelancers, usually don’t want to pay much. The best luck I’ve had is when I posted an ad looking for clients. Here is a couple of tips to help you in your search.
Be very clear about your scope. Tell the prospects in the ad or the interview process precisely what you are offering. If you are willing to do extensive editing, tell them that, but be prepared to provide unlimited editing. If you want only to offer three edits per job, tell them upfront. Make sure you know what you want to charge and stick to your guns. If you need $.50 a word, get your word count and bill them at $.50 per word.
Get half up front. Monet down is especially true for bigger jobs. I’ve had experiences where someone has high expectations. They talk about how big their business is going to be. When I ask for ½ up front, I never hear from them again. They must not have been too serious about their business, or they found someone to do it without any money down.
Freelance Work Sources #3; Public forums
I’ve never personally used job posting forums to get jobs. I’ve been on some but never put in a bid. The most popular in the copywriting niche is Darren Rowse’s forum at Problogger. Every time I see a current list of best sites on the internet to find freelance work, and these change regularly; his site is listed. Other forums come and go often, so it would be impossible to keep a list continually up to date on this site.
Freelance Work Sources #4; Enlisting your social media profile
Social media is the one freelance work source I prefer the most. It goes hand in hand with creating a platform and a brand. You are using social media to get in touch with people and put the word out. Create a social media profile on your social media place of choice and get busy helping and sharing.
Notice I didn’t say selling. Social media isn’t really for selling. It comes off as spammy. Just put some links to your sales page in your profile. In the general interaction with the people just concentrate on being a friend unless someone directly asks you if you offer services. Then, let them know you are willing to work and suggest you are what they are looking for in a freelancer. But, don’t be that type of person who is continually spamming the forums with offers. People want to be social like they are talking to a friend.
The above was a pretty good list to get you going to get some extra money freelancing. Most people I watch on the internet quickly try to move away from freelancing because you are still trading dollars for hours. It is a quick path to putting money in your pocket, but it is no more than owning your job. It is also getting more competitive every day. More competition just drives prices lower.
Many freelancers have built their brand and have a steady lineup of good-paying work to keep them going, but even the best I see creating courses or developing passive income streams around their talents. Do you have any experience in the freelance market? Do you enjoy freelancing over creating more passive sources of income? Leave your comments in the section below. If you’d like to join my mailing list, you can do so in the sidebar to the right.
Be safe,
Kevin