Last Updated on: 19th August 2024, 04:31 am

Now that you’re reading this, it means that you are diving into the world of freelance. But what do you need to know and expect in freelancing? Here are 5 freelance tips for beginners to secure clients and projects.

See also: Onsite work vs. Work-From-Home: Which is better?

Freelance tips for beginners

1. Identify your niche

This is the first step and the most important one. What are you good at? Are you good at writing? Designing? You need to identify your expertise, both professionally and personally. Look at your past work, projects, and achievements. Which ones did you excel in? Second, do you enjoy doing it? When determining your niche, you also must have a passion for it since it will help you become more motivated in your work, and that motivation will be reflected in your performance.

Once you have identified your skills, you must research industry trends and potential competitors. Freelancing is like having a business, but you are selling yourself instead of selling a product. Doing this lets you know what services you should offer and helps determine what sets you apart from your competitors.

2. Create a Portfolio

After identifying your niche, now’s the time to market yourself. As I’ve mentioned, freelancing is your own business. Like many businesses, they must build their brand to show what they’ve got and why you should choose them. In your case, this means creating your portfolio- the showroom of your skills. This is very important since, as a beginner, you don’t have experience yet, and you need to show potential clients what you are good at.

This helped me get my first freelance job despite not having professional experience in Graphic Design and Content Writing. My work experience before I got into freelance was in an administrative office, and the only thing on my resume related to graphic design was that I took a short course in multimedia arts. For writing, I showcased this blog—I provided the link to my blog in my portfolio and included some of the poems I did in high school. After two weeks of applying, I finally landed my first-ever freelance project.

How to create your portfolio?

• Showcase Your Best Work: Highlight your top projects to show off your skills and expertise in your chosen area.
• Project Details: Describe each project clearly, mentioning your role, the tools you used, and the results.
• Keep It Consistent: Make sure your portfolio looks uniform and polished- keep it straightforward.

So, where did I create my portfolio? I created my portfolio through this website and had a landing page where I placed my designs. However, if you don’t have your own website, you can check out these free websites that you can use as a portfolio:

For Graphic Designers:

• Behance – Created by Adobe, this is a popular platform for designers to showcase their work, and you can also find freelance opportunities here. Behance website: https://www.behance.net/
• Canva – With their drag-and-drop editing tools, you can create your portfolio website in minutes. Moreover, they already have ready-made templates that you can customize to match your brand. Canva Website: https://www.canva.com/create/portfolios/
• Flipsnack: If you already have a PDF portfolio and you want to send it to clients online, Flipsnack can turn it into an online flippable portfolio. You can add links, videos, and many more to your flippable portfolio. Flipsnack Website: https://www.flipsnack.com/digital-portfolio

For Content Writers:

• Medium – A free online publishing platform where people can share any articles they like. It’s like WordPress but in a much simpler format. You can publish your articles here and send the link to your potential clients. You can also gain an audience here, and it’s SEO-friendly too. Medium Website: https://medium.com/
• Clippings – An easy-to-use online portfolio made for writers and bloggers. You can upload your online articles and PDF documents to showcase your work. Clippings Website: https://www.clippings.me/

3. Apply on Freelancing Websites

You’ve already created your portfolio and branding. Now, it’s time to market yourself and your skills to the world. As a beginner, selling yourself directly on social media is hard, especially if you have not garnered a significant following yet. Instead, apply first on freelancing websites such as Upwork and Fiverr. Based on my experience, I’ve only used Upwork and online jobs.ph in my freelancing career.

My Upwork Experience:

Pros: Global reach, secured payment system, offers a variety of freelance jobs, clients and freelancers can provide ratings and reviews.

I started working in Upwork in 2018, and this is where I got my first ever freelance project. All of my clients from Upwork are trustworthy, and they always pay me on time. Upwork also shows whether the client’s payment method and hire rate are verified so that you can filter out scammer clients. Another good thing is clients can leave feedback on your profile, which you’ll need in your portfolio to attract clients in the future. Aim to get a 4-5 star review to build a good reputation- this will help you secure long-term clients.

Cons: Difficult to apply, tight competition.

The downside of Upwork is that it’s hard to land a freelance job there. When applying for a job, you must submit connects, and Upwork gives you free monthly connects. However, they only offer 10 connects per month, and some jobs require six connects, so in a month, you can apply for only 3-5 jobs. If you want to increase your monthly connects, you need to pay for it. Before the pandemic, it was easier to apply since they offered 60 free monthly connects, but they have reduced it to 10. My tip is to apply first to entry-level jobs for a higher chance of being hired. Note that these entry-level jobs have low pay rates, which is expected since you’re just a beginner.

Upwork Website: https://www.upwork.com/

My Online Jobs.ph Experience

This freelance platform is only available for Filipinos, and like Upwork, they provide a variety of jobs too. So far, my experience here has been good except for 1 client for which I was scammed. It’s kind of my fault since the ID proof score of that client is low (around 40), and the ideal ID proof score should be 80 and above, with 99 being the highest. Remember this when looking for a job in onlinejobs.ph to avoid scammers. Aside from freelance, they offer full-time jobs too, so if you prefer working from home, then online jobs is the right place to look at.

You can only submit 10 applications daily. Based on my experience, I got more clients here because you can send many applications in a month, and there’s an 80-90% chance you’ll be interviewed.

Online Jobs PH Website: https://www.onlinejobs.ph/

Other freelance websites you can apply:

• Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/
• People Per Hour: https://www.peopleperhour.com/
• Guru: https://www.guru.com/

4. Join Facebook Groups

Before I worked as a freelancer, I had never been interested in joining Facebook groups. However, applying and bidding at freelance websites is not enough to build your visibility, especially as a beginner.

So why joining Facebook groups is essential?

Joining Facebook groups helps you meet new people, find job opportunities, and learn from experienced professionals. These groups give you a supportive community to share your experiences, get feedback, and learn freelance tips for beginners from your fellow freelancers. Being active in these groups also increases your visibility and helps you connect with potential clients and collaborators.

I joined three groups related to my niche and landed five to ten projects. Two of them became long-term projects lasting six months. Based on my experience, I’m pretty lucky all my clients are trustworthy. However, many freelancers get scammed because there are unverified job listings, which leads to unpaid work.

Joining these groups can be very helpful when looking for a freelance job; just be mindful when applying and releasing personal information. I suggest asking your fellow freelancers in the community where to find legit clients to avoid being scammed.

5. Have patience, and never stop learning.

It’s important to remember that freelancing is not a bed of roses—you won’t land many projects right away. Building a steady client base, improving your skills, and earning a good reputation takes time. Finding and getting projects can be slow, and not every job application will work out. Freelance income can go up and down; that’s why if you’re thinking of quitting your 9-5 day job and starting a freelance career, don’t yet. Quality work requires time and care, and keeping good client relationships often means dealing with challenging situations calmly and professionally.

Last but not least, never stop learning. Continuing to learn shows you’re dedicated to improving yourself, which can lead to more success and happiness in your freelance career.

I hope these 5 freelance tips for beginners will help you navigate the world of freelancing and enjoy the experience 🙂

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