10 Freelance Tips and Tricks

In a world where freelancing is the most desirable and popular working style, it makes the career path quite rewarding with its advantages. The job opportunities for freelancers increase daily, and it seems like the working trend will stay. So even non-freelancers can take on some projects remotely and make extra money. Why not, right?

A beginner or a veteran, these tips below will help you to make the process easier and more manageable.

Freelance Tips

Freelance Writing Tips

When thinking of a freelance writer, it seems quite romantic: sitting in a café, moving the thoughts from the mind into a computer or on paper. Well, in reality, it can be chaotic and stressful. 

However, practice and experience make it easier with time. Before you gain that experience here are a couple of tips that will improve the process.

1) Learn how to “marinate” your writings. It’s not always satisfying when re-checking your notes, but don’t rush into making critical decision to remove your hard work. It’s a struggle for every writer, and it’s happening constantly during the career, but this tip will really help you to learn patience and stay sober-minded. 

Whenever doubting your notes, take a breath and stop yourself from clicking the “backspace”. Let it rest and re-read it later when your brain also gets some rest.

2) Practice making job proposals. This will seem odd at first, especially for introverts, but it’ll take you places once you practice it. If you have new ideas, don’t let them sit there in dust. They deserve to find their owner. 

From time to time look them through, edit some parts and create a new project out of it. When you have an idea ready, search for suitable clients and make a proposal. Don’t be scared and believe in your work!

Tips for Freelance Web Developers

3) Keep up with the trends. Trends can be useful when marketing your services to established businesses, especially the ones that are interested in adopting new strategies and advanced technology to sell their products. This tip will help you be more noticeable in your industry. Start by doing some research on finding trustworthy sources: newsletters, blogs, websites. That will provide you with some useful information about your field and keep you on top of the industry if you practice using that knowledge in your projects. 

4) Offer to host maintenance services. Many clients may not have enough resources to build and constantly improve their websites. It can be costly to hire other web developers full-time. By offering website maintenance services, clients will more likely hire you if you offer the complete package of web development.

Tips for freelance Project Managers

5) Expand your knowledge. To be a project manager is one of the most responsible jobs, and it requires maximum knowledge about software systems, business, marketing, etc. Besides reading related articles and books, you can also start attending conferences and searching for training sessions that will knock off two in one. You will both gain new knowledge and find new people. Network with different professionals from the industry will open new doors for you.

6) Let the client lead. No matter how well you master the toolkit as a PM, sometimes it’s better to put experience aside and rely on communication. Listen to the client’s needs, let them be in charge, and share their needs. At the end of the day, PM is a valuable asset to the business and should be pointing towards serving the client well during the collaboration period.

Freelance Graphic Design Tips

7) Networking on socials. As for any professional, it’s important to network with other experts from your industry. Reaching out to other graphic designers can provide you with substantial insights. You’ll also have the possibility of collaborating with new people on independent projects that you can use to convey your skills to future clients.

8) Implement a referral program. Referrals greatly help to obtain future clients. A typical ref program suggests discounts for clients who mention that they were referred by your previous client. However, you are flexible to set the program any way you want. Regarding the system of your referral program, it’ll greatly benefit your career.

General Freelance Tips

9) Find your active hours. When diving into freelancing, pay attention to the period of time when you are most productive. Try to plan your work schedule according to those hours. It’ll help you to keep the work-life-sleep balance.

10) Pick affordable tools. Freelancers heavily rely on software. As a freelancer, you’re paying for all your tools by yourself. That’s why you should make sure it meets your budget. As a beginner you may not afford all the best tools, so you need to do some research on the inexpensive replacements for the popular and costly tools that are necessary for your work.