Freelance Ideas: How to Increase Your Revenue When Freelancing
If you’re a freelancer, you probably know all about the struggle to make money.
Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or if you’ve established yourself as a freelancer, it isn’t easy to make a living off freelancing.
It doesn’t matter if you have multiple income streams, high rates, or lots of connections, sometimes you’ll need a way to increase your revenue. Success in the world of freelancing doesn’t come overnight–it takes a lot of hard work to get there.
If you want to learn how to make money freelancing, you’ll have to start thinking beyond just finding new clients. It’s time to start thinking outside the box.
Whether you’re a freelancing newbie or you’ve been doing this for years, here are some freelance ideas to help you boost your productivity–and more importantly, your revenue.
One of the biggest questions new business owners ask is: How can I make money freelancing?
The answer is pretty complicated. Some freelancers can generate strong income in six months, while others will take much, much longer.
Either way, it takes time, dedication, and discipline to get to a higher income level as a freelancer. But sometimes it’s better to work smarter than work harder.
If you know the right strategies, you can climb your way up the ladder much faster and with much less effort. Here are some tips to take your freelancing career to the next level.
1. Double Down on Your Niche
When it comes to freelancing, it’s better to be a specialist than a generalist.
You might be wondering: How can limiting my freelancing work help make me even more money?
In the beginning, it might be tempting to grab any work that you can get your hands on. But if you’re really thinking of making this a career, you need to start getting more strategic about the type of work you decide to take on.
Not only does it help you build a more specific brand image, but it also makes you a specialist in a particular field. This makes you seem more reliable and trustworthy to clients–and it means you can charge a higher rate.
Take the time to focus on a particular niche that you’re passionate about or experienced in. You don’t have to limit yourself to one thing–feel free to branch out to a few related topics.
Then, double down on those topics until you know them like the back of your hand. Write as many articles on it as you can, build your own blog around it, and promote related content on social media.
When it comes to picking a specialised expert in a field or a generalised freelancer, the client will always go for the pro.
2. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Blogging
It seems like everyone these days has a blog, and the field is definitely pretty crowded. But starting your own blog can open up multiple different income opportunities.
Set up a business blog, focus on interesting and valuable content from your niche, and then promote it. Not only can this bring you more clients, but it serves as a way for them to get a sense of your brand and the work you can do. This is a place to show off your skills and amazing content.
While it’s pretty hard to monetise a blog these days, if you start getting more traffic to your site, you can try earning some passive income off of it too.
You can display Google Adwords or become an affiliate marketer. When people click on ads or links on your blog–or buy the product advertised–you can get a cut of the money.
A blog is one of the most crucial parts of building your image as a freelancer, and it can help drive more clients (and more money) to your site.
3. Create an Amazing Portfolio
While a blog is a great way to build your brand, it’s not the only way to showcase your work. Be sure to have a personal website that links to your blog–along with a solid portfolio.
A great portfolio can do the following for you as a freelancer:
- Highlight your best work
- Demonstrate your expertise
- Show who you are
- Give clients your contact info
This is a must have for any freelancer who wants to be taken seriously–and find more clients. Even if you don’t have job experience, you can still link to work that you’ve written on your own (like on a blog or other personal site).
Your portfolio should show clients a glimpse of who you are, spark their interest in your work, and convince them that you’re the best option to fulfill what they’re looking for. Invest some time in creating a beautiful website that runs smoothly and is easy to navigate.
The quality of your website will reflect the quality of your work so take this step seriously.
4. Think Twice About Your Rates
This one might sound pretty obvious, but one of the best ways to boost your revenue as a freelancer is to stop selling yourself short.
Freelancing is a tough business. The industry is notorious for its low pay and long work hours. It was a lot easier to make a living off of freelancing 20 years ago than it is today.
But your work still has worth. Don’t let clients take advantage of you. Especially if you’re an expert in a particular field, your work and your hours are valuable.
Think about what your rate is right now. Consider these factors:
- How many hours does it take for you to complete a project?
- What kind of training or experience do you have?
- How long have you been in the industry?
- What’s your level of education?
- Where do you need to be to start making your income goal?
Here’s a quick secret when it comes to rates: If you’re handling a prospective client who doesn’t ask for your rates upfront, don’t tell them right away. Instead, let them give you a number just to get a sense of what they’re willing to pay.
You might be surprised–the client could be willing to pay much more than what you were going to ask for originally. If the client gets back to you with a very low number, you’ll know that they’re not worth your time.
Even if it means being more selective with clients, part of getting taken seriously as a freelancer and making a good income means taking yourself (and your rates) more seriously.
5. Pitch Smarter, Not Harder
If you want to make money freelancing, it’s time to get comfortable with the art of the pitch.
It takes confidence and a lot of guts to make it as a freelancer. It definitely isn’t easy to just throw your ideas into somebody’s inbox and hope for a response.
It’s not enough to just start sending more pitches–you have to make sure that each pitch is the best that it can be. Refine your pitch to make sure that it represents you and your idea well. Keep it specific, compelling, and explain why your idea matters.
The hardest part of this process? You’ll be facing a lot of rejection.
But it’s all part of the game. You have to learn how to pick yourself up and just keep pitching.
6. Boost Your Credibility
One of the key strategies for getting more clients is building your credibility in your industry.
Even if you have a high-quality blog and portfolio, you have to have something to back it up. You can try creating an online course, writing a book (or ebook), finding speaking engagements, and more. All of these things will start increasing your visibility and can help make you a notable figure within your niche.
Adding these accomplishments to your portfolio and promoting them on your blog or social media accounts will help establish your credibility for potential clients. The more influence you have, the more popular you’ll be.
Putting It All Together
Making money as a freelancer takes more than just hard work.
Dedication can take you far, but using the right strategies will get you even farther.
If you start taking yourself seriously, raise your rates, and build your image as a freelancer–there’s no limit to your earning potential.
With these freelance ideas, you’ll already be on your way to making more money–and ultimately, a successful career.
Looking for more tips and tricks to increase your revenue? Check out our blog for more!
Strategic Optimisation + Growth consultant for lean start-ups and change-making entrepreneurs enabling them to grow their business in a sustainable and profitable way. My super-powers are business optimisation, CX, SEO, and leveraging data insights for business growth. #fuelledbycoffee
Originally published at optimiseandgrowonline.com.au on September 16, 2018.
