How To Get More Freelance Jobs Without Breaking A Sweat

At some point in your career as a freelancer, you may find that you’ve got more work than you can handle. The great news is: that there are plenty of ways to up your number of freelance jobs without killing yourself with extra hours or sacrificing the quality of your work. Read on to learn how to get more freelance jobs without breaking a sweat

You will learn how to turn one client into many clients by diversifying your offering.

You will discover that working harder doesn’t mean working longer hours. It means finding ways to be more productive and efficient so that you have time for extra clients and side projects.

You will find out why it’s important to turn some prospects away and why this isn’t the same thing as losing potential opportunities!

HOW TO BECOME A FREELANCER (Without Quitting Your Job)

Takeaways
1. Focus on finding a niche that aligns with your skills and interests.
2. Build a strong online presence and showcase your portfolio or work samples.
3. Network with other professionals in your field and attend industry events or webinars.
4. Offer excellent customer service and maintain positive relationships with clients.
5. Continuously update your skills and stay updated on industry trends to stay competitive.

Set Your Goals

Setting goals helps you figure out how much work you’ll need to bring in.

Setting goals will help you determine which types of writing jobs to pursue, and which ones to pass on.

List each goal, the amount it will cost, and the date (and time if possible) that you would like to achieve this goal. For example: “I want to make $1,000 by December 1st so I can buy new office furniture for my home office.”

Be realistic about your desired outcomes based on your current skill set and experience level in freelance writing. If you’re just starting out as a freelancer and have no prior experience with writing for clients or generating an income from that type of activity then setting big goals isn’t wise until you’ve had some time under your belt working with different clients and building up a rapport with those who pay well consistently over an extended period of time.

Building a successful freelance career often starts with finding the right niche. Check out our guide on 14 Best Freelance Jobs for Customer Service Specialists to discover the various opportunities available in the customer service field.

Write A Winning Profile Overview

Once you have a few different versions, read them out loud to yourself. Does it flow? Is it easy to read? Does it sound like you? Is this who you are and what you do as a freelancer, or has it morphed into something else entirely? This is your opportunity to tell the world about yourself (or your brand), so make sure that everything you put in there is accurate, memorable, and persuasive.

If you’re still unsure about how to write the perfect overview, here’s some inspiration from real profiles on Upwork.

Check if your profile picture is up to date and professional

Check that it’s a current picture. It should be recent, with your most current hairstyle, etc.

Ensure that it’s professional. If you aren’t a model or actor, you probably don’t have headshots in your portfolio–so now’s the time to get one if you haven’t got one already! In lieu of an actual photographer, stand against a plain background and ask someone to take a photo on their phone, making sure to get as much of your head and shoulders as is possible without distorting the image.

Your photo should look like you’re “dressed for work”, no matter what field you’re in, so leave the party photos for another time and place.

Don’t Underprice Yourself

When you finally get into the swing of freelancing and are ready to start charging for your services, it’s important that you don’t underprice yourself. Being too cheap is not only a bad business practice; it can also scare off potential clients. Don’t be afraid to ask for a little more money than what you initially thought was fair when starting out, because this will make it easier for you to raise your rates in the future.

Of course, there is one exception: some clients (such as small businesses) may have a hard time paying more than $50/hour or so, especially if they’re just getting into web design and aren’t sure they can afford expensive web designers yet. In these cases, charging less than $50/hour isn’t really a bad thing at all; showing the client that you care about their budget and want to help them save money by letting them pay less could actually blow the lid off their budget!

Include Samples In Your Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of your work, and it’s an essential part of pitching yourself as a professional freelancer. It demonstrates to clients that you have the skillset for the job you’re applying for and will help them see what kind of work they can expect from you.

When creating a portfolio, it helps to only include samples that are relevant to the job you’re applying for that way, clients can quickly see the kind of work you create without having to spend time going through pages and pages of irrelevant material. You should also only include your best pieces; don’t overload your potential clients with too much content.

If this is your first time freelancing and creating a portfolio sounds daunting, don’t worry! You can still get started on building up a few samples so that next time around, you’ll have something to show off in your portfolio.

Are you looking to break into the world of freelance customer support? Our article on How to Get Freelance Customer Support Jobs Online provides valuable insights and tips to help you land your dream job in this field.

Be Specific With The Services You Offer

When it comes to your profile, being specific about your services and skills is always a plus. Instead of simply pasting “Writing” as your specialization, include the subcategories that you can handle, such as business writing or academic writing. This will help you get job invites that match your skillset. You can also list the specific styles of articles that you’re skilled in composing: blog posts, long-form content, press releases, and product descriptions are just some examples of what you could say under this section.

If you have other skills aside from writing (which is highly recommended for freelancers), be sure to list them as well. Do you know how to speak other languages? Can you use photo-editing applications like Photoshop? Are there any concepts like SEO or keyword research that are familiar to you?

Finally, don’t forget to add your educational background and past work experience during the sign-up process. These details will make it easier for clients who want a qualified team player for their projects!

Use Relevant Keywords In Your Title

The relevant keywords you use in your title should be based on the type of job invitations that come to your inbox. For example, if you’re often invited to write blog posts, the keywords could be *blogging, copywriting, content writing*, and so on.

Keywords are also a very important part of your profile description. They help connect you with potential clients through automated searches by Upwork’s algorithm. When you’re applying for a project, make sure that at least one or two of the skills mentioned in your profile are used in your proposal title to match the project’s requirements.

Avoid using words such as *cheap*, *fast*, and any other words that can have a negative connotation or context (even if it’s unintentional).

Using relevant keywords will help freelancers find more jobs on Upwork and increase their chances of being hired all while they enjoy their favorite pastime activities!

Always Respond Quickly To Messages And Job Invitations

First, always respond quickly to messages and job invitations. Don’t wait for days, don’t wait until the day is over. Don’t wait for hours, don’t wait for minutes or even a few minutes. Responding promptly to all inquiries can help you establish a favorable reputation as a freelancer who knows how to get things done and doesn’t waste people’s time.

Clients are more likely to offer jobs or hire you if they know that your response time will be quick and on point. You can take it one step further by prioritizing tasks related to your client so that he/she doesn’t feel like they have been left in the dark about where their project stands.

Ask For Referrals

Referrals are very powerful. If a client has a friend who needs help with something, they’re likely to recommend you for the job than someone they’ve never worked with before. This is free advertising and you should absolutely be asking every single client for a referral at the end of your work together.

You can ask clients for referrals in a few different ways. First, you can ask outright: “Hey [client name], would you mind referring me to other people who might need my services?” In my experience, this works best if you’ve done an exceptional job and have developed a good relationship with the client.

If it’s too soon to request referrals from your current clients, there’s another way around this. Add a note to your invoices that reads something like: “Do you know anyone else who could benefit from my services? I’d love to help!”

Want to maximize your earnings as a freelance customer service professional? Learn effective strategies and techniques in our guide on How to Make More Money from Your Freelance Customer Service Work to boost your income and achieve financial success.

Volunteer To Do Pro Bono Work, If Possible

The next step you should take to get more freelance jobs is volunteering for pro bono work. Working for free might seem counterproductive at first glance, but in reality, it’s a great way to put your skills to use and make connections that often lead to paid work down the road.

Pro bono work gives you the opportunity to work on something that you’d otherwise never have been able to. These are things like community projects, passion projects, or projects you wouldn’t be able to afford as a client. You can also take these opportunities because they allow you to build your portfolio without having anything in it yet.

Giving back isn’t always about money. If anything, volunteering is one of the best ways to expand your network and really grow your business and yourself as a freelancer. You can find people who will appreciate your services enough not just to hire you but recommend them too!

It doesn’t matter if it’s writing gigs or design gigs pro bono work is good for your resume too! It shows potential clients that:

You are willing and eager to help people in need of professional help

You have experience working with other professionals, either from their company or beyond

Utilize Your Existing Connections

When you’re struggling to get clients, it’s tempting to reach out to everyone you can think of. But it actually makes more sense to exhaust your existing network first. These people already have a relationship with you, so they’ll be far more likely to consider you for a job.

If you’re short on contacts in the freelance world, ask your friends and family members if they have any connections that could help put work your way. Even if no one has any leads for freelance gigs at the time, sometimes all it takes is for people to know what kind of job you’re looking for in order for something to come up when they least expect it.

Then there are those who are willing but aren’t sure how they can help—these individuals simply haven’t yet considered how their networks may overlap with yours. If this describes someone in your circle, give them some pointers: suggest that they write a status update on LinkedIn or Facebook mentioning your availability and expertise as a freelancer, or ask them if there’s anyone at their company who would benefit from working with someone like yourself (you can even send them an email template).

Build A Strong Linkedin Profile Or Website

Having a strong online presence will help you get more freelance jobs. More than 90% of freelancers use LinkedIn as their primary platform. This should tell you how important it is to have a strong profile on this social media site if you want to get more freelance jobs.

LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform for professionals, and that’s why most employers post their job vacancies there. That’s also where most freelancers network with other freelancers, both locally and internationally. You can also communicate your skills to potential clients via your LinkedIn profile and make yourself visible to them.

Apply for any job invitation (even if it’s not what you are looking for) at least once a week. The more you apply, the higher chances you’ll have of being hired.

Send proposals to companies who have not posted a job invitation yet. If there is an online form where you can submit your business proposal, do it even if they don’t say they’re hiring or they don’t have an open job entry.

Submit proposals in groups or divisions that are not related to your line of work. Submit a proposal to the CEO, send an email to the company’s sales department, and send a message on all social media platforms that they have at the same time — this will increase your chances of getting noticed big time!

Are you a freelance writer looking to generate more leads and expand your client base? Check out our comprehensive guide on How to Generate 50 Leads per Month as a Freelance Writer to learn proven strategies for attracting high-quality leads and growing your freelance business

Make Bids Worthwhile By Writing Compelling Proposals

Writing proposals are another way of standing out in a sea of candidates. A well-written proposal is not just a list of your qualifications, achievements, and experience. It is about communicating to potential clients that you understand their needs and painting a picture of how you will address them by creating real value for their business.

As an example, I once bid on a project requiring the creation of marketing assets for the client’s website. The client had given the bidders a lot of information to work with including the tone they wanted to portray and the audience they were targeting. I took this opportunity to write my proposal as if it was a sample post for their blog.

In it, I explained why one particular angle would appeal more to their intended audience than another that would be easier for me to create as well as why I chose words or images that were more effective at capturing attention rather than others that were more commonplace.

This approach went down well with clients when pitching my work in freelance job interviews and helped me land many projects over time. The feedback received was also really helpful in further shaping future proposals.

Do not copy-paste proposals, write unique ones for each job – it helps to convey that you’re serious about the job, which will get you more invites and interviews.

Forget copy-pasting your proposal! For every job, you need to write a unique proposal. This will help you get more jobs on Upwork and other platforms.

Make sure you add the client’s name at the beginning of their proposal to make it personalized. The way to do that is by following this format:

Hi [client’s name], I’m a [type of work] with over [number] years of experience in [field].

You can also add a little bit about yourself, especially if it relates to the job or gives you an edge over others. But don’t make it too long, just 2–3 lines will be enough.

Since many freelancers on Upwork use templates for their proposals, writing a unique one for each project is what sets you apart from other candidates and makes you look more professional and serious about getting the job.

Go Above And Beyond For Clients Who Hire You

provide more than what they ask for, and go the extra mile; good reviews on Upwork will help get more high-paying clients and jobs in the future.

Go above and beyond for clients who hire you. Clients on Upwork will have a chance to review your work after they’ve worked with you. You can request a review, but it’s not always necessary because the client will be prompted to do so anyway.

It’s best to provide more than what the client asks for, such as a report or template (if relevant), and then let them know that it’s available for download in the Upwork messaging app. This way, even if they don’t leave a review, there is tangible evidence of your hard work that clients can refer back to when deciding whether or not to hire freelancers in the future.

If you do receive reviews from clients on Upwork, make sure that they are positive! Reviews are one of the most important factors for getting high-paying jobs in the future.

Are you interested in offering your freelance services to local businesses and increasing your income? Discover effective tips and strategies in our article on How to Offer Freelance Services to Local Businesses and Make More Money to unlock new opportunities and achieve greater financial success.

Final Thought

Set goals: objectives give you something to strive towards, and help keep you on track.

Write a winning profile overview: ensure your profile is optimized for search engines by including commonly used phrases in your industry (e.g. “ghostwriter” or “senior graphic designer”).

Don’t underprice yourself: it’s better to charge a little more than what clients are expecting than to be paid less than you should or deserve.

Include samples in your portfolio: this will help clients see what kind of work they can expect from you and if it shows off your personality and style that’s even better.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Get More Clients On Upwork?

The easiest way to get more clients on Upwork is to ensure your profile is fully optimized, then proactively search for job opportunities using the “Jobs” page, and if you match the requirements, then submit a proposal.

How Do I Get More Jobs On Upwork?

You can get more work on Upwork by updating your profile with new relevant skills. You can also improve your proposals and apply to an even larger number of jobs (if you’re willing).

How Do I Get More Work On Upwork?

To increase your chances of getting more jobs as a freelancer, use this resource: 6 Steps For Winning More Jobs On Upwork. The steps covered in this resource will help you win a lot more projects even though we don’t all have time to follow all the steps every single time we apply for a project.

Herman Edward

I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!