How to make money freelancing with No Experience

Thinking of how to start freelancing?

What exactly is freelancing?

Freelancing is a powerful, simple and free way to make money.

You are sort of self-employed. You work on a flexible basis. You can provide your service to a variety of different businesses.

Depending on what you prefer, you can work on big or small projects, short-term or long-term.

Typical freelance jobs could include anything from writing weekly blog posts, to proofreading or working as a virtual assistant, to shooting and editing a video.

Freelancing can be a great way to earn money and replace your 9 to 5 income, but what if you have no experience to begin with?

Fret not, below I share the exact steps you can use to make it happen.

Quick Navigation how to make money as a freelancer

1.Identify your skills and the type of freelancing you want to do

The first step to starting your freelance journey is to identify your what you are good at and the interests you have (plus what is profitable). The sweet spot is right in the middle.

If you’re the creative type – you can consider writing, video editing, or graphic design. If you like to teach – tutoring students online would be a great option. If you are tech savvy, you can consider programming, app development or cyber security.

The key is to choose whatever you are great at, that will require minimal effort to begin.

You can choose to niche down if you want to keep things streamlined.

A niche is simply the specific area you want to work in. So for example, instead of just choosing to be a content writer, you can niche down to be a content writer for blogs. Or instead of being an all-round website developer, you can choose to create websites for coaches.

I’ve certainly seen successful freelancers who do not niche down. But I believe the key to success is to offer complementary services.

You can choose to be a social media manager, a video-editor and at the same time a graphic designer – these would need the same sort of skills.

Make sense?

And of course, along the line if one serves you more than the other, you can always change it up.

The most important thing to ask yourself are these questions:

What am I good at?

What do I enjoy doing?

What services can I offer?

What will pay my bills?

Take some time to brainstorm and make a list of your answers.

2.Create fake projects, volunteer, take low paying jobs

In order to find work, you need to have a portfolio. But because you don’t have any experience, here is what you are going to do:

1. Start by creating some sample or ‘fake’ client projects. Are you a graphic designer? create some mock-up designs of a website or a social media campaign for a pretend client. Are you a writer? write some sample blog posts or articles. Whatever your niche, make sure you create a sample of the output or service your potential client will want.
2. Take on volunteer work in your niche: volunteering is another great way to get experience without feeling pressured.
3. Be open to taking on low paying jobs or high paying jobs at a heavily discounted rate for the sake of experience.

It’s for only a short while. Once you have some samples, you can then show potential clients see what you’re capable of and give them a reason to hire you.

3. Create a website and social media accounts

Your website or social media account doesn’t need to be perfect. It is just a hub for potential clients to view your portfolio and know what you offer.

To set up a basic website you can use Wix or Canva. They’re the easiest to design websites if you have no experience. You can create your website in less than 30 minutes.

Create pages for your portfolio, your services and pricing, and a page about you.

Need inspiration? Check out samuelswriting.com

Add Calendly to make it easy for people to book your services. Just make sure all your services, pricing, and who you are, are well laid out on your website and socials.

4. Find your first set of clients

Many freelancers agree this is the hard part.

How will people know my service exists?

How do I get clients?

If you create a website, then welldone! You have taken the first step towards marketing. So long as you use the right keywords on your website, soon enough, people will find you when they type in google to search for your service.

Look on Facebook communities.

One often overlooked great place to begin is Facebook. Join Facebook groups or freelancer forums. Respond to comments you have answers to everyday and connect with other freelancers and potential clients.

Sign up to freelance marketplaces

Fiverr and Upwork are great places to start but as you begin to get clients and you need to keep all of your profits, it’s important to consider other options for finding work.

Look on Job boards

Job boards like Flexjobs and Indeed are a haven for entry-level jobs. A lot of companies use them to advertise for vacancies.

Pitch your service directly to businesses

That’s exactly what the web designer who helped me with this website did. He reached out to me with a report about my website speed and design and said he could make it better. I didn’t say no and it was worth it. I didn’t have any more time to spend to give my website a facelift.

Reach out to 2-3 businesses every week. It just might surprise you.

5. Buy a course that teaches you all you need to know about freelancing.

As the famous saying goes ‘we never stop learning’. Find an online course that teaches you how to be exceptional at freelancing. If you want to get into proofreading, take a proofreading course. Freelance writing? find a freelance writing course and learn from pros who were once in your shoes and have already made all the mistakes, so you don’t have to. Find courses in any field that can kickstart your freelancing career here.

10 Freelancing ideas to try if you have no experience.

There are lots of ways to make money as a freelancer. Below are a list of 10 most popular freelance jobs and jobsites that can hire you.

1. Virtual Assistant:
   • Where to find work: Upwork, Freelancer, Remote.co, Fancy Hands
   • Potential earnings: $15 – $25 per hour
   • Requirements: Strong organizational skills, communication abilities, and proficiency in administrative tasks.
2. Content Writer:
   • Platforms: Upwork, Freelancer, ProBlogger Job Board
   • Potential earnings: $0.03 – $0.15 per word or $20 – $50 per hour
   • Requirements: Excellent writing skills, research capabilities, and the ability to meet deadlines.
3. Social Media Manager:
   • Platforms: Upwork, Freelancer, Facebook groups
   • Potential earnings: $15 – $40 per hour
   • Requirements: Familiarity with social media platforms, content creation skills, and knowledge of social media marketing strategies.
4. Graphic Designer:
   • Platforms: Upwork, Freelancer, 99designs
   • Potential earnings: $20 – $50 per hour or project-based
   • Requirements: Proficiency in graphic design software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite), creativity, and a portfolio showcasing design skills.
5. Transcriptionist:
   • Platforms: Rev, TranscribeMe, GoTranscript
   • Potential earnings: $0.25 – $1.00 per audio minute
   • Requirements: Good listening and typing skills, attention to detail, and access to transcription software or tools.
6. Data Entry Operator:
   • Platforms: Upwork, Freelancer, Indeed, Amazon Mturk
   • Potential earnings: $10 – $20 per hour
   • Requirements: Fast and accurate typing skills, proficiency in spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel), and attention to detail.
7. Online Tutor:
   • Platforms: VIPKid, Tutor.com, Preply, Magic Ears
   • Potential earnings: Varies depending on subject and experience, typically $10 – $30 per hour
   • Requirements: Expertise in the subject you wish to teach, strong communication skills, and a bachelor’s degree (in some cases).
8. Book reviewer:
   • Platforms: Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, Reedsy, huge list here
   • Potential earnings: $15 – $40 per hour
   • Requirements: Excellent grammar and language skills, attention to detail, and the ability to summarise written content.
9. Virtual English Teacher:
   • Platforms: VIPKid, iTutorGroup, Cambly
   • Potential earnings: $14 – $25 per hour
   • Requirements: Native or near-native English proficiency, a bachelor’s degree (in some cases), and a teaching certification like TEFL or TESOL.
10. Freelance Photographer:
    • Platforms: Local networking, social media, personal website
    • Potential earnings: Varies widely based on location, expertise, and project scope
    • Requirements: A good-quality camera, photography skills, creativity, and a portfolio demonstrating your work.

Final thought on starting a freelance career with no experience.

It can seem daunting if you don’t have sufficient experience and unsure of where to start.

There are many short online courses or workshops that can actually help you get the confidence you need to get started.

Start by checking skillshare, udemy, coursera or reed.

In addition make YouTube your bff. You can find relatable training videos as well as success stories.

Wishing you all the best as you begin your freelance journey. You’ve got this!