Freelancing. According to Dictionary.com, a freelancer is a person who works as a writer, designer, performer, or the like, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer. And they aren't wrong! But how does a freelancer find work? What are some best online platforms for you to find freelancers on? What are some of the best jobs a freelancer can do? These are the questions we will discuss in this article.
My experience with freelancing is not huge. I have not been freelancing for a decade, haven't become a Top-Rated seller on Fiverr and to be honest, don't have as much expertise as some other people. But I feel like my insight can still come in handy for those of you who are new to the field, since I am a freelancer myself. Stay with me as we explore the world of freelance.
In 2019, as I am writing this article, the number of freelancers is approximately 60 million people. Just in the US! This number is growing right now! It is projected that the number will grow incredibly fast, and by 2028, the number of freelancers in the US will grow over 85 million people. Accordant with Statista, this amount of freelancers will take up 50% of all US workforce. Woah, US workforce, here we come!
1. Fiverr
Just as the name suggests, you can order any service just for 5$. This is the platform I decided to go with. It doesn't lack neither buyers, nor sellers. Sellers can create Gigs and then sell them for any amount of money. For example, you can take a look at my Gig. There I suggest to become a spokesperson for you for just 5$. But if you want, you can select any other package (standard and Premium), and you will get a lot more features. The price will be higher, but the overall quality will also be higher. It is comfortable for sellers to sell their services, and it is also really comfortable for buyers to view the Gigs and compare the offers to each other.
By the way, if you would like to order a professional spokesperson with awesome editing (that is me), contact me on Fiverr. I would love to work with you :).
2. Freelancer
I had a shorter experience with Freelancer.com. It is not so seller-friendly though, in my humble opinion. You cannot post Gigs there, or any equivalent. All you have to do is to apply for jobs and hope you are the one to get selected among thousands, in some cases. But if you manage to grow a mind-blowing portfolio, then you are lucky in this case and have a strong chance of getting selected.
3. Truelancer
Truelancer wasn't a very positive experience for me, since in many ways it is similar to Freelancer. I don't have a lot of appreciation in general for the kind of sites that allow their sellers to fight for a job like dogs for a tasty bone. From my standpoint, this doesn't create a very healthy atmosphere among its users. Also, their newsletter is really annoying. Come on, sending 5 emails per day isn't going to make me want to visit your website more!
There are several fields in freelance that are really worth it and that can get you an iPhone if you work hard enough. Some of them include graphic design of any kind, video creation/editing, Photoshop work, SEO marketing, social media work, web development and coding. These aren't all of them but this is still a good summary of what most freelancers do as their job. Based on CNBC, some of the highest paying jobs include explainer, white board, animation and spokesperson videos (this is what I do), website building, mobile app development, search and display marketing, chatbot development and graphic design.
A lot of freelancers earn several hundred dollars per month, realistically. Top Sellers earn 2,000-5,000 per month! A few people even make 25,000$ per month. That is a lot. Of course, this number depends heavily on your niche. But with enough patience and skill, you can make some great money on freelancing!
It is OK if the freelancer has at least 1 positive review, and their Gig's grammar and vocabulary is correct. Look at their portfolio. If you find it impressive enough, then go with the freelancer! I mean, hear me out. If your project is huge and could potentially be seen by many important personas (a massive amount of people, the president, the prime minister, etc.), then it is safer to go with the top-rated expensive sellers. But if your project is not so giant and you don't have a huge budget, then I would suggest trusting the freelancer. If you don't like the delivered video, then you can get your money back in 2 clicks! As easy as that.
In conclusion, I want to say that freelancing is pretty awesome. Whether you want to make a quick buck, or make it your day-to-day work, freelancing is an effective way to do something you love while earning money. Share this article if you found it helpful.