How to Earn $10,000 Per Week as a Freelancer

They have complete freedom and control over their business: they set their own prices, can fire clients whenever they want, and can work wherever and whenever they want (depending on what service you offer of course).

You are your own boss as a freelancer, and you can become one with almost any skill that can be offered independently.

This skill could include video production, writing, copywriting, counseling, video editing, voice-over, coding, social media management, and many other things.

You must have your skills ready.

So, no matter what service you want to provide, you must know how to provide it. However, if you pretend to have a skill that you don’t, you may still find a few clients, but they will give you negative feedback, and your new image and reputation as a freelancer will be destroyed, and your career will be disappointingly over.

To find clients, you must obsessively work on developing your skills until you are completely confident that you can add value to the marketplace. You’re now ready to start looking for clients, and in this video, I’ll show you exactly how to find clients on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, or any other freelancing platform.

What Exactly Is A Freelancing Platform?

A freelancing platform is simply a website that connects freelancers with people who require their services.

Here’s Robert to help you understand. Robert is an 18-year-old video editor.

Robert has been editing videos and making short films for a few years, but he’s finally ready to put his editing skills to use and make some money. Robert isn’t particularly extroverted; rather, he’s rather introverted.

He dislikes making phone calls, talking on the phone, or attending stressful face-to-face meetings.

However, that is not a problem in this case because he can find clients in a much more efficient manner.

So he begins by creating an account on one of the freelancing websites (say, Upwork).

After registering, he goes to the “find work” tab and finds a slew of posts from people looking for people like him. It’s exactly like his Instagram or Facebook feed, but instead of cat videos, it’s all businesses and individuals looking for help with their editing. Robert can send proposals to any of those positions, telling potential clients why he’s a good fit for the job, talking about his experience and previous projects, and basically selling himself as the best option.

If they believe he is a good fit for the job, they will hire him and pay him via the freelancing platform. And here’s how to get customers. So you understand how a freelancing platform works and how to find your first client, but here’s the catch.

You will most likely begin by submitting a large number of proposals to a large number of jobs in the hope that someone will give you an opportunity. But, before you do that, please understand this: no one trusts you. Besides, why should they? You don’t have a track record on the freelancing website, no positive or negative feedback, nothing. It’s extremely difficult to obtain a client because you lack credibility.

So the question is, how do you establish that credibility? To be successful on freelancing platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, or any other freelancing platform, you must make some sacrifices, especially in the beginning. Your priority, or “mission,” is straightforward.

Obtain Positive Feedback

As soon as you begin looking for clients, and hopefully, you do, your first goal should be to obtain positive feedback. These positive reviews will provide you with feedback that will help you find new clients, as well as add a little credibility to your profile and image.

You’ll need that to find future clients, so here’s what I’d like you to do.

When you get your first client, don’t just do what they ask for; instead, go above and beyond and even offer a discount. This client must adore you to the point where they feel compelled to leave you a 5-star review replete with compliments.

To ensure that you receive that feedback and overdeliver for nothing, ask for it.

“Since I’m new on Upwork and looking for clients, here’s a special offer,” you could say.

In exchange for a positive review (if deserved), I’ll give you a discount on our first project,” and you’ve got yourself a happy client. But that isn’t all. You need to do more than that to create a good proposal that will catch their attention.

How to Write an Effective Proposal.

Put yourself in their shoes: you’re looking for a video editor, you post the job, and within minutes, dozens of freelancers send you proposals to persuade you to work with them. This is overwhelming, and they’re reading through a slew of “Hello, my name is this, and I can do this…” A, B, C, D, blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah

You get the idea.

You see, in a sea of proposals that all look the same, you have to stand out in some way. Instead of a generic, boring introduction, craft something interesting, perhaps even entertaining, and offer more than just quote after quote “why I’m a good editor.”

However, here’s a quick rundown. First and foremost, don’t make it all about you.

If the client described the job correctly, you will have the opportunity to explain how you intend to complete it.

Tell them about the best tips and tricks you’ll employ, as well as how your service is superior to your competitors.

In the case of the video editor, you could describe the software you use and the techniques you employ to achieve high-quality color correction and grading. Tell them why your audio is always crystal clear, and how you can make his audio decent as well, without the use of an expensive microphone.

Maintain your relevance.

You will fail if you copy-paste proposals here and there. This is due to the fact that you will not be listing relevant points that will assist them in their specific situation.

So, provide as much value as possible, select well-described jobs to personalize your proposals, and tell them what kind of person you are. A winning proposal, however, is insufficient. You need credibility, and your profile can help you get it.

Creating a Viable Profile.

So, after reading your proposal, the client will say, “interesting… but let me check their profile.” And this is where you must be flawless. Because you have no reviews, everything else, from your profile picture to your bio, must be perfect. The photo should be professional, but don’t go overboard or you’ll come across as a pushy try-hard. Keep it simple; a nice photo of you smiling should suffice. This is the image your clients will have of you, and it’s critical that they can see your face clearly.

This way, they won’t just associate you with “some words on a screen,” but with an actual human being, which aids in the development of a strong professional relationship.

Use the same philosophy when talking about yourself that you would for the proposal. Don’t just brag about yourself and your abilities; instead, describe your experience and how you can assist clients. Continue to keep it alive and entertaining.

Also, fill your portfolio with so much content that they will struggle to go through it all. This will demonstrate that, despite your lack of experience on that website or even with clients in real life, you have the skills to complete the task. Here’s an error I see a lot of people make when they’re just starting out.

They believe it is a good idea to tell people that you can offer almost anything in order to gain more clients. That is incorrect; rather than appearing to be a jack of all trades but master of none, you must specialize in a very specific field.

This may appear counterintuitive, but it will provide you with more clients than attempting to reach everyone. In sales, there is a principle known as “aim narrow, reach wide.”

You must target a very specific audience and then reach as many people as possible from that category.

This will also make you appear to be the ideal candidate for the job.

How Does Upwork Work?

So far, I’ve talked to you about how freelancing works in general. However, in order to provide you with a better understanding of the business model of freelancing websites, I will describe the business model of Upwork.

Upwork charges freelancers a 20% fee for each completed project in order to make money. This means that if you are given a project for $100, you will actually receive $80 because Upwork receives 20%.

This may appear to be a lot (and it is), but it is not the only way Upwork remains profitable. Upwork also charges both clients and freelancers a small monthly fee for their plus subscription, which provides a few benefits here and there.

In my opinion, Upwork in particular is very well-designed. To avoid spam and prevent people from simply copying and pasting proposals everywhere, every freelancer has a limit on the number of proposals that can be sent. In fact, in order to send a proposal, you must use connects (similar to credits), which can range from 2 to 4 to 5 connects per proposal.

This isn’t excessive; it’s acceptable; however, it will be a problem at first because you’ll be sending proposals to a large number of people. And, if you run out of connections, you’ll have to buy more. This is very beneficial to clients because freelancers are forced to send proposals only to jobs that are truly worthwhile and for which they have the necessary skills. It eliminates spam, which is why Upwork is so effective. Many websites do this, but Upwork is especially good if you want to be protected and find high-quality clients, both short and long term.