6 Simple Tips From Top Freelancer Jaime Hollander
By: Tim Schröder
Tags: Writing Tips, Writing, Productivity, Business, Freelancing

1. Commit the time

There’s no overnight success. Not even in freelancing. If you start out first, the only thing you need to get better is time.

You can always have an excuse for why it’s not the right time to focus on Upwork. But if you want to get going and finally start earning money there, you need to invest the hours — lots of it.

Invest 30–60 minutes per day, every single day. Fix your profile, write good proposal drafts, look for jobs.

Plan to send 20–40 proposals per day to get your name out. You want possible clients to know you. Spread the word of your work and use the chance to improve your proposal writing.

It’s a numbers game.

The more time you spend, the higher the chance of landing a job. Also, make sure to answer as quickly as possible after you get invited. This will give you the advantage of time over other freelancers.

Steps to follow:

Invest 30–60 minutes a day, every single day

Plan to send 20–40 proposals daily

Respond to invites immediately

Don’t expect overnight results

2. Be willing to work for LESS

If you start out and don’t have a reputation, you need to be ready to work for less. Even if you’re already a pro in this field. People won’t trust you if you don’t have any feedback but high rates.

Being willed to work for less doesn’t mean competing with the lowest prices. It doesn’t involve working for $3 an hour, unable to finance your lunch, after working the whole morning.

Instead, it means checking the bid range of a job offer and placing your bid in the lowest quarter.

For example, Jaime came from a strong marketing background before she even started working as a freelancer. She had her Master’s and had worked for several years in different positions.

But despite her extensive expertise in this field, she wasn’t expert-vetted on Upwork. Without a reputation, she was simply another freelancer focusing on copywriting and marketing texts.

Because of that, she needed to get her name out. Instead of shoving her apparent skills in everyone’s faces, she decided to let her work speak for her. She started out offering her services at around $20 an hour.

Far away from what she’d have charged previously. But enough to meet need’s end for now and (more important) to get her name out there.

View it long-term. You aren’t on Upwork to cash in big time and be never seen again. You are on Upwork to offer people your skills. To help them solve their problems, using your skills.

3. Look for red flags

Do you know what sucks? Agreeing on something, setting it in stone, and being overthrown afterward. On Upwork, it’s even worse.

Save yourself from this.

Listen to your gut

As a freelancer, you need to listen to your gut. If something seems to be shady, don’t bother too much and skip it. Sure, it might be a bummer at this moment, but there will always be another job.

Here’s a typical example:

“Hey there! My name is XX, and I need someone who can write me an ebook about nutrition topics. The length should be between 10.000 and 15.000 words, and usually, I got the ebooks delivered within one to two weeks. Because it would be the first time working with you, I’d propose a rate of $0.01 per word. If I’m satisfied with your work, you’d be able to get up to $0.06 per word for the following projects.”

This. Is. Proposal-bait.

It’s wrong in many ways, and you definitely don’t want to apply here because:

if you’re regularly working on other projects, one to two weeks is a tight time-frame.

$0.01 per word is a straight rip-off, no matter where you live.

it’s a false promise of a better rate the next time, just to drop you right after you’ve delivered.

Promising, but incomplete job posts

Again: Don’t bother too much and skip. Even if it’s offering an excellent salary or you think you’ve done something similar before.

If the client doesn’t have the time to write a job post, they probably don’t take the time to explain their expectations.

You’re a freelancer, not a babysitter.

It’s your job to manage expectations

As a freelancer, you aren’t only writing, you’re also managing a client’s expectations. Meaning you want to set them straight if they expect outrageous things.

Unrealistic deadlines? Tell them.

Unreasonable prices? Tell them.

Ridiculous amendments? Tell them.

They will keep pushing you around if you don’t. Tell the clients that you’re happy to work for them but not in any condition.

4. Know your limits

Don’t promise others anything you can’t offer.

Many self-help gurus advise you to grow in your task following the principle “Fake it until you make it”. What could be working for your confidence won’t work as a freelancer.

It’s one thing to be confident about your skills and eager to tackle new challenges. But it’s an entirely different thing offering services without having the necessary knowledge or skills.

Know your limits. Stretch them, if needed. But never ignore them.

5. Respond to invites professionally

It’s already a good sign to get invited. Because getting asked means you hit their radar. It’s the first success and step in the right direction.

But if you’ve already come this far, you don’t want to sabotage yourself. Remember, getting invited doesn’t mean you got the job. Instead, it means you’re in the inner circle of candidates.

Here, you’d like to present yourself and your skills in the best way possible. As they probably don’t remember having invited you, start thanking them for their interest.

Then, show them your appreciation and provide a good proposal, mentioning how you could help. Remember, the client comes first.

It’s not about your skills. It’s about your clients’ problems.

The same goes for denying invites. Be professional and let them know that you’re currently busy. Or, if needed, set their expectations straight and provide constructive feedback.

6. Be a subject matter expert

Become a pro in what you do. Don’t only rely on Upwork bringing you the jobs to get money and better. Instead, focus on expanding your horizon out of Upwork too.

Use other writing outlets such as a personal blog, Medium, or maybe the school magazine. Buy books and listen to podcasts.

Never use a client to experiment

If you want to do something vastly different, you don’t want to use your client as guinea pigs. Know your limits and try your new skills in a sandbox before you want to help people with it.

Always aim for a challenge

You’ve heard it a couple of thousand times: Aim for something slightly out of your comfort zone.

By doing so, you won’t be lost entirely, but you also up-skill as you go. This is what you want to achieve.

Here’s a real example:

I’ve been practicing meditation for a few years now. In this time, I read multiple books on how one can implement the practice in daily life and how it can be improved.

Last year, I browsed the job offers and stumbled across a ghostwriting project for an ebook about meditation. I was intrigued, willing to use my knowledge and experience to write an ebook about this topic.

I applied and explained how I meditate myself, what experiences I have, and how it could help the client. Additionally, I proposed a relatively low price, as I didn’t have any experience before.

The client bit and I got the job. I stepped out of my comfort zone to deliver the ebook and it was a win-win.

This is the type of challenge you’d like to tackle. Out of your comfort zone but not entirely lost in Nirvana.