I'll procrastinate if I try starting a blog. So I'll just thread a bit about my journey as a freelancer and a bit of the things I've learned. https://twitter.com/Aramintah__/status/948943628268982274

I've been freelancing for a couple of years, but I went into it full-time after the Zim Economy made things in my life go left. It was summer break, I had rent and survival money to raise. Jobs where I live are non-existent.

So I decided to return to a place I'd tried out a few years ago. I'd known it as ODesk. When I looked it up, it had become Upwork. I took some time to figure out how things worked and I dove right in.

I applied for any job that had the word "Writing" in it. Writing is my only skill. Upwork gives freelancers 60 connects. You use them to apply for jobs. Each job costs 2 connects. I went through 40 of them in a day.

but that was a big mistake. When it comes to using bidding sites, if you intend on hoping to find decent jobs, you have to use your connects wisely - especially if you're not on the premium plan.

- Side note - a lot of top freelancers will tell you to stay away from content mills and bidding sites. Cold pitching is preferred. Where you send 50 - 100 emails a day or week to different companies, basically selling your skills, it's more lucrative but...

If you're a young freelancer like me, without a portfolio or any pitching abilities, cold pitching will not work. Yes, bidding sites have a lot of crappy jobs. And I do mean crappy. $1 for 1000 - 1500 words kind of jobs.

Which brings me to a main point: Dear young or old freelancer. KNOW YOUR WORTH. Do not try this "let me endure with crap jobs until I get better". I made a rule for myself. No job for less than $100.

Sure it meant waiting for longer - and boy did I have to wait. But it was worth it. My 1st job was writing a speech for a COO of some trading company. Did I know anything about it? Nope. But I winged it.

I knew I was good at writing and speaking. So during the call with the client, I sold myself as best as I could - which is something you have to learn as a freelancer. Wing it. Get your foot in the door. SELL YOURSELF.

Fortunately I was able to point him to a tedx speech I did yonkers ago. The speech makes me cringe today, but he loved it and gave me the job. I wrote him a speech and he loved it. Got my first payment.

$150 for a 2 page speech. It was surreal. Anyway, I had a target to reach so I continued applying. Which brings me to my next point. Your cover letters, emails, pitches, etc. will be your foot in the door. Embellish your cred.

You're not just a writer. You're a top-notch writer. Or a writing whizz. Someone who can produce compelling content. Someone with a keen eye. The little experience you have? Milk it. But you need to make sure you follow through.

I'm grateful for the platform I used because they have a system set up to ensure that you get paid. No begging clients for cash. I was also fortunate to have clients who paid once work was submitted.

You cannot afford to joke around with deadlines. That's another way to sell yourself. Be specific. "I can get your work done in 7 to 14 days" - but be realistic too.

Your word is all you have. Mess it up and you'll have a hard time getting good feedback.

Client-searching/ Applying for jobs is taxing. I've had days where I send 30 applications and get zero replies. but I keep going. Sometimes clients will only respond days later to job posts they put up

As I mentioned earlier. Freelancing is different for everyone. Some people are lucky enough to land big gigs on Forbes or Huffpost. Yay you. If you have to use sites like Upwork, doesn't mean you're less of a freelancer. Proud to say I've earned steady income from jobs

on that platform. It was hard sticking to my no under $100 rule but it paid off. Clients who pay peanuts will treat you like crap. It is not worth it. You don't need to build your rep. You need to prove you can do the job.

Woah. okay this thread is long. Sorry. lol. I chose to use Upwork because I already had an account with them. Some people have struggled with the site. There are many others.

Here are a few:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245953 

https://www.shoutmeloud.com/8-websites-to-start-your-freelance-writing-career.html https://thewritelife.com/find-freelance-writing-jobs/

If you want to be a good freelance writer, you need to be able to research well. I've written about topics like Canning and Preserving, and Cryptocurrency. I knew nothing about them but research and learning how to write without plagiarising helped.

Work on your craft. Improve your skills. Be open to improvising

I hope to get to a point where I can build a portfolio and start emailing companies and the likes. But that's for after I graduate. For now, I'm happy with where I am. Somewhat self-sufficient and learning every day.