Tips for Maximizing Freelance Opportunities

Dear freelancers, This year, I need you to run your strictest programme yet. No more “let’s just see how it goes” energy. We’re moving like strict businesses. okurrr. Start here: 1/ Have contracts in place. Every time. 2/ Set communication hours. You’re not a 24/7 helpline. 3/ Stick to your T&Cs. Boundaries are part of the service. 4/ Take deposits. Your calendar is not a free holding space. 5/ If a potential client is giving you the runaround, run away. 6/ Get clear on the scope before you start. “Can you just…” will finish you. 7/ Don’t undercharge yourself just to “secure the bag.” Cheap clients are rarely low stress. BUT. By doing all this, you also need to make sure your service is matching the standards you’re setting. Professionalism isn’t one-sided. So also: ✨ Deliver on time. Or communicate early. ✨ Make the process smooth, not stressful. ✨ Overcommunicate progress so clients feel secure. ✨ Take pride in the details; quality is your reputation. ✨ Leave clients feeling like they made the right investment. This isn’t just about helping yourself. It helps the whole freelance community. When you undercharge, overdeliver for free, ignore contracts, or move messy, it lowers the standard for everyone else trying to run a serious business. We can be kind. We can be flexible. But we cannot be unserious. Yours sincerely, A seasoned freelancer

Let me save you 3 months of trial and error. Because I’ve already done the hard part — so you don’t have to. If you’re a freelancer struggling to land your first (or next) job on Upwork, read this slowly: I know what it feels like… Refreshing your feed 10 times a day. Sending proposals that get zero views. Wondering if this “Upwork thing” actually works. It does. But only if you stop doing the wrong things. Here’s what you should be doing instead: 1. Stop applying to jobs that already have invites. If a client has invited others, chances are they already have someone in mind. Don’t waste your connects. 2. Target jobs posted within the last 5–10 minutes. Fresh jobs = less competition. Speed is your secret weapon. Yes, a client might still send invites after you apply — but it’s a risk worth taking because clients hang around few minutes after posting a job so there are high chances of getting your proposal viewed. 3. Apply to jobs that request a short video intro (1–2 mins). Most freelancers skip these. Don’t. Even if it’s not required, send a short video anyway. Especially for new clients — it builds instant trust and sets you apart. 4. Don’t ignore clients with new accounts. Yes, some may be shady. But many are real — and ignored. Fewer applicants = higher chances of being noticed. 5. End every proposal with a strong CTA. Guide the client on what to do next. Instead of: “Let me know when you’re free.” Say: “Are you available for a quick call now?” You can also ask: “Can you share your biggest challenge with this project? I’ll come prepared with a plan.” 6. Add a P.S. at the end of your proposal. The P.S. section gets read more often than the main message. Use it to: ♦️Reinforce your motivation ♦️Add urgency ♦️Include a second CTA ♦️Share a bonus insight Example: P.S. I’ve worked on a similar project before — happy to share a sample if that helps speed up your decision-making. 7. Check your profile visibility. Go to Settings → Profile Settings → Visibility. If it’s set to Private, no one can find you in search. Fix that now. 8. Align your categories with your actual skills. Wrong categories = Wrong traffic = No invites. Make sure your selected categories reflect what you actually offer. 9. Start your proposal with a hook that speaks to pain. If the first sentence doesn’t grab attention, nothing else will. Example: “Tired of hiring VAs who overpromise and underdeliver? I get it — here’s how I do things differently…” 10. Track what works. Analyze your proposals. Improve your openers. Test different CTAs. Tweak until you see results. 11. Be consistent. Upwork success isn’t magic — it’s method. Show up daily. Apply to at least 1 job a day. If you don’t have connects, log in and save jobs that match your skills. It signals the algorithm. Got questions about Upwork? Drop them in the comments — I’ll answer. Found this helpful? Repost to help another freelancer cut through 3 months of confusion.

You’re not bad at freelancing. You’re just in a sh*t situation. How to get yourself out: 1. Stop undercharging You’re not losing deals because of price. You’re underpricing because you’re scared. Raise your rate. Scary at first. But the best clients don’t blink. 2. Fire bad clients Freelancing isn’t freedom if you’re stuck with nightmare clients. • Late payers. • Scope creepers. • Ghosters. Every time you say yes to them, you block space for better ones. 3. Master discovery calls Most freelancers pitch blind: • “Here’s what I do” • “Here’s my rate” That’s not selling. That’s hoping. Ask: • What triggered your search? • What’s the real goal? • What’s stopping you from doing this in-house? Context turns a shaky pitch into a confident close. 4. Build systems, not chaos Beaches and laptops are nice. But freedom comes from systems. • Track your time • Automate invoicing • Batch your marketing Without systems, freelancing feels like running in circles. 5. Fix your money mindset A job gave you a salary. Freelancing makes you set your own value. Every time you undercharge, overdeliver, or skip billing for a revision— that’s not kindness. That’s fear. Freelancing forces you to confront it. 6. Create leverage Writing one blog = one paycheck. But: • Turn it into a case study • Repurpose it into LinkedIn posts • Build a library of assets you can sell again Leverage means you stop trading time for cash. 7. Learn to walk away The hardest freelance skill. • Not Canva. • Not AI. • Not email outreach. Walking away from clients who drain you. Because no invoice is worth hating your work. Freelancing isn’t about skills alone. It’s about boundaries, systems, and mindset. 👉 Which of these do you struggle with most right now?

When you've been freelancing a while, you realise that more hustle doesn’t equal more clients. The problem usually isn’t that you’re not pitching enough… it’s more that not enough of the right people know you exist or trust your judgement. Getting people to SEE you is one thing, but getting the like and trust factor is a different beast entirely. Here’s how I do it. 1. Build a warm lead ecosystem instead of using one-off tactics Most freelancers treat lead generation like a buffet: a bit of posting here, a few DMs there, maybe a networking call if they feel brave. Individually, these actions can work. But it’s when they’re all used together, consistently, that they turn into a flywheel that pretty much runs on its own. Think of your lead generation as an ecosystem with different layers of visibility, proof, and connection. 2. Create a “people map” It’s tempting to go with the scattergun approach of finding leads, and sometimes this can work (especially early on when you’re not 100% sure who you serve). But, if you want to really drill down into it, ask yourself: Where are the rooms full of clients who already want what I do? Use the answer to start building a living document of the people, companies, and communities worth staying visible in. - Founders you admire - Ideal client companies - Newsletter writers your audience reads - LinkedIn creators talking to your people - Agency owners who subcontract - Podcast hosts in your niche 3. Warm yourself up in rooms before you reach out A CLASSIC freelancer mistake: 1. Arrive. 2. Pitch (and hope that it turns into something). A better approach: 1. Observe 2. Add value 3. Become familiar 4. Pitch only if it makes sense I call this “warming up” and it creates warmer leads that are more open to you pitching/asking for work when the time is right. Some low-effort, high-impact warm-ups include: - Thoughtfully commenting on content - Replying to newsletters or stories - Sharing content with an added insight - Offering a micro-observation about their brand or positioning Once you start building out your people map, you can spend 5-10 minutes a day warming a few people on it. 4. Show your brain Clients don’t hire you because you write, design, code, or strategise. They will often hire you because of how you think and how you show up. Share: - How you make decisions - What questions you ask in projects - Problems you’ve solved and how - Mistakes you’ve made + how you fixed them - Screenshots from inside your process - 60-second voice notes or short videos explaining an insight Aim for one “thinking” post per week, which could be a small breakdown of how you’d approach a client problem. 5. Use micro-asks to unlock hidden opportunities Instead of “Do you need help?”, ask smaller, softer questions that open the door. Try: - “How are you currently approaching X?” - “Do you ever outsource Y?” - “Who owns X inside your team?” Send 5 micro-asks per week to people already in your orbit.

Freelance tip: Before you think about doing something new in your freelance career, look at what *more* you could be doing with what you've already got. That could be a certification, a credential, a skill, or something totally different. More on this: Years ago, I interviewed Jost Zetzsche about translation technology tools, and he said (paraphrasing here), "Most translators already own a translation memory tool that has tons of features they've never even tried. Before you go buying a million standalone tools, make sure you're using all the features of the tools that you already paid for." The same is true of *ourselves*. Earlier this year, I hired a business coach for myself, for the first time in 22 years of freelancing. Treasa Edmond gave me tons of good advice, but perhaps the most helpful was this exact phenomenon: look at where you could be doing more with the assets you've already got. Shiny object syndrome is exciting, but you're a lot more likely to be successful by ramping up something that's already rolling, rather than starting from scratch with something new. In my case, Treasa pointed out that I was still thinking of Training for Translators as a side hustle, although I have almost 5,000 people on my mailing list and 45% of them open my weekly e-mails. I love that side of my business and I've been doing a lot more with it this year. So maybe you have a similar thing: a certification you never did much with, a niche skill that not many people have. Start there, before you start from ground zero with a new thing!

I left my full-time job 7 years ago this month (time flies!) to start freelance writing. Here are 7 things I've learnt that I wish I'd have known back then: 1/ Create a separate bank account for all of your income and pay yourself a salary from that account. It stops you living invoice-to-invoice and helps you manage cashflow. It's also good for saving $$$ if you only take X amount each month. Anything you earn on top is saved. 2/ Tax is expensive. Create another bank account (or space inside your existing one) to save for it. Put 30% of every invoice in there. Have an emergency back-up, too... Especially in your first year. Payments on account in the UK are a nightmare. 3/ Relationships are EVERYTHING. I wouldn't have 99% of my clients, nor work with companies with such high budgets, without an intro to them (or vice versa.) 4/ Set aside at least 1 hour/week to learn new stuff. Never think you've learnt it all. 5/ Do what you said you'd do, when you said you'd do it. 6/ If your rates don't scare you, they're not high enough. Think of the value you bring with your content and charge an extra 20% for the benefits you don't get for being a freelancer (i.e. insurance, PTO, sick leave, etc.) 7/ Work-life balance is HARD when you do both in the same house. Have a dedicated workspace and office hours. Don't work outside of those. Nothing is ever that urgent. I can't stick to 7 so here's a bonus: Don't feel pressured to set long working hours. Just because you worked 8 hours/day in an office, it doesn't mean you have to now. You'd probably drag out the same work you could do in 4 hours by cutting distractions and focusing. (Now, I only do "real work" in the afternoon.) What would you add? 👇

🚩 What I Did to Gain Experience as a Data Pro While Waiting for a White-Collar Job You’ve completed your courses.✅ You’ve practiced doing projects.✅ You’re actively applying for white-collar jobs.✅ 📌But if nothing is happening right now, one great way to build experience while waiting is by freelancing. 📍When I was transitioning to DS from my role as a software developer, I had done all I needed to do: taken courses, practiced, and applied for jobs. But there was still something missing; real-time, hands-on projects. 📍I decided to sign up on a few freelance platforms. I learned a lot, made a few mistakes, and now I’m sharing tips that will help guide you. 1. Find the Right Platforms: Don’t limit yourself to one platform. Explore Upwork, Freelancer, and others. Each has different types of clients and projects. The more platforms you’re on, the better your chances of landing work. 2. Optimize Your Profile: First impressions matter. Highlight your strengths and showcase your portfolio with links or screenshots of past projects, even if they’re small. If you have reviews or feedback from previous work, display them to build trust with potential clients. 3. Stay Active & Be Ready to Bid: Freelancing is competitive. Stay active and be quick to bid on projects. Avoid sending generic proposals. Tailor your bids to each project, explaining exactly how you can help. Show clients you’ve taken the time to understand their needs. 4. Communicate Professionally:   When responding to bids or communicating with clients, always sound professional. 📍Don’t rely heavily on tools like ChatGPT, clients can tell when it feels robotic. Use your own words and let tools assist with minor corrections like punctuation or tense. 5. Set Realistic Deadlines: Don’t overpromise just to win a project. Set realistic expectations and factor in time for revisions or potential delays. Meeting or exceeding deadlines will build a reputation for reliability. 6. Automation & Efficiency: One thing I can’t stress enough, automate repetitive tasks. If you’re manually repeating the same steps for every project, you’re wasting time that could be spent bidding on new work or completing tasks faster. 📍A simple Python script can handle routine tasks, allowing you to manage more projects simultaneously. 📍Trust me, without automation, you could be stuck on one project for a whole month, when it should’ve taken just a few weeks. 7. Mistakes to Avoid: 📌Taking on too many projects at once: It’s tempting to say yes to every opportunity. Focus on delivering quality work for a few projects. 📌Not asking enough questions upfront: Don’t assume you understand the project fully without asking detailed questions. Clarify everything before starting to avoid mid-project confusion. ♻️ Repost so others can learn #dataliving #favouribude

Some freelancers just get it. They follow instructions the first time, consistently meet deadlines, and deliver clean, compelling copy across categories, from commerce and culinary to travel, design, and the outdoors. I work with these pros again and again because they make my life (and job) easier. Whether I’m editing for a major commerce outlet or a buzzy travel startup, they show up, adapt, and knock it out of the park. To the freelancers who are reliable, versatile, and low-drama: I see you. I appreciate you. I’ll always advocate for you. Tips for Freelancers Who Want to Get Rehired 1. Nail the assignment the first time Read the brief thoroughly. Ask smart clarifying questions if needed, but not ones already answered in pitching guidelines and freelancer/style guides. 2. Respect deadlines (early > late) An editor’s dream? A freelancer who files early, or at least on time without reminders. 3. Stay versatile The more you can write—SEO roundups, narrative features, product copy, interviews—the more opportunities you’ll land. (However, it's also beneficial to be an expert and niche down in certain categories, but that's another post.) 4. Be communicative but concise Keep editors in the loop if something’s off track, but respect their time. Solution-oriented updates go a long way. 5. Make your work easy to work with Clear file names, correct formatting, proper sourcing—all of it matters. 6. Be someone editors want to work with again Professionalism + consistency = long-term work and referrals.

More than 35 years ago, I wrote my first magazine article. I was in my 20s and just starting out in my journalism career. Since this was pre-internet, I'd sent a pitch via snail mail. I waited weeks for a response and the editor said YES! It was a business profile for a local magazine and I got paid $50. I was terrified. All my insecurities bubbled to the surface: * Did I hook the reader with a compelling lead? * Did I capture the essence of the business? * Did I fact-check thoroughly? * Will my editor like my work? * Will the article resonate with readers? * Is the piece good enough? * Am I good enough? Today, I've written for The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Good Housekeeping, AARP, Southern Living, USA Today, AAA, Lonely Planet, Hospitality Management, Success, and hundreds of other print and digital publications. 👉 Here's what I've learned: 1. Communication is key. Writing talent? Check. But here's the real game-changer: being a solid communicator can make or break your freelance business. The writers who truly succeed are those who listen intently, ask razor-sharp questions, and turn client feedback into gold. Your ability to be open to feedback and adapt is worth its weight in bylines. 2. Think like a business. Successful freelancers are strategic entrepreneurs. Track your income ruthlessly, set iron-clad boundaries, and constantly evolve your business model. I've seen SO many changes since the 1980s and have had to adapt every step of the way. Pro tip: Build your network--with prospects, clients, and other freelancers--because every relationship is a potential doorway to your next opportunity. (The bulk of my business comes through referrals.) 4. Adopt generosity as a marketing strategy. Don't hoard your knowledge--share it generously. (That's why I launched Experti•sh Freelancer newsletter!) 🙂 By teaching what you know, you're not giving away your competitive edge. You're establishing yourself as the go-to expert. Your unique experiences and insights are your trademark. More than three decades in, and I'm still learning, growing, and embracing change in this unpredictable freelance journey. #freelancewriting #freelancesuccess #lessonslearned

I've received thousands of cold emails from freelance writers in my career. I've only ever responded to and hired from ONE. Here's why: The mistakes I see: ❌ The email is long, dense, or full of buzzwords ❌ Copy lacks offer differentiation and personality ❌ Huge assumptions are made (taking a look at our current state and assuming something to be true about what we need or are looking for) ❌ No website, portfolio, or work samples are shared (it's true, most people don't share any examples of the work they're pitching to do!) ❌ Irrelevant pitches. You'd be surprised by how many people aren't relevant to our audience, or their ideas are completely unrelated to what we do. Here's what to do instead: ✅ Use tentative tones. We know this works in sales cold emails. Freelance pitches are the same. Use their current content to show you're personalizing outreach and paying attention. But use questions and unsure tones like "looks like," "starting to," "I saw," "are thinking," or "typically" to set the stage for an unassuming assumption. ✅ Stop. Using. Buzzwords. Use this opportunity to give them a glimpse of your writing style while being short, succinct, and direct. ✅ Don't be afraid to interject who you are and what you uniquely bring to the table. Be you! That's what I want to see. ✅ Don't ask for permission to share work samples. Do it in the first touch. If someone emails me and piques my interest, I instantly want to see work samples. (But also don't send an overabundance — create clarity and conviction for what you want them to see.) Even if my interest isn't piqued, I will almost always click on your work examples because I'm curious! That gives you a much higher chance of reply. And my #1 tip: ✅ PITCH SOLID IDEAS. Include real, personalized, research-backed content ideas. Don't give me generic SEO headline examples or ideas from ChatGPT. You're trying to stand out in the inbox and asking someone to give you a shot. You have to give them a reason why you, out of the hundreds of others, are a fit for them. Or why they should remember you for the future. Give me a reason to get excited. Make it impossible for me to ignore your idea. You're pitching writing services, so the writing of your email is everything. Don't overtemplatize or outsource to AI. Be the you-est you that you can be. Be short and direct. Show off your work. Pitch compelling ideas. 💥 What would you add?