The document provides steps for getting started as a freelancer. It discusses finding a niche, creating profiles and portfolios on freelancing platforms like Upwork, optimizing social media, developing standard operating procedures and payment methods, establishing rates, creating sales funnels, and maintaining productivity and reliability. The overall guide covers best practices for freelancers to market themselves, manage projects, and build long-term client relationships.

1. Freelancing Skills
Faiza Yousuf

2. Let’s start from the
beginning!

3. Step 1: Find your niche

4. Step 2: Make Lists (a lot of them!)

5. Step 3: Get on a freelancing platform

6. Freelance marketplaces!

7. Let’s see how Upwork
works!

8. Profile Types
•Generalized Profile: All Work
•Specialized Profile 1
•Specialized Profile 2

9. Creating a Profile!
•Profile Picture
•Location
•Title
•Description
•Video Intro
•Hourly Rate
•Work History and Feedback
•Portfolio
•Availability
•Skills
•Certifications
•Employment History and Other
Experience
•Education
•Phone and Email Verification
•Identity Verification
•Languages
•Projects
•Consulting Service

10. Profile
Approval
Mechanism
•Skill Categories
•Title and Description
•Profile Completion
•Rate and Location
•Improve and Reapply

13. Create
Specialized
Profiles
•A title, overview, and rate
•Which portfolio and work history items show
(general has all, specialized shows just the
relevant ones of your choosing)
•More detail about the type of skills you have
within a job category

14. Let’s Talk
About Rate!
•What should be your hourly rate?
•Estimating fixed price projects
•How and when to increase your rate?

15. Searching
for
Projects/Job
•Search for skillset but also keep other keywords
in mind.
•Use search filters, always!
•Save interesting jobs and then start applying.

16. Before
Applying..
•Payment Method
•Location
•Client Feedback/Reviews
•Average Hourly Rate
•Hire Rate
•Bid Range

17. While
Applying..
•Custom Proposal
•Answer Questions
•Give it a personal touch
•Talk about your previous projects a bit
•Show off your portfolio

18. Cover
Letter
Structure
•Introduction
•Why should they hire you?
•What can you do for them?
•Portfolio

19. If you hear
back!
•Setup a video call
•Create a project brief
•Don’t overcommit
•Don’t offer to do things for free
•Don’t put a condition on feedback
•Don’t sell yourself cheap

20. While
Working..
•Communicate more and often
•Keep your promises
•Ask questions and implement their feedback
•Remind them to rate and review your work

21. What Not
To Do!
•Copy pasted proposals
•Competing on Price
•Overcommitting and under delivering
•Letting go of transparency
•Always saying yes
•Quitting too soon

22. Understanding
Your Profile’s
Stats!
•Client Satisfaction
•Communication
•Marketing Effectiveness

23. Job Success
Score

24. Job Success
Score

25. Talent
Badges
•Rising Talent
•Top Rated
•Top Rated Plus
•Expert-Vetted

26. Reports to
Explore
•Certificate of Earnings
•Connects History
•Transaction history
•Billings & Earnings

27. Let’s check out Upwork’s Time Tracker
Application!

28. Payments
•Payoneer
•Direct Bank Transfer

29. Tips on
Building
Long-term
Clientele!
•Upsell, upsell and upsell
•Offer help/advice
•Always respond
•Stay connected

30. Step 4: Polish your Social Media Presence

31. •Make sure that the bio/about sections of your profiles are up-to-date.
•Use your full name and keep your profiles public (if possible), it will make you searchable.
•No religious/political discussions.
•No personal pictures/check-ins/details.
•Actively use Facebook groups for participating in discussion with like minded people (same
rule applies for LinkedIn).
•Create, curate and share relevant content with your audience.
•Use twitter for connecting with people, take part in twitter chats and form connections.

32. Step 5: Create a Portfolio

33. Building your freelance portfolio as
a beginner
•Take a stock of your work
•Presenting work with previous employers
•Reworking on existing topics
•Take up challenges (100 Days of Code, Monthly Writing Challenge, Weekly
Design Challenge)
•Create a fictional client
•Find that one client

34. •https://www.behance.net/
•https://github.com/
•https://www.slideshare.net/
•https://wordpress.com/
•https://medium.com/
•https://dribbble.com/

35. Step 6: Create SOPs for your business

36. Step 7: Sort out the payment method

37. •https://www.escrow.com/
•https://www.payoneer.com/main/
•https://www.skrill.com/en/

38. Step 8: Create a rate card for hourly work or
estimation technique for fixed price projects

39. Step 9: Create your sales funnel

40. •The best and most effective of all is to write blogposts, experience reports, white papers,
answers on Quora, etc.
•Start podcasting, which doesn’t require a lot of equipment and can help you in reaching to
your potential customers.
•Creating an online course is also a very effective way of reaching out to the right kind of
audience.
•Email marketing via your website.
•Host a webinar, even a targeted Facebook Live session can help.
•Participate in online discussions (Targeted Facebook groups are a gold mine of connections)
•And last but not the least, network with the right kind of people and be helpful.

41. Step 10: Optimize your work procedures
and be productive

42. Step 11: Be reliable

43. Step 12: Be a lifelong learner

44. Let’s chat!
•Twitter: https://twitter.com/FaizaYousuf
•Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faiza.yousuf
•LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faizayousuf/
•Check out the detailed guide on freelancing here:
https://faizayousuf.blogspot.com/2017/11/start-
your-freelancing-career.html