Your Freelance Rates Cheat Sheet

Your Freelance Rates Cheat Sheet

by | Nov 19, 2022 | Blog, Resources

Figuring out your pricing is one of the hardest parts of ANY business. What should I charge? Should I raise my rates? Am I charging enough? One simple solution: Find out what others in your industry are charging.

We’ve compiled some of the best reports, tools, and posts from our freelance community to give you a sense of what other freelancers are charging. These resources can act as your sounding board, helping you adjust your current pricing or set your rates for the first time ever.

Start your research with these resources, but don’t be afraid to reach out to your community to compare rates too. Talking about money is healthy and normal — it should be the standard, especially for freelancers. We’re all here to help each other!

 

For Freelance Writers and Marketers

Peak Freelance’s Writing Rates Report

The Freelance Writing Rates Report from Peak Freelance is an incredible resource for content marketers and writers. Peak Freelance surveyed more than 200 freelancers in this space and generated insights on pricing and income for newbies and veterans alike. Dig in to figure out what to charge for white papers, blog posts, emails, and more, and see what others in your industry are making overall.

Ashley Cummings’ Freelance Writing Rates Report

This report, specifically for writers, was put together by Ashley Cummings because she spent so much time researching rates as a new writer. She couldn’t find the exact info she wanted, so she did the work herself! After surveying more than 260 freelance writers, she created this report. Check out her findings to see the rates other writers charge and how they structure their pricing. Ashley also shares data on how often other freelancers work each week, how they find clients, and lots more.

Superpath’s Content Marketing Report

Compare the potential earnings of full-time versus freelance marketing with this handy report from Superpath. It includes data on total income in both categories along with breakdowns for B2B, DTC, and job title, and the wage gap between men and women. This is especially helpful if you’re currently working full time and considering the shift to freelance — or debating going back to full-time work.

Credo’s Digital Marketing Consultant Rates

This survey data from Credo is simple but super helpful. It shares insights on contract length and average monthly retainer. I’d recommend pairing this data with their overview of rates, retainers and project minimums for digital agencies if you operate more as an agency than a solopreneur — or if you want to grow into that!

Editorial Freelancers Association Editorial Rates

This editorial rate chart created by the Editorial Freelancers Association compiles median rate ranges across a diverse spectrum of freelance writing and marketing functions. You’ll find insights organized by hourly rate, per-word pricing, and pace of work. If you’re a freelance writer or a marketer, you’ll want to bookmark this comprehensive rate sheet for future reference.

For Freelance Designers

Dribbble’s Freelance Graphic Design Rates Guide

The calculator in Dribbble’s graphic design rates guide is a perfect starting place for pricing. Add your location, role, and years of experience to get a suggested rate in your local currency. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the guide too. They give you an equation to calculate your hourly rate based on how much you want or need to earn, and advise you on whether hourly or fixed-rate pricing would be better.

Payscale’s Freelance Graphic Design Guide

Payscale provides a variety of tools to help you define your rates, including a calculator to figure out your “market worth.” You’ll also find information on average hourly rates for designers and skills that affect salaries.

For Freelance Developers and Product People

Say My Rate’s Calculator

The team at Say My Rate can help you discover your “true” hourly rate with their free rate tool. Once you specify your name, the type of work you do, your location, your experience, and a few more details, their team emails you an hourly rate that they’re “fairly confident you could earn on the market.” It’s truly that simple!

Arc’s Freelance Developer Rate Explorer

The rate explorer from Arc is unique in that it shares average hourly rates for specific development skills, including WordPress, blockchain, Ruby on Rails, and a dozen other development niches. This could be helpful if you work with a variety of development languages and want to price more challenging projects at a higher rate. Never undervalue your skills!

For All Freelancers

Freelancing Females’ Rate Sheet and Calculator

Freelancing Females developed a super helpful rate calculator and an extensive breakdown of freelancing rates worldwide. This is one of the most comprehensive rate sheets we’ve seen. It includes details like gender, location, rate type, industry, job title, and more. Scroll to find your job type, which is listed alphabetically, and then use the industry column to find the rates that directly correlate with the work you do.

Upwork’s How to Calculate Your Freelance Rate

This comprehensive guide from Upwork gives you step-by-step directions for determining your freelance marketing rate along with helpful equations. They encourage you to think about your annual income goal, expenses, and value too — important pieces of the puzzle that are easy to forget when you’re setting competitive rates.

More Resources on Setting Your Freelance Rates

How to Figure Out Your Pricing

Harlow’s pricing guide helps you calculate billable hours and working days per year. We’re passionate about helping find the best work-life balance possible, and to do that, you have to factor in your downtime too.

How to Discuss Freelancer Fees With Clients

Do you get anxiety sharing your rates with a prospective client for the first time? Big same. It can be so nerve-wracking — What will they think? Am I asking for too much? In this article, we break down a few common scenarios that crop up when discussing pricing and help you navigate each one.

How to Repackage Your Services and Sell the Value of Your Work

Finally, learn how to charge the rate you deserve, and more importantly — how to own it! This post will inspire you to refine your pricing and make sure you’re charging based on value and results.

 

Freelance Interview Series – Bringing on a Virtual Assistant with Erin Booth

Freelance Interview Series – Bringing on a Virtual Assistant with Erin Booth

by | Nov 18, 2022 | Blog, Resources

Erin Booth is a virtual assistant and coach who’s helped over 32,000 solopreneurs start their own VA businesses. We asked Erin to share her take on how freelancers and VAs can work together to build sustainable, efficient freelance businesses.

How to Bring on a Virtual Assistant

When should freelancers consider bringing on a virtual assistant?

When it comes to hiring a virtual assistant, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” answer. But if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or like you’re not delivering your best work, it might be time to bring in some help.

Here are the most common signs that it’s time to introduce a trusted partner into your business:

You don’t have time to complete all of your priorities. This is the single most common reason that people opt to hire a VA.

Your work is suffering. You could be behind on your own billing or client maintenance, or you’re spending too much time on things that don’t result in direct income — like scheduling meetings.

Someone else might be better suited for a task. Maybe you’re not an expert in web design or Google Ads but you know those elements would benefit your business. Or maybe there’s a task that you simply hate doing (I’m looking at you, bookkeeping). Hiring a VA in these niches would definitely be an option for you.

How can freelancers determine what tasks a virtual assistant can take on for them?

Before you bring on a VA, it’s important to understand how much time you spend doing admin tasks vs. direct work for your clients.

The best way to do this is to document everything you do over the course of a week or two. At the end of the week, assess how much time you’ve spent on admin type tasks vs. direct work for your clients.

This process can help you identify what types of time-sucking tasks you can immediately offload onto a VA and make sure that your focus remains on working with clients.

Having said that, I have a quick and simple exercise to help you create a laundry list of items to delegate. Choose a task (like setting up calls, for example) and ask yourself:

1. Do I like doing this?
2. Is it repeatable?
3. Can it be delegated?

If the answers are No, Yes, Yes, then you’ve found tasks to delegate!

Pro Tip: Pay close attention to tasks that result in direct income. These high ROI tasks are best to delegate. For example, if you’re a freelance writer, ask your VA to send out pitches or keep a running list of potential projects.

Where can freelancers find a VA?

There are two main ways to find a VA: You can sign up with a VA-matching agency (like Zirtual or Time ETC), or you can find a freelancer on your own. There are pros and cons to each method.

In a nutshell, agencies will match you with a VA on their payroll but will charge you a premium price for the service. Finding a VA on your own can be more cost-effective since you control the budget, but it takes more work upfront.

Regardless of which route you opt for, it’s helpful to jot down a job description for your VA:

  • Get clear on the type of assistance/tasks you’re seeking.
  • Consider your budget carefully, and plan out how many hours per week or month you anticipate needing assistance.
  • Include a call to action so assistants know exactly how and where to respond to your listing.

Sharing this listing on your social media profiles is a great place to start. You can also ask your peers if they have VA recommendations, or consider listing your job listing on platforms like Fiverr.

What are some ways to determine whether or not a VA is going to be a good fit?

When you’re looking to hire a virtual assistant, it’s important to get a feel for who they are as a person. After all, you’ll be working closely with this person for (potentially) years to come. Video chat is the perfect way to do this. It gives you an opportunity to determine whether or not they’re a good fit for the role, and you’ll get a feel for their personality right off the bat.

And while a great VA will take the lead and ask you pertinent questions about your business, your goals, and your current needs, you can also ask candidates about their work experience, rates, typical turnaround time, etc.

What other advice do you have for freelancers who are considering hiring a virtual assistant?

A great VA wants to become your right-hand person, your trusted confidant, and your partner in growth. But this kind of partnership takes time, trust, and work to build.

Don’t feel discouraged if you and your VA aren’t on the same page from Day 1. Give yourself time to learn how to be a clearer communicator and better delegator, and give your VA time to learn your work preferences and communication style.

10 Freelance Blogs You Should Bookmark

10 Freelance Blogs You Should Bookmark

by | Nov 7, 2022 | Blog, Resources

If you’re ready to level up your business, learn more about your finances, or just be reminded that you’re not alone on this journey, freelance blogs are a valuable resource. The question is, which blogs are actually worth reading? You only have so much extra time in the day.

I decided to do the research for you and, in doing so, found ten blogs that are written by freelancers or freelance-specific companies. They talk your talk and walk your walk! I also made sure that their content was legit because, let’s be honest, anyone can start a blog these days, but we want the good stuff.

Bookmark these freelance blogs for future reading. Or, if you’re more into listening, check out our favorite podcasts for freelancers.

 

Double Your Freelancing

From escaping Upwork to niching down, Double Your Freelancing covers a little bit of everything — and does it well. No watered-down content or half-baked thoughts here. All of their content is in-depth, well-written, and thorough, ensuring you get all the information you need on that particular topic.

Millo

Millo lives and breathes freelancing with a blog, podcast, and courses created for freelancers of all kinds. Check out their blog for tips and advice on topics like managing multiple clients and improving your communication skills. Don’t miss their real-world blog posts (like I’m a Logo Designer—Here’s What to Charge for Logo Design) all of which provide an interesting and relatable perspective.

Collective

Get all your freelance finance questions answered here. Whether you want to learn about how to get more money back during tax time or choose a payroll provider, Collective has a blog post for you. I also love that all their writers are finance experts — when it comes to these topics, you want to make sure you’re getting content from people you can trust.

Make a Living Writing

Bookmark Make a Living Writing if you want to learn about being a better writer and even non-writers will get valuable tips on copywriting, content creation, and marketing. I recommend checking out this blog post on how to become a better editor — from emails to proposals, being a great editor is a skill all of us freelancers need!

Flux Academy

If you’re looking for branding ideas, tips, and strategies, add Flux Academy to your list of freelance blogs to frequent. I appreciate how they cover so many unique branding topics and do it thoroughly. They also include lots of examples and graphics so the content is easier to understand, like in this blog post, What Is Brand Identity Prism And How Does It Work?

Harlow

This is our shameless plug for the Harlow Blog. We love creating this content for our freelance community! We talk about all things freelance life and business, from work-life balance to charging what you’re worth. We especially enjoy featuring other freelancers we admire with guest posts and interviews. Check out our recent talk with Momina Asif.

Creatorbread

This is another one of our top freelance blogs for creatives, and their focus is on business and money. They publish on a wide range of topics like creating financial stability. They also do interviews with other freelancers and freelance experts. Creatorbread also sends a newsletter called The Loaf on Saturdays, so if you like what they’re doing, you can get the best of their content delivered right to your inbox weekly.

Fiverr Workspace

Fiverr has built an extensive blog filled with tons of amazing content for every freelance need you have. I mean, seriously, when you dig into their extensive content, you’ll find that you can learn about everything from which software you should use to how to leverage SEO for your freelance website. Most of the content is written by their team and well-sourced, which is a must.

Contently

While Contently’s platform is for freelance writers, their blog covers topics that all freelancers will find valuable. Definitely check out their Voices content, which features real stories from real freelancers out there trying to grow a business doing what they love. That’s the dream, right?!

99designs

Most of us freelancers wear multiple hats and Creative Director and Designer are usually two of them. 99designs offers a wide range of content for both creative professionals and also those of us seeking a little extra shot of creativity for our freelance business. Check out their Get Inspired section for design ideas for every area of your business!

Freelance Interview Series – Navigating Childcare as a Small Business Owner with Maria West

Freelance Interview Series – Navigating Childcare as a Small Business Owner with Maria West

by | Nov 1, 2022 | Blog, Resources

Maria West is a copywriter, self-proclaimed hype woman for parenting brands in DTC, e-commerce, and tech, and mom to two boys. 

She regularly shares her freelance experiences with her community and today we’ve asked her to share her top tips for navigating remote work, parenting, and childcare.

Navigating Childcare as a Small Business Owner

How has your remote work schedule shifted since starting a family?

I was laid off from my full-time job as an in-house content marketing manager early pandemic (April 2020), only six weeks after returning from my maternity leave with my first son. Once I started freelancing after that, it was a struggle to balance a baby at home and work when things ramped up beyond being able to fit it in at naptime. I hired a babysitter a few days a week — my husband’s company at the time covered a sitter service for a certain amount of days, which was a huge benefit for us. Then we started him in full-time daycare when he turned one, even though I wasn’t working full-time hours. It worked for us, though!

What does your current child care situation look like? What steps did you take to decide what was best for you and your family?

Right now, my oldest son (almost three years old) goes to full-time daycare. He thrives there and is learning so much, and I’m not the kind of mom who is going to plan 1,398 learning and sensory activities at home every day. I love daycare because I know the teachers are qualified and love the kids. When I have sitters at home, I tend to get anxious about everything I can hear (e.g. they didn’t put on the sound machine for a nap so he’s crying, etc.). My seven-month-old is still home full-time with me, but I book a sitter a few hours a week if I need it using the SitterTree app. He’s pretty chill and naps a good bit so I can still manage things (for now 😅). I went past my limit last month with work and felt how hard it was to juggle everything — do not recommend.

Talk to us about ramping up a freelance business after taking maternity leave.

Coming back from maternity leave was a lot harder than expected. My situation was unique in that I told (lovely!) existing clients that I would no longer be working with them when I returned because I was rebranding my biz to DTC Mom and focusing on the parenting/consumer space. So I lost some momentum, which was to be expected. I had a few brands lined up but ended up not working with them for one reason or another. The catch? Postpartum emotions are also 10x more intense. I flung around, interviewing for full-time roles and questioning everything. But my rebranding and networking paid off — the seeds I had planted came to fruition eventually. Only two months later, I was turning down opportunities due to not having the capacity.

This article from Kat Boogaard is awesome for leave planning.

What scheduling tips and tricks have you implemented to help you manage your day-to-day?

I use Calendly to book meetings and only open two-hour blocks on two days each week. This helps me easily align with my husband’s schedule if he needs to help with the baby during meetings. I also knock out whatever needs my “best brain” in the morning during my son’s first nap, since that’s when my energy is at its peak. Afternoons are optional work time if I need it, otherwise I will play/do errands, etc. Also, BLESS the schedule Gmail feature. 🙏🏼

I’m taking the full month of December off because I want to have some de-stress time with my baby when he’s more mobile and appreciative of things we can do together vs. just waiting for the next window to work (this isn’t good for anyone). It was important to me to have him home for his first year since I unexpectedly got that with my oldest (thanks, pandemic).

I AM STILL FIGURING THIS OUT. It’s not easy! My workouts, self-care, etc. really suffered when I took on too much work. There’s no “One Best Way.”

What advice do you have for freelancers with children at home who are trying to figure out how to balance it all?

Just because you work from home or work less than 40 hours per week doesn’t mean you have to have your kids with you. Don’t be afraid of childcare, and don’t be afraid to mix-and-match your childcare (like one kid in daycare, one with you or a nanny or grandparent). Also, don’t lose sight of your WHY. I wanted my baby home for his first year (like mentioned above) and one way I chose to not overload myself with work and make the most of that was by taking December off. You have to say no sometimes to make room for the yes.

If possible, have a partner with a steady/flexible job. 😜

 

40 Must-Have Tools for Content Creators

40 Must-Have Tools for Content Creators

by | Nov 1, 2022 | Blog, Resources

This is a guest post contributed by Chayanika Sen. Chayanika is a freelance writer for B2B Tech and SaaS brands. She also educates new freelancers on how to scale their freelance businesses through her newsletter and consultation calls. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

When I started creating content 16 years ago, my only tool was Microsoft Word and an Oxford dictionary. Luckily, today, we have numerous tools to help make the content creation process easy, fast, and effective.

I know many of you use several tools in your daily content creation process, so I asked my creator community for their favorites. And here’s what I found! These are some of the most popular tools for creators, solopreneurs, and self-employed professionals.

 

Content Distribution Platforms

#1 Twitter

The little blue bird app is a must-have tool for every creator. It’s a great place to generate leads, network with peers, and discover opportunities you wouldn’t have imagined. Having a strong Twitter presence can catapult your business into new levels of growth. It just takes a little care and attention.

#2 Patreon

Patreon is fantastic for digital creators looking for new income streams. You can share exclusive content like articles and videos, sharing them with your “patrons” — audience members who pay a monthly fee to support you. Patreon helps you add a consistent source of monthly income and monetize the content you’re already creating. If you’re a podcaster, video creator, writer, journalist, non-profit, or gaming creator, I highly recommend it.

#3 Substack

Similar to Patreon, Substack is a subscription-based platform for writers and podcasters. With its clean interface and easy signup options, you can distribute paid content effortlessly.

#4 Medium

Nearly everyone knows Medium at this point. This ubiquitous content platform allows creators to distribute their content seamlessly. You can even use it for blogging and integrate it into your website.

Writing Tools

#5 Content Remix

Have a podcast? Want to increase its reach? Content Remix is a handy service that turns your podcast episodes into complementary blog posts, so you can promote your pod more effectively. Just share your audio and their writers will whip up an article in 3-5 business days.

#6 Copy.ai

Generate high-quality copy in minutes using this AI-powered tool. Copy.ai can help you create short-form and long-form written content efficiently. You just enter a bit of context, generate copy, edit the results, and publish.

#7 Do people say it

Do people say it is a super cool tool that gives you context for the words and phrases you use. It comes in handy for non-native English speakers especially.

#8 Lose the Very

The tool does what the name suggests. It helps you eliminate the word “very” from your vocabulary by giving you a concise adjective. Try Lose the Very yourself! Just plug in an adjective.

Editing Tools

#9 Grammarly

The free version of Grammarly includes spellcheck and readability suggestions, while the premium version helps you edit your content for grammar and syntax. It’s a helpful tool, especially for non-native writers. The tool also offers a plagiarism checker that comes in handy.

#10 Hemingway Editor

A great tool to help you write better, the Hemingway Editor helps you identify passive voice and hard-to-read sentences, offering simpler alternatives to improve each sentence. This is a must-have tool for writers!

#11 Pro Writing Aid

Find fragmented sentences and errors in your writing with the help of Pro Writing Aid, an AI-powered writing tool.

#12 Quillbot

Looking for another way to say that? Quillbot will rephrase what you write, helping you find better words for the same thing. It has a grammar checker, text summarizer, and plagiarism checker too.

#13 Word Tune

If writer’s block is hitting hard, Word Tune‘s AI writing assistant tool can help you rewrite, rephrase, and reword your article.

#14 CoSchedule Headline Analyzer

Make your headlines stand out! CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer will score your headlines on a variety of factors, like complexity, clarity, and skimmability, offering simple suggestions that can radically improve them.

Transcription Tools

#15 Otter.ai

Use Otter.ai to transcribe meeting notes and interviews in real time.

#16 Descript

Generate transcriptions automatically and simultaneously edit your audio and video content with Descript‘s brilliant software.

Design Tools

#17 Canva

Canva‘s popular visual editor comes with predesigned templates and drag-and-drop elements to help you create beautiful images and clips for social media and more.

#18 Unsplash

Unsplash is a free stock image site that hosts gorgeous photos from professional photographers that will up-level your visual content instantly.

#19 Pixlr

Like Photoshop but way more intuitive, Pixlr is a browser-based image editor that you should bookmark. Use it to create a logo, a business card, and other key assets.

#20 Supermeme.ai

Want to create some viral memes fast? Use Supermeme.ai to generate memes in more than 110 languages.

SEO Tools

#21 Ubersuggest

Use Ubersuggest‘s keyword discovery tool to optimize your content for search engines and generate more traffic to your site.

#22 Clearscope

This SEO tool helps you optimize your content for search engine bots. It offers plenty of keyword suggestions and tips to improve relevance. Plus, Clearscope integrates with Google Docs and WordPress!

#23 SurferSEO

SurferSEO audits your existing content and gives you clear, actionable steps to ramp up its SEO value. Plus, it shows you performance metrics so you can track improvement over time.

Business Management Tools

#24 Harlow

Get organized, save time, and grow your business with Harlow — the intuitive freelance client management tool. Create proposals and contracts, organize your tasks, track time spent on projects, and invoice your clients automatically. Do it all from one dashboard.

#25 ZenBusiness

Register your LLC and DBA, get your bank accounts set up, and take care of all of the basics you need with ZenBusiness.

Video Tools

#26 Loom

Send a video pitch or share feedback with your team with Loom, the asynchronous video messaging tool. You can record a screenshare and send it to anyone in seconds.

#27 Krisp

Use Krisp to remove all the background noise and echoes during your calls, from the neighbor’s barking dog to the howling baby next door.

#28 Capsule

Collect video testimonials, send pitches, and edit short clips with Capsule — an intuitive, browser-based video tool for creatives.

Social Media Tools

#29 Hootsuite

Build your brand on social media with Hootsuite. Create and schedule all your social media content in advance using this tool.

#30 Buffer

Fill up your weekly social media queue with Buffer‘s easy-to-use social scheduling tools. You can link it up to all your social accounts and monitor engagement in-app.

#31 UTM.io

Generate trackable links in seconds with UTM.io. Create personalized templates for each social platform, then apply them to URLs to automatically append the links with the right parameters.

#32 Bitly

Shorten long links and track clicks easily with Bitly — a must-have social media tool.

Research Tools

#33 Answer the Public

Answer the Public is a helpful social listening tool gives you a clear snapshot of what your intended audience is searching for, so you can create content that answers their questions and ranks well.

#34 HARO

Make your content stand out from the crowd by incorporating expert quotes from the industry. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) lets you connect with experts to source quotes.

#35 Help a B2B Writer

Similar to HARO, Help a B2B Writer connects you with industry experts who you can tap for relevant quotes.

#36 Terkel

Many prominent brands source quotes from Terkel — another good Q&A tool.

Storage and Organization Tools

#37 Glasp

This “social web highlighter” makes it easy to keep tabs on the goodies you find online. Read a poignant quote or article? Glasp to the rescue. Highlight the parts you want to remember and easily save to your favorite note-taking apps.

#38 My Mind

My Mind is like an “extension of your mind” that gives you a space to store all your notes, thoughts, images, quotes, and highlights without burdening your brain.

#39 Notion Web Clipper

Easily save articles, videos, and websites for later with the Notion Web Clipper, an essential Chrome extension for Notion power-users. Just choose your destination database, give the link a title, and save.

#40 Pocket

Create a digital pocket for all that you find online. Save interesting articles and references to return to when you’re ready with Pocket. You can even curate a list based on your interests and read the kind of content you want to read.

What’s your favorite content creation tool?

Shoot us a message if your go-to freelance tools are missing from this list. We’ll be updating it regularly!

5 Ways to Find Freelance HR Jobs

5 Ways to Find Freelance HR Jobs

by | Oct 31, 2022 | Blog, Resources

This is a guest post contributed by Jase Bluemontt. Jase has been a business consultant for over 3 years now. She teaches other entrepreneurs how to promote their businesses efficiently and find new gigs.

HR freelancing is a large and growing industry. The jobs are abundant and range from HR planning and policy, talent acquisition and recruitment, employee and leadership development, and more. And like many other freelance specialties, freelance HR work isn’t always discovered through online marketplaces, but rather through local relationships. One example that Forbes highlights is how business school professors often find freelance work as consultants or corporate educators through their industry contacts — not through a job website.

If you’re looking to land any of these positions, keep reading for our five tips on finding freelance HR jobs.

 

Understand the basics of networking

Networking is always helpful, but having connections is especially necessary for HR professionals because the industry is large and local. Return to the basics and mine contacts from past jobs or interactions. These contacts will become the foundation on which you can build your career going forward.

Don’t limit yourself to job fairs. Transform every business conference, training seminar, or university lecture into networking events by making contacts and spotting potential future clients. Starting a conversation is easier when you have prepared a basic elevator pitch, but always lead in by discussing common ground such as the event, location, or industry demands.

Study trends on modern recruiting

In a heavily competitive field, freelance HR workers have to stand out. They can do that by demonstrating a clear understanding of what HR managers do. Study the emerging trends in human resources — from the increasing usage of social media for vetting potential employees, to the adoption of software platforms for automating data entry and analysis processes.

Don’t be afraid to discuss these in detail by networking or offering your services. Despite the abundance of HR consulting businesses, many still hesitate to outsource HR, worried that an outsider’s perspective cannot provide tailored solutions. Displaying your expertise in the field reassures clients that freelancing isn’t a difficulty, but an advantage that gives you a keener and more objective analysis of the industry.

Learn how to cold pitch

Networking online is important too. Cold pitches are a necessary tool to connect with companies you want to work with. Pattern this after your basic elevator pitch and don’t forget to uniquely appeal to clients by highlighting common grounds and interests.

Here, it’s essential to do your homework. Discover your target clients’ mission and principles, as well as any recent launches or campaigns, to which you genuinely believe you can add value. Personalizing your cold pitch around a clear proposal will help you cut through the clutter of an overflowing inbox.

Build a personalized website

Whether you’re cold pitching or networking in person, it helps to have a portfolio to showcase your skills and accomplishments. A simple freelance website that showcases your services, including a profile and testimonials, is a great place to start.

This is a cost-efficient way to show off your professionalism and talents. However, websites require regular updates, so you need to look into a user-friendly website builder.

Explore talent marketplaces

Finally, work can be found in online marketplaces if you know where to look. Because an estimated 36% of American workers are involved in the gig economy, there are several websites for finding freelance HR jobs. These can range from Guru for experienced freelancers to Fiverr for beginners. Beyond websites, there are even social media groups on Facebook or threads on Reddit that serve as networking platforms while providing job opportunities.

Solely utilizing online talent marketplaces isn’t enough, though. Combining the above strategies could allow freelancers to find HR work more efficiently, and solidify the field of HR in the freelance revolution.