Whether it’s the desire for greater autonomy, the need for additional income or the pursuit of a lifelong passion, starting a freelance business can be the key to unlocking personal and financial freedom.
For those who are ready to take the plunge, understanding how to monetize their skills effectively is the first step towards successfully making money as a freelancer.
01. Graphic design
As a freelancer, you can make money by offering design services for logos, branding materials, or social media graphics. To increase your chance of profitability, create design packages for businesses or offer subscription services for ongoing graphic design work.
Graphic designer Kath Anderson uses her online portfolio to share her past work and her openness to new graphic design commissions. In order to make money as a graphic designer you’ll need to create a portfolio website to showcase your work and to show your work. You should also consider building your social media presence in order to market your design work. You can take inspiration from these freelance website examples.
02. Web design and development
Make money as a freelancer by building websites for clients, or specialize in creating sites on a specific website builder, like Wix. You’ll also need to make your own freelance website to showcase the websites you’ve created and your specific skills or niche. Websites are a huge part of many businesses’ marketing and brand efforts and there’s huge demand for the creation and management of them.
03. Content writing
Making money as a freelance writer is a popular online venture and business idea. You can create and write content for company or lifestyle blogs, online publications or websites. It’s a flexible way to make money from home. Some freelancers focus on specific niches, tech for example, or lifestyle content. But you can also work across a wide spectrum of topics. Freelance writing can turn into a consistent source of income if you build good working relationships with your clients.
However, it can be a competitive field and you’ll need to be able to stand out and deliver high-quality work in order to make money as a freelance writer.
If you’re looking to make money as a freelance writer, you’ll need a portfolio website but you could also consider starting a blog. It’s easy to get one set up with a blog maker, like Wix and it’s a great way to not only market your writing and content creation skills but it can also be something that, with a dedicated readership, can be monetized either through ads or sponsored content.
04. SEO consulting
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) consulting is one way to make money as a freelancer. If you have SEO experience you can channel that into building up a client base and working freelance. Many companies have a need for SEO consulting, strategy and work but don’t necessarily have the budget or resources for an in-house team. This is where freelance SEO experts come in. Most SEO work, if not all, can be done online, making this a flexible way to make money that can be done from anywhere in the world.
If you’re looking to make money through freelance SEO work, it’s a good idea to build case studies of how you’ve helped websites and brands rank well. You can also build test websites to test SEO best practices and strategies, which can then be used to market your skills and experience.
05. Social media management
06. Photography
A photography business is a well-known way to make money as a freelancer. There are many different areas to specialize in, from weddings and events to products or real estate. If you’re looking to start a photography business, you’ll need a photography website to show your work and to manage your services. Like this photography website and portfolio from El Gallo Photography.
You can also diversify and expand on the ways you make money as a photographer by selling your photos to stock image websites, by selling your images via your website or by offering photo editing services to other photographers and creatives.
07. Virtual assistance
As more and more work can take place online and remotely, virtual assistance has become an increasingly popular way to make money as a freelancer. Starting a virtual assistant business involves providing administrative support to businesses. It could be answering calls for them, organizing paperwork or spreadsheets, or even bookkeeping for more specialized needs.
A great way to make money with this type of freelance work is by creating packages of your services, to ensure consistent income and to retain clients. You can also offer tiered pricing for different levels of administrative support.
08. Video production
Video is in high demand, both from marketing agencies and big brands. Because of this, creating and producing video content can be an effective way to make money as a freelancer. It can be promotional videos for product launches, educational content for brands or advertisements for small and large businesses. You can offer end-to-end services from scriptwriting to post-production, or just parts of the process – for example, just the scriptwriting, or just the filming, depending on your specific skills.
09. Voice over work
Looking for a fun way to make money as a freelancer? If so, voice-over work might be just the thing. You can lend your voice to commercials, audiobooks or video games. It’s definitely advisable to create a portfolio, use these portfolio templates to get started, showcase your past work and share with casting agents for potential new work and projects.
10. Programming and software development
Making money as a freelancer specializing in programming and software development can build into a very successful career that can be fully remote. It can involve developing custom software solutions, mobile apps or online games. Some freelancers work with multiple clients, others might choose to work with one large company as a freelancer, it all depends on your niche and available opportunities. You’ll need to have some experience in programming to make this type of freelancing work.
11. Digital marketing
There are many ways to make money as a freelance digital marketer. In part because the field of digital marketing is so broad and can cover so many different services, from PPC advertising to email marketing or content marketing. You can choose to offer services in all of these different marketing branches or specialize in a particular niche. It all depends on your particular skills and experience.
Making money as a freelance digital marketer can be difficult, as the industry is highly competitive and this is a much sought-after freelance role, as it often means consistent, high-income and flexible, remote work. You’ll need to provide high-quality work and deliver results in order to retain clients and earn new ones.
12. Illustration
Illustrator and graphic designer Juliette van Rhyn uses her website to showcase her award-winning work. Van Rhyn says of her portfolio: “I wanted to develop a look and feel for my website that reflected the characteristics of my work; I opted for a playful, offbeat layout, using colors found in some of my posters. My aim was to make my website feel like one of my designs in its own right, to create a cohesive identity that gives a strong sense of what I offer as a designer.
13. Coaching and consulting
Starting a coaching business, or a consulting venture, can be an effective way to make money as a freelancer. Coaching could cover anything from sports to life coaching, fitness and career advice. Consulting is usually more business-focused and tends to involve providing specific support or strategies for business growth and management.
Both are great ways to make money as a freelancer for people with the necessary skills and expertise to impart to other people who need or may benefit from them. Both services can be offered to individuals, to groups you run yourself, or to corporate groups within companies.
If you have experience running an eCommerce website or eCommerce business, offering your services to other businesses can be a way to make money as a freelancer. This can involve helping businesses and brands set up and manage their online stores. You can choose to specialize in working with multiple platforms or specialize in one, such as Wix.