We all love to work on our craft. It’s no secret we would all love to get paid to do that too, but how do we get started? Freelancing is one of the most common ways creatives can independently market and sell their craft, whether it be a side-hustle or their primary career. There is no one way to freelance, and everyone’s path will be different based on the product. Below are some essential tips for getting started in the freelancing world and making money doing what you love.

1. Know Your Product or Service

You can’t market or price something if you don’t know what it is. We all have many talents, but not all of them may be something you can or want to sell. Decide whether you’re offering a service, singular product, package deal, or maybe all three. Take the time to figure out what you will be offering your customers, why people would want it, and why you’re the best person for the job.

2. Find the Best Place to Advertise Your Services

We all know Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms are unique places to reach out to followers, friends, and family and gain support and traction for freelancing. CLLCTVE is the quickest way to build a portfolio that showcases who you are and what you do, and then get that in front of brands and fellow creators. Several websites, such as Upwork, Freelancer, Etsy, and Fivver, are built to buy, sell, and advertise creative services and products. Scriptd is a website specifically for freelance writers. Look through each website and see what works best for you!

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3. Learn about Freelance Project Pricing

This is probably the most challenging part of freelancing. Knowing how much your service or product will cost is extremely difficult, especially if you’ve never charged for them before. There are two good ways to come up with prices. The first way is to look at what others are charging for the same or similar products and/or services you plan to offer and match their prices. The second way is to follow this equation: Price of Materials + Hourly Fee (aka minimum wage) = Price of Product/Service. If people keep buying your stuff, it means it’s priced well!

4. Have a Separate Freelance Email

People will always have questions about pricing, customization, and anything else you can think of. Having a separate email for inquiries and information helps make sure your personal email doesn’t overflow and makes it easier for you to stay organized. This email can be on your social media or any post you make on freelancing websites

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5. Find Creatives You Want to Work With

There are many freelancers out there, and they are all flooding these websites to make money doing what they love. If you are a writer looking for an animator to help bring your story to life, find a fellow freelancer and start working together. You never know who you’ll meet and what incredible things may come from new friendships and collaborations. A friend of mine was able to produce and sell out a show in a New York City theater by working with a group of freelancers she met on Scriptd, so you never know what might happen!

With these tips, you’re ready to get started! Now all you have to do is create, which I know you creatives will not have a problem with. Good luck!