Freelancing has become an increasingly popular way to make money. Whether you are looking for your first freelance gig or want to find a new one, this list of freelance jobs will help you earn more money so you can pay off debt or support your debt-free lifestyle! These are the top 7 freelance jobs that I can personally vouch for!
1. Freelancing as a Graphic Designer.
Alright, I gotta be honest here. I am not artistically inclined whatsoever - which is GREAT NEWS for those who skim past this thinking, "Pshhh, yeah right. I can only draw stick figures." Same here!
However, years ago when Canva first came out, I was so inspired by the pre-designed templates (that is pre-designed by graphic designers themselves), that I opted to basically tailor their designs to whatever a client needed.
Pretty much any digital marketing asset you can think of, I created it! I made birthday flyers and digital invitations, resumes, social media posts and more.
The tip here is to always tailor the content to the needs of the customer, of course. Use their brand colors, images (or high-resolution images free of copyright like at Unsplash.com) and so on.
2. Create Content Calendars as a Strategist.
This one was simple and fun to do! Really, as a consumer, you're ahead of the game. You know what you want to know about your favorite brands and industries. All you have to do is think like a consumer and share what you would want to see on their respective news feeds.
I have a 1:7 ratio that I have shared across various channels. I have even had a short 5-minute segment on an Arizona news show talking about this! Basically for every promotional post telling folks to buy, you'll want to create content for your clients that ranges in the other 6 categories of engaging, entertaining, good neighbor policy, humanizing, relevant articles and motivational. I'll be sure to break this down in another blog article in the near future!
3. Content Writing as a Freelancer
This is currently what brings in the largest portion of my freelance income. Content writing is so important to any marketing strategy. This is different from copywriting.
Content writing is writing text that helps to educate a consumer or business about a particular topic. The emphasis is not to sell as much as it is to inform and provide value to readers.
Kind of like what I am doing here. I am not planning to riddle this article with copy that suggests buying anything. I just wanna give you the goods, be of value, and when the time is right, if ever, you'll reach out to me for some freelance guidance or encouragement and compensate me at that time.
Here's the interesting part about content writing. You would think this is just writing articles, but it can actually be broken up into several types of content like white papers (a research-based document), eBooks (like what I have created for a ton of clients that wanted a freebie to offer their website visitors to get their email addresses and even podcast show outlines!
4. Trade show vendor
So, this freelance job is so fun because you get to travel and share your love for products while making money.
I used to be a trade show vendor for many years and I had the best time! Not only did it pay great, but you meet some of the most interesting people - both attendees and booth neighbors alike!
For years, I have worked for Apele (yes, the panty company for all mishaps) as a vendor and it is such a blast! I have traveled all over the nation with their product at marathon expos and women's conferences. I get paid per diem and even a hefty little commission on top when certain #s of products are sold.
Even better, I have been able to invite two to three girlfriends each time while doing this and we have flown all over, visiting tons of incredible places all paid for by the company! In fact, this is where I was introduced to travel hacking (a whole ‘nother debtfree lifestyle blog to write there also!)
One way you can get started with this is to look up brand ambassador and booth vendor jobs in your area. To really stand out, I'd create a Vendor Profile (kind of like a resume) to send in with your applications or leave with folks at interviews.
Adding things like your ability to travel, lift up to 50lbs (sometimes expo booth gear can require assembly and able-bodied folks), a list of sales and customer experience you have, as well as, why you love the brand(s) you're looking to market and sell for.
5. Social Media Designs
This one is somewhat straight-forward. Whether you're offering full on social media templates that others can customize themselves (these sell like hotcakes on Etsy) or just creating custom content for brands with their logos, images and more, there are a TON of people looking for help in this area.
I personally buy templates from Etsy so I can deliver quality content without spending a ton of time creating from scratch. Then, I tailor it to clients' unique needs, themes and brand info. For some, I schedule the content via Facebook Business Suite.
If you want to add social media management (that is the real-time posting and commenting) you certainly can for an additional cost. I had done that for some time but it was outside of the dream I had to work when I wanted. With social, there is an expectation of timely responses so make sure you only offer what you're willing to commit to with integrity.
6. Online Tutor/Teacher
This one may seem way out of reach but you'd be so surprised! I used to teach at a college years ago. In fact, I hope they hire me again this coming December, for their Entrepreneurial Support courses!
Feel free to reach out to colleges, trade schools and similar to provide training on topics that you are well-educated in and have had success in.
7. Freelance Writing for YOU - Authorship
Okay, this might sound like a stretch and I should totally commit to an entire blog about HOW to PUBLISH AND SELL YOUR OWN BOOK! (I promise I will get to it someday soon!)
With free options like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), you can download a free manuscript outline which shows you where to plug everything in. Once you get your content written, simply upload it into the document and then upload that saved transcript into KDP online.
Then, everything you need will populate walking you through the steps to publishing. You can create your own cover, add ISBN info, pricing and all. Once you do that, you'll get a proof of your book (I always saved my author proofs because they were just so... nostalgic) and then you can make any revisions you want or publish right away.
With print-on-demand options, people can order from the links Amazon will provide your book or you can do what I did and recommend. That is, to order multiple copies (I did 50 at a time) for a fraction of the cost at author pricing and then hit up local bookstores, coffee shops and more to offer book signing events where people frequent their store to come and purchase a signed copy of your book!
Writing your own book is such an incredible feeling! Having it in your hands is second only to holding a brand new baby! If you want help with writing your own book, you can absolutely contact me and ask.
Hopefully, I can answer it all in a series of helpful blogs and videos. And of course, if you budget it in, I am happy to coach you along the process quickly (and even introduce you to my #1 Best Selling Author resource!)
*If you want to see my published works (endorsed by #1NY Time Best Selling Author, Pam Grout), you can visit Amazon Egos Are Like Farts and Flesh is Like Flatulence (Did I mention I am a Comedian? If you buy it, just prepare yourself for a humorous approach to being humble)*
Freelancing is the new way to make money. Freelancers are in high demand and you can find plenty of freelancer gigs online. The above are the top 7 I have pursued to make between 11k (my first year) to 30k (every year after since.)
Since I personally only want to work 10-15 hour per week, this is ideal for me and pays incredibly well considering. Plus, after you're out of debt and start to invest this money, it is worth much, much more 30 years down the road (but that's another blog...)
Have questions about where or how to get started? Contact me! Email me! Let me know! Also, if you want to schedule a call, we can set that up to and look at a super-focused session that maximizes your time with me to get the action items you need to take next!
