Mastering the Art of Freelancing: Cold Emailing and Platform Strategies

Mastering the Art of Freelancing: Cold Emailing and Platform Strategies

What is freelancing ?

Freelancing is a work arrangement in which individuals offer their services to clients as independent contractors, typically on a project-by-project basis, rather than as employees. Freelancers typically work from home or their own workspace, set their own schedules, and are not committed to a long-term employer.

About Me

My name is Satvik Kushwaha, and the purpose of this paragraph is to persuade you to believe me after considering my experiences. You may do this by visiting my freelance profiles. I've been freelancing with Android and backend development for 1.5 years, and in the last six months, I've seen a lot of growth. I'll be sharing my journey through these years of growth in the other parts of the blog. I've done less work on paper (on freelancing websites) than with cold emailing and with the contacts I made in the beginning. You can view my profiles here.

Freelancer
https://www.freelancer.com/u/satvik213161

Truelancer

https://www.truelancer.com/freelancer/satvikkushwaha


My Journey

Discovering the World of Freelancing: Introduction to Freelancer and Truelancer Platforms

My first client was from Russia, who hired me for a freelance job through Freelancer.com. He wants me to perform some node.js backend work , I completed the task and received my first 35 dollars. I found this to be really fascinating because it only took me three hours to do the task and because it was so easy from the complex work for which I was receiving 4k per month as an intern. My biggest error was working without correcting the bid in Freelancer even though I received multiple clients from there. I do have less connections in my online portfolio. I do have learned the skill of writing a great bid which I will be sharing in the further part in this blog .

Uncovering the Power of Cold Emailing

After gaining some regular clients and connections, my work was at its peak, I was getting good clients and a good amount of money, I was able to make 40-50k per month with ease, but the issue that started chasing me was that I was low on bids and I was mostly dealing with Indian clients (which means lower pay).

I've worked with clients outside of India and was aware that they pay a good wage for the same work I do.

So, to address both issues, I have two options: either purchase a premium plan from one of the platforms or begin cold emailing (which I know nothing about at that time). I guess you know what I choose 😉.

Breaking the Ice: The Story of My First Successful Cold Email

I began cold emailing companies after researching recently funded startups on platforms such as wellfound, linkedin, and techcrunch. However, it did not work for me. So, based on my previous freelancing experience, I came up with the idea of targeting universities. For example, I have a client who runs an agency that assists university graduates in finding projects to submit. So I targeted some universities and joined their public channel groups on Whatsapp and other sources, and then asked students if they needed any of my services, and from them I got one of my clients, who gave me a project to build a single page app.


Choosing Your Path: Deciding the Best Way to Start Your Freelancing Journey

Answering the Call**:**

There are several other ways to begin freelancing, but I consider these two to be the most important and will tell you the best way to get started. When you first start, you will have no clients anywhere. So, first and foremost, you must find clients. Let me tell you that freelancing platforms are extremely useful for showcasing your profile, but for beginners, they are useless. So, first and foremost, you should try to find clients in your immediate vicinity. Following that, you must contact organisations such as schools and colleges that have a need for computer software or other services that you can provide. This is the best place to begin. Because small businesses can use one person to do tasks because they don't require perfection at the same time. When you receive clients from these businesses, you can send them to your portfolio on the profile you built in freelancing sites, where you can accept payments and raise your rating. In the next section, I'll go through how to write an excellent bid as a newbie to get clients from the freelancing platform.

Note :

Why You Should Never Take Payment Outside of Freelancing Platforms ?

As a freelancer, you have the opportunity to work with clients from all over the world and earn money on your own terms. However, it’s important to remember that not all clients are created equal, and some may attempt to pay you outside of a freelancing platform. While this may seem like a quick and easy solution, it’s a practice that should be avoided at all costs.


Writing a Winning Freelancing Bid: Tips and Tricks

  • Read the Project Description Carefully : Please take it seriously, you can write a superb bid by just acknowledging what is stated in the proposer's proposal in your own. This will improve your chances.

  • Be Kind : Think of your client as a fellow human being and be kind to them.

  • Use AI Tools: When drafting a strong bid, use tools like QuillBot and ChatGPT.

  • Giving Appreciation : Saying "Thank you" is a beautiful gesture that I initially overlooked, but as time went on, I realised how important it is to write something like "Thanks for reading" or "Thanks for providing time." I know it doesn't sound like a huge deal, but it really is.

Example of a Good bid :

"Hello there, I hope life is treating you well. I must say that you made an effort to present the project in a way that was both concise and understandable. I can tell you that I have two or more years of experience developing native and hybrid mobile apps, and I have worked on a number of college projects, freelance agency projects, and tweaking tasks like increasing app efficiency and adding architecture to projects, to demonstrate my suitability for the job. I have some experience working for myself, and I am fully committed to providing the technology that people need to be helped. And I can provide the same for you as well , I am quite skillful in the technologies you mentioned and can build a useful product for you . Kindly , let me know your suggestions and ideas as well for getting me started ,Thank you for your patient reading so that I may construct the product."


Effective Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Freelance Clients: An Addon Method Guide

Here are some addon methods for bringing clients to a freelancing business:

  1. Social Media : I know that the majority of you use Social medias exclusively for amusement, but smart people are also using it to help their businesses grow. So, if you have anything to spread, I urge you to quit taking in and start giving instead. With over 1 billion members who are active every month, Instagram is one of the most well-known social networking sites. It's a fantastic chance for you as a freelancer to present your work and get in front of more people.

  2. Referral Marketing: Encourage satisfied clients to refer you to others in their network. Offer incentives such as discounts or bonuses for referrals that result in new business.

Collaboration: Work with other freelancers or businesses to offer a wider range of services and reach new clientele.