You are probably tired of being a couch potato.

You wish to build a successful and fruitful life—a life with a delicate balance of purpose and passion.

The unpaid internships do not make it any easier for beginners to start strong in the industry of their choice.

The good news is that there are many other ways to make money online from home without possibly having to move from your comfort zone.

Here are five easy steps to implement so that you can work from home and make money online as a Freelancer in 2022.

Step#1: Find Your Marketable Passion

Like every other person on the planet, you also have an untapped skill hidden away within you, just yearning to be explored.

If you think you have a way with words, then a career in content writing can be a good option.

But if you think that you might not be able to write those words and communicate them verbally, the opportunities are still boundless.

You can start a podcast or try vlogging.

Similarly, if you think that while you may not be good with words but you have a knack for drawing, a career in illustrations or designing product packaging is a viable option.

You need to explore yourself, determine what you feel passionate about, and then select a path to market the said skill. Top skill recommendations to start a Freelance Career:

• Translation
• Video Editing
• Graphic designing (especially with the help of Canva Free Tools)
• Blog Post Writing
• Proof Reading and Editing
• Social Media Marketing
• Resume Writing
• YouTube Accounts Manager
• Google Ads Manager

Step #2: Set Up a Productive Daily Routine

Now that you have a skill in mind that you know you can market perfectly, you need to establish discipline. Whether you start a business or freelance from home, dedication and discipline are the two Ds that plays a critical role. Keep in mind that success isn’t achieved overnight. There is a lot of hard work and effort required.

You need to establish a routine and set a specific time for the work you want to do.

For example, right after you return from your morning walk, give your next hour to your profession. Repeat the same routine every day. Eventually, your mind and body will sync with the sequence, and the creativity will flow at your preferred time.

Remember, the workspace and environment play a huge role in your productivity and creativity. If your background is noisy or chaotic, the chances are that your work will reflect distraction. Similarly, if your workspace does not allow comfort, like an uneasy chair or lack of required pieces of equipment, it will affect the work you produce.

Step #3: Strategically Improve Your Skills

Now that we have established a routine and chosen a skill to work with, it is time to take your skills up a notch. Knowing how to draw or write is not enough to make it in the cutthroat and competitive freelancing industry. There are millions of people harbouring the same skill at the same level.

So what sets you apart?

You need to enhance and polish those skills to stand out from the crowd. Make sure it is you that people see from miles away. For example, if you are a content writer, you need to learn everything about SEO, digital algorithms, etc.

For such skills, you will need help.

Here are the multiple ways you can learn and polish your existing skills before you start to earn money online through freelancing platforms.

Try Online Courses [Free or Paid]

In this digital era, the information is endless. There is an online training course for everything. The leading experts in freelancing offer online courses expanding over three days to one month. The choice of an online course is your call to make. Whether it is graphic design, social media marketing, illustration, or blogging, you can learn everything through online classes and start to earn money online.

Here are the options that offer you online courses in abundance. Each lesson addresses a separate skill set.

Free Courses:

• Coursera, edX and Linkedin Platforms has a lot of Free Training Courses.

Check out these two free courses by Alison.com:

• Growing a successful freelance business
• Principals and Dynamics of freelancing

Paid Courses:

• Skillshare is a platform with millions of options for courses. ($167.88 annual fee for unlimited classes)
• Udemy, similar to Skillshare, Udemy is a virtual academy with many online courses. (Seth Godin’s Course, $199)
• Fiverr Courses: learn from the most successful freelancers and the secret tips regarding your specific skill.

Also, check out our article on The 10 Best Blogging Courses for Beginners.

Tutorials Videos From YouTube and Other platforms

Let’s suppose you wish to learn basic skills and do not want to spend money on it. Well, the opportunities are still boundless. With the internet, there is nothing you can’t find.

Basic and detailed technical skills are taught in video tutorials on YouTube and many other platforms.

For example, Ahref’s Youtube channel specially designed to teach the SEO Skills Required for Content Writing. Similarly, if you wish to learn more about logo design, graphic design, animation, etc., you can learn from the tutorials offered by CreatNProcess YouTube Channel.

Personal 1-1 Or Group Coaching

Many people report that online teaching does not provide crucial tips and tricks, whether through courses or tutorials.

Moreover, it is also said that you are more likely to learn and absorb information better when taught face to face.

You can get the best guidance by hiring a Coach so that you can get a Personal 1-1 training or maybe a join a Coaching Group to learn the secrets to a successful freelancing career and marketing strategies that work to help you make money online.

Create an Attractive Portfolio

Let’s assume that you now possess the vital information and skills required to earn money online through freelancing platforms. You will now need an eye-catching portfolio that attracts clients from all over the globe towards you.

You do not necessarily have to use fancy words. The key to attracting clients is a tone that builds confidence and trust. Here are the top five tips that help you create a portfolio to hook attention.

1. Do not rant about yourself. This is an important note. People often go on and on about their accomplishments and strengths while the client is trying to understand how the freelancer can help them. Gushing about you does not build confidence. Talk about the services your brand can provide to take their project up a notch.
2. Make it easy to read. With limitless options available to the clients, you need to ensure that your message is conveyed efficiently and naturally. Precise and short paragraphing is very important. It can be tough to read a long text than a simple short paragraph, each addressing a different point.
3. Add your samples. Now that you have impressed and hooked the client’s attention, you must persuade them to hire you. Provide them with examples of similar work you have already produced or worked on to help them understand your immense capabilities.

Join The Freelancing Platforms

These are the big leagues now.

Now that we have mastered the small side notes and skills, you can join the big leagues.

Here are the top 6 platforms for freelancers to earn money online and boost their freelancing careers.

Sign Up to Fiverr and Make Money Online

Fiverr is often on the hot list of most content writers and graphic designers among the platforms for freelancing to earn money online.

It’s free to join Fiverr.

Anyone above the age of 18 can enter into a contract with a client on the site.

Setting up your account is easy!

1. Click join on the upper right corner of the main page.
2. Enter your email address (alternatively, one can log in through their Facebook, Google, or Apple connect ID).
3. Select your user name and password and click join. The username will be part of your Fiverr URL and displayed on the profile.
4. Check your email address to find the link to complete your account registration.

You are now a registered user of Fiverr Freelance Platform!

Fiverr has buyers’ and sellers’ profiles, which are different. The buyers are potential employers, whereas the sellers are freelancers offering their services. Remember, you can only make a seller account from a desktop website, not the Fiverr mobile app.

To activate your profile, simply follow these steps:

1. Click on the profile picture at the top right corner and select Become a seller.
2. You will be redirected to a page where you must select Become a seller once more. It will show you three videos on How to use Fiverr as a seller during the onboarding process.
3. It will move on to Fiverr’s tips on being successful and what not to do. Go through this point. Click continue.
4. You will be asked to fill in some information. The compulsory fields are marked with an asterisk. Be as honest and accurate as possible and state all your skills.
5. After that, you will be given a choice to link your social media accounts with your Fiverr profile. It can vouch for your credibility.
6. A verification process will require you to state your phone number.
7. Lastly, Create Your First Gig will lead you to display your services and become a seller on Fiverr.

Fiverr allows a vast list of options as a seller. The many fields include high-paying online jobs such as Website designing and building, social media manager, proofreading and editing, and 2D/ 3D modeling.

The main categories are

1. Graphics & Design
2. Digital Marketing
3. Writing & Translation
4. Video & Animation
5. Music & Audio
6. Programming & Tech
7. Business
8. Lifestyle
9. Trending

Each field has many subcategories to suit all types of services. For example, Music & Audio has 24 subcategories, each of which has more sub-fields.

You can follow these simple steps and tips for creating a successful Gig.

A gig is a specialized project offering your services to potential buyers.

1. Identify your niche
2. Figure out what you are best at, and the skills that come to you best will evolve effortlessly into a career. Ample knowledge and research will help you to be better at it. Always add to your skill, learn more, and enhance your abilities.
3. Then write a detailed description of what you offer.
4. Add a video
5. A short, high-quality video highlighting your Gig is favorable to your success chances.
6. Accurate delivery time
7. Often sellers are eager to be hired; therefore, they try to appear extremely fast. Give yourself ample time to complete quality work and state it as such. It should not be too slow either.
8. Learn and incorporate SEO
9. Read up on the best practices for a Gig tile and use words that are Search Engine Optimized which means when searching for a seller, these words would add your Gig to the top of the list.
10. Be unique
11. It is highly advisable to be different from all other sellers. Stand out by using distinctive images and descriptions to be eye-catching.
12. Be reachable
13. Download the app for Fiverr to respond to requests and messages efficiently.
14. Price appropriately
15. Your Gig must not just fall on the initial $5. Learn how to price according to your skills and how to get the most from your Gig. Educate yourself about what your clients want and what they would pay higher for. Incorporate Gig Packages at different prices for different levels of work. Each Gig has a basic, moderate, and premium package which you can craftily word and sell.

Join Upwork Platform To Make Money Online

Upwork is another leading freelancing platform that has kick-started thousands of careers. Like Fiverr, Upwork is also a big hit among content writers, copywriters, and graphic designers. The venue, however, has a very different interface compared to Fiverr.

Upwork boasts a scam-free experience for freelancers and clients with stringent community guidelines.

To create an account, simply:

1. Open Upwork and select Sign up.
2. Sign in to the website using your Gmail, another email, or Apple account.
3. The next screen will require the personal information to help set up the account. First name, last name, password, and the option of whether you want to be a freelancer.
4. When satisfied with what you filled in, click Create account. Now you need to set up your work profile.
5. Upwork requires valid identification and a profile picture that matches the title. It cannot be a side profile or a masked photo as photo recognition software has to pick it up.
6. Add your title, skills, work experience, and tag skills you are selling, from creating blogs to audio recordings or translations of transcripts, a good title can go a long way. Instead of being a typist or audio recorder, be a content-generating officer or voice-over actor. Exude respect in your title and description. Remember, you are trying to impress your employer, so put your best foot forward.

7. The next option will determine your level of expertise. Beginner, intermediate, and expert are the available levels; choose honestly to get the most out of your profile.
8. The following section requires academic background. Be sure to include any achievements, no matter how insignificant they seem, as they introduce you to your clients, if you haven’t completed a degree, add the credit hours and achievements you earned there.
9. Past work experience has to be listed. You can include testimonials from previous bosses and upload your portfolio to display your talents.
10. Now, you will decide upon an hourly rate. Keep an account of all the overheads you have to pay for now, that as an employee, you don’t: machinery, electricity, maintenance of your types of equipment such as a laptop.
11. Add accurate contact details to assist your account verification process and fast-track it.
12. Preview your account before submitting it.

Simple as that, you are now a freelancer.

The two ways to gain jobs on Upwork are:

1. Project Catalogue: The client will view the projects you can take up and view the portfolio. Make it the best offer at the best rates.
2. Job Proposals: Buyers often post requires. When you click find work, you will ensure the payment is verified on Upwork to avoid bad experiences.

Here are the top tips for finding success through Upwork.

• When you begin on Upwork, you are granted 50 free connects by Upwork. These connections can be exchanged to make offers and submit proposals to clients. Freelancers often spend their relationships on JOBs they most likely won’t get, you need to pick and choose the JOBs you will send proposals to. Make sure you select the ones with less than 20 proposals already sent or lower. The client will likely miss your offer on any JOB with more than 20 proposals sent. Save your connections for better JOBs.

• Send personalized and customized proposals each time. Commonly, freelancers create a single proposal template that they copy and paste on each bid. A client can spot a copy-pasted proposal from miles apart. Put the effort in. Send the client a specialized and personal recommendation.
• To catch the client’s attention, use their name in the proposal. Instead of using “hey sir,” try saying “hello, Samuel.” You can find the name of the client in their history and reviews. This will attract the client’s attention among the endless copy-pasted proposals of “hello sir.” When sending your suggestions, attach your previous work samples similar to the work asked for in the JOB description. Upwork has a unique attachment feature, especially for your models.
• Smartly boost the proposal. You can make sure that your proposal stands top of the list by expanding it with more connections. However, only use extra connects to boost JOBs with low connects requirements. Otherwise, you are just wasting your links.

Join Guru Freelance Platform

The best way to advertise and sell your skills is through freelancing platforms. Guru is one such platform that allows people to promote their skill set or answer job posts and earn money online from home. It has a simple system that allows the seller to bid to the buyer.

The keys to succeed on this platform are:

• They are gaining trust and regular customers—the better the reviews, the higher your seller rating, and the more orders one gain on Guru. The best way to impress clients is to be very thorough and flexible with what the client wants. Using proper terms and lingo helps build a relationship, and the client views you as a fellow professional.
• Initially, it is advisable to work at low rates to ensure you gain experience and clients.
• Always be sure to work for verified employers who can deposit funds in the safe payment system, which are deposited in escrow to ensure payment after the job is done.
• If you have an unfair or wrong experience, where the client is unsatisfied, or the freelancer could not understand what they wanted due to unclear terms, Guru offers a chance to start over by paying to remove bad reviews. It will help if you come across a difficult client who does not find your work up to the mark or, as per human error, you cannot make the deadline due to unforeseen circumstances.

Get Paid Per Hour by Joining People per hour Platform

Beginners in the field of freelancing can start from People per hour.

Like Fiverr, People per hour offers a wide variety of freelancing options to earn money online, from transcriptions, writing, and translations to video editing, graphic art, and financial audits. One would assume it is smooth sailing with so many platforms to get jobs from. It is quite the opposite!

The sign-up method is easy and goes as follows:

1. When you click on the sign-up button, you are asked by a popup whether you wish to “hire a freelancer” or “work as a freelancer.”
2. Once you pick the latter option, you need to enter your name, email, password-the standard information.
3. A confirmation notice asks you to go ahead and verify your email.
4. Post-Verification, you are asked to enter your qualifications, skills, and previous works. The information is available for employers to observe and learn further about you.

Top tips to succeed on this platform:

• To get more clients and jobs on People per hour, the seller must have high reviews, which is only possible when you deliver quality work and meet the buyer’s expectations.
• Communication is vital. The best-rated sellers are the ones that reply fast and thoroughly understand what their buyer wants and are open to making changes if need be.
• Take skill tests regularly on People per hour to reassure anyone that views your profile you are good at your job. It helps sustain a specific image of certainty about you.
• Using real pictures, id verification all help gain trust, therefore, adding to the inclination towards your curriculum vitae.
• Beware of fake job postings and scammers. Vetting out the real potential employers is possible through communication and understanding. If the payment is not verified, be sure to secure an advance or send screenshots of the work and demand a security deposit to protect yourself from scams.

Build Trust to Scale Up

Once you have successfully landed a client, you need to build a good relationship with them. Here are the four tricks to establishing a healthy business relationship and earning money online from home through freelancing platforms.

1. Always reply quickly. Once the client has approached you, do not give them time to change their minds. Reply promptly to them. It sends a good impression about your timely answers and builds a good rapport with the client.
2. Deliver before time. It always impacts nicely if you deliver your project before the expected time. It sends a positive impression that you are sincere and punctual with your work.
3. Keep the client in the loop. Do not completely take over the project once you begin. Keep asking the client for suggestions and try to implement their vision for the project. It leaves them satisfied, but it also opens your doors for a long-term relationship.
4. Do not bargain too much. Before you begin the project, do not bargain about the price too much. Unless you find the payment unfair, offer one project in their agreeable budget. Once the client sees what you are capable of, they will happily increase the funding next time.

Once you have successfully landed a client, you need to build a good relationship with them. Here are the four tricks to establishing a healthy business relationship and earning money online from home through freelancing platforms.

1. Always reply quickly. Once the client has approached you, do not give them time to change their minds. Reply promptly to them. It sends a good impression about your timely answers and builds a good rapport with the client.
2. Deliver before time. It always impacts nicely if you deliver your project before the expected time. It sends a positive impression that you are sincere and punctual with your work.
3. Keep the client in the loop. Do not completely take over the project once you begin. Keep asking the client for suggestions and try to implement their vision for the project. It leaves them satisfied, but it also opens your doors for a long-term relationship.
4. Do not bargain too much. Before you begin the project, do not bargain about the price too much. Unless you find the payment unfair, offer one project in their agreeable budget. Once the client sees what you are capable of, they will happily increase the funding next time.

How to Leverage the Power of YouTube to Make Money Online?

This is the Bonus.

There seem to be a lot of rich YouTubers, but how do you make money off of it?

The best way to do it is to identify your niche.

Almost everyone has a YouTube account these days; all one has to do is log in via Gmail or other Email IDs to comment or watch specific videos.

The simplest way to make money through youtube is to find what is trending, seasonal, and most-watched.

Relate that video to your skills and apply them to your content.

Not very tech-savvy but artsy? You can film yourself creating arts or crafts.

Cooking channels?

Make-up tutorials inspired by true crime stories?

Content creators have opened up endless possibilities and amalgamations of different skills and genres.

It is advisable to create a short and high-quality video at first to test the waters.

Follow these steps to upload your first video and step into the world of splendid YouTubers.

1) Log in to your YouTube account (usually pre-set with all your Google account information).

2) Click the “create a video” button at the top of the screen. It’s the red camera icon.

3) When the menu drops down, click “Upload Video.” Select files to upload and click

“Public” for visibility settings. If it isn’t ready and you want to see how it looks, simply click private so only you can view it.

4) Once you drag the video onto the page, it takes a few minutes. While waiting, you can add to the video’s description and add the most searched words in that genre.

5) Now that it’s ready, click Publish. Processing can take a few minutes, depending on the length and file size of the video.

For your phone, follow these simples steps:

1. Open the YouTube app on your iPhone or Android device.
2. The top of the screen has a video upload button that looks like the same movie camera, the App asks permission to access the phone camera and other features on the first upload.

3. Select the video you want to upload. There are options to “Go Live” (streaming) and record a video using the app, although that is not advisable unless you are prepared.
4. Tap the “Next” option and enter information such as the title, privacy, and description and simply tap upload.

Once you understand the process, generating content and uploading it becomes elementary.

To be a successful YouTuber, be sure to:

• Upload when viewers might be looking for the video. Such as Christmas décor/ shopping/ presents/ ideas during Christmas.
• If your video is not dependent on an occasion, add relevant keywords in the description to help viewers find your video.
• Add call to action buttons to lead the viewer to similar videos or more content from your channel.
• Offer incentives for subscribing and notifications. For example, the first person who clicks on the next uploaded video gets a particular one-on-one conversation or a personal question answered. To achieve this, the viewer must turn on notifications.

Remember to enjoy what you do and take pride in your work. Try to build upon each video, exceeding the previous one.

Success will surely follow.

Final Thoughts

To ensure that you are successful in your freelancing career, all you need is a passion for your work and clever decisions to help you navigate your ups and downs.

Following the steps mentioned above, you will most likely find yourself in a successful freelancing career and earn money online.