How to Create Freelancer Profile that Stands out

How to Create Freelancer Profile that Stands out

The internet and the digital world, and freelancing platforms offer many advantages, such as the flexibility of personal schedules the ability and the possibility to work remotely wherever you want. As more and more people are turning to freelancing, having a freelancer profile that stands out sets you apart from the competition.

After all, being able to earn money working from a seaside terrace is not a privilege for everyone.

The first thing to understand is that not everything that shines is gold, so to have this freedom you may have to face some adversities, as is the case of attracting clients. In this sense, it makes all the difference to know how to publicize your freelance work.

An unoptimized profile goes unnoticed, and a great freelancer profile wins every time…
With a good strategy of disclosure, and solid advice from seasoned freelancers, you can reach better opportunities and clients, present skill sets and qualifications, attest to experience, and, above all, have the power to select which work you will choose or not and land that job every time, life goals!

Best SEO Services on Vettted

Check out these vetted services to grow your organic traffic.

Why a great profile is a key to success?

how to create an optimised freelancer profile

Freelance websites are an excellent way to find jobs, but you need not include rush jobs in your profile once you are registered. Think about it: You’re just one in a million freelancers who register their work on a company website. If you have a profile that lacks information or is hard for you and your clients to understand, they can always look for someone else.

 

7 Tips To Create an Impressive Freelancer Profile That Gets Clients

 

1) Use Your Real Name

An anonymous profile Use Your Real Name

Why do I have to add my real name and email address to my profile? Quite simply, it’s to provide the most accurate information and drive expertise, especially If you have been published online. Several platforms– including an Upwork profile – offer remuneration and recognition to outstanding freelancers recently on the website and require updating your profile. In addition to that, if you have a great reputation…why not leverage it for greater success in landing jobs?

 

2) Use A Professional Photo for your Profile picture

Professional profile photo for freelancer profiles and online profile

A successful freelancer profile always starts with a professional photo. It makes a great first impression; it’s the first thing potential clients see in search results. Having the most professional-looking photo is critical to freelancing success, a picture speaks a thousand words. Taking a professional photo doesn’t require these days a professional photographer!

A well-shot high-quality profile photo with adequate lighting is easy to do even with a smartphone. Here are some Tips and tricks to help you take better smartphone photos. This is one of the most neglected elements of a freelancer profile most people don’t invest in, so it stands out when it is done right! Your freelancer photo should be formatted in what is called a “portrait” from the chest up, with a closer zoom than your family trip to Disneyland and in focus. The power of a great photo on any freelancing platform cannot be understated. It will convey professionalism and expertise in your specific niche and helps your freelance profile stand out when clients search for a freelancer for a project.

 

 

2) Write A Clear and Specific Headline, “The Listing Title.”

Write A Clear and Specific Headline for prospective clients

When writing a listing title on any freelance site, you should craft your listing title for client search; for example, WordPress plugin developer, web developer, web designer, or graphic designer. Taking into account some principles of a successful freelancer profile, such as: creating a precise title and choosing not to put more than one service, avoiding using ambiguous or funny terms, and choosing clear names for the services you propose to do.

 

3) Body of the listing skills section & Most Relevant Skills

Body of the listing skills section & Most Relevant Skills

This is the most important section for potential clients and the most challenging section for any freelancer to craft so spend your time on this and highlight individually the absolute most relevant skills you offer.

Be sure to fill in every section available, if there is a section on employment history, add it, even if it’s not relevant, it can highlight skills that are complimentary to what you do. Your previous work doesn’t always have to be specific to your current skill set, for example, if you are offering online marketing, a background in sales is complimentary, even customer service. A well-rounded provider with a background can always offset any lack of experience and allow you to work on a project that gives you more in return.

Create A Simple, Focused Bio

Create A Simple Focused Bio

This isn’t a blog post it is a mini cv, a short detailed description of your services, and it should be client focused. Often as human nature is, we can tend to be self-centered. The bio section is your opportunity to be client-focused, appeal to your client’s human nature, and offer how you can improve their business through your skill set. This is one of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of any profile. One tip is to read it out loud to yourself. Are you telling or not selling? Are you highlighting the way you can provide solutions and ROI? Do you have to take more than one breath to read it? if so, it’s too long. Be simple and clear.

For example: “I offer modern tech services with an old-fashioned approach to my clients – I am responsive to emails within a few hours no matter the time zone, available Monday through Friday during standard business hours, and offer clear and concise strategies that prove return on investment.” In this sentence, I have established myself as someone who values communication and performance-based services that have proven results.

In your bio, it is important to niche down, be jargon-free, highlight the key elements of your specific expertise and experience and keep it simple. The best advice I can offer you is to pay attention to your tone of voice. It should be in the first person as if you were directly speaking to a potential client who only has 30 seconds to hear what you do. Be clear and concise one sentence will do! these inputs help your potential client to know you better and highlight your strengths, thus favoring the chances of conversion.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are my client’s considerations?
  • What would I be interested in seeing if I were in my client’s shoes and looking for a vetted freelancer?
  • What are the goals of my clients?
  • What about my profile ensures prospective clients that I am the best for the job?

Here are a few important elements to include in your Bio:

  •  What is your professional experience: shortly put the most relevant information from your professional career which makes sense to mention taking into account the type of projects and clients you want to capture. Remember that this is an advertisement, not a resume.
  • Be sure to scatter in a few relevant industry keywords and phrases throughout your profile to show your expertise; however, don’t use acronyms; some clients might not understand, and this only makes them feel inferior rather than making you look professional.
  • Do you have specific knowledge in a certain area: indicate some training, technical tool, or software that is less likely to be found among your competitors.
  • What services you provide: list clearly and objectively the services you most identify with or are best suited for so that clients can quickly understand if you are the professional they are looking for.
  • What makes you different from other freelancers: due to the volume of proposals from freelance professionals available on the market, it is necessary to help a future client to feel more informed when making a decision. For this reason, it is important to explain what your strengths are compared to your peers, for example, promptness of execution, creativity, and price.
  • Indicate two or three reference clients: this helps you stand out from other professionals but also serves as guidance and credibility for other clients because, in this way, they will have a better vision of your potential, your skills, and even more, the type of companies you have worked with, both in terms of the business area and size.
  • What can your work offer your client that makes you out of the box: again, due to the offer being high, the ad must be able to present factors that make your services or projects unique and/or innovative, so you’re not just another freelancer in the crowd.
  • How you are the best solution to perform the work: it is important to present characteristics that confirm the quality of your services and thus convey more credibility.
  • What are the benefits that your future clients may have when working with you: for example, full dedication to fulfilling what was agreed, delivering more than what was contracted, and guaranteed to meet expectations.
  • Which aspects are most praised: taking into account the experience of other clients, indicate two or three factors for which you are most praised.
  • What kind of relationship do you like to establish with your clients: are you willing to have a closer relationship and promote an exchange of inputs, or do you prefer to stick to a briefing and the agreed deadline.
  • Indicate how they can have access to your complete portfolio.
  • Connect Your Social Networks

4) Showcase Your Best Work Or Success In The Portfolio section

Showcase Your Best Work Or Success In The Portfolio section

Before you can get to the advertising stage, the first step for a freelancer to present himself is undoubtedly through his portfolio. Creating a good portfolio represents your business card, which is one of the main ways to show your potential to future clients and partners. The more updated and differentiating it is, the better.

It’s important to note that a good portfolio is not a copy of your resume but rather the opportunity to attest to your work and to make it easier for a potential client to understand why you would be the best person to help him and why it makes sense to hire your services.

Having a good portfolio is very important, but selecting the right platforms to promote your work is also a key factor. Promoting a balance between your profile as a freelancer and your potential client will increase the chances of successfully attracting work.

For example, it makes no sense to publish your portfolio on a platform that is for a niche and/or completely unknown to your client. In other words, having a portfolio that fits the market and your target audience is best.

  • Indicate your main projects: present, for example, a top 3 projects that stand out in your portfolio, either by creativity, challenge, or notoriety, this way you will be giving a small overview of your potential and, at the same time, stimulate the client’s interest to know the rest of your work.
  • Present results that you have achieved or that your clients have achieved thanks to your partnership.

5) Making an Impact How To Create An Effective Advertisement About the Service

Making an Impact How To Create An Effective Advertisement About the Service

The next best element to a winning freelancer profile besides a great portfolio is to advertise it with a service which I will basically call it an “ad.”

When creating an ad in which you advertise your services, it must touch on a few key points so that potential clients will be interested and want to hire your services.

Think of your clients as your target audience and define their characteristics, niche type, and industry branding, and colors such as is are they a private business or a company, how big the company is, what regional area they are targeting, and what services would they need from you. Find the answers and then create a persona, an ideal customer profile, so you will better target your message, be able to reach the right people, and optimize the chances of conversions.

6) The Thumbnail

The thumbnail of a service

Allied to the creation of the ad, you have a great marketing and conversion tool, which is the creation of a thumbnail, as it promotes a differentiating experience for your clients and facilitates not only the awakening of interest but also helps optimize your digital positioning. It must be developed, in terms of its dimensions, according to the platform where it will be published. Your thumbnail should have vibrant and appealing colors and impactful terms.

You should also choose an image that highlights one or the top of the best projects you have done and which title clarifies how you can bring value to your future client.

After putting into practice all the tips we have mentioned, you will certainly have a well-designed ad that favors the process of screening and selecting ideal clients to work with and allows you to solve long and short-term problems in the freelancer/client relationship.

With this ad template along with the thumbnail, you will be able to present the essential information about your services so that potential clients understand what kind of work they can count on and if it meets what they are looking for to generate trust and convince them to move forward to contact you.

In this sense, you will have an ad that is not only attractive and authentic but also informative, written in a clear, objective, concise, and relevant way, structured and optimized for search engines, and that will surely help you to stand out and avoid receiving contacts from clients that do not fit the profile of the work you are looking for, or even that has nothing to do with your working area.

6) Contact – Be prepared for your one-on-one client consultation calls

The key here is to tell, not sell; many clients in the final phase will likely want to meet you over a virtual meeting so they can have a complete vision of how you can accomplish a project and gain further insight into your capabilities as well as if it is a good fit for both, you as a freelancer and them as a client.

It’s a mutual relationship that must be commercially viable on both sides, doesn’t undercut your fee to win a client, and then be frustrated with the time it takes or the amount of work needed to achieve a product or goal. It is up to you as a professional to know exactly what you are getting into and how long it should take.

Knowing the bandwidth (time and amount of energy a client has for management) is important. Not every client wants to know or learn how the sausage is made; they want to know where the sausage is coming from and if it is quality and worth the price. A sales pitch with verticals will surely put the client off.

Tips to summarize your emails, listing, and one on one calls:

  • What is the service (jargon free) and how will it improve your client’s business needs
  • Be yourself, and feel free to include stories of past clients and how you overcame challenges or even learned from mistakes and improved.
  • What are the benefits?
  • What is the process?
  • What are the next steps?
  • Wrap up the calls with questions.
    Keep calls under 20 minutes; if a potential client doesn’t have any further questions, ask when you would like to start so you can dedicate the time needed to complete the project. Understand to a potential client you are their only client, and to please a client, we overbook or over-promise on our deadlines. My key philosophy is always overdelivering and under-promising; when a client expects a project to take a month, and you deliver before the deadline or exceed their goals, you will surely have a super happy client. And above all, be transparent; not every client is a good fit; know your capabilities and always shine. You are not only representing yourself but also the freelance platform you are on.

7) Promoting work Selling productized services as a freelancer

We can say that for an advertisement to reach clients more simply and also target the type of work we prefer to do, it is necessary to invest some time and dedication and always be willing to try new approaches. So let’s present some tips to help in this process of advertising freelance work.

Great Sites to start freelancing

  • Upwork
  • Vettted
  • Peopleperhour
  • Freelancer
  • Fiverr

A Few More Tips For Going Forward

  • Spell Check & Grammar Check and Readability: Use a tool like Grammarly to check your entire profile for any spelling or grammatical errors before hitting that publish button. There are countless tools available to save yourself from making a huge embarrassment of yourself. Lastly, you want to check if your profile is clear and legible to the average reader to the level of your prospects. I use a tool called a Flesch Kincaid Calculator to check readability. It will score your content, any content, based on grade level; suffice to say if your text is full of technical jargon and acronyms, you have just alienated more than half of your potential clients.
  • Hire Someone: If you can’t figure out what to write in your profile or even how to write it, check out other profiles for inspiration or reach out to them and offer to hire them to help you write or edit it. Not only does this build a more cohesive freelancing community, you also get to network with other professionals in your field and possibly co-collaboration on projects.
  • Ask For Reviews: Don’t be afraid to ask for a review and include a link to your bio and possibly have a premade video or loom vid on how to do it. For greater success, you can semi-template your review or give pointers to your clients, such as my previous clients have said, “Thank you, dave, for your work on _______ project. I got exactly what I was looking for and more. Communication was swift, and the project or service was delivered above expectations and on time. Highly recommend!
  • Ask For Referrals: Give this some time, about a week after you complete a project, and for feedback to come to your client. If you did a great job, then why not ask them to refer you to other clients. Drop them a message and ask how the results are. Any feedback from the project might be another opportunity. Maybe the original vision has changed, or new ideas came after the project or the original focus. This is another opportunity as a vertical or additional paid time. It doesn’t hurt to ask, especially if you delivered well.
  • Add A Video: Many platforms allow you to include a video in your freelancer profile. This is a great way to attract more attention to your profile, showcase your work or results, and show the person behind the service. Always use a professional setting and good lighting, don’t do this in a jacuzzi.
  • Invest in your bio: Remember, your freelancer profile is your mini online CV. So, don’t make it too personal. Forget about your hipster styles, selfies, and emojis. Be professional, or try to act as one.

Now, go wow your clients with your amazing profile.

 

Vasco Montiero

Vasco A. Monteiro, hailing from Lisbon, Portugal, and holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Instituto Superior Técnico, showcases his dedication to search engine optimization beyond his ventures. He runs a successful YouTube channel and manages a private SEO Facebook group, Vasco’s SEO Tips. These platforms allow him to share valuable insights and expertise in the digital world, further solidifying his position as a respected industry leader in the SEO domain.

Similar Posts