Saher Unveils Her First-Year Journey As A Freelancer 

The Dream To Get Started 

Saher has a dream to have at least 3 degrees to her name. At present, she is on the path to getting a master’s degree. However, she has already tasted success through her freelancing career. Saher did her Bachelors in Computer Application. Her creative bend made her pursue marketing later.

While in school, she used to be a contributing writer. She used to write short poems and articles. However, she did not wish to continue writing. Seeing her great academic record, her parents pushed her into engineering. As she didn’t wish to become one, she decided to opt for bachelor in Computer Applications. Once again, her creative instincts made her choose the elective subject of marketing and design in college. She loved this subject a lot and later interned at companies in the field of content writing, designing, and marketing. 

Making The Most Of Pandemic

Saher says, “I got campus placement at a reputed MNC just before COVID hit. However, even before realizing the gravity of the pandemic, I had already conveyed to my mother that I will not pursue this job for more than a year.” Saher was clear that she will not stay stagnant in one career. As she was in Computer Applications, she was placed in software. This, however, was not her preferred domain. After a year, she realized that he was standing where she was. She did not gain any additional skills. So, she started upskilling herself through the Udemy business. She left her job then to pursue her interests. 

As she had done content writing and marketing in the past, she decided to freelance in the field. To strengthen her choice of career, she took a course to learn how to monetize her skills. It is a little difficult to try new things in the middle of my career, but Saher was motivated enough to do something different. Taking inspiration from youths around her, she dabbled in freelancing. However, post-pandemic, there is a lot of competition in the industry as the number of freelancers has shot up.

Check out how to become a professional freelance content writer.

The High Point Of The Career

When Saher began freelancing, she targeted international clients initially. Unfortunately, due to a lack of guidance and proper knowledge, she could not achieve her target. Her primary plan was to reach out to 10 clients daily. However, she could not keep in touch with the clients due to a time crunch. Saher changed her strategy and focussed on just 3 clients for a fortnight. This helped me bag 1 client out of 3. Her first payment was US $400. 

Read more about the best international payment gateway in India.

Saher says, “I like doing multiple things at a time. As a child, I wished to be an ATM. I was under the impression that an ATM makes money and it will help me do the same. Money fuelled my imagination and dreams at that time. This helped me chart my path to make my dream come true. I am a pre-planner. There is always a plan being made at the back of my mind.” He realized that freelancing is all about freedom and money. Revealing her plans for the future, Saher says that she wishes to start her own business once she completes her Master’s Degree. She plans to continue freelancing as a student while preparing for her master’s. At present, she has two people on her team who help her with content writing and caption writing. Her inherent objective is to keep growing. 

Check out the 7 best SEO tools for content writers to make the work easy and efficient.

A Word Of Advice To New Freelancers 

Saher says communication is the most important yet underrated skill. Skills do not matter if one is not able to communicate them to the clients. The trick is to win the trust of the clients. Further, Saher says that it is important to adopt a pricing strategy. Saher repents accepting projects that did not match her wavelength at the beginning of her career. She thinks that some clients are not worth the effort. 

Check out the 7 effective client communication skills in this blog.

Saher says that it is important to have an online portfolio. It helps bag the deals easily. According to her, an online portfolio should have 5 important things viz. About Me, Services, Testimonials,  Sample Work, and Numbers or Insights. It should have a call to action as well. The price catalog can be shown to the clients on consultancy calls as the client might not approach seeing the price despite their interests. Pricing should always be discussed in a meeting, which helps the client to give it a thought. 

Read more about the must-have things 15 elements in your portfolio website.

Saher feels sorry that the term freelancer has a wrong notion built around it. Clients expect freelancers to execute projects at cheaper rates. This has made freelancers get a bad repute in the industry. It’s high time that people start considering freelancing as a serious career choice. She advises freelancers to trust their gut and trust their instincts. She says that all of her best work is the result of her impulse. She has learnt that it is okay not to get the likes and views as per the plan. There might be some times when one does not get the lead but it is completely fine. 

Check out the non-conventional ways to get leads.

Saher take on Pricing Strategy

Saher always gives a list of terms and conditions to the clients as she cannot legally enter into freelance contracts with international clients. He has prepared 10 commandments comprising her working hours (because of time difference), payment conditions, and project timeline, among others. If the service exceeds a specific amount, then she notifies the client about the new payment plan that is applicable.

Saher has different packages for engagement, social media management, content creation, hashtag development, and other services. One-time projects like hashtag development allow her to save time and make enough money. It is beneficial to offer packages for the services. Her advice to newbies in the industry is to divide their services into a basic package, a middle package, and a premium package. Services like content writing, engagement, and the like should be offered as a separate package. 

Read more about how to charge hourly as a freelancer.

Regarding payment, Saher reveals, “When it comes to charging, I always ask my clients for their work requirements. I get on a call with them and ask them how many posts they want, do they want stories or reels.” To charge a premium for her services, Saher talks to the clients about different things they can opt for. She adds, “My fees include the charges of the premium tools that I use for scheduling and the like. I divide the costs of the tools that I use among my clients to figure out my profits. I make my clients understand the importance of premium tools that I use and the amount of time I invest in them.”