New freelancer here, looking for a few tips

[emilyshifflett]

Hi all.

So I recently joined Fiverr trying to supplement a full time job. I decided to focus on what I’m really good at and focus on business writing.

But I do have a few questions and would love whatever advice you can provide.

1. How do those of you in a similar situation to me balance the demands of a career, and all the time personal marketing takes?
2. What are the best tips you have for improving response time, taking into the multitude of time zones represented here?
3. For those of you who focus on writing type gigs, how did you go about generating your own images for gigs instead of just stock images? I was thinking of using screenshots of some writing samples but I’m worried about how that would look for something that needs redacting like personal information on a resume. Do you just use a standard form and write “Your Name Here?” Or does that look disingenuous?

Anything else you have to offer would be greatly appreciated!

[cyaxrex]

How do those of you in a similar situation to me balance the demands of a career, and all the time personal marketing takes?

This is a tricky one. I am unable to go back to regular work even though I sometimes really want to. I did manage to work part-time during my first couple of years freelancing but it was kind of casual work.

If I was to go back to full-time work and freelance, I would have to have my tablet or phone always with me to answer messages. As for how to manage your time working, you will ideally need to allocate 5-6 hours in your day to your freelance activities. You won’t always be that busy (and might sometimes be too busy) but when you have a lull in orders, you simply use that time to market yourself.

For those of you who focus on writing type gigs, how did you go about generating your own images for gigs instead of just stock images? I was thinking of using screenshots of some writing samples but I’m worried about how that would look for something that needs redacting like personal information on a resume. Do you just use a standard form and write “Your Name Here?” Or does that look disingenuous?

Personally, I’d steer clear of writing sample, desktop screens, pen imagery etc. There is a new seller here currently who makes 3d caricatures and I personally would get her to make my gig images. The colors are vibrant, they make a really bold visual impact and I’m actually thinking of doing this myself.

Good luck!