Everything You Need To Know About Freelance Work

Thinking about working as a freelancer, or hiring a freelancer to move the creative pursuits of your company forward? You’re in the right place. 

Here, we’ll take a look at what it means to be a freelancer. 

We’ll also explore the differences between working for a company and working for yourself as a creative professional. 

Here’s how you can get started with your freelancing career.

Remote Work Vs. Freelance Work: What’s the Difference?

While there are some commonalities between remote work and freelance work, they aren’t two birds of a feather. 

When a person works remotely, they’re still an employee of a company. This means that while they may choose where they work, they’re still bound by their job requirements. 

Freelancing is different. Freelancers work for themselves, determine their pay rates, and decide what projects they’d like to take on (and what projects they’re going to pass up).

Being an employee of a company can have some benefits, but it’s tough to beat the freedom of working on your own. 

Some creative professionals work as employees and do freelance work on the side as they’re building their careers. 

Other freelancers work for themselves full-time.

Examples of Remote Work

In a post-COVID world, most people have interacted with someone who is working remotely. 

Even if you haven’t worked remotely yourself, you’ve probably interacted with someone who provided a virtual service. 

Doctors often work remotely by completing virtual appointments from home offices. Managers conduct meetings via Zoom and Skype from their computers. 

Working from home is common now–remote work means that employees do the same work they’d do if they were sitting in their office.

Choosing your own location is one of the main differences between working remotely and working in an office. 

Freelancers also get to determine their own clients, deadlines and pay rates. 

Creating a career as a freelancer takes some work, but many find that it’s well worth the freedom it provides.

Examples of Freelance Work

When you choose to be your own boss and work as a freelancer, your options are endless. 

You might work as a freelance graphic designer, collaborating with your clients to bring their ideas to life. Some freelancers write copy for businesses and individuals. This can include blog posts, articles, social media posts, emails, and more. 

Others work as virtual assistants, tending to the day-to-day tasks of their clients.

One of the great things about freelance work is that you determine what each day looks like. If you want to venture into a new field, you can. 

As a freelancer, you decide what kind of work you do. You’ll also get to choose how much work you take on. Freelancers can work with clients to determine deadlines and can set their own schedules.

 

How Do Freelancers Get Paid?

This is where things can get a little tricky. 

If you’re working as a freelancer on your own, you’ll be responsible for invoicing your clients. You’ll also need to follow up, assign late fees, and create your own contracts. 

If you work with a freelancing agency, they’ll take care of the back-end work for you. Usually, your agency will take a pre-set percentage of your profits in exchange for client management.

As a freelancer in the United States, you’ll also need to file taxes. If you make more than $600 in a tax year, you’ll report your freelance income to the IRS. 

Some companies will send you a 1099 form with your tax information. 

It’s key that you keep careful records to ensure you stay on top of your taxes as a freelancer.

Where Can I Find Freelance Work?

You know you love to write–but it can be tough to figure out exactly how to get started. 

Working with a digital content marketplace can help connect you with the people who need your skills to grow their business. 

When you work with a content agency like WriterAccess, you’ll get first dibs at jobs with startups, large organizations, influencers, and others who want to pay you for your skills. 

While writing comes easily to you, that’s not the case for everyone–the ability to understand what a client needs and create text that works for them is invaluable.

You also have the option of reaching out to clients on your own to find freelance work. 

This can be a good option, but you won’t have the benefit of an agency to take care of invoicing, payment processing, etc. 

If you’re working with clients without the support of an agency, it’s smart to learn how to create a contract that can increase the likelihood that you’ll get paid on time.

Ready to get started as a freelancer? Check out these content agency options:

• Fiverr
• WriterAccess (Yeah, we’re a little biased here–but for a good reason. We’re proud of the support we give both our clients and our freelancers, and we work hard to create a fantastic AI-powered environment where our freelancers our well-compensated and our clients get a great product.)
• UpWork
• PeoplePerHour

Wrap Up

Whether you’re a freelancer who is interested in top-notch jobs or you’re a content creator looking to outsource your copywriting, we’ve got you. 

At WriterAccess, we match you with the perfect professional writers to meet your needs. Ready to get started? Check out our free two-week trial–we can’t wait to get to know you.