Freelancing is one of the growing industries that are making people earn a lot of money and actively contributing to Pakistan’s economy.
You might have heard a lot of people around you talking about it. But if you aren’t sure what it is or how you can benefit from it, I have discussed this topic in detail.
What I’ll try to do here is to cover the topic in detail so you can adopt it as your career, too, and dollars from the comfort of your home.
So, let’s start with the definition of freelancing.
What is freelancing?
Freelancing refers to any project or contract-based gig where a person only commits to a specific work scope and gets the agreed remuneration in return. Such individuals are not a formal part of the organization.
It can be applied to all professions and has nothing to do with the online world.
However, what we know as freelancing in Pakistan is more focused on online gigs where you provide the buyers with digital services. And that’s what you probably want to know when you have come here searching for “how to start freelancing in Pakistan.”
Freelancing in Pakistan
Freelancing in Pakistan is becoming a career choice for most people around us. A suitable skill set is one of the critical things you need to have to start your career. As you’ll only be delivering services online in a particular domain, so one thing you cannot ignore is the skill set.
Your skillset can be about anything you love working on, including writing, designing, accounting, or marketing. I’m a digital marketer, so I often tell people to become digital marketers. You can learn more about how to become a digital marketer.
Steps to start freelancing in Pakistan
I’ll help you take the entire freelancing journey you should follow as a step-by-step approach. It will help you take action and actually get started with your work.
1. Select a category
As I’ve discussed earlier too, there are many fields that you can opt for when going for freelancing. You can become a writer, designer, SEO expert, or digital marketer.
If you want to be an expert in the field, you cannot start working in all these niches and satisfy customers. So, you must choose a particular niche based on your interest and your existing skill set.
Let me give you an overview of highly paid skills to make selecting your category or niche easier.
Digital Marketing
It is a broad field that covers the skill of running paid ads on Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Also, using organic methods of ranking the websites and social media accounts is covered in this category. First, you’ll have to learn one of the domains first, and I recommend Facebook and Google Ads as the starting point.
Copywriting
Writing landing pages, ads, emails, and product descriptions can earn you significant money. It is because all these pages will result in higher sales for the company. However, you can’t start copywriting independently, and you’ll have to learn it properly to pursue it as the base of your freelancing career.
Graphic Designing
Another field that you can work in as a freelancer is a graphic design. You must design images for websites, posts, logos, and other design elements in this field. Your role will be to help create the brand through images.
If you know what you’re doing, you can earn a lot of money in this field. But again, the amount of money you earn from graphic designing will depend highly on your skill set.
Programming
Programming is another domain from where you can start your freelancing career. It isn’t easy and often requires a degree in computer sciences as a prerequisite. But you can jump into this field and earn money if you have one.
Video editing
Learning the technical part to get things right is one of the easier domains. But a mediocre video editing skill will only give you limited earnings. So, be a pro if you seriously want to pursue it as your career.
Website Designing
You can also start your freelancing career as a website designer. There are several fields within this domain too. You can choose a CMS, start developing your website from there, or use coding to create a website from scratch. One of the things that you need to take care of is the user experience. The website must not only be catchy, but it must also be user-friendly to generate any results.
2. Choose the freelancing platform
Now that you have chosen a niche or category, the next step is to select the best freelancing platform. There are multiple specific built forums and websites available. I’ll discuss the most important ones here. You can also research and look for websites offering remote working opportunities.
Besides, you don’t have to rely on freelancing websites; you must use LinkedIn, social media, and other networking options to get the maximum work. Don’t worry; I will discuss how you can network with others later in this post.
Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the primary platforms I’ll advise you to start selling your services at. You have to create gigs on the platform, similar to displaying your product on the shop. You explain everything you’ll deliver, service features, and the pricing; if a buyer likes your offer, they’ll buy from you.
As Fiverr is a beginner’s platform so you’ll find high competition. It might require you to wait for months to get your first order. But while you wait to get clients, ensure you have done your gig’s SEO in the right way.
Upwork
Another freelancing platform that can help you get your clients is Upwork. On Upwork, you can find high-ticket clients. The platform works in a way that the clients post their requirements or job post on it. Freelancers who think they can complete the job correctly apply to the job with their proposal.
If the client likes the proposal, they can contact you and initiate the job. At this platform, the clients usually require an established portfolio, so you must have one to increase the chances of your success.
Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com also works similarly to Upwork, where clients post their job, and the freelancers apply for the job position. You might have to skim through many job posts on this platform to find the right job, as there are multiple fake jobs. That’s what I have noticed; your observation could be different.
3. Build Portfolio
Once you have created your profiles on these platforms, now is the time to build your portfolio. Depending on your chosen niche, you can provide free services to the clients or work as an intern. The result will be the creation of a portfolio, which you can use to grab more clients.
But you don’t necessarily have to do this every time; you can work for yourself and show the results to the clients. Alternatively, you can convince your potential client with the theory, hoping they’ll give you a chance. But that is rarely the case. So, I’ll suggest you go for the first two options.
4. Create networks
Another important thing you must not ignore as a freelancer is to create networks. Build your reputation in different communities, including Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups. You can post value-based content on these platforms to ensure you know what you are discussing.
It will encourage people looking for similar services to reach out to you; thus, you can get a client. Also, when you like to grow your freelancing model into a business, you’ll need to develop a team, so your connections will be helpful at that time as well.
5. Retain clients
Once you have managed to get clients, whether on social media or freelancing platforms, try retaining them for the long term. It will reduce the tension of managing the monthly cash flows. How can you do this?
Provide your clients with extra services and great customer support. It will ensure that the clients stick with you, and you can also expect referrals from your existing clients. So, don’t take the project delivery and client retention stage easy.
Some questions about freelancing in Pakistan
I understand you might have a few questions about freelancing in Pakistan. I’ve tried to address these questions here in this section:
a. Why are Pakistani freelancers in demand?
One of the first things that might come to mind when discussing freelancing in Pakistan is why someone would hire a Pakistani freelancer when they have local experts around them. The simple answer is because of reduced cost.
No matter how high-paying your client is, it is highly likely that they’ll be saving a lot in terms of the cost comparing what they pay you for the same kind of service and what they would pay to a local around them.
You might even want to start at a considerable rate, which can allow you to enter the market.
How much can you earn from freelancing?
Another question that might be resonating is about the earnings you can get from freelancing. Well, it is a valid question. But I don’t want to give you any false hopes.
There have been people who have started earning thousands of dollars within 2 months, but there also have been people who are still struggling to get their first order after 6 months. It also depends on your expertise level and the niche you’ve selected.
In addition, your communication skills also play an essential role in determining the level of your earning. So, there’s no hard and fast slab that I can share with you for motivation. But I can say that if you pursue freelancing as a dedicated career, you can earn a significant amount of money and learn to scale it as a business.
b. How to become a successful freelancer?
To become a successful freelancer, you must provide the highest work quality. No matter what field you are in, you must not compromise on the quality of your work. It will help you retain a particular client for the long term, increasing the lifetime value and the chances of referrals. Thus, the problem of finding new clients would automatically be resolved.
Additionally, you must get the required work expectations from the clients before you start working on the project. For example, as a digital marketer, if a client wants me to run an ad for New York, I don’t start the work right away. Instead, I ask for the specific areas in New York to be focused on. Also, I conduct my own research to analyze the business type and the geographical range that can bring the best results.
This is just an example of a single aspect. Multiple other things must be adequately researched before starting your work on the project.
c. What are the different challenges faced by Pakistani freelancers?
As a Pakistani freelancer, the circumstances that we all have to face are not ideal. There are extended periods of load shedding, which can hinder productivity and impact the commitments made with the clients.
Also, there are limited training institutes to inform freelancers about the changing trends and help new freelancers grow.
In addition, scams are quite prominent in the online world, misguiding newbies about legit opportunities. Even the complaint procedure is technical, and not everyone wants to get into the technical procedure.
Tips for freelancers
Here are a few tips for freelancers to excel in their careers:
- Price your services appropriately – you must not put a meagre price tag on them as it can create an image that your service quality is low. Price it according to the marketing standards.
- Upsell when you can – you must create different packages of your services. It will help you upsell and thus a higher amount of money.
- Keep track of your profits – you must not lose track of your earning. Treat it as a business and keep a complete record of what you’ve earned.
Summing up
Becoming a freelancer is not only a trending profession but can also help you earn dollars while sitting in the comfort of your home. While there are multiple avenues of freelancing, what I can guide you best is digital marketing.
If you want to learn digital marketing, you can contact Aamir Ahmer Academy now and get access to lifetime access to earning modules as well.
