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    Make Your First $100 As A Freelancer (with instructions and scripts to follow)

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    Let's say for some reason a monkey wrench has been thrown into your work life, and all of a sudden freelancing over the internet seems like an interesting idea.

    Well you're in luck my young friend, because your Uncle Neville has taken the liberty of going through every single step of the process, and giving you the templates along the way.

    I've been freelancing my whole adult life, and have helped thousands of others do it (and not just in copywriting). This post has no conceptual bullshit here, just action. Let's start:

    If you've ever wanted to start a business but never had any money, let's try this together right now and make your first $100:

     

     

     

    Step 1.) Identify the specific service to sell:

    Using our handy Business Idea Generator I got the idea to sell Wordpress websites for a flat $100 fee.

    Here is our value proposition in one sentence:

     

    So that's the product we're going to sell.  We've identified a price, a service, and a delivery time.

    Our Price: $100.

    Our Service: Make you a working Wordpress website.

    Our Delivery Time: In 24 hours.

     

     

     

    Step 2.) Post this offer on your Facebook:

    This part is super easy, yet super hard psychologically (for some people).

    All I want you to do is post this script on your personal Facebook page:

    That's all you have to do. Don't overthink this.....just post it.

     

     

    Step 3.) Post the offer on Facebook Groups:

    This part requires being part of groups on Facebook where your service might be useful.  Since we're selling Wordpress themed websites, we can try:

    Since it's generally frowned upon to blatantly spam a Facebook Group with offers, we'll modify the above offer just a bit for the Facebook Group postings. Copy/Paste this script into the groups:

     

     

     

     

    Step 4.) Post on Craigslist:

    Next step is to utilize our old friend Craigslist. It's still a massive hotbed of people posting and searching for specific gigs.

    And to make sure you have zero excuse not to do this, I will make your entire ad for you:

    Here is the ad you need to copy/paste into the Services --> Computer section of Craigslist:

    computer section craigslist

    *NOTE* Obviously you'll need to replace your city, name, and contact information.

    If your Craigslist posting allows you to post an image, we've got you covered on that too. Here's a sample (and proven) template for you to copy/paste. I've included the editable template below:

    Wordpress Website Setup Ad Template

    To customize this template as your own, you can open this template in Google Drawings then click File --> Make A Copy:

    template ad download

     

     

     

    Step 5.) Make a One Pager to post on bulletin boards:

    What is a One Pager you ask?  It's basically a flyer you can physically post somewhere (preferably in an area where people will want websites).

    Here's a printed out and taped-up version:

    wordpress flyer posted

    You can download and customize this One Pager flyer with your own information. Click the template then click File --> Make A Copy to edit your own:

    one-pager-craigslist-template-download

    Here is where you will post these flyers:

    • The 3 nearest coffee shops to you.
    • Any co-working spaces in your area.
    • College campuses nearby.
    • Outside of office buildings.

    Everyone's area will have a difference in options to post. The point is to get your generous offer in front of people who may want a website. The above options are a great start.

    Since outside activity has been limited lately, it's also wise to snap a pic of your flyer and post it to social media.

     

     

     

    Pro-Tips For Newbie Freelancers:

    Keep it hella simple:

    Often the smartest people never start because they overthink things. Just remember to follow the path of least resistance here.  We're doing simple projects, for a simple price.....so keep it simple.

     

    Don't flatter yourself you egotistical asshole:

    "Omg what if people judge me for posting that??"

    "What if I don't get more than 10 likes??"

    "What if this experiment fails and everyone knows??"

    Umm please don't flatter yourself so hard.  If you think people are paying attention to you THAT much, you need to tell your egotistical brain to calm the hell down.

    No one is paying that much attention. When's the last time you really judged and ruminated over someone's status update post?

     

    You don't need to plan out every aspect of this:

    All we're doing is fishing to see if people bite. If we get taken up on our offer 10 times in the first hour, then hooray! You've hit upon something great and got yourself 10 new clients!

    Many people (especially super-analytical and planning-type people) tend to get paralyzed because they feel they need to plan out every-tiny-little-aspect of how they'll handle these jobs.  Resist the urge my friend!!

    If you start planning out "future scenarios" all the time, you'll never get started.  Just get the gigs first, then handle the details later.  This will be your on-the-job training.

     

    Don't try to increase your prices just yet:

    I see failing and poor freelancers all the time. They think they "deserve" a certain pay grade right away without putting in the work.  Fuck these people.  If you think the world owes you something, you're going to have a very very very tough time in the future.

    You know who wins in this game?  The people who are willing to start out with this mindset: "OK, I'm just some newbie freelancer with zero experience, so I'm willing to start at the bottom. Yes some people will take advantage of my low prices, yes some people will get the deal of lifetime with this cheap work, but I'm willing to start somewhere and get experience. I will raise my prices when I am flooded with clients."

    These people are awesome.

    These people get so many jobs they HAVE to raise their prices.

    These people serendipitously get gigs and jobs they never dreamed of.

     

     

     

    Here's another example of this method working damn-near immediately for someone who never charged for their photography services (and immediately booked a $120 gig)!

     

     

     

    Your Goal Is Just To Make $100:

    When you begin freelancing the main idea is to see what work suits you. Not everyone will want to develop Wordpress themes, but there's a huge amount of freelancing opportunities out there. Follow this format and drum up some money quickly.

    Over the years, the methodology of first posting your freelancing gigs on your social media has the fastest result of any method I've ever seen. I've provided you the exact scripts and templates for every step of the way.  

     

     

    Download this whole post and all the editable templates:

    Click here to subscribe

    - Keep the whole post -

    - Get all the editable templates -

    - Share with someone who it can help -

     

    Sincerely,

    Neville Medhora - Copywriter trying to make you $100 quick.

    P.S. More articles on the details of freelancing:

    - How to get your first freelance writing job.

    - How to become a copywriter.

    - How to consult.

    - Three Tiered Pricing (Keep a low, medium, and high priced option).

    - Freelance Pricing Calculator (For when you start charging more).

     

    P.P.S. Comment below with any questions you may have.


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Thank you so much for this Neville, I will be trying this in the personal training space. That would be my vote!
    Link to comment
    Thanks for the inspiration. When do you ask for payment - before you do the work or when completed?
    Link to comment
    Guest Ritzwan

    Posted

    Hey boss, what about fully planning out and business like stock trading services?
    Link to comment
    Guest Dave Lynch

    Posted

    I'd love a similar post on offering book publicist services...

    Thanks,

    Dave

    Link to comment
    Guest richard

    Posted

    What a great promotion, Neville, a fine example of out-of-the-box thinking.
    Link to comment
    Guest richard

    Posted

    There are different schools of thought about this. Some people want payment up front, some agree to be paid upon completion. On bigger projects usually some sort of step deal is agreed upon, such as half up front and the remainder upon completion. But on a small project such as this one I suggest getting paid upfront, otherwise you may never get paid at all. If the client balks at paying a hundred bucks up front it suggests he/she isn't really serious (or doesn't even have the money). Putting their money on the line makes your clients psychologically invest in the project, makes them more willing to work with you, and usually makes for a better outcome for all concerned.
    Link to comment
    Guest Julie Thompson

    Posted

    Thanks for the post and examples! Next idea: a crash course for improving your Spanish pronunciation as a learner
    Link to comment
    Guest Russ Crowley

    Posted

    Great advice, Neville, many thanks.

    An idea for the next one...I use Microsoft Word to create books, reports, documentation, templates, and so on; how would you promote something like that, Neville?

    Kind regards,

    Russ

    Link to comment
    Guest Rohi Shetty

    Posted

    Hi Neville,

    Thanks a ton - this is totally totally awesome!

    I'm launching my freelance health writer service. So I would like a full-out business plan of that. I plan to start with content writing rather than copywriting...

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    That's awesome Reem! It seems personal trainers generally work on this standard formula anyway.

    Example: For $60 I will train you to get more in shape for 1 hour.

    Maybe what you could do is sell a month package as a promotion: For $200 I will train you for a full month and get you in shape.

    However I would suggest this only if you're just getting started, you don't want to push your rates down if you're already established!

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Hey Jan, if I'm ever unsure of how to charge, I default to 50% upfront and 50% on completion. Everyone is taken care of that way (customer AND provider).
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    I agree Richard, but sometimes the customer wants to make sure THEY are safe from getting scammed too. That's why I sometimes suggest people to 50/50 payments.

    The other benefit is if you do more work for the client than originally planned, you can still charge them for it :)

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Hmmm....I'll think about it, I'm not sure I would start with that one as it's not something people can do/learn quickly. I also think some of that stuff gets into the shady sector!

    Thanks for the suggestion though, I've written it down. If others vote for it I'll consider.

    Link to comment

    I would be a bit more precise in the offer so that people know what to expect. What's a 'full website setup'? I can tell you there will be people expecting you to build a 100-page website for this.

    Of course you could also clarify after someone got in touch, just be clear in what you will deliver!

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Hey Dave, that would be an easy one that could also translate to copywriters and editors. Will put it down on the list, thanks!
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Thank you Richard! I would highly suggest you try it, or share this with someone that might benefit from it.
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Language tutoring might work well in this format! However I think the promotion that would do well is live training: "For $150 I will tutor you in Spanish every week for a month."

    Simply trying to promote an e-course with this format would probably not work well, especially if you're just dropping your promotion into random groups.

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Thanks for the suggestion Russ, if you were to translate those skills into some sort of useful consulting service that could be cool.

    For example: If you were in a Facebook group for salespeople that discussed their sales pitches, you could offer a promotion like: "For $100 I will make your sales pitch deck look like a trillion bucks! I have been making sales pitch decks for 10 years, and know the different methods to make them more attractive and more effective."

    Something like that could work well!

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Hmmm, I'm not sure what a "freelance health writer" is.....any more details you could provide?
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    I've been consulting for years now, so my rates are considerably higher Ricky. However when I initially started I used the same simple formula to begin charging for hourly consulting!
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Very true Paul!

    However, I was purposely being vague with the descriptions for this reason:

    For people JUST getting started, I wanted them to test the waters with their offer first before getting too specific. If you start drilling down on the specifics of the webpage, it might turn a lot of people off.

    However if you blanket-statement "I will build you any webpage" you will get a wider variety of people asking about your service, and you can pretty instantly tell what service people want.

    But you're right, if I were doing this for myself, I would add a couple of caveats to the offer like, "I will build you a 5-page website for $100 in one week."

    Thanks Paul!

    Link to comment
    Guest How would you make 0 in a month? :: Kopywriting Kourse

    Posted

    […] P.P.P.S. Here’s the exact scripts and templates I’d use to sell $100 worth of consulting projects. […]
    Link to comment
    Guest Teddy Jones

    Posted

    This is a perfect example of how easy it is to actually start earning online using skills that you have or can learn online. I was trying to explain this to some older folks last weekend who had very negative views about anything that involves earning online. Thanks for this I will surely be implementing.
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    For sure Teddy! I think there's a multitude of ways to go about making an income online, and I think this is just a good way for someone with some pre-existing skills to just get started really quick.

    If someone says this won't work, challenge them to copy/paste these scripts as instructed and see!

    Link to comment



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