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:
- Entrepreneur pages (I'm part of a private group called From Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur).
- Niche groups such as Photography (In my area I would offer website portfolios to Austin Photography Group).
- Job boards such as The Cult of Copy Job Board Facebook Group (Sidenote: So many people have posted the exact script above to this group, the admin asked me to stop referring people here) 😂.
- Startup Facebook Groups (Austin Startups is in my area).
- Freelancer Facebook Groups (Austin Freelance Gigs is in my area)
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:
*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:

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

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:
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:

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:
- 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.
- Three Tiered Pricing (Keep a low, medium, and high priced option).
- Freelance Pricing Calculator (For when you start charging more).
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