Proving your work as a freelancer can be really intimidating.
I remember setting up my first profile on Upwork and thinking “Yeah…you’ve got nothing. No portfolio. No testimonials.”
I was wrong, and if you’re thinking the same
thing, you probably are too.
Week 4: Show Them What You Can Do
Portfolios and testimonials are VERY important to developing your freelance career and bringing in new business. If you’re just getting started though, or just haven’t put much thought into building your portfolio, now’s the time.
Here are some suggestions for getting those first portfolio pieces and testimonials when it seems like you’ve got no options
- Use your own projects: Years before I started freelancing, I built a website for my martial arts community, and you can bet, even though it wasn’t related
to my niche, that I used screenshots as examples of what I could do until I could get more official work. I just reminded people that I had the work experience and knew how to use the Internet. That was enough for my first couple of candidates.
- Do a small project for a friend: This can be paid or unpaid, but if you know any friends or website owners who might need your services, offer to do a small
job at small fee in exchange for them being a reference, testimonial, or a clip in your portfolio.
- Volunteer: Plenty of not for profits need the work you do and are probably more than happy to accept your help managing their social media, reworking their logo, or fixing their local SEO. This is a huge bonus if not-for-profits are your niche.
The most important thing here, is after you do the work, don’t be shy. Some people won’t like your small (and growing) portfolio, but you don’t need everybody as a client. All you need is one or two people to pay attention, and you’ll be off on a great start to a web presence that shows potential clients what you can do.
Megan