6 min read · Apr 10, 2020
I was checking through Quora the other day and I came across the question, “Can I start freelancing just with my smartphone and internet? How?” and some other similar questions. The responses to these questions were not exactly helpful, with most people trying to sell their fraudulent schemes and some asserting that it is impossible. For someone who made quite a fortune freelancing with a smartphone, I think it’s fair enough to let people know how it can be done.
First of all, I want to make it clear that owning a PC is no doubt the best way to work as a Freelancer. But what happens if you can’t afford one yet?
Don’t Fret. There are still lots of ways you can earn money with your skills.
Social Media Manager
This is practically the easiest freelance job you can do with your smartphone. Your work as a social media manager is to help people (individuals and organizations) handle their social media pages, create better content, and interact with their customers.
You just have to be social media savvy and know how to help grow followers, increase reach, and drive engagement on different social media platforms.
Writer
You can write articles, blog posts, website contents, ebooks, etc., for clients with your mobile phone. All you need is to be a great storyteller, fast typist, and a few apps to write with.
The best part is that most of these apps are free and available on both Google and Apple Playstore. Here are some great writing apps you need to kickstart your journey as a freelance writer:
Virtual Assistant
As a virtual assistant, your work is to provide professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance. This may include answering and making calls, sending emails, managing social media pages, etc.
Practically all this work is done with a mobile phone anyways. So, you are on track.
Graphics Designer/Illustrator
The amazing thing about designing on mobile is that you don’t have to know how to use desktop apps like Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator. You can create beautiful designs with Canva, a web, and mobile design application.
The above picture is one of the designs I created using Canva.
Here are some mobile apps you need on your mobile phone as a graphics designer or illustrator.
Personally, I use Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and Canva to design on my smartphone. Some of the designs I have created in the past using these 2 applications can be found here.
Online Tutor
You can tutor people online on your mobile phone. All you have to do is know your area of expertise, then tutor people in need of your knowledge.
With your smartphone, you can make videos, audio lessons, or even write articles and send them to your students. Today, there are so many WhatsApp training classes where people learn remotely.
Now that you know the jobs you can do with your smartphone, the next thing is how to earn money through these jobs.
Become a Medium Partner
One way to easily earn money with your writing skills is by publishing your article under Medium’s paywall. As a regular writer on Medium, you can earn thousands of dollars on a monthly basis.
According to Medium’s report, writers earned as much as $17,126.40 in March, and $5,099.90 was paid out on a single story. Although you might not immediately earn this much at a go, you can earn more as time goes by.
With about 64% of active writers earning above $100 in March, you definitely stand a chance. The easiest way to earn more on Medium is by publishing your article in a Medium publication.
There are several publications on Medium that already has a large audience like Better Marketing, The Startup, Modus, etc. Submitting your articles to popular publications like this is your key to reaching a large audience and making more money.
All you have to do is find a popular publication in your niche, submit your articles to them, and watch as you earn. The amazing part of this is that your articles will keep earning you money as long as they remain published online.
Sell Digital Products
If you are interested in e-commerce but don’t want to go through the stress of shipping and managing a store, this is a perfect option. You can create an online store on Etsy, Shopify, or Squarespace where you only sell digital products.
Some of the things you can sell online include:
- Custom illustrations: Create illustrations or designs that can be used by businesses, freelancers, and other designers then sell them on Adobe Stock.
- Pictures: Take high-quality pictures of your surroundings, objects, or even yourself, and sell on Shutterstock.
- Forms: If you have no idea of what to sell, you can create forms on Formplus, download them and sell on Etsy. You can also help people to create online surveys, collect data, and analyze them on Formplus.
Freelance Websites
Freelance websites are platforms, that connect people looking for freelance work and employers together.
As a freelancer, you have the freedom to apply for only the projects that you like. These websites will assist you in finding your first clients easily and earning their trust along the way.
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Freelancer
- Toptal
- 99Designs
Many of these websites are already saturated and getting jobs are not as easy as it used to be. Therefore, the best way to make sure you get the best gigs is by making your profile stand out and delivering quality work.
Remote Job Application
You can apply for remote jobs in your field of specialization through any of these job platforms.
Social Media
Make sure your social media pages highlight your skills and show what you can offer. Make your social media pages serve as your portfolio by sharing samples of your work regularly.
If you are a writer, make Twitter threads, share LinkedIn posts, and write medium articles. Keep putting your work out there, and people will notice you.
In fact, regularly updating your profile is one of the best ways to get high paying gigs without applying to them. The gigs are mostly high paying because clients reach out to you because they see the quality you can deliver and are ready to pay for it.
Cold Emailing
Don’t be like those people that send random bulk cold emails to prospective clients. Rather, take time to do some study, come up with a strategy, and bait so that you can be given attention.
Cold emailing is not about sending the same low-quality emails to thousands of clients, but by sending high-quality emails to a few clients. A prospective client is more likely to reply to your email when you take your time to do some research and propose to solve a problem he or she is facing.
Generally, making money as a Freelancer may be difficult at first, but you need to keep pushing until you get your first client. Then the second, third, fourth, fifth, till you finally lose count.
In all, be deliberate in your effort to make legitimate income. Don’t get swayed away by get-rich schemes.
