As a student of an educational institution, I decided to spend my summer promoting my works and services on the internet to earn money. I recently created a website for someone through word of mouth, which made me realize that I could handle more serious projects.

Having explored several freelancing projects, I learned that using premium accounts is advisable to filter out competition and increase chances of getting an order, especially for beginners. With a budget of $100, I am torn between investing in a freelance project or advertising myself.

To avoid repeating mistakes, I'm interested in finding successful freelancers on this platform and learning about their promotion strategies.
Some questions that come to mind are:

- Should I choose popular or less popular freelancing sites?
- Is investing in premium accounts worth it and will they pay off?
- Should I promote myself through contextual advertising or Facebook groups?
- How long did it take you to get many orders through your promotion efforts?
- Which development environment do you find most convenient? (I own Mac, Windows, and Ubuntu at once)

The first step is to fill out your profile completely. A blank one won't catch anyone's attention and lead to new projects. It's crucial to have a portfolio website and personal blog to showcase your skills and knowledge. These give potential clients an idea of what you can offer and increase your chances of getting hired.

Try creating an addon or theme for Bitrix or another CMS, without charge. These will help establish yourself in a specific niche and promote yourself by adding them to your website with advertisements. Eventually, create a premium version and sell it for passive income. This is the key to success, rather than just freelancing which can feel mundane.

Freelancing may be a temporary source of income while passive earnings are more satisfying. Imagine earning money while relaxing or doing something else. In summary, freelancing shouldn't be the ultimate goal in life as it often lacks excitement.

After trying a premium account for three months without seeing any positive results, I realized that building up a strong portfolio and working in a niche with low competition is more effective. For example, positions such as layout designer and video chat developer have hundreds of applicants, making them highly competitive.

Fortunately, my open source project has brought me several orders, although it would be an irrational investment if it were not my hobby. Based on personal experience, searching for orders on Facebook is not very effective because most users are not serious customers. However, stay-at-home mothers may require services such as an online store built on WordPress.

Although I'm not a developer myself and focus on contextual advertising, I often search for developers. An effective way to promote yourself while building websites is by adding a link to your own website at the bottom of the page. Customers usually don't mind.

Layout design is highly competitive in the freelancing market, so it's best to create a social media page with case studies, take courses, and share links to your portfolio. Cold outreach may not be very effective as potential clients may not trust you right away.

Instead, networking is key. From my personal experience, having a good reputation could lead to a lot of job offers. There is always a need for responsible specialists who can deliver quality work.

If you need programming services, it's advisable to look for performers on job boards such as djinni.co rather than relying solely on freelancing platforms.

As a business you must have your own designed website and you must have promote your website and introduce youself as a webmaster.
software development company

Webmasters share common traits that are important to understand. The primary objective of a webmaster is to earn money through advertising campaigns, and they are always searching for "bundles" that beat off the investments in advertising. They're entrepreneurial and often team up to form teams similar to advertising agencies. With growing turnover, a single person may not manage placements effectively, so working with such teams is beneficial.

Webmasters are always seeking to learn and test new avenues for earning money. It's essential to distinguish between good and bad webmasters. A good webmaster follows all rules and delivers leads, while a bad webmaster violates rules and delivers poor traffic. Prescribing requirements and rules in advance can avoid misunderstandings.

To attract webmasters, advertisers must decide whether to manage their affiliate program themselves or give it to an affiliate network for promotion. In the Russian market, the latter option is preferable as networks have more expertise. Bids' attractiveness relative to competitors is also a crucial factor for webmasters.

some general insights to help you make your decision:

1. Choosing Popular or Less Popular Freelancing Sites: Popular freelancing sites often have a larger user base, which means more potential clients and competition. On the other hand, less popular sites might have fewer clients, but also less competition. Consider joining both types of platforms and see which one works best for you.

2. Investing in Premium Accounts: Premium accounts can give you access to additional features, such as increased visibility, the ability to bid on more projects, or better customer support. Evaluate the benefits offered by each platform's premium accounts and assess whether they align with your goals and budget.

3. Promotion Strategies: Contextual advertising and Facebook groups can both be effective promotion strategies, but they target different audiences. Contextual advertising can help you reach a broader audience outside of social media, while Facebook groups can help you engage directly with potential clients in a more targeted way. Consider combining these strategies or experimenting with other platforms as well.

4. Time to Get Orders: The time it takes to get orders through promotion efforts can vary greatly depending on various factors, such as the quality of your portfolio, your reputation, the demand for your skills, and the competition on the platform. It's important to be patient and persistent, as it may take time to build your reputation and generate consistent orders.

5. Development Environment: The choice of development environment depends on your personal preferences and the specific requirements of the projects you undertake. All three operating systems (Mac, Windows, and Ubuntu) are widely used in the development community, so it's best to choose the one you're most comfortable and productive with.

Success in freelancing is often a result of a combination of factors, including your skills, marketing efforts, and the ability to deliver quality work. Experimenting, learning from others, and continuously improving your craft will contribute to your growth as a freelancer.

Spend $100 on LinkedIn ads targeting decision-makers. Create a badass personal brand, not some generic freelancer profile. Use Mac for client-facing work, Linux for dev, ignore Windows. Specialize in high-ticket projects, not penny-pinching clients. Stop being a starving freelancer – be a consultant.