I hope everyone is having a great summer writing and is ready to add a new company to their arsenal! This is one of the rare bidding/subscription sites set up to be beneficial to freelancers of all persuasions but for writers in particular.

While most subscription/bidding sites are worth skipping, iFreelance has been around for a number of years and actively works to make itself a great place to work. For the new freelance writer it’s a place to get used to writing online as well as make some valuable contacts, for the experienced freelance writer it’s a place to expand your client list as well as pick up some interesting new projects when you have a break between your regular clients.

Getting started with iFreelance

This is one of the easy sites to get started with quickly. You can visit the site at iFreelance.com and sign up. Immediately upon signing up you will be taken to the portfolio page and be offered a subscription choice. If you are unsure, choose the lowest priced package to start. You can upgrade whenever you choose to do so.

Why a subscription is a great deal here

There are several subscription services that do little more than take your money to let you see the site. This is not one of those. In addition to weeding out the low paying clients and the writers that tolerate them, the monthly subscription serves to maintain the site and as a result you keep 100% of your earnings.

Subscription Packages

The current subscription packages consist of three choices and all come with unlimited bids. The primary difference is that you are listed in more subcategories, are allowed to have more samples in your portfolio and your bid and directory positions are enhanced. The basic package is currently $6.25 a month, the Silver package is $9.00 and the Gold package is $12.00. Considering that some sites will charge you more than that in a single commission, the prices are very good here.

Because this site caters to many types of freelancers, you sign up for a specific category. Don’t let this scare you off because all of the writing jobs are in the writing category. If you are also a photographer you can add those skills into your portfolio but you cannot bid on photography jobs unless you buy a second subscription, more on this a little later.

Creating your portfolio

This is a big deal on this site, more so than on many others. Think of it as similar to an online resume. The more detailed your portfolio is the more likely you are to stand out from the crowd.

You start by selecting your category. As I mentioned above, all of the writing jobs are in the writing category. However there are many subcategories. The basic plan allows you to choose 3 subcategories and the Silver plan allows you to choose 6. The Gold plan is unlimited in this regard. There are roughly 30 sub categories. As soon as you choose your subscription plan you will see the list.

What to include in your portfolio

After selecting your sub categories you will then add a display name and a slogan, if you have one. A very large text box for you to put in whatever information you choose follows the slogan box. In this writing block you will want to include as much necessary information as possible. Be sure to break it up into sections.

It’s good to include an “about me” section to give potential clients an idea of who you are and what you can do for them. Follow this up with an experience area. Let those searching profiles see your experience with writing, SEO and fresh content. The site itself recommends a philosophy section but to be honest I’ve never met a client who cared what my work “philosophy” is as long as I write to their specifications. So if you choose to include one you might point out that your philosophy is to write to the specifications of the client and satisfy them with a job well done.

You will notice a box to check if you are willing to work onsite. This is not normally an issue for those in the writing category so you can check it if you choose. It probably will never actually come up as a question.

You also select your minimum hourly wage and number of employees. Again, for freelance writers, this is generally not an issue. Most clients prefer to pay by the job as opposed to an hourly rate.

There is a place to include your website address. This is particularly nice because clients can not only contact you outside of the iFreelance system but they can also recommend you to others via your website. I’ve made a number of great contacts this way.

Qualifications

Next you come to the section on qualifications. While the information in your text box is not searchable, the information under qualifications is designed to be highly searchable. You start by choosing how many years of experience you have in writing and then move on to choosing up to 5 industries that you have experience working in or writing for professionally. Technically speaking, any industry that you have written an article for will qualify for this and I recommend that you choose those that you like as well as those that will pay well.

Skills

Finally, you come to the highly searchable skills area. This is where you can include information on a second category, such as the above-mentioned photography. Be sure to mention any skill listed here in your text box above. You can go into greater detail there but this is where the skill is searchable so be sure to include it in both places.

After that you just include your name and address and accept the terms of service. That’s it; you’re done with the profile!

Finding jobs on iFreelance

At the top of the page you will see a tab that directs you to find projects. Click on that and then choose a category. Go through the list of projects and place a bid on those you find interesting.

Each project will give a detailed description of what the client wants as well as how many bids have already been placed, how much time is left before bidding closes and how much the project is worth. Remember, on this site you will pay no commission fees so you get the entire fee listed.

Finding writing jobs is really very simple using this system and you should be bidding within minutes of getting started with the site. There is no real learning curve here because the site is straightforward with it’s approach to job searching and bid categories.

Working the job

There is no writing platform, you write through your own word processor and then send the client the finished project. There is a project workspace that allows you to chat and plan with the client. It’s a nice addition to the site and makes it easy for writers to keep in touch with the client. The site itself does a great job of allowing freelancers and clients to get to know each other and work as a team. Very few sites allow this type of interaction.

To access the project workspace, you will find it under your “my projects” tab. Just select the particular project you are working on and go from there.

Editing

There is none beyond what you and/ or the client want. While this can be a bit challenging for new writers, I’ve never heard any complaints and most new writers figure it out pretty quickly.

Getting Paid

Payment is made pretty much however you want. The site doesn’t control the issue. You can accept credit cards, be paid through Paypal or accept a check/money order. It’s entirely up to you.

Unique Features: Marketing, Performance and Reviews

This particular site offers three unique features that can actually help fine-tune your skills for other sites as well. Learning certain marketing and performance enhancing skills can translate to making a lot more money on iFreelance as well as other sites.

On your profile page, if you scroll to the bottom you will see that you have three tabs. The default active one shows your current projects. The next one is for marketing and shows you various ways to market your profile. You are not limited to only clients who work through the iFreelance system and this tab shows you how to expand the list of those who will see your profile.

The Performance tab is my favorite. It shows how your profile is actually performing. It also shows you ways to optimize your profile so more clients see it as well as how to make your profile more effective as a means of attracting the type of clients you want.

At the very bottom of the performance page you will also see how your bids are performing. This gives you the ability to see what approaches work best for attracting clients and which approaches need a bit of work. Learning this can help with pitches to magazines, bidding on other sites and general marketing for your business.

The Reviews tab show your client reviews and this can be extremely important to future clients. They want to see that you are a professional that delivers quality work. You also get to rate your clients.

Tips and Hints for iFreelance Success

• Fill out your profile completely
• Expand on qualifications and skills in the text area of your profile
• Link your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts. This opens up even better marketing opportunities for your profile.

Happy writing!