Top 5 Freelancing Websites you didn’t Know About(+Pros and Cons)
You all know about the top 3 freelancing platforms — UpWork, freelancer.com, Fiverr. Today I want to talk about some freelancing options that you probably didn’t consider.
We’ll talk about:
- GoLance
- Facebook groups
We’ll also discuss their pros and cons. So that if you decide to check them out, you will already know what to expect.
Before getting started, I’d like to note that I don’t have any affiliation with any of these platforms. I’m just sharing the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the years.
GoLance
The first freelancing platform I want to talk about is GoLance. I’ve read about GoLance from Quora answers and decided to check it out. This is a comparatively new platform and has a competitive advantage over other freelancing platforms. It gives more opportunities to freelancers. The competition isn’t too high and you will have better chances to be noticed by the clients.
This is a comparatively new platform and has a competitive advantage over other freelancing platforms. It gives more opportunities to freelancers. The competition isn’t too high and you will have better chances to be noticed by the clients.
Pros
1. I value my money and what I love about GoLance is the low fee. They charge a 7.95% fee to freelancers. This is lower than the 10 or 20% that other freelance platforms charge.
2. The second benefit to freelancing on GoLance is again connected with payment — as a freelancer, you receive your earnings within 5 days which is faster than in other platforms. Some clients can even choose a minimal or no review period for freelancers.
3. Another great thing about GoLance is client information — at the end of the job post, you can see the client’s name and other details.
For me, client information is very important because before applying for a job, I want to know who I’ll be working with. I’d love to do some research to personalize my cover letter.
On other platforms, you either don’t find client information or get their name from the feedback section. Sometimes the clients respond to my proposal and based on their requirements, budget, and other information, I realize we are not a good fit for each other. With client information, I save my time on not applying to that job because I’ve already made a research about the company or person.
4. When you complete your profile on GoLance, based on your skills, you receive emails when there’s a new job relevant to your abilities.
Other freelancing platforms also send emails but I want to highlight that GoLance also has this feature. And they send you detailed information about the job post.
5. The greatest benefit for any freelancer — GoLance doesn’t require you to spend money before earning money. You don’t have to buy anything to apply for a job or to be highlighted as a freelancer. All you have to do is to make your profile 100% complete.
Cons
Now, the downsides of GoLance. The next thing I want to talk about is both a benefit and a downside.
1. Unlike huge freelancing platforms, GoLance isn’t loaded with freelancers and clients. This is great in a way that you don’t have to be one of the first 10 bidders to get noticed. You can take your time and analyze the job post before applying. Moreover, chances are high that you won’t find scammer clients on GoLance because their team monitors everything.
2. On GoLance, completing your profile takes lots of time because they require you to prove your expertise
GoLance needs this information to make sure you have the skills you write on your profile. Their team is going to verify the information you provided. Completing all of these is very time-consuming. However, as a freelancer, you will be assured that you are competing with skilled freelancers.
Overall, GoLance is a good freelancing platform and I definitely recommend checking it out.
I’ll explore GoLance more and will share my experience with you. So if you want to stay updated, subscribe to my channel to get notified when I upload new videos.
The next platform we’ll talk about is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an employment-oriented online service and lots of recruiters hire employees through this website. This is not a freelancing platform but this is a job portal and lots of companies, individuals offer freelance jobs through LinkedIn.
How do you find freelance jobs on LinkedIn?
Go to your LinkedIn profile, click Show recruiters you’re open to work, write down your job title and the location of the hiring company. Click “I’m open to remote work”, choose a start date and the job types. You can choose who sees that you are open for work — all LinkedIn members or recruiters only.
Recruiters will now see your profile in their search results as a freelancer open to work. To grab the attention of the recruiters, make sure your profile is up-to-date, If you can get recommendations from your previous clients, colleagues, that would be extremely helpful. Spend some time on crafting a good profile, start connecting with different people.
Now the Pros of finding a freelance job on LinkedIn
1. It’s easy to find a job because the job finds you. There are lots of recruiters on LinkedIn who are actively looking for freelancers. Be active, post some of your work experience and recruiters will be interested in your candidacy.
2. Another great thing about LinkedIn is that most of the clients are serious. If a company has the budget to hire a good recruiter, they are more likely to look for a long-term freelancer.
3. If you find one or two clients through LinkedIn, they are more likely to recommend you to their connections who need your services. Some clients even go the extra mile to leave a recommendation letter for your LinkedIn profile which is very important for other clients.
4. Lastly, you don’t pay any fees unlike when you freelance on a freelancing platform. The clients send your earnings directly to your bank account or to the payment method you’ve agreed on.
And what about the drawbacks of LinkedIn for freelancers?
1. As much as it’s awesome that you don’t spend time bidding for a job, you can’t find any feedback from other freelancers. You can’t be sure what type of client you work with. Just look for the red flags during the interview process to get an idea.
2. Freelancing platforms usually make sure that you get your earnings. But LinkedIn just connects you and the client. The rest is on you. You should be professional enough to understand if the client is going to pay. However, I’ve never had such an issue because as I said earlier, clients on LinkedIn are serious and if they want a freelancer, they are more likely to pay for your services.
If you are unsure about the client, ask them to send you a contract and then start working.
LinkedIn is one of the best platforms to check out if you are looking for a job.
Reddit is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. Registered members submit content to the site and start a discussion around it.
Linke LinkedIn, Reddit is not a freelancing website but there are lots of opportunities here.
So how to find a job on Reddit?
There are actually lots of subreddits for different types of jobs. For example, I found my video editor through the Creator Services subreddit
The first step to freelancing on Reddit is to find relevant subreddits. For example — Redditors for Hire, Sell My Skill.
In such subreddits, you can see clients’ job posts. You can also write a post about your skills and get clients’ attention. Follow the rules of how to post on these subreddits and post about your skills — how can you help the clients? Some subreddits require you to write a range of your hourly rate. So don’t get lazy, understand each subreddit and its rules before posting.
Pros of Reddit
- Reddit gives you an opportunity to find a client with less effort. If you find a good job post, you just write a comment or message the client. And if you want to write about your skills, you can post once a week or on different subreddits and you are likely to find a job. Just make sure to post during “busy hours” when lots of people use Reddit.
- Another advantage is that Reddit has a review format as well. If you work with a client, they can give you feedback in Testimonials Subreddit. Every time you post about your skills, Reddit generates an automatic comment with a link to your profile testimonial
- And because Reddit isn’t a freelancing platform, the client sends your earnings directly to you — no service fees.
- Like LinkedIn, Reddit also doesn’t require you to pay for anything. You don’t have to spend money on buying Connects or take paid certifications.
- As I said earlier, on Reddit, you can comment on posts by clients and you can also write a post that you are looking for a job. This gives you lots of flexibility and you also save time.
- Reddit has lots of good opportunities for freelancers. To make your research easier, I’ve created a spreadsheet where I gathered all the freelance-related subreddits I know of. I’m going to add more subreddits over time. So make sure to check back.
Cons of Reddit
Most of the subreddits won’t let you comment for a job if your account is less than 20 days old and you don’t have enough Karma. In short, this means that you need to be an older Reddit user before you can apply for a job.
Another drawback of freelancing on Reddit is the lack of information about the client. On Reddit, almost nobody uses their real credentials which makes it difficult to get information about someone. For example, if I get a job offer on different platforms, I can find the client’s name and surname. This gives me an opportunity to make research about the client, check out their LinkedIn page, the website, if they have any.
On Reddit, you can see the previous posts by the client which will give you somewhat information about their activity but you won’t find their real name. This makes things a little complicated. So if you find a job through Reddit, I suggest getting some information about the client. Ask them — can I add you on LinkedIn? Could you please share your email address with me? This way, if the client gets the job and disappears without paying you, you will have their contact information.
I’m sure you have a Facebook profile and you use it as an entertaining social media platform. However, let me tell you that there are groups on Facebook where you can find freelancing job posts.
Pros of Facebook
- On Facebook, there are lots of work-from-home groups where you can get lots of job opportunities. You can find long and short-term jobs.
- Some clients are hiring urgently. If you see their job as soon as possible, you will grab their attention.
- Facebook freelance groups are usually beginner-friendly. Lots of clients offer jobs to newbies because that’s more affordable than working with an experienced specialist.
Cons of Facebook
- Because Facebook doesn’t have a feedback mechanism, you don’t have any payment guarantee.
- And also, there’s lots of spam on Facebook groups.
The Fifth Platform
There should be a fifth platform here but after testing that freelance marketplace, I decided not to include it in this video. I need to do some more research about this new platform before I can tell you anything about it.
