How to List Freelance Work on LinkedIn [Step-By-Step]

When Upwork and Fiverr are the most popular freelancing platforms, freelancers are missing out by underestimating LinkedIn to source work. Here is how to list freelance work on LinkedIn.

Unfortunately, freelancers are underutilizing the platform, which is otherwise a goldmine for corporate workers. Yes, I’m talking about LinkedIn. While it may give off an office vibe as opposed to sites like Fiverr or Guru, LinkedIn sure is a great place to find work.

However, most freelancers have worked for a plethora of clients and thus find it difficult to list their work on the platform. If you start listing every gig you’ve had to date, your profile will be way too lengthy.

You don’t want to give a prospective client carpal tunnel with all that scrolling, do you? Then, how to list freelance work on LinkedIn? In this guide, you’ll learn how to post freelance work on LinkedIn and raise your credibility as a freelancer.

How To List Freelance Work On LinkedIn?

From your profile picture to the client references, any tiny detail could make or break it. Here, I’ll take you through the step-wise process of showcasing your freelance work on LinkedIn.

Get The Profile Picture Right

It’s almost mind-boggling how many people are careless about the picture they put up on LinkedIn. Like any other job-hunting platform, you need to use a professional picture and name.

First off, make sure you use your real name and a professional email. Leave your tacky high school email address for reunions.

Secondly, set a profile picture that screams professionalism. When someone comes to your profile, the first thing they notice is the picture. So, it must create a solid impression, convincing the visitor to read the rest of the profile. Here are some tips for selecting the right picture:

• Use your own picture. It might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people seem to overlook this plain necessity.
• It’s better to take a fresh picture. Don’t crop your family out of a Christmas picture to create a LinkedIn profile photo.
• If possible, take the picture on a solid background since it focuses attention on the subject. Otherwise, use a less distracting background.
• Dress for success. As a freelancer, you don’t necessarily have to be in a suit but don’t be in sweatpants either.
• Keep the focus on your face. For this, you can crop the picture at your waist or shoulder length.
• Don’t use full-body shots as it’s hard to recognize the person in such a small thumbnail.
• Although you don’t have to hire a professional photographer for the job, make sure the picture is taken in good lighting, is of high quality, and is composed well.

Finally, get some feedback from your friends and family. Or, you can let them choose among a few pictures, helping you select the best one for the profile.

Alternatively, you can use Photofeeler – a platform where real people give you unbiased feedback about your business pictures.

Work On The LinkedIn Headline

After the profile picture, the second thing that catches attention on your profile is the headline. It’s a brief introduction to what you do or offer.

Experts recommend using keywords in the LinkedIn headline since they make it easier for search engines to find your profile. In this way, your profile will rank higher on search engine results.

However, it’s completely up to you if you want to use keywords here or not. Make sure you’re clear about what you do so that anyone coming to your profile knows what to expect.

Here’s an example of how a freelance writer’s LinkedIn headline might look like:

Freelancer | Copy Writer | Top Rated Upwork Professional

However, if you want to skip out on the keywords and write something more human-friendly, you can opt for something like:

Helping businesses create brand awareness and increase revenue. Top Rated Upwork Professional 

When people see your profile in their home feeds, your profile picture and headline are displayed. So, you must create a lasting impression with these two elements.

If you add more keywords to the headline, it will be easier for the search engines to find you. On the flip side, if your headline is descriptive, it will be more human-friendly. Go with whatever rows your boat as there’s no hard and fast rule for headline creation.

See Related: Mistakes To Avoid When You Hire A Freelance Writer

Create A Customized URL

Having a customized URL on LinkedIn creates an identity for you. When you’re creating a freelance writer’s LinkedIn profile, you should approach the platform as a business entity.

You are a brand, and brands tend to have custom URLs. Here’s how you can create one on LinkedIn.

• On your LinkedIn homepage, click on the Me icon.
• Go to View Profile.
• Click on Edit profile & URL.
• In the Public Profile Settings, click on Edit your custom URL  and click on Edit. 
• The address will look like www.linkedin.com/in/yourname.
• Here, you can change the last part of the link.
• Finally, click Save.

Keep in mind that LinkedIn URLs are given on a first-come, first-serve basis. If someone already has that URL, you might need to tweak yours a little bit. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• The custom URL should be 3 to 100 characters long.
• Don’t use symbols, special characters, or spaces in your URL.
• URLs are case-insensitive. Thus, CaraSmith, carasmith, and caraSmith will take you to the same profile.
• You can change your LinkedIn URL five times in six months. After changing it for the fifth time, you’ll have to wait for six months to change it again. However, I’d suggest against changing the URL too many times as it creates difficulty for people who’re trying to find you.

Write a Compelling Introduction

If someone has clicked on your profile after reading your headline, it means they want to know more about you. So, give them a reason to contact you. Write a compelling introduction, going in-depth about what you do and the general scope of the clientele you’ve previously catered to.

The introduction section on LinkedIn also allows you to add examples of your work. You can add anything from images and presentations to documents and videos.

Don’t go overboard with it. Instead, select your best work. Also, notice an arrow next to the button that lets you add files to your introduction. The arrow allows you to rearrange your profile’s elements to make it look more put together. Furthermore, you should include a CTA in the introduction. Tell the readers how and where they can contact you.

When writing this section, keep in mind which audience you want to attract. If you’re a copywriter or working as a freelance journalist, that’s what the intro should reflect. If you’re constantly getting attention from people who want you to write blog posts, there might be an ambiguity in your introduction.

Be clear, precise, and confident. More importantly, stick to the skill you’ve mentioned in your headline. For instance, if you’ve written Copy Writer in the headline, don’t talk about your waitressing experience from back in the day or that one time you worked at the local shelter.

The bottom line is to only write about experiences that add value to your profile. If it’s something you wouldn’t put in your resume, it doesn’t belong in the LinkedIn introduction either.

See Related: Awesome Freelance Business Cards

List Your Work Experiences

Now, let’s move over to the most confusing, yet the most crucial, part of writing your freelance writer LinkedIn profile. I’ve broken it down into smaller steps below.

Step 1: Make An All-Round Experience Section

If you want to find freelance work on LinkedIn, you need to show the clients that you’re your own company that helps in acquiring a client and landing a project. Start by writing your company’s name, such as Copy Writing LLC.

Then, put the start date as the day you registered as a business. If you’re currently taking clients, write Present. So, it will look like this: 2015 – Present. Here are some things to add to this section:

• Five to ten testimonials from previous clients
• Media files that show your work (only add the ones that are permitted for public display in client agreements)
• One primary slideshow that showcases your work throughout the years. End the slideshow with a CTA video or slide. You can make this presentation on Slideshare.
• Bullet points that act as benefit statements of your service to the clients.

If you have worked for a few different sub-industries, you can break the Experience sections into separate parts, showing appropriate testimonials. Here’s how your final result will appear:

Copy Writing LLC (2015 – Present)

Title: Owner, CEO, or Writer, etc

Bullet Points

Recommendations or testimonials

Media entries, including a portfolio slideshow

Step 2: Display Noteworthy Work

If you’ve ever worked for a recognized company or received positive feedback from a known brand, make it prominent. Doing this will help you find freelance work on LinkedIn. Who doesn’t want to hire someone who has written a copy for Nike or Fenty Beauty?

When listing these works, write a start and end date. Again, there’s no need to go overboard as you don’t want to seem as if you’ve got a ton of pots on your stove already.

When listing a big brand as a past client, be careful. Most companies keep track of who has listed them as an employer, so you need to be very clear that your experience with them was freelance work. Here’s what you should include:

• Recommendations or testimonials
• Bullet points to show the work you did
• List the outcomes your work yielded for the company
• Media, like videos or images

Here’s how the final result will look:

Huge Recognized Company, May 2015 – April 2017

Title: Copy Writer

Bullet Points

Recommendations

Media Entries

Step 3: Projects

The last but necessary step in our guide on how to list freelance work on LinkedIn is listing your projects. LinkedIn does not let you add testimonials or media in the Projects section. However, if you’re wondering how to find freelance clients on LinkedIn, you should know the importance of this section too.

Here, you can add your website, online portfolio, or anything connecting your projects with the All-Round experience section as well as your ideal freelance rate.

To create a coherent flow, move this section to the profile’s bottom so that it does not clutter up the important part on the top.

See Related: Mistakes to Avoid When You Hire Freelance Lawyers

How To Find Freelance Jobs On LinkedIn?

Now that you know how to post freelance work on LinkedIn, your next goal is to find clients. Finding freelance work, Airbnb freelance jobs, and other freelance jobs to look at on LinkedIn is slightly different from freelancing sites since LinkedIn is more of a social platform.

If you’re wondering how to freelance clients on LinkedIn, here are some tips to get started:

• Learn how to write a LinkedIn profile for a new freelancer – discussed in this guide – or a seasoned professional, depending on your skills.
• Be active on the platform to get noticed by people.
• Ask your clients to recommend you for your skills and give LinkedIn endorsements.
• Reach out to other people in your community and ask for referrals.

Final Words

Being a freelancer or taking jobs where you work alone, you might have worked on a hundred projects, but if you don’t know how to list freelance work on LinkedIn, your experience won’t bag you a long-term or hourly job.

If you’ve ever searched for how to find freelance jobs on LinkedIn, setting up an impressionable profile always pops up as the first tip. Hopefully, this guide would have shown you some direction in that regard.

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