How to Make Real Money with Elance

March 12, 2009

How to Make Real Money with Elance

A new revenue stream.

For those that may be unaware, Elance is a website that offers freelance writers, website developers, graphic artists and other people in the arts and entertainment business a medium where they can create a profile showcasing some of their best work in an attempt to obtain projects that can either be part time or full time.

Elance also offers a medium in which those who are searching for some of the aforementioned service providers a place to post jobs that allows these providers to see what is available to them and to bid on the jobs.

Service providers have a choice of either utilizing the free service that the company provides or they can purchase memberships that began at around $9.99 per month. The free service only offers a provider the capability of bidding on three jobs per month while the paid service offers up to 20 per month. These are what they call “connects” and it is these connects that you spend in order to bid on a project that you wish to complete. A provider has the opportunity to purchase more connects throughout the month should they choose and there are many members of the site to say that this is the best way to create a decent income through this web site.

Mixed Results

Some freelancers report being on the site for many months before they land their first job while others find their first job within a day or two of signing on to the service and completing their profile. There are also those who have been requested by buyers to complete a job for them without making a public job post. It is fairly obvious that these people who have received such requests have great profiles that are attracting buyers to them.

The company offers a safe way to protect providers from buyers who contract them for work and then do not pay them. They have what is called an escrow account in which must be supplied with the funds before you are allowed to begin the work. As long as the money from the buyer is in escrow at Elance and you are filling out your status reports you will get paid for your work. Unfortunately, there are many service providers who are getting stiffed from buyers on various other freelancing websites. They have come up with a way to protect both buyers and the providers. In fact, providers are not paid the money that buyers have placed in escrow until the buyer informs Elance that the job has been completed and that payment should be transferred to the provider. In the same way they will put pressure on a buyer who does not request the transfer of payment after the work is being completed.

Rising above the competition.

Another great way to make money with Elance is to do the best possible job that you can for the bids that you are winning. In this way you will get positive reviews from the buyers which will attract more buyers to utilizing your services over those of others.

In the freelancing world, Elance is quickly becoming a household name that is providing an income medium for many freelancers around the world.