How to Get Your First Project on Freelancer.com: A Beginner's Guide

Originally published on CodingCush.

You get your first project on Freelancer.com by setting up a complete, trusted profile, bidding only on small projects that match your skills, and writing short, specific proposals that show you understood the client's problem. Most beginners fail because they copy-paste the same bid everywhere and chase big budgets. Start small, respond fast, price fairly, and always work through milestones. Your first project is mainly about earning your first review, which makes the second project far easier to win.

How Freelancer.com Actually Works

Freelancer.com is a marketplace where clients post work and freelancers compete to do it. You can explore how it presents itself on the Freelancer.com homepage, and the company explains its own background on the Freelancer.com about page. A client creates a project with a title, a description, required skills and a budget range. You read the project, decide if you can do it well, and place a bid with your price, delivery time and a short proposal message.

If the client likes your bid, they award the project to you. Before work starts, the client funds a milestone: they deposit the agreed money with Freelancer.com, like money kept in a locker by a neutral third person. You do the work, submit it, and the client releases the milestone when they are happy. This system, called escrow, protects both sides: you know the money exists before you start, and the client pays only for delivered work.

Set Up a Profile Clients Can Trust

Clients cannot meet you, so your profile does the handshaking for you. Use a clear photo of your real face, not a logo or a cartoon. Write a headline that says what you do and who you help, for example "WordPress Developer for Small Business Websites". Then write a short summary in plain English: your skills, your tools, and the results you deliver. If you are still shaping your approach, our guide on how to start freelancing as a beginner will help you set your direction first.

Add only skills you can genuinely deliver today, and keep the list focused instead of adding fifty random tags. Upload two or three portfolio samples, even if they are practice projects or a demo website you built for an imaginary shop. A small real sample beats a big claim every time. Freelancer.com also offers optional paid skill exams, and one relevant pass can make a new profile look more serious. Complete every profile section too, because incomplete profiles quietly lose trust.

A simple profile checklist:
Photo: clear, real, smiling
Headline: skill + who you help
Skills: 8 to 12 focused skills only
Portfolio: 2 to 3 best samples
Summary: what you do, tools, results

How Bidding Works for Beginners

Free accounts get a limited number of bids each month, usually eight to start with, and membership plans give you more. That limit is actually useful: it forces you to choose carefully instead of spraying bids everywhere like confetti. Read each project fully, and check the client's history too: a verified payment method, past reviews and a clear description are good signs. A brand new client with a vague one-line project and a huge budget is rarely your best first chance.

The Freelancer.com homepage (freelancer.com) — clients post projects there and freelancers bid on them.

Filter for small, well-described projects in one niche, such as fixing WordPress errors or writing a simple Python script. Bid early when you can, because clients often shortlist from the first serious proposals. Keep your price and delivery time realistic too. Promising a full website in one day for a tiny price does not look confident. It looks desperate, and clients can smell that quickly.

Writing a Bid That Actually Gets Read

A winning bid is short, personal and specific. Name the client's exact problem in your first line, so they know you read the post. Then say briefly how you will solve it, mention one similar piece of work, and end with one smart question. Keep it under 150 words, and skip the long introduction about yourself. The client cares about their project first, and only then about you.

Here is a simple template you can adapt. Never send it word for word without changing the details for each project:

Hi, I read your project carefully. You need your WordPress contact form fixed so enquiries reach your email again. I have fixed this exact issue before by checking the mail settings and testing the form end to end. I can complete this within two days and share screenshots after testing. Could you please confirm which hosting you use? Happy to start as soon as the milestone is set up.

Notice what this bid does not do. It does not beg or promise everything. It shows understanding, a plan, a timeframe and a polite question that starts a real conversation.

How to Price Your First Projects

For your first two or three projects, price a little below your ideal rate, but never work for free. Look at the client's budget range and average bids, then price fairly inside that range based on the hours the work will really take. If a job needs five hours, do not bid as if it needs fifty.

Think of your first projects as buying reviews with a small discount, not as your final salary. Once you have three to five positive reviews, raise your prices slowly. If a description is unclear, ask a question in your bid instead of guessing, because guessing wrong usually means unpaid extra work later.

How to Spot Scams and Fake Clients

Sadly, popular platforms attract scammers, and beginners are their favourite audience. The biggest warning sign is a client who asks you to pay a fee or deposit money before starting. Real clients pay you, not the other way round. Never move payment to Telegram, WhatsApp or email to escape platform fees. Once you leave the platform, the milestone protection leaves with you.

Also avoid clients who refuse a milestone, ask for lots of free sample work, or offer a huge payment for a very simple task. If an offer sounds like a lottery ticket, it probably is one, and not the winning kind. Report suspicious projects and spend your time on the next genuine bid instead. Presenting yourself clearly matters offline too, as explained in our guide on how to write a developer resume as a fresher.

Do This, Not That: Your First Bids

A Realistic Timeline for Your First Win

Most beginners do not win on day one, and that is completely normal. In week one, finish your profile, add your portfolio and place your first careful bids. In weeks two and three, bid consistently, improve your template from the replies you get, and expect a few conversations that go nowhere. Many freelancers win their first small project within two to six weeks of steady bidding.

The secret is consistency, not volume. Five thoughtful bids a week beat fifty lazy ones. Track which projects reply to you, adjust your headline around those skills, and keep going. Your first review changes your profile from a promise into proof.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bids do beginners get on Freelancer.com?

Free accounts normally start with a small monthly allowance, commonly eight bids. Membership plans increase that number. Because bids are limited, use each one on a project you have read fully and can genuinely complete.

Should I pay for a Freelancer.com membership at the start?

Not immediately. First complete your profile and use your free bids properly. If you get replies but keep running out of bids, test a basic membership for one month.

What should I do if a client asks to pay outside the platform?

Say no politely and keep everything inside Freelancer.com. Outside payments remove your milestone protection, break platform rules and are a common scam pattern. A genuine client will happily use the normal milestone system.

How long does it take to get the first project?

It varies, but many beginners who bid carefully win a first small project within two to six weeks. A complete profile and specific proposals usually shorten that timeline.

Conclusion

Your first project comes from trust, not luck. Build a complete profile, choose small matching projects, write bids that prove you read the brief, price fairly, and protect yourself with milestones. Do that patiently for a few weeks, win the job, deliver carefully, and earn that first review.