AD- This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you’re a blogger, freelancer, or other online worker, you’ll be very familiar with hearing questions such as “so what is it exactly that you do?” and “is that a real job?”.
It can get frustrating- and I rarely tell people about my freelance and blogging work. In fact, it’s only recently that I’ve started to tell friends and family about it- and the reaction has been fantastic!
But I still feel awkward speaking about it with people I don’t know well, and the barrage of questions or doubts can be hard to deal with sometimes.
So, in this post I’m going to be looking at what exactly a freelancer does day by day- and why we feel nervous or questioned when we speak to others about what we do.
Of course, online freelance work can involve anything: from blogging to translation services, construction or art. However, as a blogger and freelance writer, this post will mainly focus on that- but these ideas, tips, and thoughts can be applied to other kinds of freelance work too!
“So, what exactly do you do?
What exactly you do as a freelancer or blogger will be different for everyone. For me, I work in an admin job in the morning, so I like to focus on my blogging and freelance content writing work in the afternoons. This means my day consists of 4 hours in a “regular” job, and then around 4 or 5 hours working on my blog and freelance work.
I also work some weekends when I have an extra bit of writing or social media work I need to finish off. At the moment, I’m in the position where the more work I do, the more it will be reflected in my income- which is the case for a lot of freelancers.
I usually spend around half an hour per day promoting my blog and freelance services via social media, and engaging with other bloggers. I spend the majority of my day writing content for my freelance clients, and I try to fit blogging in around this.
This could mean that some days I don’t do any blogging, and some days I focus on it as the main task. It just depends what work comes in, and how fast I complete it.
It’s hard to pin down exactly what freelancers and bloggers do from day to day, as it can differ depending on opportunities, quiet periods, and what kind of work you do.
But I love that! There’s so much variety, and no-one’s day to day routine as a freelancer will be quite the same.
“Is freelancing a real job?”
Yes! Blogging or freelancing is a real job, whatever form it takes. It can sometimes be harder for people to accept as a “job” maybe because we might spend a lot of time on social media, or maybe because it’s not a “traditional” career path.
But so much work goes into freelancing or blogging, and while I love it so much- it can be such hard work!
If you’re a blogger or freelance writer, you have to constantly put yourself out there on social media, communicate with clients, create amazing content and continue to find new gigs or sponsored posts for when you’ve completed all your work.
You need to keep up with blog writing and perfecting SEO, as well as keeping on top of any newsletters, giveaways, promotions, new posts, and submitting your tax information. You need to be constantly improving your DA, coming up with ideas, creating images, and taking photos.
You are a social media manager, an administrator, a writer, a marketing specialist, an SEO expert and a million other things that make up just one day in your work life.
So much work goes into blogging and freelancing, and I loved this post from Thomas all about loving your blog for that reason.
3 Tips to Tell People What You Do
Even though you know how much work you do every single day, and you know that you do a very real job- it can still be hard to tell other people what you do.
I’ve put together a few tips to tell people exactly what it is that you do, and a couple of ways to answer those frustrating questions!
Choose how to frame your job
If you want to tell someone what you do, and you’re having trouble formulating the words, come up with the perfect way to frame your job. Tell people you’re a freelance content writer, or a translator, or a blogger. Have in your head what you want to tell people, and stick to it.
I tend to just tell people I work in admin for the University, failing to mention that I have this side career that I am slowly building into something- and I want to change this!
Know your own worth
It can be hard if you feel criticised for your work, but you know how hard you work everyday. Know your own worth, and don’t feel the need to justify it to other people.
Not everyone has to understand to make your freelance work a real career!
Be confident!
Don’t shy away or hide because of dreaded questions- embrace them as someone just trying to understand, and be confident with your answers. Tell people exactly what it is you do, and explain it if they don’t quite understand.
Be proud of the work you put in each and everyday, and the many hats you have to wear to achieve your goals.
So freelancers, the next time someone asks what it is exactly that you do: tell them!
Are you a freelancer or blogger? How do you tell people what you do each day? What do you do in your day to day routine?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂
Happy reading x
Not-So-Modern Girl 
This inspires me as one day I hope that fifty percent of my work is blogging and freelancing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That would be fantastic! Thank you Jamie x
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a good insight to blogger life and I hope to get there too. Being a full time blogger. I think the most accurate term for modern freelancers/bloggers etc is social meedia marketing managers. You just promote you instead of others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so too! Yes that’s very true, thank you for sharing your experiences x
LikeLike
I love this! The fact that every day could be a little different and you never know what’s coming sounds so interesting (although I imagine also stressful). Really enjoyed reading this, thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂 yes! It can definitely be stressful, but I’m lucky enough to have a regular income source from my admin job too x
LikeLike
Good post. And thank you for sharing your tips. I’m also having a hard time to explain to people about my freelance job all this while. Reading your post makes me confident. And I love my freelance job very very very much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂 it can be so hard but the fact that you enjoy it and you’re doing so well is so important 🙂 thank you so much for your kind words x
LikeLike
It’s funny people still ask those questions given the prevalence of gig work in the world these days. When I tell people I’m a blogger, they really have no idea what’s involved and how many skills you need to pull it off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It can be so hard for people to understand sometimes! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences x
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really appreciate you sharing this information. I see many crossovers between freelance and blogging and I admire all of you who are able to create income from it. Thanks for sharing! Wishing you all the best in 2022!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, there definitely are a lot of crossovers- that’s why my post kept using different words for freelancers or bloggers. Thank you so much for sharing and for your kind words. Have a lovely New Year x
LikeLike
It makes me sad that some people don’t see blogging or freelancing as a ‘proper job’. Just because you’re passionate about your job doesn’t meant that you’re not working hard for it. Thanks for sharing this – I’m inspired to keep at it and make blogging my full time job 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! I love that this post has inspired you in some way, that means a lot. You can do this x
LikeLike
It’s hard to believe at this time in our lives that these sort of questions are still being asked. Thank you so much for sharing this, I’ll defiantly be sharing this with friends and family as I know they’ll love and appreciate this post too. Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree! Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed the post x
LikeLike
Fab post, and great to hear you’re making 50/50 working work for you.
Love the tips on how to explain what we do to others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂 it can be hard!
LikeLike
This is a great insight into blogging. Love reading your tips. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Charlotte x
LikeLike
I do wish people could understand how much work goes into freelancing/blogging! I think people just assume we write posts and that’s it! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! I think so too but there are so many other jobs included x
LikeLike
This was a really great look into freelancing — something I feel that many people don’t understand or know what it actually involves (which is a lot of work, more often than not). Thanks for this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Molly! I think so too, it involves so much more than what people think x
LikeLike
This is such a great topic. I definitely want to do more freelance work in the coming year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Me too x
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing. I used to have a problem telling people what I do (maybe because I do so many things). Saying that I am a freelancer helped me because it includes most of what I do, including blogging, web design, social media management and business development for sole traders.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great to hear, I’m so glad you found a way to encompass all the work you do- I’m getting there x
LikeLike
I lack confidence when telling people what I do, which then makes them feel like whatever I do is not important or worth of their time. Definitely need to work on this in the new year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! It can be so hard! Thank you for sharing, I need to work on it too x
LikeLike
This is awesome! I agree, we shouldn’t be shy or hide. We will miss on a lot of great things!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much 🙂 we should be confident about what we do!
LikeLike
Great post Eleanor! It’s so rewarding making an income by doing what you love and creating a path for yourself. Although it’s not a “traditional” career, we’re happy and passionate about what we do. Blogging and freelancing takes a lot of work, like you said, you have to put yourself out there, amongst other things. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your thoughts! Yes! I completely agree, you have to do so much to sort out your work and make sure you stay on top of everything 🙂 x
LikeLike
I struggle with this so much when people ask. The only way they seem to take it seriously is if I say ‘I make more than the job I left’, otherwise they seem to think I’m just faffing about and making pocket money.
Corinne x
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was your post that inspired me to write this post, and I love your take on job titles- it must be so annoying having to qualify your work when you put so much work in- I understand x
LikeLike
This is such an awesome post. I hope one day that I can be a full time blogger/freelancer as well! Thanks so much for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
Great post! I used to feel awkward telling people about my blog (and explaining what blogging is) but, since getting a full-time role that involves writing content every day, I feel confident talking about my own blog.
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too, it can be so hard! Yes, I’ve found that other freelance gigs and writing opportunities have helped me explain my role to others x
LikeLike
I hadn’t really thought about this before. I’m not sure I could do freelance as a job because of the lack of job security and benefits. But your three tips are great suggestions for anyone who wants to work as a freelancer or do paid content on their own blog
LikeLiked by 1 person
That makes sense. Yes, I think it can be difficult, I’m glad you think these tips are helpful 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is such a helpful post! I’ve just started freelance work and have already found it tricky to tell people, so I will definitely be using these tips! Thank you!
LikeLike
I would love for blogging to be my full time job, but for the time being I will enjoy it for what it is
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing this! Many people don’t understand freelancing or blogging so this would be a good post to refer them to. I would love to be a full time blogger; maybe in the near future!
LikeLike