How to Become a Successful Freelance Instructional Designer

So, you want to know how to become a successful freelance instructional designer. Well, we have great news for you—by just reading this blog, you’re already on your way!

The key to success is simply putting in the effort and taking action. We’re pretty sure we read somewhere that Thomas Edison got his idea for the light bulb by reading a blog! Can you believe that?! Wow, science, right?

We applaud your decision to make an investment in yourself and your future, and with our help, you too could be the next Tommy Edison…of instructional design. So let’s keep this week’s intro brief and get right into our best advice on how to become a successful freelance instructional designer.

Make a Plan

As tempting as it may be to just jump in feet first into your freelance instructional design career, we absolutely do not recommend doing this—especially right after eating. We can’t emphasize the importance of planning enough!

We also understand that the transition from your standard “9-5” to freelance life can be daunting and that it’s intimidating to make big plans for the future, but we’re positive you have the guts to do this.

The bottom line is, the more detailed your plan of action is, the smoother your transition and subsequent career will be. And that doesn’t just include “the big stuff." We’re talking about everything from determining your rates to determining your e-mail signature— the big and the small. Really think about your goals and the actionable steps you can take to achieve them.

Now that we’ve put all this emphasis on preparation, we’re going to drop a bomb on you— don’t get stuck in the planning stage. Your plan should be as thorough and well-thought out as possible, but don’t get too caught up in making it perfect. There will be times where things don’t go as planned, and that’s ok!

Maintain a Growth Mindset

As a freelancer, no one is watching out for your professional (and personal) growth but you. The best piece of advice we can give you is to get into a growth mindset— the earlier in your career, the better. Of course, we’re not suggesting you shouldn’t celebrate your big wins—you definitely should. But it’s good practice to think of yourself as a constant work in progress.

Leave that comfort zone. Not only will you become a stronger, more self-confident person by leaving it, but the career gains will be many. And it’s OK to start off with small, methodical steps. Write down some tangible professional development goals for yourself and get to making them happen. No matter how successful you become, there will always be room for improvement.

Establish Your Digital Presence

Think of your "digital presence" as a present from you to you and your instructional design career. Harness the power of the internet to establish yourself as a brand across all the social media biggies— LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like.

Your brand identity is going to create a particular perception of you in the minds of your potential clients and network, so put a lot of thought into this one. After all, you are the brand. Your messaging across all platforms should be cohesive with imagery that’s clean, easy to digest, and appealing.

Most importantly, remain active! We know it’s a lot of work to maintain several professional accounts at once, but it’s important they represent who you are and what you’re doing at the present moment.

Once everything is up to date and lookin’ good, start making as many connections as you possibly can. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and build that virtual network. You never know who you’re going to meet and what gigs it may lead to!

Claim a Niche Market

Identifying your expertise and claiming a niche market is a great way for you to get ahead in the instructional design biz. You’ll put yourself ahead of the competition by signifying to your client, “No one does this particular skill better than me.”

Assess where your strengths lie in areas like visualizing, writing, learning, planning, or problem solving to name a few. Once you’ve found where you excel, take some time to cultivate that skill set and improve upon it. Becoming an expert in your field takes some time, so be patient! We can’t all be Liam Neeson in “Taken.”

Master the Tools of the Trade

Every successful instructional designer should have an arsenal of tools at their disposal. We’re not talking the swingy, hitty, screwy kind; we’re talking rapid authoring tools, editing software, project management tools, learning management systems, marketing tools etc.

While not all tools are software (or hardware) related, many of them are and it’s a big part of your job to stay on top of new and developing technologies that will help you create effective and compelling eLearning content. The more prowess you have in a variety of software, the more valuable you’ll be to both your client and learners.

Be Flexible

For all our planning and preparedness talk, it’s equally important to be flexible as a freelancer. While freelancing naturally provides a level of flexibility that most 9-5’ers dream of, it’s easy to forget about that adaptability when it comes to the tough stuff like missed client expectations or dry spells.

Like it or not, there will be many times over the course of your career where things don’t go as planned and the more quickly you can adapt to unexpected changes or problems as they arise, the better! In an industry as fast-moving as instructional design, you’ll find that success is often measured by your ability to problem-solve. So do some stretches!

Become an IDLancer

Our final, and possibly spiciest, hot tip is to join us over in our IDLance Slack community! We’re all about supporting freelance instructional designers in all kinds of ways— from connecting you with projects we’re working on, to fostering a community of like-minded freelies to finding you the perfect gig!

Conclusion

No one said becoming a freelance instructional designer would be easy, but we’re here to tell you that you are absolutely capable of doing it! With some planning and hard work, you’ll be well on your way to success.

But remember, success doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient, be kind to yourself, and allow yourself to make mistakes. In the words of our pal, Thomas Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

We love that IDLance attitude!