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Competitors in Freelance Business: How to Identify and Outperform Your Rivals
The freelance market is highly competitive, with professionals across various industries offering similar services.
16:21 14 June 2025
The freelance market is highly competitive, with professionals across various industries offering similar services. No matter your niche, chances are you’re not the only one providing those services. To truly stand out and be better than competitors in business, you must first identify your key competitors, analyze their strategies, and refine your positioning. By understanding what sets you apart, you can craft a unique value proposition that attracts clients and strengthens your brand.
Read on to learn how to navigate competition effectively and establish a strong presence in your freelance industry.
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How to identify your freelance brand competitors
In 2024, around 1.57 billion people across the world considered themselves freelancers. With that big number, it’s easy to imagine how competitive the freelance market is. To stand out, you need to know who your freelance brand competitors are and how you can position yourself as the better choice.
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To do that, start with these simple steps:
- Define your international and local competitors' market and target audience
The first step to answering “Who are my competitors?” would be figuring out who you serve and what makes you different from the others. You can do that by asking yourself about:
- Industries and businesses you specialize in;
- Clients you are targeting: are they local, international, or both;
- Your potential competitors: these can be individual freelancers, agencies, and even AI design tools.
- Search for competitors online
This will allow you to discover their positioning, promotional strategies, and maybe even pricing to potentially come up with better marketing strategies and keep up with the competition.
You can find your competitors on:
- Search engines using special keywords, such as “personal stylist for influencers” or “graphic designer for startups”;
- Freelance marketplaces—for instance, Upwork, Fiverr, or Toptal;
- Social media by using selected hashtags;
- Local networking groups on Facebook or LinkedIn.
- Analyze your competitors
You can do so by studying how they market themselves, how they price their services, how their portfolios look, and how they get clients (for instance, by running ads, using content marketing, or networking).
Keep in mind that it’s important to not only focus on your direct competition in marketing and promotion (freelancers who offer similar skills and services to the same audience) but also on other types. For instance, small agencies or studios can be your indirect competitors. AI tools can also increase the level of competition in the market, especially if you’re working with small businesses. For instance, 40% of them use AI-powered logo design tools to save costs.
- Discover your competitive advantage
Now, you just need to find what makes you better than your competitors or simply different. Figuring this out will help you adjust your positioning and distinguish yourself in the freelance market.
For instance, you can do this by highlighting your unique work process, coming up with a competitive content marketing strategy or stronger social media presence, or offering a better client experience (free consultations, trial periods, and clear communication).
- Track competitors repeatedly to adapt your strategy
The market doesn’t stand still. Your competition changes over time, so it’s important to keep an eye on your marketing and services.
You can do that by following their social media and newsletters, checking their portfolio and website updates, and setting up Google Alerts for their name or businesses. Do this every few months to keep your fingers on the pulse.
How to be better than competitors in your freelance business
Discovering your competitors is just the first step of the process. The next step is learning how to stand out and attract better clients.
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You can achieve this by:
Creating appealing offers and packages
You start by creating several packages (such as Basic, Premium, and VIP) that differ in pricing and offer various products and different approaches. This will make your services seem more nuanced and will also allow your clients to choose a more affordable and relevant package.
Using testimonials
People trust real client experiences. That’s why it’s so important to show how exactly you helped individuals and business peoplewith your photos, designs, texts, or other services.
To do this, ask happy clients for a review (it could be written or in the form of a video). Then, feature such reviews on your website, portfolio, and social media. You can also post case studies that explain how your work helped companies and individuals.
Offering a lead magnet
A lead magnet is a free yet valuable resource that people receive in exchange for following you on social media or subscribing to your newsletter. It could be a free checklist, mini-course, or PDF.
Once people receive your lead magnet, don’t forget to follow up with an email or social media message that emphasizes your skills and encourages them to reach out to you for your services.
Networking
Networking and collaboration can result in more exposure and help you find new clients. You can do this by partnering with other freelancers, writing valuable guest posts for websites and blogs in your niche, and joining business groups, online communities, or networking events to find clients.
To sum up
To be better than competitors in freelance business, you need to figure out who they are and how they operate. Then, you can use this knowledge to refine your strategy and attract better clients. Offering more value, building strong relationships, and consistently showcasing your expertise will also help you succeed even in the most competitive niches.