Disclaimer: We don't recommend finding work and clients on some of the marketplaces listed here due to high competition, low-quality clients, commissions deducted from your pay, not being able to grow your own brand, unstable source of income, etc.
With that said, in Animation Business Accelerator program we have figured out a unique strategy that will help you make the most out of these marketplaces.
Many companies are strengthening their online presence, and they’re realizing video marketing is an effective tool to accomplish this.
Animated explainer videos can give customers or clients a better user experience, explain how to use a product or service, and describe a brand’s value propositions. Since animated marketing videos are so versatile and visually appealing, companies increasingly need to hire animators and look into freelance animation.
Especially if you’re just starting out as a freelance animator, you may be overwhelmed and not know where or how to find clients. How do you connect with these companies and get work for freelance animation? Here we’ve compiled the eight best websites where you can find clients as a freelance animator.
Let's Dive Into The Best Websites For Freelance Animators!
1) LinkedIn
One popular website where you can find work as an animator is LinkedIn.
Use LinkedIn’s search bar and its different filters. You can search for people according to their locations, companies, universities, connections, jobs, years of experience, seniority level, and more.
Once you’ve found your target clients, send them a message introducing yourself. Tell them what you do, add a link to your portfolio or website, and ask them if they have a need you can help them with through freelance animation.
You can also post your works on LinkedIn with hashtags and links to your portfolio or website, so you make yourself more visible on the platform, attracting potential clients to you.
Regularly update your LinkedIn profile and your job preferences. Update your job title, job location, start date, and job type. This will also make you more visible to clients who are looking for animators and freelance animation.
2) Twine
Twine vets and handpicks the best freelancers to showcase on their site, which saves companies time and money.
Businesses post jobs, looking for creative and digital freelancers. Then animators submit pitches for the freelance animation jobs that interest them.
Companies post a variety of freelance animation jobs on Twine that could interest animators, including jobs to create logos, ad campaigns, explainer videos, and other creative audio-visual work.
On Twine, you can create your own profile, build your own portfolio, and show potential animation clients your animation skills and knowledge. You'll show them that you're the right choice for any freelance animation needs.
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3) Fiverr
Image via Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the most popular freelancer websites on the internet. Freelancers sought at Fiverr are those with backgrounds such as graphic design, video and animation, music and audio, and more.
Fiverr is broken up into sellers and buyers; as a freelance animator, you’re a seller. Sellers post gigs: you detail what you offer and how much your work is worth as "freelance animation". Be creative when creating your gigs and know how much to charge based on your experience and what you’re offering.
You can also send an “offer” for a job posted by a buyer. However, you can’t see buyers’ requests until you’ve created a gig, and you’ll only see jobs related to your gig and freelance animation.
The only con of joining Fiverr is the competitive work environment. It might be challenging for freelance animators who are just starting out to be able to find animation clients.
Fiverr has a level system for their sellers; it’s important to understand these levels because as you gain more experience on Fiverr and move up, you’ll attract higher-paying freelance animation clients.
On Fiverr, there are many individuals creating animated marketing videos. So you have to ask yourself: how will you make yourself stand out?
4) Upwork
Image via Upwork
Individuals, small businesses, and even huge corporations go to Upwork to hire freelance animators. Upwork is one of the best websites where freelancer animators can find work.
It has an unending list of job openings and more are constantly posted. Even though new jobs are constantly posted, the competition for each job is intense. You have to respond to job postings quickly and effectively in order to stand out.
With Upwork, you have to write proposals that will get your potential animation clients’ attention. It will take you some effort to make proposals, especially when you’re first starting on the site.
Make sure you do research on how to write an effective proposal. Upwork even sends emails with training and tips for writing proposals that will get you jobs. You also need to make sure you have a robust profile, so you can gain more trust with potential employers.
It will be worth the time and effort when you have established yourself as a known animator on the website. Once you’ve established yourself and have good rankings and reviews, job posters may invite you to apply for their jobs.
5) Behance
Behance is a website where you can find a community of creative people who showcase their own work in their personal profiles. It’s like a social media network where you can connect with other designers and get artistic feedback.
Members can follow your profile, and you also can follow the profiles of others. When you follow someone, you will be able to see their updates in your feed.
Behance also offers a “Jobs” section, where you can find potential clients looking for animators like you. When looking for a client, you can use the filters in the search bar to find your job type, job location, and creative field.
6) Freelancer
Image via Freelancer
Freelancer is a huge freelance marketplace with over 48 million users.
Complete your profile, add your skill sets, and you will be able to find a variety of animation jobs on Freelancer.
You can also find international and local jobs for small, medium, and large companies that are willing to pay you at a fixed price or hourly rate.
Similar to Upwork, once you have found your potential animation client’s job posting, you have to bid for the job.
7) SimplyHired
Image via SimplyHired
SimplyHired is a website where you can easily upload your resume and customize your profile as an animator looking for animation clients.
You can narrow down your searches according to relevance, date, job type, minimum salary, and date added.
As you search for jobs, you will be able to read job postings that include salary, company name, job description, and type of employment. On SimplyHired, there are freelance and full-time job postings.
The website also has guidelines on how to write resumes, cover letters, and other information to help you attract potential clients.
Wrapping Up The Best Websites For Freelance Animators
It definitely won’t be easy to attract potential animation clients and to consistently have projects to work on. It will take a lot of time and effort, and several of these websites also charge fees.
But many of these websites also provide useful services like secure messaging and secure payments, and they’re a good space to build your client base and gain confidence in your freelancing abilities.
Sign up with as many websites as you can, customize your profile, describe your work experience, and show your best works.
Remember to also study and learn from your competitors, including seeing how they charge, so you better know how to set your prices.
As you use various sites, you may realize some work better for you than others. That’s okay! Invest more time into the sites where you are finding work.
Good luck on your freelance animation journey!
I really enjoyed reading this post, thank you! Fantastic job!