What Are the Most In-Demand Freelance Skills?
If you’re considering starting a new freelance career, you’re probably curious about the most in-demand freelance skills.
According to data from Upwork, nearly half of businesses are turning to freelancers to address skills gaps in 2025, and 48% of CEOs plan to increase their freelance hiring in the next year. So if you’ve been debating becoming a freelancer, now is the perfect time to take the next step!
If you do decide to take the plunge, it’s important to know that the freelance world can be competitive. Having the right skills and being able to stand out from the crowd is more important than ever. We’ve previously explored 10 Essential Soft Skills for Your Freelance Resume. In this blog post, we’ll look at nine of the most in-demand freelance hard (or technical) skills:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Artificial intelligence (AI) engineering
- Graphic design
- Videography and photography
- Project management
- Social media marketing
- Copywriting
- Content writing
- Editing and proofreading
9 In-Demand Freelance Skills
The world of the freelance workforce is always changing, and technology and AI are becoming ever more dominant. The skills that freelancers need are changing, too. Here’s our list, in no particular order, of some of the most in-demand freelance skills.
1. SEO
SEO is the process of optimizing website content (for example, blog posts) so that it ranks highly on search engine results pages. Businesses of all sizes use SEO techniques to market their products or services, making it a very in-demand skill. SEO techniques include:
- Using Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines to create high-quality content
- Identifying and incorporating relevant keywords
- Building a linking strategy
- Ensuring that meta titles, meta descriptions, and URLs are search-engine friendly
- Knowing how to effectively incorporate AI into the content creation process
- Monitoring and reviewing the performance of content using tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console
By boosting traffic to their websites, businesses can attract a larger audience, build brand awareness, and secure more sales.
SEO is a particularly valuable skill for anyone looking to get ahead in a freelance content writing or marketing career. If this is not yet in your skill set, look for an online SEO course to get started!
2. AI Engineering
As we mentioned before, the rapid growth in the popularity of AI is changing the world of work in many ways. According to data from Exploding Topics, the global AI market is worth about $747.91 billion – up from $200 billion in 2023. It’s not surprising, then, that many people are concerned about the role AI will play in the future and whether their jobs will be made obsolete by technology.
However, AI presents many opportunities, especially for aspiring freelancers. Coding, software engineering, debugging, and testing are all highly sought-after skills when it comes to working with AI. And many of these skills are transferable to careers such as website and app development and UX (user experience) design.
Some of these skills can be learned on the job, but there are also lots of great AI certificate courses available. If you already have any of these skills from previous roles, they can form a great basis for a freelance portfolio.
3. Graphic Design
In the digital age, visual content is an essential part of communication and marketing. Graphic design involves the production of visual content for print, social media, websites, and many other places. It also involves branding: helping businesses to create a strong identity through their logos, typography, and color schemes.
There are many routes into graphic design, from shorter online courses to full university degrees.
4. Videography and Photography
Can you compose a great photo? Do you make your own videos for social media? If so, you already have some of the skills a freelancer needs to succeed as a videographer or photographer.
All kinds of businesses use photographs and videos as part of their marketing strategy – on their social media platforms, on their websites, in digital and print advertising campaigns, and more. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so photography and videography are great freelance skills to have!
Whether you’re trying to turn your hobby into a freelance business or you’re starting from scratch, there are lots of ways to develop your photography and videography skills. Practice consistently, seek feedback from mentors or peers, and take advantage of online courses or workshops.
Want more tips on breaking into this freelance field? Check out these guides to becoming a photographer and becoming a successful videographer.
5. Project Management
Some businesses can’t afford to have a permanent project manager on their payroll, especially if their big projects only come around infrequently. As such, many prefer to hire project managers on a temporary, as-needed basis. Because freelance project managers work flexibly and are usually happy to take on short-term projects, their skills are in demand.
Project managers are responsible for seeing a project through from start to finish. They create a detailed plan, organize resources (such as the budget), manage the project team, and ensure that the project reaches a successful conclusion.
There is a plethora of courses available depending on which area of project management you prefer. According to a report by Upwork, some of the most in-demand niches are:
- Digital project management
- Business project management
- Supply chain and logistics project management
- Construction and engineering project management
Take a look at this roundup of the best project management qualifications to learn more about entering this in-demand field.
6. Social Media Marketing
How often do you see marketing posts in your social media feeds? Daily? Hourly? Every time you glance at your phone? Data from Exploding Topics shows that the average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media daily, so you can see why social media marketing is an in-demand freelance skill!
A social media manager is responsible for running a business’s or client’s social media platforms (such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or TikTok). Their day-to-day tasks include:
- Developing a social media strategy (to help their clients reach their business goals)
- Creating, curating, and scheduling content (e.g., images, videos, and descriptions)
- Interacting with followers, responding to inquiries, and building a community
- Analyzing the performance of social media campaigns
You can get started by building your own social media presence to showcase your skills, experimenting with different content formats, and tracking your results. Once you have a small portfolio, consider offering your services to friends, to local businesses, or through freelancing platforms to gain practical experience and testimonials.
7. Copywriting
Copywriting is a type of writing that aims to sell a product or service or persuade someone to take a particular action – known as a conversion. Copywriters can work on a wide variety of content, including:
- Social media posts
- Advertisements
- Website landing pages
- Product descriptions
- Email marketing campaigns
Although AI is increasingly being used for content creation, it can’t replace the creativity and empathy of human writers. Solely AI-generated writing often feels robotic, lacking the sparkle and personality that only real people can provide. AI can assist with certain tasks, but businesses still need human writers to craft nuanced, persuasive copy that truly resonates with readers.
Businesses of all sizes, in every industry and sector, want to promote their products and services, so there is no shortage of demand for copywriters. To find out more about the role of the copywriter, and how to become one, see our blog post What Is Copywriting?
8. Content Writing
You might be wondering why we’ve included writing on the list twice. Many people assume that copywriting and content writing are the same thing, but there is a difference. Think of it this way: If a copywriter is the salesperson, a content writer would be in customer relations.
The copywriter is focused on convincing someone to take immediate action (such as buying a product or signing up for a newsletter). The content writer, in contrast, is focused on building a relationship with them – without any immediate payoff. They do this by creating content that educates, informs, or entertains. A content writer might work on:
- Blog posts and articles
- Social media posts
- Website content (such as educational product information)
- Informative email newsletters
- Ebooks
These are just a few examples; content writers can work on all kinds of content!
If you’d like to explore a career as a content writer, take a look at our post What Is Content Writing? We look at what a content writer does, essential content writing skills, and how to get started.
9. Editing and Proofreading
Good writing, no matter its purpose, is still very much in high demand. And it doesn’t matter whether the text was originally created by an AI tool or a human – there always needs to be someone to make sure the content is accurate and error-free.
Being able to make sure a document is flawless is a highly sought-after skill, especially when reviewing AI-generated text. Human proofreaders and editors are needed to:
- Correct errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation
- Make sure that tone, style, and formatting are used consistently
- Check that a document’s overall structure makes sense
- Adjust word choice and sentence structure to ensure clarity
- Fact-check and highlight any potential inaccuracies
AI can’t make nuanced assessments and will often miss errors, provide wrong information, and strip away the writer’s unique voice in a piece of text. This is why AI is unlikely to ever replace editors and proofreaders.
If you’re interested in a career in proofreading and/or editing, check out our guides to getting started: How to Become a Proofreader and 5 Tips for Starting a Career in Editing with No Experience.
Kick-start Your Freelance Career
As you’ve seen, there is a wide range of in-demand skills that can help you succeed in a freelance career.
One great way to kick-start your new career, add valuable skills to your resume, or refresh your existing skills is to learn online. If that option appeals to you, take a look at our library of comprehensive courses. We’ve got courses in proofreading, editing, copywriting, content writing, and more.
Not sure where to start? You can try all of our courses for free and see what they have to offer!
Updated on May 02, 2025
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