Summary

A novice freelancer leveraged their expertise in psychology and writing to secure content writing gigs on Upwork, earning $60 per article despite initial challenges and the competitive nature of the platform.

Abstract

The author of the article, a newcomer to freelance writing, detailed their journey of earning $60 per article on Upwork. With a degree in Psychology and writing skills honed through a 30-day writing challenge on Medium, they strategically targeted clients seeking content in the psychology niche. By focusing on clients with verified payments, substantial spending, and positive reviews, they managed to overcome the stiff competition from established freelancers. Despite English being a second language, they produced SEO-optimized articles, improving their speed and proficiency over time. Although the collaboration concluded after five articles due to stylistic differences, the author expressed gratitude for the opportunity and acknowledged the valuable lessons learned, emphasizing persistence and self-improvement in the face of obstacles.

Opinions

The author believed that competing on price with established freelancers was not a viable strategy and instead focused on their unique qualifications.
They emphasized the importance of a targeted approach in job applications, aligning their skills with client needs in a specific niche.
The author recognized the role of luck in their success but also highlighted the necessity of preparation and persistence.
They acknowledged the challenges of writing SEO-optimized content in a non-native language and the learning curve involved in meeting professional standards.
Despite the setback of their collaboration ending, the author maintained a positive outlook, viewing the experience as a stepping stone for future opportunities.
The author encouraged others not to be deterred by competition or language barriers, suggesting that dedication and learning from mistakes can lead to success.

How I made $60 per article on Upwork as a freelancer with zero experience

It takes courage and a good plan

When I started writing on Medium, I realized that I could use my articles as a portfolio, for my possible clients. After I wrote for 30 days straight, I tried my luck on Upwork. Surprisingly, it worked, for a while.

Know your niche

Initial thoughts

I wanted to get a job as a content writer on Upwork. I didn’t even bother looking at general jobs about content writing. I knew I didn’t have any chance.

On Upwork, there are too many already established freelancers that are better positioned than you. They have dozens if not hundreds of positive reviews, good qualifications, and a magnificent portfolio.

My chances as a beginner to win a job were close to zero, trying to compete against them.

I don’t think that your response, in this case, should be lowering your rates to the bottom of Earth. That only leads to bad clients that will give you terrible working experiences.

I knew that I had valuable skills, I have a college degree in Psychology and I can write pretty well. There should be clients looking for abilities similar to mine.

My approach

I searched specifically jobs that required content writing on psychology. I looked at job offers of clients that had their payment verified, $1k+ in payments, and good reviews. All this was to avoid dealing with shady characters.

I applied for 5 jobs. In my proposals, I talked about my college education and I linked my Medium profile. Surprisingly I got hired and I was offered $55 to write a 1500 word test article, that was SEO optimized. We raised the rate afterward to $60.

I was ecstatic, I heard all the negative talk about Upwork and I firmly believed that it would take years until I get a position like this. Apparently, it is not like that.

Now, to get 4 cents per word for some people might be a pathetic rate. But for me, a person who never earned more than pennies for writing, that lives in Romania where our wages are a joke, it was a generous offer.

Learn and move on

It wasn’t easy at all to write 1500 word articles that are SEO optimized. English is not my first language, and I had to write close to perfect articles.

It was for a professional website, and errors were inadmissible. My first article took 9 hours to complete, the second 10 hours. When I got to the third one, I started to get the hang of it and I wrote in 5 hours.

It is quite the task, to use the same keyword 30 times and still make the content enjoyable for the readers. Somehow, I managed that.

I didn’t all go as I planned, because when I got the fifth article, our collaboration ended. It was due to the fact that my articles needed constant revisions. Even though I wasn't making grammatical errors, my articles hadn’t the tone that was required for their blog. They’ve decided to go for freelancers that needed fewer revisions.

I am still grateful that they choose me, despite having no reviews on the website. I think it is easy to get spiteful, but you should know your level. I learned a lot from the experience, and I am more prepared for future challenges.

It is easy to get discouraged, but if you know what you want, you will persist.

To recap, what I did was the following:

Find a writing niche where my education was valued
Find clients that had $1k + payments, good reviews, and their payment method verified
Link my Medium Profile

It isn’t the most ingenious or innovative way of going about this, but it helped me get a client. I am sure luck has played a significant role in getting the job.

It is easy to get really intimated when you see your competition on Upwork, especially if English is not your native language. Nonetheless, it is possible to succeed.

Your first attempts might be sloppy, and it could be really hard to do your work. But, if it is what you want to do, you should persist and do the best you can. Each time you fail, you can learn something and when the next opportunity will come, you will crush it.

What is one mistake you made as a freelancer, and what did you learn from it?

Let me know in the comments