If You’re Not Having Success On Upwork, Here’s How to Change That
From someone who currently works two long-term gigs on the platform.
Love it or hate it, the world of work is changing — drastically. Fewer and fewer people are willing to deal with a crazy commute only to sit hunched over a desk for eight hours a day. They want flexibility. They want to spend more time with their family. They want to work to live, not live to work.
Maybe you’re one of those people. I sure am.
That’s why platforms like Upwork are thriving right now — people like you and me are looking for work that helps us live on our terms for once.
But there’s a downside to joining the gig economy: Platforms like Upwork have gotten way more competitive recently. That means that even if you’re great at what you do and have a ton of valuable experience, you won’t get very far if you don’t know how to grab an ideal client’s attention.
Don’t worry, though — I’m currently working two long-term jobs I landed on Upwork, and I can tell you that it’s completely possible to outsmart the competition.
If you’re not having success on Upwork, here are a few things you might be doing wrong — and what to do instead:
Your proposals aren’t attention-grabbing enough
Listen: You might be the perfect candidate for a job. You might feel convinced that you have it in the bag before you even apply. But if you don’t know how to communicate your value to a potential client, they may very well hire someone who has less experience in the field but who excels at pitching themselves.
Today, someone (let’s call her Penny) asked me to review her pitch for a job she really wanted.
Now, Penny is incredibly good at what she does, there’s no doubt about that. But her first sentence started like this: “I’m interested in this position and think I would really enjoy working for you” or something to that effect.
Now, you might think, “What’s wrong with that? Sounds perfectly fine to me!” But this is where many people get lost.
Saying something like “I’m really interested in this position” is a terrible way to start a proposal.
Why?
Because, believe it or not, a client who’s looking to fill a role doesn’t really care if you’re interested in the position or not. What they want to know is whether or not you understand what their problem is and whether or not you can actually solve it.
That’s it.
By all means, talk about your experience. But don’t start off with that. Start off by addressing their problem.
So, instead of saying something like:
I’m really interested in your job posting because I love the idea of having more flexibility in my working life, etc.
Say something like this:
Hello [Name],
I’m reaching out because I have the skills and experience to excel at [blank] and take this project off your plate.
Specifically, here’s why I can help you [list relevant experience and links to a few completed projects].
If we decided to move forward, here’s what my plan to ensure a successful completion of your project would look like: [list of bullet points outlining a custom plan based on their needs].
If this sounds good, let’s set up a quick call to talk in more detail. I’d be happy to help you with this project.
Take care,
Amanda Smith
Obviously, the above example needs personalization, but you get the point. Really think about the needs of the client and how you can help them — not how they can help you.
You’re copy-pasting proposals — and it’s obvious
If you’re trying to apply to as many jobs as possible without any consideration for quality, stop right there. That’s not the way at all. It doesn’t take a genius to spot copy-pasted messages with zero personalization, but that’s what most people do.
So, use this common blunder to your advantage. Based on experience, your chances of getting responses will skyrocket if you focus on making each and every proposal as tailored to the job as possible.
To make sure you really understand what a particular job entails, I recommend reading the description at least two or three times and proving that you actually know what a particular client is looking for by talking about what you learned from the description.
Here’s an example: If a client stresses the importance of knowing about web design in their job description, you could show you care about and understand their needs by saying something like this:
I understand web design is a crucial part of this role, and this got me excited because I’ve been designing websites for [blank amount of time] and have a lot of experience with [blank]. I would be happy to help you and take this project off your plate. Here are some examples of my work for you to look at, and here are a few ideas I came up with to address [blank pain point they mentioned].
Okay, let’s quickly unpack that.
By responding to the actual needs of the client (rather than saying, “I’m really interested in your job posting!”), you’re showing that you can read and listen and understand and come up with solutions to their problems. Don’t underestimate the value of that.
Also, by sharing examples of your work, you’re giving the client more information about you, which will help them make a decision. Finally, coming up with ideas on how you’d help shows you take initiative and don’t just wait around for people to tell you what to do. Again, this is gold, especially for a remote position. Most applicants do the bare minimum, so if want to stand out, go the extra mile.
Your profile isn’t filled out or optimized enough
If you want to stand out, especially in the beginning, it’s incredibly important to have a profile that’s filled out. Spend time on this step. Potential clients will check out your profile, not just your proposal, when making a decision about whether to hire you or not, so make sure it’s all set before you start submitting proposals.
Here are some things to include:
- Relevant work experience, even if it’s volunteer experience. For example, if you’re looking for blogging gigs and you write on Medium, definitely include links to a few of the best articles you’ve written.
- College degrees or certifications, if you have any.
- Languages you speak.
- Projects you’ve completed.
- Recommendations from people you’ve worked with (teachers, mentors, employers, etc).
Make sure you have a professional picture and an interesting bio that really pinpoints what you offer. One great way to get inspired is to look at what your competitors are doing. Never plagerize, of course, but it never hurts to see some examples of profiles done right.
You’re not focusing on a few services
You know the saying: “A jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.” In my experience, you’ll have a better chance of success on Upwork if you zero in on a few areas of expertise instead of saying, “I can do everything!”
Why?
Because no one can really do everything — at least, not well. You have strengths and weaknesses, just like everyone else, so highlight your unique skillset in your profile and proposals. Eventually, you’ll gain skills that might lead you to branch out a bit, but start off by highlighting your strong points. This will help you land more jobs.
You’re pricing yourself too low or too high
In the beginning, it can be hard to know how much your work is worth. Here are a few tips to help with that:
First, check out what your competitors — who have approximately the same experience and who offer approximately the same services — are charging. This will give you a good idea of what you can charge.
Once you’ve figured out a reasonable rate, I recommend starting off by submitting proposals to one-time projects, even if your ultimate goal is to land long-term gigs.
Why?
Because reputation is everything, especially in the beginning. Your first goal when starting out should be to complete small projects satisfactorily and get five-star reviews. This is how you’ll attract more clients and be able to charge more. Don’t skip this step — it’s incredibly important.
If you start out by only bidding for high-paying, long-term work without experience or reviews, you’ll have a much harder time than if you start small and build a solid reputation on small projects first.
Put yourself in a client’s shoes: Would you risk hiring someone for a huge project who didn’t have any reviews on their profile? Probably not.
Another benefit of starting with small, one-time projects is that it will help you avoid getting stuck in long-term jobs that pay very little.
You’re giving up too quickly
As I said before, there’s no going around it: Upwork is competitive. If you want to grow on the platform, you’re going to have to keep going until you get the results you want — and that might take weeks or even months of consistent effort. But in my experience, it’s all worth it in the end.
Don’t get discouraged if your initial efforts don’t seem to get you anywhere — every supposed failure can help you succeed, if you learn from it.
Final thoughts
So there you have it. If you follow my suggestions, you should be able to avoid common pitfalls and land the gigs you really want. Everyone’s different, but in my experience, Upwork has been a great place to find jobs, and the clients I work with are beyond wonderful.
I just took a week off recently, and it was such a good feeling to step away for a little while and feel more in control of my working life for once. I get to work when I want, where I want, and do work I actually enjoy. That’s an incredible blessing.
Bottom line: If you’re willing to work hard and learn and adapt and try again after failure, you can absolutely do the same.
