BLOG POST: |
Upwork is a freelance platform where anyone with a skill can make a living selling their services. In this article, I am going to provide you with free information about how you can start making money as a freelancer. It is important to mention here that Upwork doesn’t accept every application, they only want the best workers on their platform, so its important that you do your best to come across as professional in your application.
The first step is to know what you are good at, the good news is that there are millions of jobs on Upwork that are available in a variety of different fields such as:
The next step is to set up a profile, there are plenty of experienced workers on Upwork with impressive profiles that you can get some inspiration from. There is a search feature on the site that allows you to look for freelancers. Your profile is very important, it operates in the same way as a resume, if it doesn’t stand out, clients will quickly move onto the next.
The assumption is that you should fill your profile with how great you are and every single qualification you have ever attained; this is not the case. Obviously, clients want to know that you are qualified for the job, but most importantly, they want to know that you have done similar work.
Even though you may not have had any experience as a freelancer, you will have had experience in some area even if it is not directly related so you will have acquired transferable skills.
Your profile should start with how you can solve a client’s problem; because that is what they are hiring you for. The first thing a client will see when it comes to your profile is a strap-line, you need to make sure you write something compelling that will really get the attention of the reader. You can then go on to speak about the skills you will use to solve their problems.
Keep it short and sweet, clients are busy people and they don’t have the time to read an essay, just include the most important information and leave the rest to when you get to communicate with the client. They will ask questions if they want more information. Your profile should include the following:
A good profile picture is important, not only do you want to look professional, you also want to look friendly and approachable. People only want to do business with people they think they are going to like, and if you are scowling in your photo, you will give a bad first impression.
Your photo should be a head shot only, make sure there is nothing in the background, a white or light colored background is best.
Your portfolio is also very important, this is where you get to showcase your best work. I am assuming that most people reading this have never worked as a freelancer, in which case you may not have any work to showcase. Not a problem, you can create a portfolio. If you are a content writer, write some excellent pieces and publish them on sites like hubpages.com. If you are a graphic designer, do a couple of pieces of graphic design work. If you are a web designer, you can create a few websites. Whatever you do, make sure it is stunning because it is going to go on your profile and that is what clients will see.
As soon as your profile has been approved by Upwork, you can start bidding. This is where most people give up because they are not seeing immediate results. The key is perseverance, you are going to have to keep applying for jobs every day. When you first start freelancing, the work doesn’t come to you, you’ve got to go out and find the work. It’s only once you’ve built a substantial reputation that you will start getting job invitations. Until then, bidding is your best friend.
Bid Template: When it comes to bidding, it’s super important that you don’t send a canned template to all applications. Clients can see through this and you will get more rejects than you can handle. All clients want to see that you have read and understood the job description. You can do this by ensuring that you mention the job, the requirements for the job and how you can help solve their problem. Some clients will ask you to include a secret word in your application to ensure that you have read the instructions clearly.
You can use a template, just make sure it is tailored to every job you are applying for.
How Much Should I Charge: How much you charge is up to you, most clients will include a budget; but in some cases, especially with clients who don’t have much of a history on the site and don’t understand the pricing structure, their budget is very low. It’s up to you whether you want to bargain with them or look for jobs that are in your price range.
On Upwork, you can either bid by project, or you can bid per hour. I wouldn’t advise bidding anything less than $25 per hour even as a newbie. It is important that you start as you mean to go on, if you bid low to get jobs, what will end up happening is that you will get stuck with low paying clients. If you are going for a fixed rate, make sure you are specific about what you are willing to do for that price, and price the job according to how long you think it’s going to take.
How Much Bidding Will I Need to do: A LOT! On average, you will get around four responses for every 20 applications you submit, so you will need to keep bidding if you want to be successful on Upwork. In most cases, you won’t get a rejection email. Serious clients will usually contact you immediately, taking into consideration that it is an international platform, so you are dealing with people in different time zones. But in general, you should expect to get a response within 72 hours.
When a Client Wants to Hire You: If a client has decided to hire you, they will set up a contract and fund the escrow. The contract starts the moment you click the accept button. If it’s an hourly project, you will need to download the Upwork app and as long as you are logged in, it records the hours you work, this system ensures you are paid for your time.
Before you start working on a job, make sure the client has funded the escrow; if not, you risk doing work and not getting paid. Once you have completed the project and submitted it to the client, they will either request editing or release the funds to you immediately.
Before you can get paid, you will need to set up your payment preference. You can either have payments made directly to your bank account, or sign up with paypal.com or payoneer.com. These sites are connected to your bank account, you transfer the money from Upwork, and then the funds are transferred to your bank. This process doesn’t take more than 24 hours.
Upwork takes 20% of the first $500 of each project, you also have to pay a small VAT percentage, as well as $2 per withdrawal. Also, the site only pays in dollars, so you will need to bare that in mind if you live in a country such as the United Kingdom where the pound is stronger than the dollar.
Reviews are very important when it comes to the buyers decision-making process. Since you are new and you don’t have any reviews, you will need to work hard and get some. Once you get your first review, it’s onwards and upwards from there. After you have completed a project, ask your client to close the contract and leave you an honest review because some clients will either forget, or they don’t have the time.
If you are going to succeed on Upwork, you’ve got to be diligent, you will get many rejections, but you can’t take it personally, it’s the nature of the job. There are thousands of freelancers all trying to get work. Your job is to master your craft, stand out from the crowd and build a clientele that provide you with a regular stream of work. This is not going to happen overnight, but as long as you are consistent, you will get there in the end.
Page Sitemap, Post Sitemap, Our Locations
We also offer Our local digital marketing and SEO services in specific locations: digital marketing and seo in agoura hills, digital marketing and seo in akron, digital marketing and seo in albuquerque new mexico, digital marketing and seo in alexandria virginia, digital marketing and seo in alhambra, digital marketing and seo in amarillo, digital marketing and seo in anaheim, digital marketing and seo in arcadia, digital marketing and seo in arlington, digital marketing and seo in arlington virginia, digital marketing and seo in artesia, digital marketing and seo in atlanta, digital marketing and seo in augusta, digital marketing and seo in austin, digital marketing and seo in azusa, digital marketing and seo in bakersfield, digital marketing and seo in baldwin park, digital marketing and seo in baltimore, digital marketing and seo in baton rouge, digital marketing and seo in bell, digital marketing and seo in bellevue, digital marketing and seo in bellflower, digital marketing and seo in bell gardens, digital marketing and seo in bend or, digital marketing and seo in beverly hills, digital marketing and seo in birmingham, digital marketing and seo in boise, digital marketing and seo in boston, digital marketing and seo in bridgeport connecticut, digital marketing and seo in brownsville, digital marketing and seo in buffalo ny, digital marketing and seo in burbank, digital marketing and seo in calabasas, digital marketing and seo in cape coral, digital marketing and seo in cary, digital marketing and seo in chandler, digital marketing and seo in charleston south carolina, digital marketing and seo in charlotte, digital marketing and seo in chattanooga, digital marketing and seo in chesapeake, digital marketing and seo in chicago, digital marketing and seo in chula vista, digital marketing and seo in cincinnati, digital marketing and seo in clarksville tennessee, digital marketing and seo in cleveland, digital marketing and seo in colorado springs, digital marketing and seo in columbus, digital marketing and seo in columbus georgia, digital marketing and seo in corona, digital marketing and seo in corpus christi, digital marketing and seo in dallas, digital marketing and seo in dayton, digital marketing and seo in denton texas, digital marketing and seo in denver, digital marketing and seo in des moines, digital marketing and seo in detroit, digital marketing and seo in durham, digital marketing and seo in elk grove, digital marketing and seo in el monte, digital marketing and seo in el paso, digital marketing and seo in escondido, digital marketing and seo in eugene or, digital marketing and seo in fayetteville, digital marketing and seo in fontana, digital marketing and seo in for strippers, digital marketing and seo in fort collins colorado, digital marketing and seo in fort lauderdale, digital marketing and seo in fort wayne,digital marketing and seo in fort worth, digital marketing and seo in fremont, digital marketing and seo in fresno, digital marketing and seo in frisco texas, digital marketing and seo in fullerton california,digital marketing and seo in garden grove, digital marketing and seo in garland, digital marketing and seo in gilbert, digital marketing and seo in grand prairie, digital marketing and seo in grand rapids, digital marketing and seo in greensboro, digital marketing and seo in hayward california, digital marketing and seo in henderson, digital marketing and seo in hialeah, digital marketing and seo in honolulu, digital marketing and seo in houston, digital marketing and seo in huntington beach, digital marketing and seo in huntsville, digital marketing and seo in indianapolis, digital marketing and seo in irvine, digital marketing and seo in irving, digital marketing and seo in jacksonville, digital marketing and seo in jersey city, digital marketing and seo in kansas city, digital marketing and seo in kent washington, digital marketing and seo in killeen texas, digital marketing and seo in knoxville, digital marketing and seo in lakewood colorado, digital marketing and seo in lancaster, digital marketing and seo in laredo, digital marketing and seo in las vegas, digital marketing and seo in lexington, digital marketing and seo in lincoln, digital marketing and seo in long beach, digital marketing and seo in los angeles, digital marketing and seo in louisville, digital marketing and seo in lubbock, digital marketing and seo in madison, digital marketing and seo in mcallen texas, digital marketing and seo in mckinney texas, digital marketing and seo in medford, digital marketing and seo in memphis, digital marketing and seo in mesa, digital marketing and seo in mesquite texas, digital marketing and seo in miami, digital marketing and seo in milwaukee, digital marketing and seo in minneapolis, digital marketing and seo in modesto, digital marketing and seo in montgomery alabama, digital marketing and seo in moreno valley, digital marketing and seo in nashville tn, digital marketing and seo in newark, digital marketing and seo in new jersey, digital marketing and seo in new orleans, digital marketing and seo in new york, digital marketing and seo in norfolk, digital marketing and seo in oakland, digital marketing and seo in oklahoma city, digital marketing and seo in omaha, digital marketing and seo in orange county, digital marketing and seo in orlando, digital marketing and seo in overland park, digital marketing and seo in oxnard, digital marketing and seo in palm beach florida, digital marketing and seo in palmdale, digital marketing and seo in pasadena, digital marketing and seo in pembroke pines, digital marketing and seo in philadelphia, digital marketing and seo in phoenix az, digital marketing and seo in pittsburgh, digital marketing and seo in plano, digital marketing and seo in plumber, digital marketing and seo in portland, digital marketing and seo in raleigh, digital marketing and seo in redding ca, digital marketing and seo in reno, digital marketing and seo in richmond, digital marketing and seo in riverside, digital marketing and seo in rochester ny, digital marketing and seo in sacramento, digital marketing and seo in saint paul, digital marketing and seo in salem or, digital marketing and seo in salt lake city, digital marketing and seo in san antonio, digital marketing and seo in san bernardino, digital marketing and seo in san diego, digital marketing and seo in san francisco, digital marketing and seo in san jose, digital marketing and seo in santa ana, digital marketing and seo in santa clarita, digital marketing and seo in santa monica, digital marketing and seo in scottsdale, digital marketing and seo in seattle, digital marketing and seo in sherman oaks, digital marketing and seo in shreveport, digital marketing and seo in spokane, digital marketing and seo in st louis, digital marketing and seo in stockton, digital marketing and seo in tacoma, digital marketing and seo in tallahassee, digital marketing and seo in tampa, digital marketing and seo in toledo, digital marketing and seo in torrance, digital marketing and seo in tucson, digital marketing and seo in tulsa, digital marketing and seo in valencia ca, digital marketing and seo in vancouver washington, digital marketing and seo in virginia beach, digital marketing and seo in wichita and all others.