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How do I make money on Upwork as a Freelancer?

A great platform for freelancers

By Suisui ZhouPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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I'm currently a 95% top rated freelance on Upwork.

I joined it since 2015. Just tried it for fun. But I never expect it will let me earn over 20K in the past years.

Upwork is the go-to freelancing platform right now, and most freelancers give it a try at some point. As a beginner, to make money on Upwork in 2020, please see the steps below.

Approval: Pick your strongest skill. Elaborated. Never look back if your profile does not get approved. Improve your skills and keep on applying. Once submitted your profile, it typically takes 24 hours to review your application. Please note an application is required to join Upwork, and Upwork will notify you if your application is approved or declined.

Keep bidding - I am bidding at least 3-5 jobs daily. Let's say I'm bidding 20 jobs a week. If I get one, it can start to earn me money.

Upwork has several great Proposal Tips posts and videos, and if you want to create a profile that works on UPWORK, you should check these out.

Proposals that Sell - Video Guide

Submitting A Winning Proposal - + Video + Profile Sample

How to Create a Proposal That Wins Jobs Do's and Don'ts about Creating Great Profiles

Upwork pricing system is so tight now and it is difficult to serve as a newbie so take it as a challenge and keep on buying connects as your target is the ultimate success on Upwork. About your rate, your hourly rate on Upwork is the price before the service deduction (20%). So if you list a rate of $15 per hour for your first gig, you can expect to earn $12 per hour. When you negotiate a rate for a fixed-price job, the same idea applies; if you're getting paid $200 for a job, you'll be paid $160 after the cut.

Bidding skill - I like to start with small project, but never bid on those projects which have high competition.

Navigate the correct job - see what is the best job for you and never get into that stuff that you cannot handle. No matter what is the earning potential. If the client gives a bad review then you will stand nowhere.

Clear communication - tell all the things clearly to your client before getting into a contract. For example, I would always ask about the deadline, rate, deliver format and client expectation.

Stay consistent - Upwork likes consistency so do it. Grab the potential!

Consistently provide high-quality work, aim to always get a 5-star review from your clients, and start building a strong portfolio of fantastic ratings.

Your ratings and reviews are more important to a future client than anything you write in your portfolio.

In fact, at times – one great review can be worth a lot more than several amazing items in your portfolio.

So even if you have an amazing portfolio of work, if your public reviews all average between 2-4 stars, that will scare potential clients away.

Time management - Deliver projects on time (before the time if possible). I always make sure I deliver the project a little bit ahead of the deadline. Clients sometimes will give bonus for that. Also, Upwork has a Desktop time tracker app, it is designed for collaboration and Payment Protection. Both freelancer and client can use it to track the working hours, taking screenshot of your work page and send Messages. Basically, freelancers use it to log time on hourly contracts. It doesn't apply to fixed payment contract.

Keep up doing what you like!

*Some personal tips:

1. Low paying clients are always hard to work with.

2. When you submitting your proposal, remember to talk about how your services will net client something. Maybe it’s revenue, more organic traffic, or email signups. Make your service more tangible in a proposal. Besides, keep it short and sweet. Then, end it with a call to action, such as “Tell me what you think.” ; “Looking forward to your thoughts.” ; “Let me know your opinion.” etc.

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