As part of my SWOT Analysis for Freelancers, I highlighted the importance of diversifying income streams using multiple freelancing platforms. Last month, I shared my proven success strategy to gain your First Fiverr Order.

Now it’s time to take a look at Fiverr’s competitor platform: Upwork.

I have been offering my services on Upwork for around a year now with sales in the thousands of dollars. Having initial success with Fiverr, I believed I could apply the same strategy to Upwork…I could not be more wrong.

Here’s my tried and tested 10 step guide to getting your first Upwork order.

• Upwork: The Basics
• 10 Steps to Your First Upwork Order
• Take the Next Step in Your Freelancing Journey

Upwork: The Basics

Upwork is a unique platform that helps freelancers connect with potential clients on both short and long-term projects. Although it does allow you to list specific ‘Gigs’ or ‘Services’, the majority of work comes from freelancers applying directly to client job listings on the website.

Freelancers use the ‘Find Work’ tab to explore project listings and on finding one they believe they are a good match for, apply using a proposal.

Now I average winning one in ten projects that I apply for and have used Upwork to work on both ongoing client work and individual projects. When starting out, that average was considerably lower. Having experimented with different profiles, proposal strategies, and work methods, I have now created the following steps to secure your first Upwork order.

This method does require around 5 hours of initial time investment, however, once you have your first few orders and glowing reviews, you’ll find the return on that investment to be absolutely worth it.

10 Steps to Your First Upwork Order

1. Research Successful Freelancers in Your Niche

For early success on Upwork, you need a clear and targeted set of skills easily marketable to a client. Get on Upwork as a pseudo-client and explore the sorts of freelancers excelling on the platform and how they are selling their skills.

Try to find an area that is not overly saturated but equally in demand. This might be tricky as Upwork is such a popular site, nevertheless, with a little market research it’s possible to see the best angle to meet high-demand skills whilst standing out.

2. Prioritise a Professional Profile

When I first listed on Upwork, I made the mistake of prioritising speed over building an exemplary and professional profile. I quickly learnt that most clients will use a quick look over your profile as a key factor when deciding which freelancer to higher.

To stand out from the rest, ensure you have a clear headshot for your profile picture, that your title is specific to your personal skills, and that your profile overview is an apt representation of your capabilities as a professional freelancer.

3. Add a Competitive Hourly Rate

You should know from your research what your niche’s skills can be worth. This should be treated as a goal, not a starting rate. To earn the trust needed in clients to charge at this top-tier rate, you must first build up your reviews and completed projects with Upwork.

The fastest way to do this is to undercut competition with a cost that clients simply can’t refuse. With each new review in your first few months on Upwork, this rate can then be slowly increased.

4. Create Three Initial Projects

The Upwork Projects Catalogue can often be an underused resource. Though most of your orders will initially come from applying to job listings, project orders do happen, even in the early days.

Before listing a Project, it must be approved by Upwork so make sure to read their guidelines ahead of time and create a Project that reflects the demands found in your initial research. To save time on failed Upwork reviews, be as detailed as possible when first making the Project.

Top Tip: Make sure to include a photo in the Project cover photo, not just a Canva text cover to really stand out!

5. Prep your Proposal Templates

As you’ll soon learn, timing is everything when it comes to winning Upwork orders. To be ready to apply to any listing in a matter of minutes, I recommend prepping at least three different Job Proposal Templates that can be amended to a particular gig’s specifications.

Try to think of it as a shorter cover letter. Make sure to clearly include your past experience, how you will approach the project, and what makes you specifically the best freelancer for the job…all in under 300 words.

6. Create a Sample Portfolio of Your Work

A portfolio can be an ideal way to seal the deal with any job proposal. Beyond simply uploading a selection of work to your profile, I recommend sending at least one sample of work with each proposal that is as similar as possible to the brief. For this, it is important to begin compiling an exhaustive portfolio of all services you offer.

Use past work (either for clients or yourself) or invest the time to create new projects for your portfolio if you have any missing areas. These don’t have to be a complete ghostwritten novel or website, but a ‘sample’ of what you can do such as the first few pages or a mocked-up landing page created on forma.

I also recommend watermarking work when possible to avoid theft and add an additional level of credibility to a potential client.

7. Use the Most Recent Jobs Tabs

This is potentially the most important tip. From my experience, potential clients tend to hire very quickly after listing a job as they may receive upwards of 100 proposals within a few days.

If a job listing is over 4 hours old and has more than 20 proposals, I won’t waste my connects on it. Try to hit whilst the iron’s hot so that a potential client will view your profile as soon as you submit a proposal.

8. Apply for Low-Connect, Short-Duration Projects

New freelancers on Upwork are competing with sellers with over 6-figures in sales and hundreds of hours of Upwork Projects. To avoid direct comparison, you cannot be applying for the same jobs as these seasoned professionals.

Instead, look for entry-level jobs that have low connect rates to apply and that you can complete within a week.

9. Underpromise and Overdeliver

Applying for these shorter, entry-level projects may at first feel like a step back, however, you can see them as an opportunity to truly impress the client with the quality of work produced for such an affordable rate.

Though you will likely make almost nothing from these first few orders, a positive review will quickly pay for itself in attracting bigger and better orders in the future. The better these early reviews, the faster you’ll be able to grow your Upwork reputation and increase your hourly rate and Project prices.

10. Request Reviews

Strangely, I’ve found many clients on Upwork do not automatically leave a review. Whilst it may feel rude to ask for a positive review or to follow up days or weeks later with a finished client, it is absolutely essential to do everything in your power to secure that 5-star review.

Reviews are without a doubt the most important factor for clients looking for a freelancer and every missing review is a potential lost future opportunity.

Take the Next Step in Your Freelancing Journey

Upwork can feel like an upward battle to earn that first $1000, but with a professional profile and willingness to apply for jobs you might otherwise ignore, there is nothing to hold you back from ultimate success.

Be prepared when first starting your Upwork Profile that, like with most freelancing platforms, it can take months or even years to build up your credibility, portfolio, and client base.

This is not a get-rich-quick scheme.

Despite this upfront demand of time and energy investment, if you are ready to put in the work, the long-term rewards can be amazing.

Want feedback on your Upwork profile? Why not leave a link below for free and personalised improvement suggestions from me?