This is a detailed guide on how to make money on Upwork.
Many freelancers have become desperate or frustrated from the unfruitful experiences they have had on Upwork. Yet, many others are making it big and are enjoying their freelancing business.
Wait a minute! How long does it take to start making money on Upwork?
I will answer that by saying very shortly enough than you might be thinking.
Getting it right is the key and how you can achieve that is the purpose of this post.
In this guide, you will find out how to easily make money on Upwork.
Very quickly, in case you are not too familiar with what Upwork is, what it does or how to use it.
What is Upwork?
Upwork is an online marketplace where freelancers show interest in jobs and get paid after they have done such jobs.
Freelancers are contract-based professionals who do not work for companies but for themselves.
Freelancers are skilled in various fields such as content writing, web development, graphics design, programming, proofreading, video editing, social media marketing, and so on.
Upwork is the marketplace where these freelancers meet with people who are in need of their services.
What is the benefit of Upwork?
Upwork gives the opportunity to work and get paid by working on projects not only locally but also globally.
Therefore the client base of an Upwork freelancer is not limited to a country.
You would be open to working for clients from different parts of the world.
This has made working on Upwork one of the best and easiest ways to earn money online at this age.
You get to work from the comfort of your home, you get to choose from many available posted jobs, you can work from anywhere of your choice and you get paid based on how much work you get done. No stress!!!
Summarily, working for clients on Upwork will definitely help you grow your audience, your portfolio, and also grow your bank account, making it become fatter.
Ways to make money on Upwork.
Now that you are familiar with what Upwork is and what a freelancer does, shall we go through how to make money on the marketplace?
1. Create a professional and honest account.
Your profile is the very first thing that can either attract prospective clients to you or set them on their heels and only you have the control over which outcome you desire.
Just like your resume when applying for jobs in a physical firm, your online profile on Upwork is what tells your clients about your values, what you can offer, what experience you have, and how skilled you are in your area of expertise.
Therefore, there is a need for you to give your profile a robust look with exciting details that will impress and convince clients to offer you jobs.
Tips to create an inviting profile
- Use every part of your profile to showcase your skill
- Choose a professional profile picture
- Highlight your proficiency in the title and overview section
- Give lists of your certifications
- Highlight great work(s) you have done in your portfolio
- Create an outstanding introduction video
- Provide your experiences and educational background
- Keep it simple and real. This is very important.
2. Be skill-focused.
Between a surgeon who would only be at the hospital averagely twice a week because he is also a traveling businessman and another who works regularly and consistently in the hospital, who would you recommend to a friend who needs to go through a critical surgery?
If your answer is the same as mine, then you’ll want a regular surgeon who practices more regularly in the same field.
In the same way, having to jump around too many skills may hamper your professionalism as well as bring down your return as a freelancer on Upwork.
Proficiency in a skill or two will do you a lot of good than switching between four to five skills at a time.
Be skill-focused!!!
3. Don’t be greedy
Wanting more reward than you can offer can be dangerous most times especially on platforms like Upwork.
Many people do not really mind paying high to get their job done, but everybody wants to be impressed with the result of what they paid for.
Hence, if you are just starting out on Upwork it is very advisable to start small.
Everyone wants that one big job, but the small jobs you do well will earn you good reviews and recommendations for bigger jobs.
While a big job you mess up with may become a longtime nightmare for your growth.
4. Become an expert in a niche.
This is your specialized market.
I mentioned being skill-Focused up there, but even within one skill, it is more beneficial to focus on a particular niche.
It will give you an edge because the marketplace is saturated.
If you are a writer, some of the niches you can focus on could be fiction, nonfiction sci-fi, tech, etc.
You probably would not be able to carry out every writing niche on a professional level.
One way to take advantage of a niche is by using the save search button.
The algorithm will subsequently bring you related and relevant topics automatically.
5. Make use of filter when searching.
As a professional freelancer, you can use the filter option.
This can help you see jobs based on the client’s budget. You can also use their average hourly pay. The system will generate jobs that match your interest more.
6. Have clear communication with clients.
Clients’review about you or your work really matters in Landing you the next job or not. So you wouldn’t want to get into the bad book of a client. It is not advisable.
For this reason, you need to communicate clearly with your client and understand what the requirements are.
When you have gotten the details of the job, repeat it so as to get confirmation that you are not decoding any information wrongly.
Never go into executing the task with half understanding of what needs to be done or an assumption of what needs to be done.
Let the air be clear before you start working.
In fact, you can make calls just to clarify and validate what you Know. Your client will be glad you’re really passionate and interested in getting things right.
7. Apply for bigger projects.
Starting small does not mean you should remain small.
You need to apply for bigger jobs to grow bigger and have more commanding reviews.
So get your reviews with the small jobs and increase your rate steadily. As you are becoming more experienced, you can demand more earning.
8. Waste no time and follow up.
In applying for a job, make sure to send in your proposal earlier than later.
There are thousands of freelancers on Upwork, some of which are so desperate so you need to act fast in applying for jobs.
And when you apply for a job, the client that has many brilliant proposals may not decide easily on who to hire, but a follow-up message can give you an edge.
Not only that if you have worked for a particular client earlier, but you can also send a follow-up message after a while in case the client has some other available job for you.
how much can you make on Upwork?
Only you can control that. You can make as much as possible. The money is readily available in the sky.
So now that you are aware, make use of these tips and earn bigger on Upwork. But remember to be honest and you will work your way up just soon enough.
Also See: How To Earn Money With MicroWorkers
That is all on how to make money on Upwork.
I hope this was helpful?