Not enough work from Upwork

[mimibrono13]

Hi everyone,

the profile tag might indicate that I'm a newbie, but I have been on this forum for quite sometime and have actually learned a lot from many of the journeys posted here. I am a writer based in Canada studying for PhD in English language and literature. My online writing experience dates back to 2012, since the days of oDesk and Elance, I made some money then never really needed to work online again as I have a great job and a nice salary. Last year I lost my job because of COVID-19, so to remain safe at home and take care of my kids, I got back to working as a copywriter on Upwork (2 weeks ago) I had 3 contracts, made some money and a two 5 stars feedbacks. After those contracts, I am currently struggling to get more work on this platform but nothing came along for more than a week. My question is; should I move to another platform like Fiverr? Or should I keep on trying on upwork? I know there is a marketplace here on BHW but the competition is fierce and the rates are very low (may be because most are either translated articles or extracted from expired domains?) anyways, I provide high quality very well researched content and I believe the compensation should be fair. Do you guys recommend any other platforms or methods to get more work?

 

[mrkosebey]

Hi mimi. Join copywriting groups on facebook. You might be surpised how many jobs you can get over there. Post about what you can do in terms of copy and add your price and your testmonials to the post as well.

 

[mimibrono13]

Hi mimi. Join copywriting groups on facebook. You might be surpised how many jobs you can get over there. Post about what you can do in terms of copy and add your price and your testmonials to the post as well.

Thank you that sounds like a wonderful idea! I’ll definitely give it a shot.

 

[IG Professor]

Try other marketplaces. Upwork is not the only one. using multiple freelance platforms can increase your chance to land a gig

 

[Julzwriter]

You need to look for work in multiple places,
do not just rely on Upwork.
Sign up on other freelancer platforms, try fiverr, set up
a thread here, sign up to get writing job alerts, check sites
that post jobs etc.

 

[mrkosebey]

Fiverr is indeed a good one.

 

[SEOBitnet]

Definitely try other platforms like fiverr, freelancer etc and also try promoting your services to forums, Facebook or outsource your services to websites that outsource their service. Just an idea.

 

[UltimateBeast]

I know there is a marketplace here on BHW but the competition is fierce and the rates are very low (may be because most are either translated articles or extracted from expired domains?) anyways, I provide high quality very well researched content and I believe the compensation should be fair.

You can't sell here before 100 posts so unless you start spamming the forum, you won't be able to sell here. So cut off this option for now.
Try Fiverr and SEOClerks. You will get headaches working on these platform because of their biasness towards buyers, but if you get 3-5 early projects and 5 star reviews on Fiverr, your gig will boom up and you may get order worth thousands of dollars.
Remember to use keyword rich gig title & description and using accurate search tags.

 

[Paranoid Android]

For a long time I was ashamed to market myself. I guess I still am. I want to change this now but it doesn't look like it is going to. Always wanted clients to find me and thats what has kept me poor. Don't make the mistake I've done. Make a nice introduction letter and a good looking profile/portfolio pdf, identify potential clients and mail them and setup calls and tell them why you're the best person that they will ever find. Tell them when they pay you they aren't paying for an overrated brand value but for actual work to a company that has minimal overheads that has the potential to handle volumes, a company that is not focused on siphoning off marketing budgets off overvalued VC funded startups but is to work with real businesses that produce real value and will be long term clients. And they WILL convert. Be sure not to bite off more than you can chew though, always take projects that are well within your deliverable limits.

 

[mimibrono13]

For a long time I was ashamed to market myself. I guess I still am. I want to change this now but it doesn't look like it is going to. Always wanted clients to find me and thats what has kept me poor. Don't make the mistake I've done. Make a nice introduction letter and a good looking profile/portfolio pdf, identify potential clients and mail them and setup calls and tell them why you're the best person that they will ever find. Tell them when they pay you they aren't paying for an overrated brand value but for actual work to a company that has minimal overheads that has the potential to handle volumes, a company that is not focused on siphoning off marketing budgets off overvalued VC funded startups but is to work with real businesses that produce real value and will be long term clients. And they WILL convert. Be sure not to bite off more than you can chew though, always take projects that are well within your deliverable limits.

thank you so much for these tips! you're absolutely right, it all starts from the right mindset!

 

[mimibrono13]

You can't sell here before 100 posts so unless you start spamming the forum, you won't be able to sell here. So cut off this option for now.
Try Fiverr and SEOClerks. You will get headaches working on these platform because of their biasness towards buyers, but if you get 3-5 early projects and 5 star reviews on Fiverr, your gig will boom up and you may get order worth thousands of dollars.
Remember to use keyword rich gig title & description and using accurate search tags.

Thank you very much, I have already created my Fiverr profile and will do my best to land my first gig!

 

[mimibrono13]

Definitely try other platforms like fiverr, freelancer etc and also try promoting your services to forums, Facebook or outsource your services to websites that outsource their service. Just an idea.

Great idea, thank you so much!

 

[GringoMonkey]

If you offer value and are good at copywriting you can charge accordingly on bhw because not everyone on here is looking for a $5 for 1000 words guy.

 

[Zsoft]

Have you thought about teaching English online? There are a few good platforms for that and with a PhD in English literature you certainly qualify. Check out VIP kid. Another way to make money is to choose a niche, buy a domain and set up a blog. With your experience you should have no problem cranking out a couple of articles per week on your chosen topic. It will help you to push your portfolio to potential clients as you can show them the blog and you can also put up ads on your blog for side income.

 

[zoom5]

You might want to check out hubstaff.

 

[Nichewit]

You might also want to consider Problogger for higher-paying gigs. Since you get to work directly with clients, you don't have to worry about the fees most platforms charge. I've gotten a lot of writers from there. And just for reference, I typically get anywhere from 50-200 applicants when I post a listing. In my last listing, I got 80 applicants.

Some tips when you're applying on Problogger, Upwork or any gig site (from the perspective of someone that looks for writers on these sites):

• Thoroughly read the listing - Make sure that you know exactly what the client is looking for in both your application and the job itself. I get so many applicants that don't follow my application instructions and I immediately rule them out.
• Have published work - When you're sending samples, you should send the URL of content published on a website. Not a zip file with Word documents, not a Google Doc, not a link to a portfolio. Send your best published work, ideally on known sites. If you haven't had content published on a third party site before, create a WordPress site and publish content here.
• Apply fast - I usually stop checking for new applicants 5-7 days after the listing is live and applications start rolling in. If you wait too long, they may have already sorted through dozens of applications and you're more likely to get lost in the weeds. Or by the time they get to your application, "resume fatigue" has kicked in and they're less attentive to your application.
• Personalize your application/bid - Nothing's worse than getting generic messages from people applying to a freelance writing gig. Personalize your application/email/however you're applying to the listing.

Those are just a few thoughts/ideas. Freelance writing is competitive. But once you start to land a few clients with steady work, they refer people and you'll have more consistent work.

 

[IM Dude]

Check out these 2 course from Danny Margulies - he is a upwork copywriter
Upwork - freelance to win
And
6 figure copywriter
He got another one
How to increase you rate or something.
You can get all three in google.

 

[Wussabi]

Apart from the other good tips you’re getting there, I highly recommend creating a blog in a niche you like and leveraging it as your portfolio. Include it on your LinkedIn profile and start making connections. If you do it correctly it will surely help you. Reddit, FB groups, Upwork, Fiverr and LinkedIn - get on each of those and you will be safe

 

[SEOHoneyBadger]

You should always diversify yourself. Throw spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks.

Good luck.

 

[SEOHoneyBadger]

You might also want to consider Problogger for higher-paying gigs. Since you get to work directly with clients, you don't have to worry about the fees most platforms charge. I've gotten a lot of writers from there. And just for reference, I typically get anywhere from 50-200 applicants when I post a listing. In my last listing, I got 80 applicants.

Some tips when you're applying on Problogger, Upwork or any gig site (from the perspective of someone that looks for writers on these sites):

• Thoroughly read the listing - Make sure that you know exactly what the client is looking for in both your application and the job itself. I get so many applicants that don't follow my application instructions and I immediately rule them out.
• Have published work - When you're sending samples, you should send the URL of content published on a website. Not a zip file with Word documents, not a Google Doc, not a link to a portfolio. Send your best published work, ideally on known sites. If you haven't had content published on a third party site before, create a WordPress site and publish content here.
• Apply fast - I usually stop checking for new applicants 5-7 days after the listing is live and applications start rolling in. If you wait too long, they may have already sorted through dozens of applications and you're more likely to get lost in the weeds. Or by the time they get to your application, "resume fatigue" has kicked in and they're less attentive to your application.
• Personalize your application/bid - Nothing's worse than getting generic messages from people applying to a freelance writing gig. Personalize your application/email/however you're applying to the listing.

Those are just a few thoughts/ideas. Freelance writing is competitive. But once you start to land a few clients with steady work, they refer people and you'll have more consistent work.

I'm constantly looking for technical writers. Do you have any tips for those looking for Copywriters?