Could Not Get even one Project after 150 Proposals on Upwork PLZ help

Hi everyone,


I’m hoping to get some fresh eyes and honest advice from fellow freelancers here.


I’ve been on Upwork for a while now and have put in a lot of effort to land a project — but so far, nothing. Well, almost nothing: I have one review, but that was from one of my own long-term offline clients who agreed to hire me just to leave feedback. In reality, I’ve never actually gotten a brand-new client directly from Upwork.


Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

• Written countless proposals in different styles and formats
• Adjusted layouts, fonts, and structures of my proposals
• Updated my profile multiple times — headline, description, skills, SEO keywords
• Earned the Rising Talent badge
• Changed my pricing and niche positioning
• Even studied and copied structural ideas from successful freelancers’ profiles (but wrote my own content)

Basically… I’ve experimented with almost everything short of “buying reviews” (which I’m not sure is a good idea anyway).


A bit of background:


I have 7+ years of experience in my field outside of Upwork. My work quality is solid; my clients outside the platform are happy. But here on Upwork, it feels like I’m hitting a wall.


What I’d love to hear from you:

• For those who’ve recently had success getting work on Upwork (not years ago when the market was different), what worked for you?
• Any strategies that helped you break through, especially if you started with zero Upwork history?
• How should I position myself to actually get noticed in today’s competitive marketplace?

I’m open to learning and trying new things — even if it means starting from scratch in terms of my approach.


Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can share!


I really need to make this work.

Hardly anyone works on upwork here. I don't think you will get a reply from recent bidders/winners
What you can do is.
1) but reviews, 1 review will hardly cut it
2) Never do large number of bidding, upwork will ban your account for spamming
3) apply for difficult projects with few bids no more than 5 or 10. Of course you should be able to complete the project
4) build the prototype of what you gonna do and send it with the bid
5) hire a bidder

Upwork is too competitive and you will naturally struggle to receive attention there.

Take a look at this alternative freelancing platform list: https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/f...or-hiring-or-working-as-a-freelancer.1658599/

Maybe you could split your attention among other platforms and reduce your dependence on Upwork

I understand you are frustrated in using Upwork. where are you based in? it's also important to get a job.

I have almost 4+ years of experience and I can understand that how frustrating it is to send the multiple proposals but not getting good response. I have worked on both fresh and top rated profiles. Getting response on fresh profile is really very tough now a days. The reason is competition is very high on Upwork and people are ready to work in cheapest cost as well to get one review, that's why top rated profiles are also struggling.

The rules you should follow for your fresh profile is:
- Don't go for bulk bidding, choose small duration projects first so that you can complete it and get the review.
- Focus on less crown place where only 5-10 or 15-20 proposal submitted.
- Use advanced filters and bid when job postings are high and clients are active during their working hours.
- Bid on complex projects and try to give the solution in the starting of your proposal.