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Lex DeVille's - I Deleted My Upwork Account...

Lex DeVille

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So... I haven't applied to anything since I got Rising Talent status. Made a few minor tweaks to my profile, but nothing big. Just added a few new portfolio pieces. I log in once a day to check for messages and make sure there's nothing new to reply to. A couple things:

1. Ever since I stopped applying to gigs I also stopped getting invitations.

Apparently I'm not the only one this is happening to either. At first I thought Rising Talent caused me to not get invites, but now the general consensus seems to be that not applying also equals not getting promoted by Upwork. Food for thought for anyone trying to get contacted. You might wanna apply to gigs.

2. Somehow I did nothing and got this...

Screen Shot 2017-03-07 at 8.12.16 AM.png

It's been like a week since I got Rising Talent, but as you can see, now I don't have that anymore. Where did it go? Who knows?! But it was replaced with the job success score. That doesn't mean I have top-rated either, because I still have like 10 weeks before I can be considered top rated. So what happens in between there? Am I in some sort of crazy limbo? Will people still be able to find me? No way of knowing. That's what sucks about not having control. ;)
 
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Fredyisgold

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Some of you may be starting off on Upwork like i am. I've sent one proposal and no response. Thats ok, Im going to keep pushing.
If you're having trouble on what to say on your proposal i think i can help. So we start off by breaking down the job description. Once you figure out what they need, send out a proposal with subheads. These subheads should say how you'll solve their problems/needs. Followed by your copy. Oh also i've been constructing my profile and i literally imagine someone looking for a Copywriter and i tell them what to look for and what not to look for. So when writing your proposal imagine your potential partner. Tell me how it goes for you! Good luck. Please leave your thoughts.

p.s Thanks for this thread Lex. :)
 

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@SinisterLex , I was awarded the "Rising Talent" Honor Badge on Upwork a few months ago. It seemed to be awarded because of consistency although it may be a number of factors. (amount of money made, profile being 100% complete, etc)

At first I wasn't sure if it meant much but then came to realize that clients can see that badge and even search for it. I just recently read from their website that having the badge puts us in a "premium talent pool from which top clients source talent". Some kind of higher tier.

Certainly a help in a sea full of people amongst which I felt very under-qualified ; )
 
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Lex DeVille

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Some of you may be starting off on Upwork like i am. I've sent one proposal and no response. Thats ok, Im going to keep pushing.
If you're having trouble on what to say on your proposal i think i can help. So we start off by breaking down the job description. Once you figure out what they need, send out a proposal with subheads. These subheads should say how you'll solve their problems/needs. Followed by your copy. Oh also i've been constructing my profile and i literally imagine someone looking for a Copywriter and i tell them what to look for and what not to look for. So when writing your proposal imagine your potential partner. Tell me how it goes for you! Good luck. Please leave your thoughts.

p.s Thanks for this thread Lex. :)

Before trying subheads, you need to clean up your writing. It's good you're taking action, but you won't be able to help your client if your copywriting is like this post. This isn't to pick on you. It's to help you. Your i's (in reference to the self) should be capitalized in English. This single error will ensure you never get hired as a copywriter for anyone. So you need to work on it and fix it or else you'll waste your time.

@SinisterLex , I was awarded the "Rising Talent" Honor Badge on Upwork a few months ago. It seemed to be awarded because of consistency although it may be a number of factors. (amount of money made, profile being 100% complete, etc)

At first I wasn't sure if it meant much but then came to realize that clients can see that badge and even search for it. I just recently read from their website that having the badge puts us in a "premium talent pool from which top clients source talent". Some kind of higher tier.

Certainly a help in a sea full of people amongst which I felt very under-qualified ; )

I'm finding Rising Talent very unpredictable, almost random. Some people get it right after signing up without working a single gig. Others, like me, get it after a few hours worked and some quality feedback. It's very strange. What's more troubling is that if you're not applying to gigs, it seems nobody can find you in search and you don't get promoted by Upwork. In that case, Rising Talent doesn't do much. But as long as you're actively applying, it seems Upwork continues to promote you and helps you find new clients!
 
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Before trying subheads, you need to clean up your writing. It's good you're taking action, but you won't be able to help your client if your copywriting is like this post. This isn't to pick on you. It's to help you. Your i's (in reference to the self) should be capitalized in English. This single error will ensure you never get hired as a copywriter for anyone. So you need to work on it and fix it or else you'll waste your time.

Thank you for the feedback. I really do appreciate it.

And for my writing I was heading out. I wanted to get the thought out of my brain as quick as possible. Thinking someone might benefit off the thought.

Best of luck to everyone <3
 

JordanK

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My first job that I posted about earlier on this thread was a transcription one. I had forgotten when I took on the job that I had a trip planned and paid for over the next few days so I grinded hard for a few hours the first day of the contract and then was left in front of my screen for ten hours on the final day just to get it done. I was only paid 20$ for this almighty effort but I got the all important 5 star review.

Fast forward to a week or so later and I hadn't applied to many jobs as I was also catching up on college work. A copywriting gig for an Australian entrepreneur who is selling a product and wants killer copy for her landing page popped up. Having spent the time writing out an awesome proposal and competing with twenty five other copywriters along with the three other people who were called for interview I have landed the job for 50$. SinisterLex is so right when he says that you have to be prepared to get down in the dirt and work hard in the beginning. You can't just expect to be landing major gigs straight away. If I hadn't gotten that painfully difficult first review I most likely would never have even been in contention for or even listened to. While this job is still only for 50$, it is another stepping stone towards an even brighter future. It's also another chance to build my review book and move onto bigger clients.

While this is a success for me it is in no ways a major victory but a small battle in the very beginning of a very lengthy war to establish my reputation, increase my value to clients and to learn learn learn!

I hope this post helps anyone else who may be struggling and also a second major thank you to SinisterLex for the content he has provided here.
 
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oimate

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Hopefully not hijacking this thread with this question....but i'll be an a$$ anyways as it is upwork related (and who knows I might hire lex ha)

I want someone to build a decent ecommerce website for me-My question relates to privacy.

I want it made on my domain but wary of giving passwords etc out to a random-Do I even need to do this or who does this all work out to protect privacy?
 
G

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Hey guys, just wanted to bring up a couple of points about Upwork, especially for new guys who might be doing this for the first time after reading this thread:

3. Full-time income is like a sparkling unicorn...
Another trap of Upwork is the idea of making $100/hr or $1000 a week or "steady full-time income." It's like this thing you know is right around the corner but it somehow eludes you. And that's a problem because it makes you want it more. So you spend a lot of time applying to gigs and constantly tweaking your profile and trying to solve the enigma of Upwork so you can finally have that full-time pay and quit your job or whatever.

But it's not so easy to earn full-time income unless you have a sellable skill, can sell yourself, and follow the Upwork rules. Some people go in search of these mythical levels of pay (which really aren't all that high) for years, and end up accidentally postponing their fastlane dreams, or fooling themselves into believing Upwork can be "fastlane." Suddenly you've got 5 years behind you, wondering wtf happened and where you went wrong. Why are you still right where you started?

THIS.

This this this this this this this this this.

As I'm examining the past quarter; Glad you posted this, despite it entering my brain a bit too late.
Relating to chasing Unicorns: I ended up abandoning a fastlane project that was actually doing well & could be easily scalable if I had the balls to make some major decisions a few months ago. As a result, been beating my head against a wall for 3 months selling a service that I mistakenly believed had more demand in the market.

Over 100 Individual proposals.
Multiple lead sources, not just upwork.
1 Job: $25 and 9 hours of work.
Non-repeat client.

Just going to bite the bullet and move on.
Hey, glad to give it a shot anyway. Not discrediting Upwork or Freelancing in general as an awesome avenue for people.
But it has its place and may not be what you're really looking for depending on your goals.
 
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Point of interest: I have seen Upwork profiles with 2 million dollars in earnings. What they do is start a content agency, sub-contract the work to other writers for about $15/1000 words, then charge ~$30/1000 words to Upwork clients. This is a scalable model, although a bit saturated these days.
 

John Clancy

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Hey Lex,

Just a quick post to say thanks. I initially tried to get going on Upwork back in late 2015. I sent a few proposals, didn't get any responses... and quit.

When you started uploading your Upwork From Scratch Series, I was motivated to give it another go. Things were a little smarter this time around - I focused on what I could do for the client, versus what I could get for myself.

And lo and behold...

I'm a few jobs deep. The first two were nominal amounts, $10 and $5 apiece. But here's the kicker - that $5 client came back with a ~$30 contract, and I'm currently finishing up another $50 contract with them.
I've been able to leverage this experience to get other jobs in the same sector on Upwork - I currently have another $100 underway, and it's likely to end up being worth substantially more.

But that's not the important part - the important part is to thank you. It's likely that I never would have gotten any work on Upwork if it wasn't for your guidance.

To anyone wondering if this stuff works... let this be another testimonial - it works if you work.
 
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Snoophek

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I'm 19. Learned English mostly by watching youtube and reading reddit. Read Lex's thread and I'm halfway through Cashvertising.

upwork_success.png

Who the hell is whining that Upwork is too saturated?
 
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Lex DeVille

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I took this screenshot after searching for "brand copywriter" to see what results populate. For this set of words I show up #3 on the list. That's pretty cool, but not the reason for the screenshot.

What I want you to notice is the first 30 or so words under our hourly rates. Look at all the other people around me -- all the people I compete with at the top. Notice anything different about mine? Every other person goes into the why you should choose me spiel. They don't show the client what they can do. Instead they tell them about what they can do.

When you get to mine, it skips that sh*t. I don't have to say, "let me tell you a story." I just do it. Take them by the hand and pull them in. It's completely different. It looks nothing like any other profile on the page. That's what makes it stand out and get noticed.

So now that you know...how will you be different?

Screen Shot 2017-04-02 at 5.05.36 AM.png
 
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Lex DeVille

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A like brought this thread back to my attention.

I've been on the road a LOT the past few weeks. Finally getting back in the swing of things, but we're about to relocate, so it'll be hectic for another month or so.

Anyway, wanted to chat about some of the changes Upwork made recently that you may or may not have noticed. Some of the changes seemed to cause a HUGE drop in my interview invites, but now it seems they've increased again.

So what's changed lately?

• You can verify your bank account to get preference for country-specific gigs.
• Upwork is now reaching out to freelancers for gigs on behalf of some clients
• Some gigs are only available to top-rated freelancers
• You can submit requests for skill tags and actually get them approved
• You can join special interest groups on Upwork and get special badges (for instance U.S. Military group)

What hasn't changed:

• People are still sending "me" focused proposals
• Sending Y.O.U. Focused proposals still works just fine
• It's becoming more and more crowded in the copywriting sphere
• You MUST be able to prove you can help in order to get noticed

What can you do to increase your invites and interviews?

• Get specific with your target market
• Target the first sentence of your bio to your target market / niche / industry
• Use your profile to speak directly to your target market
• Show industry-specific portfolio examples
• Be ready to PROVE you have SOME kind of industry related experience
• HAVE A LINKEDIN because clients look at your LinkedIn just like you look at theirs
• Stop trying to sell clients with your proposal. Keep it real.
• Add skill tags to your portfolio examples to help people find you
• Have a website (at least 1 page) and add a link to it in your Upwork profile
-- Make sure there's a form in case anyone wants to contact you (hint hint)
-- Don't add https://www. to the link or else Upwork won't let you put it in your bio

So far this week I interviewed with 6 prospects and declined a bunch more.

I agreed to work with 2, and one of those sent 2 more referrals instantly.

Of the first 2 clients, one specifically said I caught her attention by having a website.

With that one client I now have a full-blown referral network and can move beyond Upwork as needed.

Questions?

--------------

18193990_1335546099857724_7615333008552946810_n.jpg

^ This is how clients respond when you prove you can help. This client will pay any price and will give more referrals than 50 non-target clients combined. (Why I say to only work with the right people for you).
 

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Black_Dragon43

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Hi SinisterLex,

First of all I'd like to say a big thank you for your threads here about copywriting, I've learned quite a bit from them! And your youtube videos are also great (I've been listening at 2x the speed lol). Great work man!

I've been working as a designer/developer for the past year (freelance on design platforms mostly, but also Freelancer), but about two weeks ago I've decided to join UpWork and get started on some copywriting work to keep my skills sharp for when I start my next business (also I was quite excited to be able to "make it" in the most crowded field - if you can compete here, you can compete anywhere!). Your threads have been immensely helpful to give me a head-start. I'll just add here a few things I've learned in this short time-span, that may help some of the people reading this thread and trying to get a start (especially if they are not native and don't have any copywriting experience). This will reinforce the message of your thread!

First of all, I have:
• No copywriting experience apart from what I gained while running my magazine business 2-3 years ago (and what I gained from my extensive reading in psychology/philosophy)
• No portfolio whatsoever to show
• I am not a native English speaker, I'm from Eastern Europe

In just 2 weeks (ending today), I managed to:
• Go from $0 to $100+
• Secure a long-term $15/hr job for an international marketing agency writing web copy for their clients (landing pages, sales/marketing emails, webinars, etc.)
• Reject two jobs (one $20/hr blog post writing + SEO job, and another $70 video ad script for a male escort - rejected this one for moral reasons)
• Enter negotiations for a mixed copywriting/design contract for $475 (which I'll probably finalise this weekend, and I'll update with the outcome!)

If I get no other jobs and I do just 10hrs/week at $15/hr, and close the $475 contract, I'll already get very close to $1000, without any other applications/jobs in the next two weeks.

So here's how I've done it. I've used some of the advice SinisterLex gives here (YOU focused applications, never giving up, mindset, etc.), but also ignored many of the rules which didn't apply to my case. I won't provide execution details, how exactly I've done each and every step, but I will list absolutely all the things that I've done. You have to figure out how to do them for yourselves - that's part of learning how to be in business and solve problems on your own, with limited information.

Step 1. Market Research
• Find out what you're worth. To do this, get your hands on the work other copywriters produce on UpWork, look at their rates, and see how much they charge. Then consider if you can produce something similar. If you can, then you're worth that much, and that's what you'll aim to reach. Now take this value, whatever it is, and divide it by 2. Say if you find you can write copy that someone charging $15/hr can write, then start by charging $8/hr. You don't want to short-sell yourself too much in the beginning. I started charging at $20/hr, but applied to some jobs with as low as $15/hr.

• Find a way to study the proposals sent by your competition, and how they get most of their clients. I discovered that "famous" copywriters get found based on referrals and strong portfolios, which make it much easier for them. To beat them, you need to hit them where they're weak (and they'll be weak because they don't need to focus on certain things, such as the quality of their proposal, having UpWork tests, etc.) - so these are the things you have to focus on.

• Figure out what proposals work. I've sent many types of proposals, including proposals jam-packed with potentially helpful information (weren't very successful, just because they end up being too long and too general), two line proposals, proposals seeking to showcase my copywriting skill, and clear & concise proposals which illustrate how you'll add value (the latter have been the most successful). Bottom line - EXPERIMENT!!

Step 2. Write an Overview which Showcases your Copywriting Skills
• Most of the big copywriters have boring and traditional resumés: here's who I am, what education I have, and where I've worked / how much experience I have. You have no experience, and if you're like me neither do you have an education which helps you in copywriting nor a helpful employment history. So you must showcase what you do have, which is your skill - that must be the central piece of your overview.

• Ensure that your overview describes how exactly you are capable to add value to your target market. Tailor your overview to your personality. SinisterLex is very creative & artistic, I'm more traditional business like. I'm not going to tailor my profile like his, because I don't have his strengths - I have different strengths, and I appeal to a different kind of market segment.

• As a non-native speaker your overview will show your skill with the English language - so make the most out of it!

Step 3. Do as many tests as you can which will get you Top 10%
• I have a lot of very varied experience, so I have about 10 tests where I am in top 10%. This doesn't include only writing or copywriting relevant tests but also marketing, web design, development - anything you're highly skilled with, test it and do your best. I work 24/7 and have been doing so for the past year, and I've been studying and learning a lot apart from just freelancing. Put this knowledge to good use.

• How will it help me? You will add IMMENSE value. Who will your client choose, copywriter A who is just a great copywriter, or copywriter B who is somewhat less capable as a copywriter but who is hard-working, ready to learn, capable to add his own copy online by himself (on Wordpress or whatever other CMS) and make attractive designs which will draw customers in? I'd choose copywriter B, as would many other clients. Remember - use ALL your skills, not just copywriting.

Step 4. Show any certifications you have or can easily get which are relevant to copywriting
• Since copywriting is your speciality, you want your certifications to be related. Sales or marketing certifications are great to put in here. This shows your client that you are a copywriting specialist, but when they look at all your tests, they see you can also do all these other cool things at a really high level.

• Avoid putting unrelated certifications here, otherwise you'll look like a jack-of-all-trades (although that can also be an advantage with some clients).

Step 5. Write YOU focused Cover Letters & Create a Portfolio on the Go!
• Make sure you write short and concise cover letters, which mirror your client's language, and target their needs.

• Ensure your cover letter showcases your copywriting skills and fits in with your personality

• Say you apply to a Product Description Job. You've NEVER written a product description, but you need to attach some work to the letter, as your client requests it. Choose a random product you know and love, get a picture, put it in a word document, and go ahead and write all the necessary sections, including possible keywords, for that product. If you need to know how product descriptions work on Amazon, watch a youtube video on it, so you quickly get the idea of the process. Store this in a folder and send it to your client. Do this, and you'll build a portfolio even without actually winning any jobs. Then you can start showcasing this and your chances of getting hired will increase exponentially, especially if you're a great copywriter. This way, even when you lose, you are in truth winnin'!

• You can also try the strategy of creating and attaching a very similar work to the work the client asks for, that way they may come to the conclusion you're the most fit for the job as most freelancers who apply, especially the great ones, will not bother, and will instead give generic work as examples. Note: I haven't actually tried this tactic (as I've been working on building my portfolio based on the areas I know best and am most comfortable with), but I intend to use it in the coming weeks.

• When you get interviewed you MUST win. I've won 100% of the jobs where I got interviewed and I wanted to win. There's only two where I've lost so far, and one of them I asked for too high a price simply because I didn't want to do the work (it was blog post writing for $20/hr, but I asked $30/hr knowing it was a long-term job with 30+hrs per week, so I wasn't too keen on it. This is another piece of advice. Don't outright reject jobs you don't like. Ask instead for very high prices, who knows, you may actually get it! :p ). The other was a job for a male escort, and my religion and moral values are very important for me, so I wouldn't write ads for any sexually explicit content, regardless of pay. I suggest you have your own principles and you stick to them. You're not a slave for anyone!

Step 6. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
• I'll be honest with you. There was a point when I wanted to give up. I said this is it, it's not working. The odds are too stacked against me, I'll go back to focusing on development/design. I'm not good enough. I have too little experience, etc. etc. Just then one of my proposals went through and I was interviewed. I was lucky, but I was this close to giving up. If you give up, you'll never know how close you are to success!

• Work Hard, Work Smart, Work for Long Enough and success is inevitable!

Bottom line: You can make it as a copywriter with no experience, who isn't a native speaker, and who has no portfolio, in the most competitive Upwork industry in 2017.
 
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p31

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Here's today's video. It's my entire thought process as I write a proposal.

This one's kinda long, but you'll experience the process from start to finish if you've got the will to finish and can deal with my nearly-mental head chatter. >)


P.S. Don't bother stealing my proposal for a template. I guarantee it won't work for you.

@SinisterLex , where can I learn more about personality type analysis?
 
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Lex DeVille

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Quick Update...

Working with 2 clients ongoing and about to pick up a 3rd today.

Texted a client a couple days ago. We hopped on a call and she paid $300 for a page of copy.

Now talking about moving to a $2k+/mo retainer and/or working on commission.

Other client is booked on retainer of $1,000/mo for a couple of weekly 500 word blog posts.

Meeting a client by video in a few hours. Pitched $500 per published media post at 1-2 per week.

That client also wants to chat about copywriting services.

All from Upwork.

Will be outsourcing after today's client moves forward.
 

Rishi

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SinisterLex,

I don't know how to thank you man....

I think this may be a start - after planning to message you for 'more advice' AFTER I dîd 5 courses, 10 books on my list, read threads, watched videos and created a manual for myself...I saw that video of yours and it made me laugh because why do I need more information??

I was 'scared' but it's the first real action I've taken without being '100% prepared'.

So I just went into creating a profile and planned to do courses, read etc. WHILST applying for jobs. But there is an issue...

Upwork rejected my profile and I think actually registering as a copywriter simply won't go through.

I'll be honest I am a poet, published business writer, got highest marks for my science dissertation and a number of other things - but I kept it as copywriting. Also I didn't fully do the profile till I wrote some quality copy but the time it took for it to be a rejection makes me think simply by saying I'm a copywriter got it rejected by a bot. Proper f*cked up my mood for a bit.

Now I'm thinking should I elaborate as a technology copywriter, copywriter than can do high level research, can offer a social media audit or try to think of ways other than Upwork.

I do honestly want to give value and anyone that meets me in person just instinctively knows this and my capability.

I just don't even know how to actually make $10 and this scarcity really put my mindset into a place that isn't really me.

I'm more ready than I've been to do this and I hope you can help.

Perhaps as this journey goes I could document struggles that would help others in time, but I noticed you are also helping coaches, like I said I do have a number of skills so anything you have where I could be of use I'd be delighted to help.

Thanks

Quick Update...

Working with 2 clients ongoing and about to pick up a 3rd today.

Texted a client a couple days ago. We hopped on a call and she paid $300 for a page of copy.

Now talking about moving to a $2k+/mo retainer and/or working on commission.

Other client is booked on retainer of $1,000/mo for a couple of weekly 500 word blog posts.

Meeting a client by video in a few hours. Pitched $500 per published media post at 1-2 per week.

That client also wants to chat about copywriting services.

All from Upwork.

Will be outsourcing after today's client moves forward.
Sinister
 
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lowtek

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SinisterLex,

SNIP

Upwork rejected my profile and I think actually registering as a copywriter simply won't go through.

SNIP

Sinister

on what grounds did they reject your profile?
 

Rishi

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on what grounds did they reject your profile?

Hello lowtek,

Here's the exact message sent failrly quickly after my submission, I may try re-submitting more thoroughly, but anyway:

"Thank you for submitting your profile to Upwork as part of the registration process.
As we do with everyone who wishes to join Upwork, we carefully reviewed your profile to determine whether there is sufficient need for your skills and experience in the marketplace. Unfortunately, at this time there are already many freelancers with a similar skillset to yours and we cannot accept your registration."
 

Argue

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Hello lowtek,

Here's the exact message sent failrly quickly after my submission, I may try re-submitting more thoroughly, but anyway:

"Thank you for submitting your profile to Upwork as part of the registration process.
As we do with everyone who wishes to join Upwork, we carefully reviewed your profile to determine whether there is sufficient need for your skills and experience in the marketplace. Unfortunately, at this time there are already many freelancers with a similar skillset to yours and we cannot accept your registration."
So an over-saturation of copywriter freelancers? Wow.
 
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Rishi

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So an over-saturation of copywriter freelancers? Wow.

I'm not trying to say "Oh shit! There's competition - it actually exists!"

It's like imagine Upwork was a club where hot girls hang out, I'm not saying there are too many guys now.....obviously I must face that and be even better - I'm saying the club isn't letting guys in

I am confident that I can use all my skills and still make even with an oversaturation - but not even being allowed to do that is another thing.

This might be a recent thing on Upwork and worth mentioning since Lex has done so much putting his insights out there for all of us.
 

lowtek

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Hello lowtek,

Here's the exact message sent failrly quickly after my submission, I may try re-submitting more thoroughly, but anyway:

"Thank you for submitting your profile to Upwork as part of the registration process.
As we do with everyone who wishes to join Upwork, we carefully reviewed your profile to determine whether there is sufficient need for your skills and experience in the marketplace. Unfortunately, at this time there are already many freelancers with a similar skillset to yours and we cannot accept your registration."


Change the application to some other skillset and then change it to copywriting when you get it approved.
 

Rishi

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Yeah, copywriter is the single most listed skill on Upwork. There's like 30,000 people listing that skill now.

I wonder why .. :clench:

Thanks for the reply man

I got some courses regarding VSL's, Google Adsense and Social Media platforms

What do you think of doing those courses with deep research then 'up-selling' to copywriting?

Maybe specializing in technology as I know lots about it and science background helps with research

Must be good dough for those established in Copywriting though, damn!
 

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