Lex DeVille
Sweeping Shadows From Dreams
FASTLANE INSIDER
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This morning I posted an Upwork gig for an audio track. Several freelancers applied. I reviewed their proposals. All were ME Focused and made the usual mistakes.
So I searched Upwork hoping to invite the right person, but nobody stood out.
While I waited for more proposals, I searched Google for the right sound. The top results were YouTube videos and one of those videos lead me back to AudioJungle.net who has a whole marketplace of freelance background tunes to choose from.
The best Upwork offer was $75 for a 1-3 minute track and it wasn't clear if the guy could do the style I asked for. AudioJungle's prices range from $5 to $39 and they have an endless supply sorted by tags, categories and sounds.
After a few minutes of listening I found two tracks on AudioJungle that fit the vibe for a total of $40 and bought them both. No reading proposals. No interviews. No chance for misunderstandings or screw ups. No wasted time.
And that got me thinking about who your real competition is...
It's not just freelancers.
Clients look to solve their problem the best way possible, even outside of Upwork. So it's not enough to be the best applicant. You have to figure out what makes you better than the first results on Google. And you have to articulate that to clients in the first line(s) of your proposals and bio before they go searching.
So what's your answer? What makes you better than the first results on Google? How do you make them an offer they can't refuse? It's worth thinking about as you head into the new year.
So I searched Upwork hoping to invite the right person, but nobody stood out.
While I waited for more proposals, I searched Google for the right sound. The top results were YouTube videos and one of those videos lead me back to AudioJungle.net who has a whole marketplace of freelance background tunes to choose from.
The best Upwork offer was $75 for a 1-3 minute track and it wasn't clear if the guy could do the style I asked for. AudioJungle's prices range from $5 to $39 and they have an endless supply sorted by tags, categories and sounds.
After a few minutes of listening I found two tracks on AudioJungle that fit the vibe for a total of $40 and bought them both. No reading proposals. No interviews. No chance for misunderstandings or screw ups. No wasted time.
And that got me thinking about who your real competition is...
It's not just freelancers.
Clients look to solve their problem the best way possible, even outside of Upwork. So it's not enough to be the best applicant. You have to figure out what makes you better than the first results on Google. And you have to articulate that to clients in the first line(s) of your proposals and bio before they go searching.
So what's your answer? What makes you better than the first results on Google? How do you make them an offer they can't refuse? It's worth thinking about as you head into the new year.
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