UpWork - Follow My 0-$$$$ Journey...

[Sanj Modha]

I remember reading a post about someone on here who deleted their profile on Upwork, created a new one to show that making money on the side is possible.

I was inspired by that post and wanted to do a case study for my LinkedIn followers by doing the same - starting from 0 and optimizing along the way to prove that making money isn't hard if you keep pushing and testing.

The problem I have is Upwork won't approve my profile. I've submitted two separate ones: one for Facebook ads and one for copywriting. I can backup all my claims inside the Portfolio section too.

Has anyone else had this problem and how did you fix it?

Thanks.

 

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[Koen_88]

I just made a profile for engineering work mostly 3D modeling and such which for me is easy as 1,2,3(D). But I had no problems with approval or anything.. only when I didnt fill out all the necessary info I got an error and when I got the letters of the captcha wrong...

 

[Scot]

You're thinking of @SinisterLex thread here Notable! - SinisterLex's - I Deleted My Upwork Account...

One suggestion I saw on that thread was to submit an application for some random specialty that's not saturated and then after approval change it to copywriting. From what I've seen, they're not taking any new copywriters right now. This is a bit shady and cannot recommend it will work, this is only based off other user posts here.

 

[Sanj Modha]

You're thinking of @SinisterLex thread here Notable! - SinisterLex's - I Deleted My Upwork Account...

One suggestion I saw on that thread was to submit an application for some random specialty that's not saturated and then after approval change it to copywriting. From what I've seen, they're not taking any new copywriters right now. This is a bit shady and cannot recommend it will work, this is only based off other user posts here.

So go for something 'vanilla' then switch the profile. OK Ill try that.

How do you know if it's not saturated? I thought they'd welcome competition. The cream rises to the top.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

random specialty

Not necessarily a random specialty, but just something you can competently do. For instance, blog posts are easy for anyone with clean English, and there's a lot of need for them. Translation is a skill if you know a second language that could also probably get you in the door. When I restarted, the first job I took was social media marketing. Can't remember if that's what I listed in my profile, tho.

Upwork is making a lot of changes now to improve client experience. I suspect their ultimate goal is to move away from the old view of freelancers (cheap labor from third-world countries) and shift the frame of reference entirely so that freelancing becomes as common in the mind, as the idea of getting a standard job. To do this they're tightening their approval requirements as well as identity verification requirements, and making it harder for everyone to get in so they end up with a highly skilled workforce to pull from.

Of course, changing the skill only helps if that's why they're not approving! Need to make sure the rest is filled out as much as possible too!

 

[Scot]

Not necessarily a random specialty, but just something you can competently do. For instance, blog posts are easy for anyone with clean English, and there's a lot of need for them. Translation is a skill if you know a second language that could also probably get you in the door. When I restarted, the first job I took was social media marketing. Can't remember if that's what I listed in my profile, tho.

Upwork is making a lot of changes now to improve client experience. I suspect their ultimate goal is to move away from the old view of freelancers (cheap labor from third-world countries) and shift the frame of reference entirely so that freelancing becomes as common in the mind, as the idea of getting a standard job. To do this they're tightening their approval requirements as well as identity verification requirements, and making it harder for everyone to get in so they end up with a highly skilled workforce to pull from.

Of course, changing the skill only helps if that's why they're not approving! Need to make sure the rest is filled out as much as possible too!

Thanks for the clarification. I've only used upwork to hire, so I don't have any experience on the other side.

 

[Sanj Modha]

Not necessarily a random specialty, but just something you can competently do. For instance, blog posts are easy for anyone with clean English, and there's a lot of need for them. Translation is a skill if you know a second language that could also probably get you in the door. When I restarted, the first job I took was social media marketing. Can't remember if that's what I listed in my profile, tho.

Upwork is making a lot of changes now to improve client experience. I suspect their ultimate goal is to move away from the old view of freelancers (cheap labor from third-world countries) and shift the frame of reference entirely so that freelancing becomes as common in the mind, as the idea of getting a standard job. To do this they're tightening their approval requirements as well as identity verification requirements, and making it harder for everyone to get in so they end up with a highly skilled workforce to pull from.

Of course, changing the skill only helps if that's why they're not approving! Need to make sure the rest is filled out as much as possible too!

Thanks buddy. Great OP by the way. That's something we can all learn from.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

Here's my latest profile sent for approval since the last 4 have been rejected:

"Do you need help with finding awesome books to read?

Let me take the load off you and help you with a list of the best books I've ever read. This is from a list of 700+ and counting to date. I've read books in business, self-help, comedy and romance too.

To find out more, send me a message.

Thanks for reading."

Let's see what happens.

 

[Sanj Modha]

Approvals are definitely automated. Profile number 5 was rejected.

Here's profile number 6 sent for approval. I'm sending them Stevie Wonder's - I Just Called To Say I Love You:

"No New Year's Day to celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring, no song to sing
In fact here's just another ordinary day
No April rain
No flowers bloom
No wedding Saturday within the month of June
But what it is, is something true
Made up of these three words that I must say to you
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart
No summer's high
No warm July
No harvest moon to light one tender August night
No autumn breeze
No falling leaves
Not even time for birds to fly to southern skies
No Libra sun
No Halloween
No giving thanks to all the Christmas joy you bring
But what it is, though old so new
To fill…

Thanks for reading. Get in touch now!"

 

[Sanj Modha]

Stevie Wonder failed too. Damn!

Time to play around with more options.

 

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[BlakeIC]

They are specifically rejecting copywriters most likely because everyone including their Grandma is signing up and calling themselves one.

That is my opinion.

 

[Sanj Modha]

They are specifically rejecting copywriters most likely because everyone including their Grandma is signing up and calling themselves one.

That is my opinion.

This thread is dying slowly. Can't seem to get any profiles approved. I'll keep trying different combos. Thanks.

 

[maverick]

Just sent you a private message. Should get your account approved within a day.

 

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[BlakeIC]

Maybe they are just auto rejecting you at this point? Give it a week possibly??

This thread is dying slowly. Can't seem to get any profiles approved. I'll keep trying different combos. Thanks.

 

[Startup A Month]

Are you creating clean profiles? Are you clearing cookies, flash cookies, cache and any traces between accounts? The IP's, different zones etc. Getting through some of the sites is hard but once you clear all the breadcrumbs, no-one can know who you are.

 

[Sanj Modha]

Maybe they are just auto rejecting you at this point? Give it a week possibly??

It is an auto-rejection. I'm using nonsense profiles which UW "has reviewed carefully but doesn't meet their requirements". They clearly haven't reviewed anything.

Anyway, the profile is now approved. Found a title/skills combo that works.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

Are you creating clean profiles? Are you clearing cookies, flash cookies, cache and any traces between accounts? The IP's, different zones etc. Getting through some of the sites is hard but once you clear all the breadcrumbs, no-one can know who you are.

I didn't but what you're saying makes sense. My profile is now approved.

 

[Sanj Modha]

UPDATE - it's been 10 days since I signed up and I already have my first job!

Some key points for you that I've learnt and applied:

1) Rejection is part of the process. Keep your chin up and modify your profile until it gets approved. I had to submit mine 6 times!

2) Don't follow the herd. There are 1000s of people who offer web design, HTML coding, blog content writer, marketing strategist etc so what can you do to stand out? Think a bit more niche - something like "A content marketing specialist for personal trainers". You are now targeting a very specific group of customers and you will stand out. If you write great content the industry doesn't matter. Go narrow and scoop up the traffic!

3) I've seen very few people with a video. Use it and introduce yourself! This is your opportunity to build a relationship with prospects.

4) Create a detailed profile. Don't get lazy! I've seen some shitty profiles on there with zero work and I'm not surprised. Clients need to be woo'd by you so take it seriously. How you do anything is how you do everything - get into a habit.

5) Add some proof in your portfolio - if you have no work to display then think about goals and targets you have. Talk about that.

6) Do you some quick tests - they're easy!

That's about it. It's not hard and you can KISS. The work is out there and anyone can do this.

Thanks to @SinisterLex for giving me this idea. I'll be updating this thread regularly.

 

[Startup A Month]

One more thing to remember. You can outbid 75% people just by sending a unique proposal for each offer. It does not have to be 100% unique, but use at least 5-6 sentences dedicated to the proposal. So mention problems person facing, details from the project, propose a solution, use person name. Out of ~5 proposals I send, I get 1 job on average, even on a new account for non-niche jobs.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

One more thing to remember. You can outbid 75% people just by sending a unique proposal for each offer. It does not have to be 100% unique, but use at least 5-6 sentences dedicated to the proposal. So mention problems person facing, details from the project, propose a solution, use person name. Out of ~5 proposals I send, I get 1 job on average, even on a new account for non-niche jobs.

Solid advice. A personal proposal stands out by far.

 

[amp0193]

Thanks for posting this thread.

It gave me the idea of getting setup on Upwork, and doing some Amazon consulting to bridge the income gap from when I sell my business, and before I can start drawing income from my next business.

I had been thinking about getting a temp job somewhere... but this is a way better idea.

 

[CareCPA]

Solid advice. A personal proposal stands out by far.

I'll throw in some personal experience if you don't mind.
I do some accounting gigs on Upwork. I think I'm about 2 for 10 recently (about the same as the poster above). I do personalize all proposals and spend some good time on each one.

I think it very much depends on your area of expertise. For copywriting, you can measure how your ad increases their revenue and bottom line. You can quantify how your website increases their views and conversions. You can directly multiply their current business.

As an accountant, I am a direct hit to their bottom line. I have literally zero effect on their gross revenues. As such, they're looking for the least expensive way to get an adequate result. I can't show them a portfolio of my work due to privacy issues. I don't ask current clients for references for the same reason (people are picky about divulging who does their accounting), although I'm sure some would vouch for me if I asked. So I now must become competent in copy, without being a copywriter. It sure makes for some interesting times trying to learn a creative task (copywriting), when so much of what I do is mired in process and transactional work.

 

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[Ninjakid]

I remember reading a post about someone on here who deleted their profile on Upwork, created a new one to show that making money on the side is possible.

I was inspired by that post and wanted to do a case study for my LinkedIn followers by doing the same - starting from 0 and optimizing along the way to prove that making money isn't hard if you keep pushing and testing.

The problem I have is Upwork won't approve my profile. I've submitted two separate ones: one for Facebook ads and one for copywriting. I can backup all my claims inside the Portfolio section too.

Has anyone else had this problem and how did you fix it?

Thanks.

try their customer service? They actually have a very good help system where you can IM with one of their people; I'm sure you would find out why very quickly, and they can help you get it approved

 

[Sanj Modha]

try their customer service? They actually have a very good help system where you can IM with one of their people; I'm sure you would find out why very quickly, and they can help you get it approved

The profile is active now. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Rosie]

Cheers for this post.

I've been trying to get a profile approved to no avail. I've tried several different combinations but keep on getting the same old message. I will keep tweaking!

 

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[LRG]

1) Rejection is part of the process. Keep your chin up and modify your profile until it gets approved. I had to submit mine 6 times!

Thanks for this man, I tried 4-5 times and got rejected, after reading this I made some changes again, added employment history etc and my profile is now approved So rep+ to you! Good luck on your upwork journey.

Cheers for this post.
I've been trying to get a profile approved to no avail. I've tried several different combinations but keep on getting the same old message. I will keep tweaking!

Don't give up Rosie. Make sure to fill out as many fields as you can. Change your job title and try to add other skills/change them completely as well (you can change them according to your competence later.) PM me if you want some ideas about the HOT skills according to upwork

 

[Gigi Rodgers]

I remember reading a post about someone on here who deleted their profile on Upwork, created a new one to show that making money on the side is possible.

I was inspired by that post and wanted to do a case study for my LinkedIn followers by doing the same - starting from 0 and optimizing along the way to prove that making money isn't hard if you keep pushing and testing.

The problem I have is Upwork won't approve my profile. I've submitted two separate ones: one for Facebook ads and one for copywriting. I can backup all my claims inside the Portfolio section too.

Has anyone else had this problem and how did you fix it?

Thanks.

The competition on Upwork is brutal.
Why not show your audience how to do cold outreach to companies and new clients?

You know - presenting the client with a dossier of what value you'll provide them, the briefcase technique, samples of your work, etc.
It hear this approach works pretty damn well.

 

[ApparentHorizon]

There's very few friends I've kept in touch with over the past few years as I'm building my SaaS business. Those that I've allowed in have entrepreneurial tenancies, even if they are pursuing a traditional career.

Recently, one of them from Atlanta branched off from VFX contracts with Disney and Lionsgate, and started learning app programming. While applying for side gigs, he was presented with counter offers from other developers. Undercutting and providing better overall experiences. He became discouraged, then started down the same path as me. Again he found himself at odds with an over-saturation of the market.

"How do you do it?!" he asked. "How are you thriving in such a saturated market!!!"

I don't compete.

The services I provide can be found on any street corner. Similar to what's been posted on this forum, copywriting, web design, amazon ecommerce, trading, etc.

I'm thriving in 2 of those industries, yet there's no such thing as "competition."

Recently I picked up a contract with Du Pont, and found out there were 3 other contractors "bidding" on the same project. It never even crossed my mind that there were others, and I didn't care. In fact, when presented with their proposals, I told the manager to go with the first bid he received. The development cycle was thorough, backed by 30+ years of experience (I had 11), and founded upon an enterprise culture. He was not my market, and there was 0 chance I would "compete" with those "stats."

I almost told him he was a "F****** idiot" for not choosing the first option. But insisted on me instead.

I overcharged and provided a "satisfactory" product for their needs.

Why?

My real-time update process was nowhere to be found. Multi-million dollar corporations with customer life-cycles of 10 years, and $37k/year retainers could not fill that incredibly tiny need.

Every now and again, these companies pop up, and beg me to take their money.

Why aren't they doing the same for you?

 

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[Sanj Modha]

Does anyone get paid outside of UpWork?If so how do you manage the contract situation?

 

[Sanj Modha]

***UPDATE***

I have change the post title since I am now APPROVED on UpWork. Thanks for all the input.