For years, I have tried to make sure that I build enough income streams that will guarantee some kind of financial freedom for me.
Well, right before the end of 2022, I discovered the power of working as a freelancer on Upwork.
One of the reasons that I never tried freelancing before is that I already have a job and I didn’t think that I would be able to find a freelancing job that would work with my schedule.
Another reason is that I mainly focused on building semi-passive income streams with this website, my youtube channels, and affiliate marketing.
It wasn’t until I actually tried freelancing that I discovered just how much freedom you have as a freelancer!
I created an Upwork account a couple of years ago but forgot completely about it. In December 2022, I reopened that account and managed to make over $1000 by the end of the month.
With this new-found experience, I discovered 4 steps that I followed and that helped me make $1000 on Upwork in the first month:
- Making sure that my profile is up to date.
- Finding smaller jobs to begin with.
- Getting as many positive ratings as I could.
- Finding offers that are for long-term jobs.
In this article, I will go into each step in more detail in order to help you get the same results.
The 4-Step Guide to Earning $1000 or More On Upwork
Before we get into this guide, please keep in mind that each niche and field is different. But one thing that you have to do before you create a profile on Upwork is to decide what you are good at doing and make that your niche.
If you have several tasks that you are good at and that you want to work on, then I will also tell you how to make profiles for each of those tasks.
What you want to avoid is signing up on the platform just to find something to do. I see a lot of freelancers create profiles just wanting to do small jobs like data entry.
That is fine if you are just looking for some money on the side.
But in this article, the goal is getting higher sums of money.
Unfortunately, data entry jobs do not pay as much as other jobs. But they will come in handy! Let me tell you what I mean.
1. Create a Killer Upwork Profile
One of the most important things that you are going to have to tackle first is making a killer Upwork profile.
When you send in your job proposals, the clients are going to be able to take a look at your profile. If you wrote an amazing proposal but don’t even have a full-done profile, it will diminish your chances of getting that job.
So here are some things that you need to do:
- Enter all the necessary details about you and your background (Education, work experience, etc.)
- Add a nice and simple profile picture.
- Write a good introduction that will quickly showcase some of your skills and what makes you unique.
- Enter the right tags that match the skills that you have.
- Upload examples of the work that you have done in the past that clients can look at.
These are all of the things that are essential for you to be considered for jobs on Upwork.
Specialized Profiles on Upwork
For most people, having one profile is enough.
But what do you do if you have several tasks that you would like to work on and that you are good at?
Upwork has a great solution!
On Upwork, you are able to create specialized profiles for certain tasks. Then, when you send your proposal, you can choose which profile the client is going to see.
On each profile, you can choose different tags and write a different introduction that will fit that category better.
For example, I have 3 profiles on Upwork. One for content writing, one for translations and proofreading, and one for graphic design.
When I apply to jobs that have to do with content writing, I attach the “content writing” profile. That is the profile that the client will look at to know more about me.
That is also the profile that will be most relevant for the job and help increase my chances to get the job.
2. Look for “Small” Upwork Jobs First
Remember when I said that data entry jobs are going to come in handy?
This is where you will need them!
The truth of the matter is, it is very hard to find a high-paying freelancing jobs on Upwork if you do not have some prior experience.
Clients that are willing to pay more money on Upwork are usually looking for freelancers with a bit more experience.
So as a new freelancer, you are going to need to aim for smaller and lower-paying jobs first.
My first job literally paid me $5.
But I knew that I needed to break into the freelancing space and show some work experience so getting the job was a huge milestone for me. I put my best foot forward and to be honest, the work I did was worth more than $5.
But I knew that the client would give me a good rating.
This brings me to my next point.
3. Get Positive Ratings
You NEED to get positive ratings if you want to land jobs that pay more.
No matter if you are a seasoned freelancer or a newbie, if you have bad ratings, you can kiss your freelancing career goodbye.
This is why I treated that $5 job like it was worth $100! I needed to be professional and provide a high-quality service to make sure I could get the highest rating possible.
The better ratings you get, the easier it will be for you to get jobs or interviews.
Not only that, but when your clients rate you, they will also be able to write a little snippet about their experience with you.
So you should always make sure that your interactions with your clients should always be cordial and professional.
4. Apply for Jobs That Are Long-Term with Several Milestones
Once you have gone through all of these steps, then and only then should you attempt to apply to high-paying jobs that are more long-term.
If you do not go through the other steps first, you risk wasting your time and Connects on Upwork and not getting many results.
The only exceptions that I have found are in the IT or STEM spaces. If you are able to showcase prior work you have done, you may get a chance at getting a higher-paying job even with no prior freelancing experience.
You also want to find jobs that pay you per milestone, to begin with.
At least until you build some trust with the client.
The last thing you want to do is spend hours, days, or weeks working on a project only to have some issue at the end and have to discuss your payout.
Having milestones will give you something closer to work towards and look forward to a quicker payout. It will also give you a better relationship with the client since you will have more check-ins and with each other.
How Much Money You Can Make on Upwork?
According to Upwork itself, there is no limit to how much money you can make on the platform.
However, as a freelancer, you can expect to make anywhere from $10-100 per hour.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that the amount of money you earn will almost always have a direct correlation to your domain and how much effort you are willing to put in.
Some domains pay more than others.
If you are a programmer or a lawyer, you will most likely make more money than someone who is only working on data entry jobs.
As a freelance writer and translator myself, I find that the majority of jobs pay around $30-$50 per hour or pay a certain sum per articles/words written.
I have worked with companies that have paid over $1 million to freelancers via Upwork.
There really is no limit on how much money you can make on the platform.
How to Get Paid On Upwork Quickly & Easily to Earn More Money?
There are several different pay-out options on Upwork. You receive payments via:
- PayPal
- Payoneer
- Direct Bank Transfer
- Instant Pay (US Banks)
- M-Pesa
- Wire Transfer
- Bank Codes
- ACH Transfer
I have used several of these methods myself and the one that has worked the fastest is by far PayPal.
With PayPal, I received the money in less than 2 minutes. However, there is a $2 fee per transfer.
I have also done a bank transfer and those can take anywhere from 1-5 business days depending on when you make the transfer. The fee is only $0.99 per transfer.
Payoneer is also fairly quick and transfers from Upwork to Payoneer take an average of 1-3 business days.
Needless to say, the more time you have to work on your freelancing, the more money you will make.
Conclusion: What are the Best Techniques for Successful Work on Upwork?
Working on Upwork is definitely a long-term game. Not only do you have more of a chance of getting jobs the more you work on the platform. But to get started, you really do have to build some trust.
As a new freelancer, you may find yourself on the platform for weeks without landing a job.
However, there are a lot of tips and tricks that you can apply to help yourself build trust on Upwork and build a portfolio.
The more jobs you get, the easier it gets to get more jobs.
Crazy how that works!
Also, once you do start getting jobs and making money, it will show up on your profile. Making it more interesting for the clients who want to hire you.
If I could leave you with one tip, it has to be: don’t give up.
A lot of freelancers give up right before they get a breakthrough! Stick with it, make some smart moves, and you will land yourself a job sooner than you think!
