How to Get Your First Client on Upwork in 2022
How do you find that first client on Upwork that will set things in motion for your freelance business? How do you land a job when you don’t have any ratings or reviews on your profile yet?
If those are the questions that are stopping you from building your freelance career, here’s how to get started.
There’s 2 situations you might be in:
You’re brand new to your field and don’t even have much of a portfolio outside of Upwork
You’re brand new to Upwork but you have a decent portfolio or resume of past work that you’ve done before getting on Upwork.
We’ll focus mostly on the second situation where you’ve had some work experience but are new to Upwork. So that means you’ve either had freelance experience before Upwork, or you’ve worked in other jobs in your chosen field that have given you a skill set you can now use to freelance.
Either way, you have a few years of professional experience full-time and are looking to build a freelance business on Upwork.
This won’t be a full training because that would take hours, but I’ll give you a solid overview of the steps so you can get started and be on the right track. I encourage you though to check out my YouTube channel and read my other blog posts, as well as follow other freelancer teachers to get as much education as possible to increase your chances of success.
So, what are the steps to get that first client?
Step 1: Audit your work experience
If you’ve been an employee up to this point, you have a resume. Now it’s time to convert that resume into a portfolio. Watch my video all about converting your employee resume to a freelancer portfolio.
Take a look at what you’ve accomplished in your jobs and communicate it in a way that shows you can produce results for a client in the area you’re trying to freelance in.
As you’re filling out your Upwork profile, make sure that your previous work experience section is filled in so that you can qualify for the rising talent badge. You should also fill out the portfolio section with as much as you can. Show them you know what you’re doing even though you don’t have reviews yet.
Step 2: Write down who your ideal client is
Take some time to create a full profile of your ideal client. To get started, answer these kinds of questions: What type of business are they? What services and products do they provide? What industry are they in? How large of a business is it?
You might think if you’re a graphic designer that it doesn’t matter what business it is as long as they want you to design graphics, but that’s where many freelancers falter. It DOES matter. When you don’t pick a niche to work in, you have a lot more competition.
When you DO pick a focused target client, they are more likely to see you as an expert graphic designer for software companies or an expert writer for health and wellness companies. If you have knowledge of their industry it’s a great selling point.
Here’s an example of my target client:
Small online business that is already creating some content and now wants to get into creating video content on YouTube or social media. Their products and services are typically in the form of educational info products, events, trainings and other types of media. They have some experience working with freelancers and are open to that relationship. They have a subject matter expert that is willing to be on camera.
As you can see, there are specifics there that apply to my services which involve video production and YouTube channel strategy.
Step 3: Optimize your Upwork profile
By this point you’ve already done the basics of setting up your Upwork profile but now you want to make sure it’s optimized. Research what the best job title will be by searching for jobs that fit your expertise and see what wording the client is using in the job post when looking for someone like you. Start making a list of the most common wording and then use that in your job title so clients can find you.
The title on my profile is “YouTube Strategist, Video Content Marketing”
YouTube strategist was the most common wording used by potential clients and video marketing was another common keyword somewhere in their job post. It also explains exactly the more general service I provide.
Your job title is the first thing that Upwork looks at when deciding to rank your profile in the search results, so you definitely want to get this right. But in addition to that, Upwork also looks at your job description. Make sure it is results oriented and focused on helping the client see what you’ll do for their business, not just what you’ll do in your craft.
That means that you don’t just tell them again that you edit videos, say things like “I edit videos that double my client’s sales.” or “I create YouTube strategies that attract millions of subscribers.”
I’ll make another post where I go into more of an Upwork workshop for your profile and description but wanted to just give you a starting point here.
Step 4: Start applying to as many jobs as you can.
At first, it will cost some money to keep buying connects but you won’t waste as many connects if you have a dialed-in target client in mind because then you’re looking for specifics in each job post, not just a graphic design job post.
In another post we’ll go through how to write winning proposals because that’s its own topic. But for now, apply to the jobs, and make sure you don’t write overly long proposals. Just 1-2 short paragraphs explaining exactly what you can do for THEM.
A summary of all your work experience will not work. Showing all your services will not work. It’s too overwhelming for the client, and they get lost in the details. Just state results you’ve achieved that match what they want and why you are the best person for their job. I’ve won many clients with 1-2 short paragraph proposals.
Over time, you’ll start getting invites and spend less time searching for jobs. Watch my video on Upwork Invites explained for more info on that.
Step 5: Be responsive in the interview process
Show them you’re willing to get on a call. Respond to their messages within 24 hours. Be proactive and ask them questions, instead of letting them ask all the questions. Show that you care to know more. I actually ask them more questions than they ask me. But we’ll cover more about interviews in another post.
Step 6, last one: Be okay to go after smaller fish to start.
If you don’t have much experience outside Upwork, start with a lower rate, and go after smaller jobs with smaller clients. If you have an impressive resume before Upwork then you can start bigger, but since you don’t have reviews yet on your profile, clients are just taking your word for it unless you have testimonials from past clients or employers.
Get as many reviews as you can from previous clients to have social proof, and that way you can start with higher rates and bigger projects even if you’re new to Upwork.
That’s it! I hope this was helpful in understanding how to land that first client and get started on Upwork. It can take a little bit of time and effort to start building your portfolio and profile, but once you start landing clients you’ll be well on your way to growing a successful freelance career. Until next time.