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Boost Your Proposal to the Top of List

kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Update 10/13: Our Boosted Proposals test has ended, for now, so we can study the results and learn. We sincerely appreciate all of the feedback you gave us during this test, and we’re taking time to review our data and plan some improvements with your input in mind. 

We will share more information about our plans for a re-launch of Boosted Proposals. So stay tuned!

 

Open auctions will run their course; however, no new boosts will be available.

Our goal remains to support the best outcomes for Talent and Clients and help you win more. We’re working to make this feature even better as part of that effort!

 



We are testing a new way to help you
make your proposals stand out to clients. We’re dropping the required price of proposals to 1 Connect and allowing talent to bid for a chance to boost their proposal to appear in one of three promoted slots at the top of the client’s proposal manager. With boosting, you can promote yourself to clients by signalling that you are highly interested in their job. You can use your Connects to boost your proposal and increase the chances of being among the first that’s noticed. When clients see “Highly Interested” next to a blue lightning bolt, they’ll know these proposals are from talent who paid to express their interest by investing extra Connects into their proposal.

 

 

How it works 

When you submit a proposal, you can choose to boost it by spending additional Connects — whatever amount you think it’s worth. If you bid high enough relative to the other bidders, we’ll boost your proposal to the top of the stack, so it’s one of the first proposals the client sees.

 

  • Decide. If you really value a job, choose to bid to be eligible to boost your proposal above others. 
  • Bid. Set the number of Connects you’re willing to use to outbid other freelancers. We encourage you to bid the amount you truly think the job is worth.
  • Submit. Your proposal will be boosted to the client if your bid is high enough. If another freelancer bids more than you and your proposal is not boosted, we will refund some of your Connects (if boosting did not result in an engagement with a client). You’ll be notified either way and your proposal will still show up for the client, even if you’re outbid. 
  • The auction will last up to 7 days. It starts when the job is posted, and it is cleared after 7 days, or sooner if the job is closed or a hire has been made. 
  • Using Connects. The value of a job is always up to you, and you never have to worry about wasting Connects if you over or underbid. 

 

  • For example, if a job post allows for 3 boosted proposals, the top 3 bids will win those slots, and the final cost will be set by the lowest of those 3 bids. 

  • So if you spent 7 Connects to boost a proposal, and the lowest of the top 3 bidders spent just 5 — you’re in! Plus, you’ll receive a refund of 2 Connects to match the cost of the lowest qualifying bid.

  • What if you had bid just 3 Connects instead of 5? No worries! Your proposal won’t be boosted, but it will still show up for the client just like a regular proposal, and you’ll be refunded all the additional Connects you spent to boost your proposal.



We know you put a lot of effort into developing quality proposals, especially for projects you’re excited about. That’s one of the reasons we created the option to bid to boost your proposal, so you have an even better chance of being seen by clients for projects you’re really passionate about. We see this as a way to express your level of interest while increasing the odds of being noticed. So, in cases where boosting your proposal results in an engagement with a client, you will be charged - even if you are outbid, since this exposure can often lead to future interactions. An engagement means one or more of the following was done by the client (in other words, the client engaged a freelancer in at least one of these ways): viewed your proposal, messaged you, shortlisted you, sent an offer, and/or archived or declined your proposal. It’s another way to make your Connects work for you!

 

Screenshot from September 8, 2021 9_20 AM.png

 

For more information about boosting your proposals so you’re more likely to land the work you really want, check out our help article.

 

Excited to try this out? We are eager to gather feedback while we’re testing this feature. Let us know your thoughts so we can continue to make the work marketplace even better for you.

629 Comments
analyst_nemanja
Community Member

It seems this option has been scrapped. It was offered yesterday and I don't see it today.

And it seems I am one of the few who liked it.

 

m_terrazas
Community Member

Nemanja V wrote:

It seems this option has been scrapped. It was offered yesterday and I don't see it today.

And it seems I am one of the few who liked it.

 


It is still active, but FOR SOME JOBS ONLY.
I have seen it today. And since the work was within the test and only cost 1 connect, in 10 minutes I already had 20 to 50 proposals.
No, I don't like it at all.

analyst_nemanja
Community Member

Anyone who makes a living on Upwork, and who is certain that he applies for the kind of work he is an expert in, won't have a problem to pay a few dollars to get a job that will make him hundreds or even thousands. 

I only apply where I am certain that I am the right choice for the client. I don't mind paying a few $ to make sure he sees my proposal.

m_terrazas
Community Member
Nemanja V wrote:

Anyone who makes a living on Upwork, and who is certain that he applies for the kind of work he is an expert in, won't have a problem to pay a few dollars to get a job that will make him hundreds or even thousands. 

I only apply where I am certain that I am the right choice for the client. I don't mind paying a few $ to make sure he sees my proposal.


Well, I always apply to jobs that I am sure I can carry out (if there is enough data from the client). If not, I apply because I think it can be an interesting job and I ask my questions.


- When free connects were given, customers received a lot of junk proposals, this dropped by having to buy connects and now it will be a disaster again. Not because of the bids themselves (which I think is a horrible idea), but because anyone will send proposals even if they do not exactly match his skills.


- And if you have read the thread correctly, that you bid does not mean that you are among the first 3. If someone bids 1 more than you, you will be out, in the general list.

bookcoverdesign
Community Member

That's one reason why it's possibly the most lame-brained idea UpWork has ever come up with.

analyst_nemanja
Community Member

Maria T wrote:

- When free connects were given, customers received a lot of junk proposals, this dropped by having to buy connects and now it will be a disaster again. Not because of the bids themselves (which I think is a horrible idea), but because anyone will send proposals even if they do not exactly match his skills.


- And if you have read the thread correctly, that you bid does not mean that you are among the first 3. If someone bids 1 more than you, you will be out, in the general list.


Well, my experience has been totally different. In my line of work, I regularly see clients getting 20 to 50 proposals. Free connects or not, this is what happens time and again.

 

People who spam and apply for too many jobs won't be willing to spend serious money on junk proposals which never get attention. As I said, I will be willing to spend to make sure that I was heard. 

briannordin
Community Member

This is really discouraging for me as a Top Rated Plus freelancer.

 

I've worked really hard over that last 2.5 years to earn that little pink badge next to my name, and now to find out that I can be passed by someone who joined yesterday and drops an extra few nickels on their proposal really, really devalues the Top Rated Plus status.

 

As others have pointed out, my proposal is already an indication I'm highly interested in a job posting. My Top Rated Plus status is an indication that I'm serious about doing a great job for clients. Why that gets surpassed by a pocketful of change and a blue lightning bolt is really unclear for me.

bookcoverdesign
Community Member

Maria,

You're exactly right. It seems the people who think this "boost" thing is a good idea don't realize their extra connects may not be enough to get their proposal into the limited 3-spot position. I suspect the real reason UpWork came up with this idea was to "boost" UpWork's bottom line by selling more connects. They probably hoped it would be a veritble "Boost Bonanza" with their millions of freelanciers purchasing connects like crazy, each of them trying to out-boost the next guy in hopes of landing their proposal in one of those 3 top spots. Kinda like gambling at the casino. Keep shoving money into the machine hoping to hit the jackpot.

saad-jamal
Community Member

Yes exactly.

It will be an additional burden on freelancers

The organic way (the present method) is much easier for everyone to understand

saad-jamal
Community Member

Also, hard-working and experienced freelancers send their proposals to only those jobs which they think are best for them so they don't need any blue lightning or something like that.

Plus another factor which is the profile, feedback, and portfolio they are also equally playing role for client to decide who to hire,

So organic way is the best way.