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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
jared_k
Community Member

You were out boosted, bro

avishekbhardwaj4
Community Member

but what does it mean ? 

bookcoverdesign
Community Member

Pedro B wrote:
Me too, barely any responses even when the job is a good fit and I submit
the proposal when there are very few other proposals. I used to have a lot
more responses.
Clients must be looking mostly at boosted responses. I wonder what they
see, i.e., if they're aware that the freelancers paid to get on top or if
Upwork is hiding that from them.

Me, too. Not a single response since this boost thing began.

bookcoverdesign
Community Member
 m
Avishek B wrote:

but what does it mean ? 


It means you're no longer in the top 3. Your proposal has dropped down into the regular lineup just as if you had never boosted it at all.

maruflatif
Community Member

I would preferably not gonna use this boost feature. I dont know why upwork is trying do with it. It seems your boosted connects are more important then your experience and your proposal. Upwork should then remove cover letter option if they want to promote boost up. so freelancer will also know that they have to spend money on connects not to type winning proposal. 

 

It seems we are bribing to win the tender rather then showcasing our expertise. Maybe its time to move on from upwork.

a46af376
Community Member
@pedro, i don't think any client would want to higher someone who is less qualified just because there proposals is the first, they have the freedom and privilege to scroll and check others out. The truth is for me, i have gotten more connections now with the boosted proposals. There are alot of very talented freelancers who are just joining upwork, some of them are toprated, with over 1000 jobs done on other freelance website, now you are competing with them. Gone are the days when the toprated badge or toprated plus will help a client. If someone who is more talented than you applies to a job, but only has 1 job done, and uses the boost option, ofcourse you won't be contacted. I see upwork as a jungle,. U need to get stronger and get more skilled.
maruflatif
Community Member

Same here. Very bad response situation after this. What i found here is (I am also a recruiter and freelancer here). Mostly less experienced and newbies are using that feature where experienced and reputed freelancers get down position.

 

This feature seems not good at all i dont know maybe because not getting right responses or maybe this is not the thing we want on upwork.

 

why anyone want to spend 10 to 15 connects on a single job where you would have option to use 2,4,6 as standard and rest is your experience and cover letter.

 

Phew. Let see.

a46af376
Community Member
@Maruf, it makes no sense because everyone here was a newbie. If a newbie shows you their capability then you hire them. This is a discrimination post. If no one hired you because you where a newbie, would you be here ranting.
maruflatif
Community Member

But thats not my concern. I am just explaining about boost feature. i were the newbie and i know how hard for newbies to get the job.
My concern is why are we spending much of the connects on single job rather then to write nice cover letter with our experience and win the job? Dont you know its difficult for newbies to spend much connects to win the job?

- Does it make sense to spend 10 to 15 connects? it is disaspointment for everyone if you even spend that much connects and still stand out as (outbid)
It should be the game of cover letter and budget amount for everyone.

maruflatif
Community Member

The best way of boost feature should have limitations. like to spending max 6 or let say 8. Not like 15 or even more. it doesnt make any sense.