Top Rated Plus Badge

[Aaron C]

I recently came across a new top rated plus badge for freelancers with high-value, long-term projects depending on their area of expertise. As a content editor, I rarely reach projects that are greater than $5K although my 12-month earnings is significantly higher than the $10K minimum. 

Is Upwork also considering a separate badge for high earners?

[Iliana M]

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm one of the product managers working on solutions to support great talent like you on Upwork.

We selected the thresholds for each category based on the project values we see in the marketplace today. We believe that $5000 is a reasonable threshold for the Writing category.

Future improvements we are considering include:

1) Expand the threshold to include relationship value, not just contract value (ex: if the same client hires you multiple times)

2) Create the thresholds based on subcategories instead of categories (ex: UX/UI design projects tend to be larger than logo design projects so the thresholds would be different, instead of $5,000 for the whole Design & Creative category). 

What do you think of those ideas? Which do you think would apply best for someone like you?

Note that we do not currently have a time frame for these improvements. The earliest I would expect us to launch improvements of this type to Top Rated Plus would be in 2021. Our focus right now is making the new badges visible to talent (scheduled for later this summer), increasing the perks & benefits associated with the badges, and getting more people access to the pre-screening required to become Expert-Vetted.

We do not believe a badge for high earners would be valuable at this time. The reasons are:

- Too many badges create confusion for clients; we have to have the right balance between distinguishing high performers and creating noise

- Clients already have easy ways to find high earners by looking at the total earnings on the profile and using filters, and they actively use these

- Businesses seeking high performers value other signals more, like the size of the projects or the types of clients you worked for

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Iliana

[Douglas Michael M]

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Iliana M wrote:

We selected the thresholds for each category based on the project values we see in the marketplace today. We believe that $5000 is a reasonable threshold for the Writing category.

Which is yet another example of why Upwork's categories don't fit the services we offer. $5000 or up to much more for writing a book? Sure! More that $5000 for editing a book? Tantalizingly close, but so far: no.

Future improvements we are considering include:

1) Expand the threshold to include relationship value, not just contract value (ex: if the same client hires you multiple times)
:thumbsup:

2) Create the thresholds based on subcategories instead of categories (ex: UX/UI design projects tend to be larger than logo design projects so the thresholds would be different, instead of $5,000 for the whole Design & Creative category).
Bingo! See above. 

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Iliana

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Thanks!

[Aaron C]

Hi Iliana, thank you for the detailed reply. I love the idea of adding relationship value to the top rated plus badge when the same client hires multiple times. I also completely undertstand limiting the number of badges so as to not dilute their prominence. 

[Pandora H]

This is right in line of where Upwork is going. Keeping the top 3% of the freelancers, and faciliting the hookup to a small number of Enterprise level clients.

Most or all of the updates in 2020 been initiated to further the above directive.

Edit to add: I like working for small companies. I left the corporate world for a reason.

[Sanja D]

most logo design projects have $100 budget - that means the designer has to be awarded 100 logo design projects and finish them within 365 days.
oh, and most of those projects are never awarded to anyone

...at least I don't see that stupid rocket next to my name anymore - so that's a plus ;-) 

EDIT: ...and the rocket is back...meh...

[Arsalan A]

Hi pandora, May i ask to you,  Why you left the corporate world? and coming on small size business models? Beacuse I am looking forward to wrok with corporate world companies. But Now I like to work as small size companies.. 

[Grace M]

Hi, i'd like to know if project size is determined solely by price. What if $6k+ design projects are done in around 3 months?

[Vladimir G]

Hi Grace,

It sounds you're referring to the large project requirement and I'd like to clarify that the minimum for meeting this requirement is having worked on at least one large project in the past 12 months. You can find more information in this Help article and feel free to follow up here if you have any other questions or feedback.

[Petra R]

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Vladimir G wrote:

Hi Grace,

It sounds you're referring to the large project requirement and I'd like to clarify that the minimum for meeting this requirement is having worked on at least one large project in the past 12 months. You can find more information in this Help article and feel free to follow up here if you have any other questions or feedback.

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Which is it? "Worked on" as above, or completed as in the help article? 

The former would qualify me, the latter wouldn't (becaue my big contracts are ongoing)

Edited: Ignore me, I see Val has already confirmed that ongoing contracts count! COOL!