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MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Boost Your Proposal to the Top of List (March 2022 Update): Questions & Feedback

Today we’re reintroducing the boosted proposals feature with some changes. Read the announcement from James, Director of Product, here and let us know your thoughts about these updates in the comments below.


Cheers,
Mike
ACCEPTED SOLUTION
2c724a5e
Community Member

Hello Everyone,

 

First, we want to acknowledge the ongoing feedback you all are sharing. We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, opinions, and concerns with Boosted Proposals and want to ensure you our product teams are listening and reading every comment. 

 

Second, we want to reiterate that part of our mission at Upwork is to connect talent with more opportunities which is why we launched Boosted Proposals in support of that. With that in mind, we know there are lingering questions and we want to take this opportunity to be transparent on the value of Boosted Proposals to freelancers and clients, and also answer a few of the recurring questions/themes. 

 

Why Boosted Proposals? We created Boosted Proposals as an opportunity for freelancers to show a strong interest in jobs they feel they are the best fit for. Additionally, Boosted Proposals increases the chances of getting noticed and receiving their desired rate. 

 

What is the true value for freelancers and clients? Boosted Proposals provides an additional lever for freelancers to pull when submitting a proposal without removing existing features (JSS, Top-rated, etc.)  that signal success. Freelancers with a Boosted Proposal have more control over their outcomes while clients gain insight on who has a strong desire for a job. Additionally, boosting improves a freelancer’s chances of being hired by 43%, this means that a freelancer can use the feature as a way to secure the same amount of work they did before, but lower their proposal volume, saving their time and effort.

 

Based on the test, it appeared there was a lot of negative feedback in the Community, how did you decide to move forward with Boosted Proposals? We collected feedback via multiple channels and methods within our testing, including tracking hire rates and speaking directly with freelancers and clients—this evidence fueled the team to move forward with this feature. 

 

 

We hope this addresses some concerns regarding Boosted Proposals and the Upwork team always encourages feedback as we look to make Upwork The World’s work marketplace. 

 

Best,

 

Christopher

Content Program Manager, Community

 

View solution in original post

485 REPLIES 485

Nobody knows how the clients feel. No client has taken part in the discussion, as far as I know. 

And when searching this here in discussions, all I found was people requesting that feature back...

I am not doubting the backlash, just couldn't find it. 

So, there are freelancers who really liked this. Has anyone any experience if they actually have made a difference? Or are freelancers just assuming they help? (Right or wrong).


Anneli K wrote:

And when searching this here in discussions, all I found was people requesting that feature back...

I am not doubting the backlash, just couldn't find it. 

So, there are freelancers who really liked this. Has anyone any experience if they actually have made a difference? Or are freelancers just assuming they help? (Right or wrong).


Then you really haven't looked. 99% of freelancers were against it. 

petra_r
Community Member


Anneli K wrote:

And when searching this here in discussions, all I found was people requesting that feature back...


The majority of the small minority who wanted it back were the ones who didn't use the boosting feature and just liked that all jobs "cost" 1 connect when not boosted, and that is no longer the case.

Anneli



It only says 'Boosted'. It doesn't say why it's boosted.

Did I miss an announcement? I see we're boosting proposals again.

 

Was the trial a success then? I thought the idea sucked, but anyway... 🙃


Bev C wrote:

Did I miss an announcement? I see we're boosting proposals again.

 

Was the trial a success then? I thought the idea sucked, but anyway... 🙃


Here is the discussion about it:
https://community.upwork.com/t5/Feedback/Boost-Your-Proposal-to-the-Top-of-List-March-2022-Update/m-...

 

They have moved us to the discussion.
Now the two messages are a bit absurd 😉

Thanks, Maria - this whole boost-thing is absurd, so if not why not 😉

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

I live on a combination of invitations and projects I bid on but in the case of the latter, the ones that fit me don't typically attract boocoodles of proposals. So I'm not sure this is going to have much direct impact on me. It is, however, going to accelerate the gamification and commoditization of many categories which is really bad for the platform's reputation. And that will certainly affect all of us. Stacked on top of the scammer infestation (and the ongoing public hysteria about the scam infestation which is just as bad if not worse), the reputational damage is grim to contemplate.

 

At this point, I wish you'd go ahead and charge at the door. Let any FL who wants access to the platform pay a monthly subscription, choosing from a couple of tiers that include different quantities of connects. Continue selling additional connects as now. Reduce UW's cut of the first $500 with a client from 20% to 10%. Offer a discounted monthly subscription rate to any FL who keeps previous-12-months income above a certain threshold that is specific to their category (much like the "large" project thresholds for the TR+ badge differ by category). 

 

 

Seriously, I did'nt like it!  As of expertise concerned this top list bidding little annoying when send a proposal. The qaulity work client is needed nuthing more! Thanks

roberty1y
Community Member

Some reasonable suggestions there, but the best thing would be to leave the connects system alone, except stop awarding them for interviews, as this is wide open to abuse. The scam situation deserves urgent action, regardless of how much publicity it gets in the forums.

This is the worst @Robert. Getting connects after an interview is applauded. You loose more connects boosting, and you win some, after an interview. Especially for the new freelancers. 

a46af376
Community Member

Most of the jobs posted here are spam. I went ahead to check why some of my clients didn't hire me, even after an interview and guess what, they never hired anyone. So imagine boosting with 20 connects and then no hires, what happens to it connects. 

Godwin, you don't lose connects, you spend them. The way to get an acceptable return on your investment is by carefully targeting the projects you bid on (and submitting sharp proposals backed up by a powerful profile). The problem with awarding free connects to FLs who score interviews is that dishonest people are colluding with their friends to post fake jobs and then give each other interviews. It's clogging up the system and doing nothing to help clients find the best FLs for their projects or help qualified FLs find the best projects for their skill sets.

 

3a49d474
Community Member

Screenshot 2022-03-23 075925.png

Does this mean if a client doesn't interact with my proposal, I will get a refund(connects used for boosting the proposal)?

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Nirmal, 

 

We designed this feature to help you make the most out of your Connects. If you are owed a refund of Connects, you will be refunded for the entire amount you bid, then charged the correct amount. You can always check your Connects by going to Reports > Connects History.

 

Refunds are issued if:

  • You didn’t bid enough to make the top three spots at all. You’ll be refunded the amount of Connects you boosted, but not the amount of Connects it cost to submit a proposal.
  • You earned a boosted spot temporarily, but the client never interacted with your proposal and you were bumped out of the boosted spot before the auction closed. You’ll be refunded the amount of Connects you boosted, but not the amount of Connects it cost to submit a proposal. 
  • Your bid was above the third highest bidder. We’ll only charge you the lowest of the top three bidders and refund the rest. For example, you bid 10 Connects and the next highest bids are 8 and 7. All three of you will only pay 7 Connects to have your proposal promoted, meaning you’ll be refunded the 3 extra Connects you bid. This will display as a refund of the full amount you bid to boost (10) and then a charge of what you owe in the end (7). 

~ Avery
Upwork
petra_r
Community Member


Avery O wrote

We designed this feature to help you make the most out of your Connects.


Please...

 

Let's be honest here... "We designed this feature to squeeze extra money out of freelancers".

Let me just say, I am as shocked as you are, Petra. I always thought Upwork was a none profit organisation too, but who would’ve known they will turn out to be an evil money monster.

Upwork has never been a non-profit organization.

 

At least, not on purpose....

I Joined Upwork barely a year ago, Before the introduction of the boosted Proposal, I have not done many jobs since then. Well, I supported the boosted proposal the first time it came out, not until now. I have been observing my proposals for a while now. Before I can send 5 proposals and get a return in  2 and will get hired instantly. However, I have come to realize that I don't get viewed or hired when I don't boost my proposals enough as I get Boost outbid. and if I get over to see if the job was awarded to a client, I figured out 50% of the jobs I applied to was not awarded. no single hires. and some have stayed for 21 days the last view of the client was like  20 days etc.

 

So now I want to ask a few questions.

 

Will Upwork refund the extra boosted Connects?

For example, the original connect for the job is 6connects, if I apply with 20 connects which makes it 26, do I get the 20 connects back if there is no hire(s) and I don't get outbid?

The boosting thing is awful. As for your question, I doubt very much that you get extra the number of connects you used boost back under any circumstances.

Yeah, this BOOSTED stuff is an absolute failure. It may make them more money, not sure, but in no way helps us freelancers. My jobs have gone DOWN since the boosted thing happen and I'm at 100% rated.

Just wanted to say that I think Upwork's new feature of boosting the proposal is unnecessary and is created only to generate some extra revenue.

I really think that we should file a petition or something to get this one removed. This is the equivalent of pay to win in games. The more fortunate ones will always have an unfair advantage over the ones who don't enjoy that luxury.

I have used the feature but always out of fear that I won't get any job without it.

What do you guys think about this feature?

I agree with you. You are Right

f9090999
Community Member

From applying to jobs for free , To buying connects to apply , To throwing connects at boosting your proposals ! 

And then they say "We designed this feature to help you make the most out of your Connects". 

OK ! 

Have a look at this , Looks like a casino 

moonraker
Community Member


Avery O wrote:

 

We designed this feature to help you make the most out of your Connects.



This doesn't make sense.

How does it help me get more from my connects when my hard-earned TR+ badge and high JSS are being devalued?

Exactly!

crart
Community Member

"We designed this feature to help you make the most out of your Connects."

 

Sure thing... Are you sure Upwork is still connected to its freelancers that earn you money?  We actually DO know how to use our connects, thank you very much. Absolutely no need to hide greedy corpo techniques behind "we are here to help" illusions.

 

Since I do not receive replys from Upwork, this is probably just another exercise in futility. However, I am at a loss as to understand how this is a benefit in any way to the freelancers. I only see this is a benefit to Upwork. Obvioulsy I am missing the logic here, so can Upwork please explain this to me?

Hi Jeanne,

 

When we tested this feature previously we learned that boosted proposals are helping freelancers succeed. For example, those who won one of three boosted slots for a job in our test group had a 37% higher chance of being hired, with the highest bidder enjoying a 43% boost in their chance of being hired. So this feature is intended to help freelancers make the most out of their Connects and get noticed by potential clients. 


Cheers,
Mike


Mike J wrote:

Hi Jeanne,

 

When we tested this feature previously we learned that boosted proposals are helping freelancers succeed. For example, those who won one of three boosted slots for a job in our test group had a 37% higher chance of being hired, with the highest bidder enjoying a 43% boost in their chance of being hired. So this feature is intended to help freelancers make the most out of their Connects and get noticed by potential clients. 


That's one of the problems, "highest bidder enjoying a 43% boost in their chance of being hired".

The highest bidder, which has nothing to do with the most suitable.

Is this a marketplace or a lottery?


Marc C wrote:

Is this a marketplace or a lottery?


If it's a lottery, bad, I've never had any luck with it 😤

Thank you Mike for your response. I am quite sure being boosted gives a freelancer a better chance of being hired. The boost give the client the false impression that Upwork holds the boosted in higher esteem than non-boosted. Are you going to post that the boosts are nothing but paid advertising?

 

The platform runneth over with scams - freelancers and clients. Why would Upwork make the situation even worse? Paid ads for freelancers with no skills, just what Upwork needs for their reputation. I receive many requests to rewrite a project already barely written by another Upwork freelancer. In mosts cases, the writers had absolutely no skills, none. Now clients can see even more frauds with boosted proposals. Does Upwork need the connect money that badly?

ljms
Community Member

It's funny that you ask for feedback because you clearly never listen to your user base lmao 

sivavranagaro
Community Member

I was trying to find this topic. Well, it's very frustrating knowing that one has paid to get a bit up, but no matter what s/he gets down if there are more applicants who did the same. It's like a contest of who bids more to get up. Which in the end makes sense for Upwork, while it's inconvinient for people who want to land a job. It's not helping clients to filter out good quality from mediocre, it's rather who's more willing to pay s/he gets the visibility. 

____________
Don't correct my grammar!
cecilialat
Community Member

Really terrible decision.
I was out of searching for new jobs for a while because I was completing a long project, and when I came back here to submit my proposals the good thing I noticed was the disappearance of that stupid boosting system. Now, a few days later, you reintroduce this feature!
It only serves to give Upwork more connects and therefore encourage people to spend more money buying them. It does not help finding more jobs or, for the client, acquiring the best freelancer.

I will not send my proposals with the extra boosting connects and I encourage everyone else not to accept this inadequate system by boycotting it. Don't play their game, don't use the Boost! It will die out again eventually if no one uses it.


Cecilia L wrote:

It only serves to give Upwork more connects and therefore encourage people to spend more money buying them. It does not help finding more jobs or, for the client, acquiring the best freelancer.


I guess when Upwork decided to appoint a "Director of Monetization" that is what they appointed that person to come up with... I wonder what will get monetized next?

I'm not sure the so called "Director of Monetization" knows what monetization means. If they scare away the clients and freelancers I doubt they will be doing any monetization at all. And this ia all they seem to be doing lately.

 

I'll get the popcorn.

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