Boosting - to boost, or not to boost?

[#1]

About this Boosting --

What is your opinion?

 We generate revenue from both talent and clients, with a majority of our revenue generated from service fees charged to talent for access to our work marketplace, Upwork 10-K Feb 15 ,2022.

[#2]

A system created *only* for Upwork's cash machine. I've seen proposals with freelancers bidding over 30 connects! if you take out the cost of connects + Upwork's % fee, then the revenue is actually not worthy. And sends an horrible message to the clients, that think that if you don't boost, you're not as interested on their project.

Well done, Upwork!

[#3]

welcome to the hunger games!

[#4]

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Andrea P wrote:

And sends an horrible message to the clients, that think that if you don't boost, you're not as interested on their project.

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Many people think it's the other way round - if you boost, you are desperate.

[#5]

First of all, the stats. The boosted proposals have more success because you personally boosted them for the fact that they are more relevant to you. So you hand picked the ones that have more relevance and boosted them. This doesnt mean boosting gave you the success. 

Second, some person on upwork thought this is a good idea so it got developed and released. But who has the final say? Primarily freelancers. So if you keep on using it, they will say its a huge success. If not they will turn it off. Actually they may pretend its a huge success for a while until they give up 🙂 

Personally i have never boosted so far. Because i know it won't get me into a better position. It may change from person to person though, based on how you'd like to market yourself

[#6]

Seen a project yesterday with 80,75, & 60 as the top boost.

I haven't boosted in a while but I contacted support asking to be refunded all of the connects I wasted on the feature. I suggest anyone who's used the feature & hates it to do the same. 

[#7]

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Brandon M wrote:

Seen a project yesterday with 80,75, & 60 as the top boost.

Wonderful! 

They allowed us to bid to get the top spot for our proposals. 

Then they showed us the connects needed for the top 3 placements...

Now the only "feature" missing to make this a perfect system is to allow us to raise our "bet" or bid by adding more connects after initially boosting...so if someone outbids a proposal we should be allowed to raise our "bet or bid ...:) Can't wait for this ...

[#8]

So...you contacted customer support and said, "I repeatedly made what I now consider to have been a bad decision, entirely of my own volition. Please protect me from the consequences of my own choices."?

[#9]

Do you think clients are considering boosted proposals over nonboosted? I'm hugely confused about the best way to go. I'm finding myself spending a lot on connects now, when I typically don't need to ever buy more connects as part of my membership. I usually have more connects than I need, and now I run out weekly. I'm not seeing a lot of difference in my interviews. 

[#10]

I am definitely seeing boosted proposals viewed at a much higher rate than non-boosted.

But, since the ability to see how many proposals were opened is new, it's impossible to say whether this represents a change over the pre-boost era.

[#11]

I've been boosting my proposals not to compensate my lack of experience but I was thinking that if there's a higher chance for my proposal to be seen then the clients will see I am very qualified for the job. Also I prefered to spend 30-50 connects on a bigger job for which I felt that I am a very good fit instead of applying to a lot of jobs.

Turned out it was a waste of time and money. I boosted my proposal on job posts for which I already have the work done from the past and I could deliver results within minutes and I didn't even got a reply.

Here are my Proposals stats.

If with my profile I have a hard time finding a good job then I don't want to be in the shoes of a new freelancer on Upwork.

The question is: did Upwork changed something to 'hide' more the non-boosted proposals? What are my chances to be seen with a non-boosted proposal now* compared to back in the times when this system was not implemented.

*Lets say if we ignore the top 3 boosted proposals which a client sees first.

[#12]

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Paul Eugen R wrote:

Turned out it was a waste of time and money. I boosted my proposal on job posts for which I already have the work done from the past and I could deliver results within minutes and I didn't even got a reply.

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The stats in your screen grab seem to tell a different story - your boosted proposals were viewed more often and you got more interviews compared to your non-boosted proposals. Seven out of your 8 interviews were a result of boosted proposals? If I were getting results like that (which I'm not), I'd keep boosting.

[#13]

I don't boost and since the boosting thing was brought in my attitude to Upwork has gone downhill considerably. I have proposed 1 job recently, didn't boost and got the contract, but I believe the proposal was key. 

I refuse to get involved in a race to 1000 connects for a job.

I noticed that Upwork only allows you to buy 80 boosts now, it used to be much more, I wonder why that is.

[#14]

Upwork milking the cow to the fullest 🤣

 totally not cool lol

[#15]

Hello Upwork, 

It has become worst since the boost feature comes in the action.  Please remove this feature. Connects were perfectly fine. 

[#16]

The boosting feature is one of the worst things I have ever seen in my 15-year experience on odesk/upwork.

Despite being top-rated plus, and thus not being the last kid on the block, I can't get a job anymore as my proposals are never ever seen as they are surpassed by fools who go all-in and waste 60 to 100 connects to boost. 

I understand that upwork "needs" the money, but they should instead trying to limit their costs if they want to rise their revenue, their 20% fee seems to me sky-high already, and this is not counting the clients' fees. It's not like freelancer must always pay for others...it works like that with government already

[#17]

I've been a member of upwork since 2015.  I think the boosting idea is completely ridiculous.  I am a freelancer and I also hire freelancers.  I do not hire someome who has boosted.  Why is this needed.  I am thinking of leaving UpWork because of this ridiculous idea.  They should remove it from the process for sure.