Trying to land first client. I'm not getting any responses on my proposals

[v_stokes]

Hello, 

I'm new to Upwork. I've carefully selected clients and spent time and effort really tailoring my proposals to them. I'm a senior writer and editor by trade and I've 6 years of experience in this industry, working across a number of national titles. I'm applying for jobs I'm more than qualified to do but I'm not getting anywhere. 

I've put a lot of effort into my proposals and can say with some confidence that they were strong and showcased my suitablity for the project. I've also put quite a bit of work into my profile, and have included my previous work in the portfolio section. Can anyone help me? Where am I going wrong? Or is it just really hard landing your first client? 

Thanks, 

Victoria 

[colettelewis]

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Victoria S wrote:

Hello, 

I'm new to Upwork. I've carefully selected clients and spent time and effort really tailoring my proposals to them. I'm a senior writer and editor by trade and I've 6 years of experience in this industry, working across a number of national titles. I'm applying for jobs I'm more than qualified to do but I'm not getting anywhere. 

I've put a lot of effort into my proposals and can say with some confidence that they were strong and showcased my suitablity for the project. I've also put quite a bit of work into my profile, and have included my previous work in the portfolio section. Can anyone help me? Where am I going wrong? Or is it just really hard landing your first client? 

Thanks, 

Victoria 

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Hi Victoria,

It does take a while to get traction on Upwork. Just two things I would suggest: in your overview, I feel you could cut out superlative descriptions (even if they are true) such as "thousands" and "tens of thousands" and use more manageable words like "many" or "considerable".  This is just my impression and I am sure others will add their two cents too. Keep your proposals short and grab your client's attention in the first three lines. That is all they see initially. Don't waste real estate by describing your education in those lines, for example. Cut to the chase.   

But most importantly, with your education and experience, you are not asking nearly enough. You should up your fee to at least $30,00 an hour, and you may well find you will land the sort of job and client you are (should be) looking for. 

Also don't forget - everybody is scrambling for work during this pandemic, so it may take more time than usual. Don't give up and good luck. 

[v_stokes]

Thank you so much for that! I did initially have my fee higher but when I didn't get any tractions after a number of proposals I lowered it to see if it would make any difference. I have put it back to $30 now. 

I'll keep honing my proposals and keep trucking on. I know it's very competitive right now with everyone hoping to get work during the pandemic, so I'll try exercising a little more patience and hopefully I'll get there eventually. 

Thanks for your help! 

[robin_hyman]

I agree with Nichola and to add what she wrote, you sound like a jack-of-all-trades writer.  There are obviously niches you enjoy more than others.  Those are the ones you should specialize in, not "all".  Focus on specific industries and writing styles.  Then target the job posts mentioning those industries.  You may have better luck.

Too many writers joining the platform in the past couple of weeks.  Everyone is experienced and talented.  

[v_stokes]

Thank you for that! I think you're right - I've covered all the rounds, but I think I'll start searching for my strongest niches and hopefully I'll have more success there. It's a hugely competitive time as far as I can tell but I'll keep trying. Thanks for your help! 

[baef4b76]

Hello, Miss Victoria... and welcome to the Platform.

I was you about three months ago. I haven't practiced copywriting professionally since 2006 and all the pieces in my portfolio are at least that old, so I came onto Upwork with no credentials other than what I can rightfully brag about. (Hire me! I'm awesome!)

So I was accepted to the platform in late January. I glanced back at my connects history and it looks like I've applied to a total of 28 jobs. I didn't keep track, I just made it a point to apply to three or four jobs at once and wait a few days. 

Of those 28 proposals, 10 were accepted. One of them is a repeat client. Some of them were borderline demeaning, $5 for a single article while another was a sweet ghostwriting contract for $500.00. 

This is ground covered in two months and three days with Upwork being my side hustle. If I'm looking at your info right, you just joined Upwork today.  Unless I'm mistaken that you joined the FORUM today. 

Even if you joined a week ago, the first lesson I learned on here is how unpredictable the turnaround time on a proposal is. A few folks I heard back from the day of, others took in excess of a week to look me up.

So the work is here. But it's going to take investing in extra connects and rainstorms of proposals. At least 3-4 proposals a day. I'm not about to replace the day job on here just yet, but the law of averages will reward you if you stay up late hunting listings and setting aside some spare change for the platform's currency of connects. 

All the best to you. We're both fledglings on here, so let's become the next set of people that write articles on Medium titled "How I made 2k on Upwork in BLA BLA BLA Days."