Marketplace Updates: Boosted Proposals and Connects

[ShannonL]

Two new Marketplace updates: 

1. Introduced a fourth slot in Boosted Proposals, increasing your chances of being noticed, while continuing to let clients see who is most interested in their job post.
2. Adjusted the range for the cost of Connects per job to better match the demand for jobs in the Marketplace.

Check out the product release for Marketplace Updates: Boosted Proposals and Connects and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

[glen-s]

People make errors of judgement that are genuine. Your repsonse was ill-considered and outright mean spirited. The bad guy here is the scammer, not the person who didn't follow some arbitrary rules on a freelancing platform. You no doubt enjoyed writing that post, as that seemed to really shine through in the text. Still, she's lost the money she worked hard for and you've been able to tell someone off, so I guess someone's a winner here in the end.

[m_terrazas]

My answer will be whatever you want, I'm not going to stop sleeping for it.

It is not an error of judgement. Like so many others, and there are many, too many, they come to Upwork, are not informed of how it works and they throw themselves headlong into sending proposals. Then they come to the forum complaining or claiming Upwork because they have been scammed.

Of course the bad guy is the scammer, we also see many who believe they will beat the scammer and move on.

The "arbitrary" rules you're referring to are the rules we've all agreed to follow when creating our profiles. Upwork can create whatever rules it wants and you, if you work through the portal, are forced to follow them and if you don't, you can get banned.

He hasn't lost any money, let's see if you understand, money has never existed. She decided to do everything wrong, presumably out of ignorance and thought that she had found her life's work ($3500 for typing some documents, nah).

I'm not glad she went through this, but it's what happens when you do things wrong.

And now, I hope you'll stop messing me and do something useful like help some freelancers. I will continue to do so to the extent that I can as I have done so far. Also scolding them, because due to all those who "fall" for scams is why we have a thousand and one rules that otherwise would not be necessary, as they were not some time ago.

[hoyle_editing]

Yes, people make genuine errors of judgement - an irrelevant fact.

Why sugar coat it? 

New freelancers coming to the platform unrestricted and breaking the rules is the very reason half the project boards are littered with scam job posts. 

You don't go back to the place you committed the crime and expect sympathy! 

Yes it's unfortunate, and a lesson to be learned, but a help forum is a place for advice and information. Not sympathy for getting burned when you break rules.

[glen-s]

I don't even know where to start with half the nonsense spouted in that post. Good god.

[hoyle_editing]

Yes it's hard to argue with facts.

Though just what you are trying to pass off as nonsense is another matter. You clearly have not seen the state of half the project posts over the last year or so.

[glen-s]

Calling a fact something based on a subjective point of view is quite something too. Guess it's the age we live in now. Curious to see how insane the next response could possibly be.

[hoyle_editing]

Well, the main 'fact' being talked about was...

New freelancers coming to the platform unrestricted and breaking the rules is the very reason half the project boards are littered with scam job posts. 

Upwork have very clearly stated that scammers only find success here when they are able to convince freelancers to move off the platform.

The fact I say it is predominantly freelancers new to the platform is because thats certainly how it seems when you look at the endless posts in the forum from new freelancers that have just been scammed, or just about to get scammed. I admit I dont have exact figures to back that up from Upwork, though common sense would be enough for most people on this!

Pehaps you think that the scammers would continue posting jobs for 'fun' even if they were completely unsuccessful and never found any victims?

or

perhaps you dont agree that the majority of these scam cases are freelancers that are new to the platform?

Either way, fact or not its common sense and something that only you seem to be arguing about!

[fcca14]

Dont ever do that again,

better to get complete guidance from Upwork Academy, a link on right probably bottom side of your UW page...

always have a milestine created , and check the Report tab to see amount has been deposited in Escrow,
(you should get this info from guidelines)

never share your email or password,

after having some good experience you will be able to try to figure out which posted jobs seem genuine, which fake, and lets say how much amount would be for a particular type of work remember, teh easy the job, more competition, and very less amount (if the job is Genuine).

Only break any freelancing channel's rules, TOS etc. if you really dont wanna work there.

[giana314]

Is anyone also turned off by the connect bidding? 

I find it more and more when sending proposals to potential clients but all it does really, is make us spend more money to buy connects. Does anyone else agree? 

[acec2609]

Good fitback

[hassanmushtaq587]

Hi Community,

Every feature has its pros & cons. Upwork boosting system might look unfavorable to many freelancers but it might be useful for many freelancers in getting more projects. I want to know your perspective in this regard. What do you think about Upwork boosting system?

Your participation is highly appreciated.

[d69aae40]

Upwork boosting system is a feature that allows new Upwork freelancers to showcase their skills and experience in specific industries to get potential clients. By boosting their proposals, they can increase their chances of getting noticed and hired. However, this feature may also be misused by some freelancers who do not have the required qualifications or expertise. Therefore, there are pros and cons of using the boosting system.

But overall, I think it is beneficial.

[lbooth]

I highly dislike it and feel as though it was put in place to punish older freelancers and keep their proposals from being brought to the attention of possible clients. I have used it now a few times and received no benefit from its use, as I cannot afford to spend upward of 25-50 connects to get my proposal in front of a potential client. If I use them and then am outbid, what happens to my proposal? Can the client still see it? Are you ONLY showing them boosted proposals?

If so, is that not limiting the client to freelancers who can afford to waste that many connects on one proposal, even if they aren't the best, most qualified provider?

I put a lot of thought and work into my proposals. I am not getting anything back for them. Not even views. Boosted or not.

[hassanmushtaq587]

You got a point. What if the new freelancers do not have much investment for boosting? Will they back off?

[josefina_hansson]

I think boosting is terrible. There needs to be a limit as sometimes I see jobs being boosted like 50 connects at the first place. It's ridiculous, it's like experience doesn't matter anymore.  

[hassanmushtaq587]

I think you're right. But limitation will not resolve the issue. However, leveraging new freelancers somehow can balance the situation.

[raj_sankar]

If Upwork has unilatelly incraesaed the connect price but they failed to compensate the freelancers with monthly connect which is applied at time of renew of membership, Ideally they should have increased that from 80 to 160 according to me and make this win-win for all! 

[raj_sankar]

Another observation, there has been significant incrased on dummy job and client's where payment is not verified or no history in upwork! Upwrok should build some guadrail to protech freelancers in using their precious connect in such scams! 

[m_terrazas]

If freelancers read the TOS and follow the basic rules (which many don't), they will be safe from most scammers.
There is also information on the forums about this, a lot. Among other things this post from a fellow freelancer:

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Community-Blog/Top-Red-Flags-for-Scams-From-Community-Member-Wes-C/b...

Regarding the precious connects, they will be returned to you if Upwork deletes the work for scam.
And another thing, your profile should be of you, not of a "team". That's what agencies exist for.

[j_leftwich]

This seems fairly unsustainable for a post with 20 to 50 proposals...but maybe I'm underestimating how much contractors want to spend to apply for jobs. 

It's a little wild to me that Upwork has monetized job posting so effectively. The incentives are totally in the wrong direction, of course -- clients who post a job and then never hire are just making money for Upwork, so they'd lose money if they tried to limit or curtail that behavior, even though it's a significant waste of contractor time and money.

[c9d36a25]

New to the platform, but my immediate question is whether clients *care* about the freelancers' bids? If I were a client, I'd want to find the person that seemed the best for the job, not the person who paid the platform the most to get their proposal in front of my eyes! Does anyone have an impression of his important being a to bidder actually is?

If it's actually critical, I may never get any jobs 😞

[tlsanders]

I don't think anyone HIRES someone because they boosted. But, most proposals are never opened, and boosting can make it more likely that the client sees the proposal. 

[j_leftwich]

Yeah, I think that sounds right, which is fine, on its own. It's the bidding-into-a-void-on-ghost-postings that I have a reservation about.

Honestly, higher cost to propose proabably *benefits* me, all things being equal -- but looking at...$5 or so per proposal is definitely causing me to reconsider the time/spend compared to other methods of finding leads/clients.

[rjbstudios]

I've seen those $5 proposals. Which is an absolute joke!! 5 bucks for a project that would take at least 6 hours to do. And UpWork takes out a percentage. And people do bid. Usually from Pakistan, India or SE Asian countries.

[sh_jyoti]

That's what I used to think too. But, I'm from India, and currently there is high inflation, high unemployment rate, and middle-class people are generally struggling to maintain a decent living. It is highly unlikely that people will spend so much money just to boost a proposal. How can we be sure that these boosts are coming from genuine freelancers and not a business tactic to force established freelancers to boost their proposals?

[pepitabos]

When on the client side of Upwork, I actually tell freelancers in my job post not to bother with Boosting, because I will check all proposals. It's a great selection criterion as well, because when they do boost, I know they haven't read the post and I decline their proposal immediately.

[530c317f]

I absolutely agree with you John. It appears that we are participating in a competition without the prospect of earning any rewards, merely expending our resources to be part of the competition. This situation is inherently unfair. Therefore, I urge Upwork to take necessary measures to either eliminate this unhealthy competition or provide us with a guarantee of receiving the rewards we rightfully deserve.

In the interest of fairness and transparency, it is imperative for Upwork to address this issue promptly. As dedicated freelancers, we invest our time, effort, and finances into competing for opportunities on the platform. However, the current state of affairs undermines our confidence and hampers our ability to derive the benefits we seek. Therefore, I strongly urge Upwork to intervene and ensure that this situation is rectified.

[tlsanders]

Can you explain what rewards you think you rightly deserve?

[530c317f]

This is not certain that we will get the job if boost our proposal. So why did Upwork add this boosting option? Upwork should make sure if someone boosts for a job and if he not get hired or is not called for an interview, they will get their connects back. 

[fd1a3637]

But why? It's your choice to boost connects. If it's not worth the gamble, simply don't do it.

[530c317f]

Please see the reply of Jyoti above. We're facing the same situation in our country. 

[hoyle_editing]

It wont work, trust me they wont do it!

I took out 3 TV adverts this week at a huge financial cost. each advert was different...

• The first...
  This one was just a reasonable advert made with the facilities i have available, I was pleased with the finished product but when it played in the adverts of the show i requested to have an edvert on everyone presumably left the room to make a cup of tea, so no one saw it, even though it played! - They wouldnt refund me!
• The second.....
  This one was an epic commercial, i collaborated with some of the best filmhouses in the industry to create an advert that was truely breathtaking in visual prowess and storytelling! I got LOADS of great feedback about how good the advert was, but didnt get a single job from it - They wouldnt refund me!
• The third.....
  The last advert I enlisted the help of my 9 and 11 year old kids, to be honest it was really pretty poor and did not give potential clients the information they really should have received. Unsuprisingly no-one called! - Still NO refund!!!

As you can see no matter if its a good advert, a poor advert or something inbetween, if you py to have an advertisement you are paying for the opportunity to gain clients. Its not the broadcasting companies responsibility to ensure my adverts will gain traction and get work. In the same way its not Upworks.

You CHOOSE to send a proposal to a client. Upwork cant force them to read it (they might find the person they want on the first proposal they read anyway, so why would they read the rest).

They could look at a few and decide there is to much rubbish and go elsewhere, which is understandable and not something Upwork can or should police.

If you dont want to risk money, dont bid on jobs, dont pay to advertise anywhere and you will be good!

[j_leftwich]

---

As you can see no matter if its a good advert, a poor advert or something inbetween, if you py to have an advertisement you are paying for the opportunity to gain clients. Its not the broadcasting companies responsibility to ensure my adverts will gain traction and get work. In the same way its not Upworks.

---

I think the trouble here is that Upwork makes more money if there are more job posts that never hire. That's a perverse incentive to overall marketplace quality.

I don't actually have a problem spending money (connects) for leads, which is the value prop here: Upwork (on the contractor side) is a lead-generation service, so the quality of the leads (and how they're qualified) is pretty important.

[hoyle_editing]

Yes, I must admit there does seem to be some profiteering happening from the behemoth of scam and fake jobs that don't get taken down. Sadly Upwork seem to be getting away with it unquestioned which means we need to be more vigilant about jobs applied to. The open door policy for new freelancers also plays to this as new users won't expect a reputable company to engage in such conduct!

I would be happy to pay significantly more to submit a proposal if all the decent clients hadn't already jumped ship. Sadly I  honestly think they are just commoditising what they can on a sinking ship regardless of moral or legal obligations.

[hoyle_editing]

That makes no sense - there would be no point in bidding, or EVERYONE would bid as they would know they will get connects back. Like it or not, the whole point of the system is to offer a way to increase the chances of being top of the list. 

Personally I dont like the boost system and think they should remove it altogether, but whilst it is here I am happy to just not use it and not risk loosing any connects from it. simple.

[j_leftwich]

This is fine but neither of these really addresses the lack of incentives to ensure job post quality. The more job posts, the more money Upwork collects; there's a perverse incentive to do any mitigation of that signal/noise problem. Spending $5 to $10 to apply to jobs that mostly aren't actually hiring is definitely leading me to spend time looking elsewhere for clients / lead aquisition, and to consider my long-term presence on Upwork.

[16370782]

They should really have connects limitations. How can job for 10$ cost 16 connects? You literally pay 2.4$ in connects to send proposal and then they take additional 1$ provision and there is also VAT. They rip off almost 50%. In my opinion all jobs under 100$ shouldn't cost more than 6 connects, no matter how eastablished the client is. This only motivates me to search for jobs elsewhere, luckily upwork isn't only freelancing for platform and with this rip offs they won't keep their reputation as the best anymore.

[c1125fa0]

Nice 

[9a8148ff]

Upwork team, this isnt working. The increase in Connect costs from the smallest of jobs and up, alongside the daily deduction of a Connect even to keep the 'available' notice open, on top of the increased competition due to the growing digital working world, is making this platform more and more undesirable. We are paying more, and being viewed by clients less. The "plus" upgrade that provides 80 connects is now gone before a week is over, as jobs that were once 3+ connects, now start at 12 or 16. Not sustainable. The benefit of using the Upwork platform is decreasing more and more as the fees paid to the platform via Connects continue to increase. Please change this to continue being a place for a wide range of freelancers actually benefit from. When I started here 2 years ago, I appreciated Upworks open communications and seeming desire to really benefit both sides of the freelance-client community, but now it seems to be more focused on getting money for itself. As I can see from the posts, many of us are now starting to look at other options. Its very disappointing.

[mattswork]

I have been on Upwork for a few years now and have had a pretty good track record of getting jobs based on my portfolio and abilities. However, once Upwork included the "bidding" option, the number of jobs I get has been drastically cut. It is becoming a financial burden to try and get work because you have to bid so high for your applications to even be noticed. How does everyone else feel about this?