I bookmarked this page back in 2016 or 2017 and still use it to this day to compare different email versions.

Obviously you can easily create one yourself, but why do it when @neilpatel already did?

https://neilpatel.com/ab-testing-calculator/

Upwork's messages app sends you a phone notification like 15 minutes after you receive a message.

I rely on my phone for urgent notifications, so I often miss important messages.

By contrast, Fiverr sends you a notification the same second you receive the message.

It's hilarious just how poorly done the messages app is like a decade since they launched it.

Upwork client communication tip:

If you need the client to email you or add you as a user to a platform, take the extra 2 seconds to type out your email again.

Even if you've sent it before, you'll save them the time it takes to search for it in messages or their inbox.

I highly recommend recording your initial Upwork client calls and then running the recording through an AI tool like Otter.

Have a client right now who hired me and then disappeared for 3 weeks. Now that he's back, I barely remember what the project is even about - and the Upwork recording has expired.

Not the first time it's happened. Clearly, I don't learn from my mistakes - but doesn't mean you can't 😅

I do sometimes give a discount on my Upwork rate

Videos in Upwork proposals are great (I don't have access to the native feature yet, so I use Loom), but only if YOU are good on video.

Do you normally make a good impression on video calls with clients? Then taking the time to record quick video proposals can make a huge difference.

If not though, best to keep it to the written word.

If you're going to follow up with an Upwork client, please don't write "Hi" or "How are you?" and please do not add more periods than necessary.

Instead, write "Hey Name, just following up." 2 times is probably the sweet spot, more than 3 is too much for sure.

Being able to learn quickly is one of the most important skills to quickly growing your career as a freelancer.

I had no idea what I was doing when I started on #Upwork. Figured it out as I went.

Learning new skills fast & pivoting is what brought me to where I am now.

Someone I know who's an IT veteran registered on Upwork and got a $60/hr project right out of the gate.

He had done a very similar project in the past + when you talk to him, you have no doubt he knows this stuff inside and out.

Real expertise and samples win every day.

If you haven't heard from me in a while, my apologies. Busy past few months.

Will be back to posting and responding to messages on Monday. Might take some time to get through the backlog though.

I keep going back and forth on Upwork ads. I think they work now, but see for yourself:

July: Algorithm change cuts my profile views (and thus invitations & DMs) in half.

September: I turn on ads, first at 10 connects/click, then at 15.

December: I turn the ads off because my profile views haven't changed at ALL from them and the invites/DMs I was getting were trash.

January: My worst month ever, pretty much no invites, no DMs, no consults. Dry as bone.

Last week: I turn on ads again, 20 connects/click. Right away start getting tons of invites, DMs, and even a consult booking. These are high-quality leads, not like before.

So I'm not sure if the issue was with the pricing level or just the algorithm keeps changing.

But basically it looks like my profile is dead unless I pay money.

Which is fine if I get good-quality leads, which I currently am.

Let's see if this continues.

Most online courses suck (with rare exceptions).

Want to be an expert in a topic? Find one of the very top freelancers on Upwork and grab a consultation.

It'll cost you as much as a good online course (sometimes even less) and you'll get a lot more out of it.

Just make sure you prepare well ahead of time, write down your questions, think about what you want to discuss.

Also, don't do this if you're an absolute beginner. You don't want a top industry expert teaching you where to click.

Instead, learn the ropes, identify the things you don't understand/could improve, THEN go to the expert.

Every time I've done this it really upgraded my Upwork skillset.

How do you find an expert?

I look for the following:

1/ High hourly rate ($150+) - in some industries this may need to be even higher

2/ LOTS of earnings on Upwork ($500K+)

3/ Work history & current contracts showing that they're actually getting work at that rate. Some people earn that much money at $30/hr and then jack up their hourly rate.

4/ Lots of currently ongoing contracts (meaning they're still in the industry)

5/ Case studies in their portfolio showing they're getting clients results.

6/ Good reviews, obviously. Browse by their worst reviews to see what people say.

It seems like Upwork no longer drives invitations & DMs your way unless you pay.

I'm fine with that. Businesses have to pay to get in front of clients, it's kinda the way things are nowadays.

But I'd really love some more insights into the pricing, effectiveness, etc. I feel like a blind person staggering around the room and figuring things out by touch.

Give us an ads center, Meta-style (or better).

If you're new to Upwork, your profile matters only as far your title and photo go. Plus maybe keywords.

Don't expect invitations. 99% of what comes your way at that early stage is scam or slave labor.

Your focus should be on writing awesome proposals instead.

Freelancers are selling a service. They need to find buyers. They need to invest (time or money) to learn new skills to offer new (more profitable) services. They can also scale by outsourcing.

If that sounds less like employment and more like owning a business, it's because it is.

In my experience, approaching freelancing like employment is one of the most common mistakes freelancers make. Making that assumption causes you to make all sorts of wrong decisions.

Considering yourself to be a business and reading advice related to that is how you grow as a freelancer.

In the hourly vs fixed contract debate, I'm firmly in the "whatever makes sense for you" boat.

Some freelancers offer a service that's standard for every single client. It's easy to do it as a fixed price project.

My Upwork contracts vary so much from client to client that it's next to impossible to create a standard price, so I definitely prefer hourly.

Even when I do fixed-price, I have to do a custom quote each time. And even then, the project usually changes 5 times while we're doing it, making the quote useless.

I think profile boosting ads are worth it for high-end freelancers like myself, but not so much for beginners.

I get very few clicks per impressions (40-60 impressions to get 1 click) because my rate is very high, but the people who do click almost always either DM, invite, or schedule a consult.

I'm seeing something like a 80% conversion rate.

It makes sense. Cheap clients won't click on me, but ones looking for top quality will. My profile is impressive and converts well at that point.

Plus, each client is worth a lot to me.

So paying 20, 30, 40, heck even 100 connects per click is very much worth it for me.

But if you're a beginner, you'll still need to compete in the ad auction and spend a lot of connects, but your conversion rate will be a lot poorer and your clients won't be as profitable.

Doesn't seem worth it.

Getting an Upwork invite doesn't guarantee you a job. You need to put in effort into that proposal too.

I highly recommend videos.

If you're not sometimes (or often!) saying "no" to potential Upwork clients, you're freelancing wrong.

A funny (but super beneficial) use of Grok I've discovered: asking for instructions on how to use other AI tools.

Because Grok is up-to-date, it can tell you about features added literally today.

One weird thing I've noticed with all AI tools (Grok included) is that they often give the wrong answer about what they're able to do it.

I've had chatGPT and Grok both tell me they can't create images, for example. Or not know about a button on their interface.

But since Grok does internet searches to give you an answer about other AI tools, it usually gives accurate information.

I'm not sure if it's the best AI tool overall like Elon claims it is, but it's miles ahead of other tools when it comes to explaining how to use other software or researching the best platform for a specific use.