Tips To Becoming A Freelance Writer On Upwork
Do you enjoy writing? Are you looking to begin a career in freelance writing and wish to work independently? If yes, becoming an online freelance writer can be a perfect career choice for you.
There are plenty of opportunities you can leverage while working as a freelance writer, even if you want to go full time or take it as a side hustle. For instance, you can decide to work based on your interest, strength, eligibility, favorable time and still create time to grow your skills. Also, freelancers can control their earnings while they build their career profiles.
There are several online platforms and websites where you can make money and harness your writing skills. Websites like FlexJobs, Upwork and others like these have been curated to help the freelance writer with potential online gigs.
Our focus today is upwork.com. This happens to be one of the most trusted sites to help you as a freelance writer make enough money. There are a good number of people who earn money writing for Upwork.com and it’s a perfect platform for new freelance writers to kick start their career. While there is a great potential to make a full-time income from just this site, you certainly have to know what you’re doing and how to work your way up the ladder.
What is Upwork.com?
Upwork is a hiring platform connecting businesses—to high-quality independent pros and specialized agencies. It gives freelancers the opportunity to get the knowledge and security that you can execute work on time and on-budget.
Clients in various industries in search of freelance workers go to Upwork.com to post job listings. They enter details of the job, which mostly includes the price they offer and the scope of work to be done. Freelancers also use this platform to post their profiles and let clients and potential clients know what types of jobs they can accomplish. The freelance workers can search the job listings and place bids on jobs. The client has the liberty to select one or more freelancers and give them the job. Once completed, the freelancer is paid for the job and the client and freelancer can leave each other feedback.
With Upwork, you can choose to work from home, coffee shop or anywhere comfortable with active internet access and power.
Why Use Upwork?
As a Freelance writer, you can use Upwork to seek ongoing job offers to provide a steady flow of income. The money from the client is kept as a pledge until the job is completed, thereby providing security for the writer that he or she will be paid.
Another benefit of using this site is that you don’t have to go job hunting through ads to find writing gigs. Thousands of jobs are posted and it is possible to find clients who require your services and will offer you steady work.
It’s worth noting that the competition for job listings is high so you will have to bolster your profile and work history to secure jobs.
Tips To Using Upwork
- Work on Your Profile: Upwork possesses over ten million freelancers waiting to get jobs and about half that number in clients. These numbers alone show you there is work to be found there. Thousands of writers sign up for an Upwork account daily, but only a little number of them become successful. The mistake most people make when applying to Upwork is not adding adequate information to their profile. Many times, writers only fill out the basic information needed and go on to search for jobs. Before submitting a proposal for a job you are interested in, be sure your profile is a solid representation of who you are and what you can offer to the client.
For a start you must make sure 3 things are in place:
- You should have known what your rates and charges should be
- Know your niche and area of specialization you want to work in (i.e. copywriting, SEO, white papers, technical writing, etc.)
- Possess multiple skills you can showcase on your profile and varied experience levels
- Start Looking for Jobs: Finding a job on Upwork is easy. Immediately you log in to the platform, it will show you the newest job listings for the categories you have chosen. These are the ones you would have to pay the most attention to since they most likely haven’t gotten too many applicants yet. Decide what type of searches or you can set a certain time each day to look for work. This would help you become consistent with your visit to the site. At the start, you should apply to any job you believe you could do. Once you can secure a few jobs, you can be more selective. If you want to earn more on Upwork, you will need to be able to spot and ignore offers not worth your time.
- Repeatedly adjust your rates when you have enough work: When you get job offers, they will be more in the range with what you want to earn. So to earn more, you will have to time after time, increase your rates and expected pay. However, you can still bid below the amount you imputed and accept jobs for lower pay if you choose.
- Apply to Jobs Using Unique Pitches: What you can do is open every listing you are interested in within new tabs. Then, take your time to go through the job description and requirements once more, paying attention to the following:
What requirements do they require?
What makes you a perfect candidate for that listing
How can you show you understand what they need?
Here, it’s crucial that you put effort into every pitch you send. This is because it boosts your odds of securing the job. Writing client pitches is an art form in and of itself, so if you’re new to the process, I recommend you check out this article.
- Don’t give up: The secret to creating wealth and making a real living on Upwork can be narrowed down to two things: “Persistence and time.” Upwork can be inundating, but the right job comes to those who are always willing to not stop pursuing new opportunities.
Conclusion: Earning a steady income with Upwork is not only a possibility, but it is also a fact proven for many writers. If you work hard enough to be consistent, to build a reputation on this site and follow these tips, you are on your way to becoming a full-time freelance writer. If you’re patient and make a necessary effort to submit great pitches, it can become a trustworthy source of income for you.
