How To Make Money On Upwork In 2024 (A Beginner's Guide)

There are many ways to make money on Upwork as a freelancer, whether you're an experienced writer or just starting out working from home.

Freelancers can set flexible hours, work at a fixed price or hourly rate, and develop a list of high-paying clients who require regular work.

In this article, we'll break down the various ways to earn money on Upwork, from creating a compelling profile to fostering networks of professional contacts.

What Is Upwork?

Before we explore in detail how to make money on Upwork and develop a thriving freelancing career, let's break down exactly what the platform offers its users.

First and foremost, Upwork is a job board where freelancers can apply for a variety of projects and positions and communicate with prospective clients.

New jobs are posted daily on Upwork, and there are openings around the world covering all types of industries and languages.

The Upwork platform can be accessed from anywhere, and while some of the jobs posted are location-dependent, many clients are happy to work with international freelancers.

Freelance writers can search for particular jobs based on their niche or experience and view a general list of recently uploaded jobs.

How Does Upwork Work?

Upwork is widely regarded as one of the best freelancer websites where you can find jobs and develop a full-time income as you work remotely.

When you begin using Upwork, you'll be required to set up a profile and share your work experience, level of education, and other basic information.

You'll then be able to send proposals to prospective clients, sharing a cover letter and other relevant examples of their work.

Competing with other freelancers, you can set your hourly rates or apply for fixed-price projects, liaising with clients who take you on for their projects.

Once you've completed an assignment, Upwork pays a direct deposit to your payment method of choice, such as a bank account or PayPal account.

Upwork makes money by taking a cut of your earnings, too, so these rates also need to be factored into your rates, whether for fixed-price projects or an hourly rate.

For the first $500 you bill clients, they will take 20%, with 10% of total billings for up to $10,000 and 5% for client billings that exceed $10,000.

Make sure you do the math when negotiating your rates with clients so Upwork's fees are considered, and you know what amount you'll actually take home.

How Much Can You Earn On Upwork?

Whether you're looking for the best freelance jobs for beginners or have plenty of experience writing content marketing, there's plenty of scope on Upwork.

Upwork offers two primary membership plans each freelance writer can choose from, with the free Basic Plan and the Plus Plan at $14.99 per month.

By signing up for the Plus Plan, freelance writers can open up additional methods for contacting new clients and increase their own visibility on the platform.

There's potentially no limit to how much you can earn on Upwork, with the average freelance salary on the platform set at around $33 per hour.

It's also commonplace for freelancers to continue to increase their revenue stream through Upwork over time as their reputation and client base grows.

This increased income is compounded by the platform's reduced fees once members hit the higher income brackets, making it pay better to work harder.

Pros & Cons of Using Upwork

There are many benefits from working with Upwork to connect with clients and work remotely in your particular field of expertise.

At the same time, there are a handful of downsides to consider before jumping in and sending out proposals to clients and bidding on jobs.

Here are some of the pros of using Upwork to bear in mind:

• Easy payment system. With Upwork, you can receive payments to your bank or other online account from clients worldwide with minimal hassle.
• Remote working. You don't need to head to an office to work with clients on Upwork, as it's built entirely around a work-from-home model.
• Potential for scaling income. With its success score system and reviews, great freelancers will quickly reach higher-paying clients and bigger projects.
  

On the flipside, here are a few cons to consider before using Upwork:

• Upwork fees. Upwork's fees can be slightly higher than competitor platforms, although these are lowered the more successful you are.
• Lots of competition. There are thousands of freelancers on Upwork, so mastering the competition can be challenging, particularly when first starting out.
• Potentially exploitative clients. While most clients on Upwork are great to work with, some can be exploitative, so it's important to check reviews before you submit proposals.

How To Make Money On Upwork In 2023: (Step-By-Step)

There are thousands of daily opportunities to make money on Upwork across a broad spectrum of disciplines and levels of work experience.

We've approached this guide to help freelancers of all types maximize the potential of Upwork to create and increase their income using their job boards.

So, here's everything you need to know about how to make money on Upwork in 2023:

Step 1: Create A Detailed Profile

As with any resume required when applying for a job, creating a detailed profile is essential if you want to find the best Upwork jobs for your level of experience.

When you begin creating a profile on Upwork, you'll be first expected to fill out basic information surrounding your employment history and education level.

The platform also includes skill tags designed to help prospective clients find you and match you with their available jobs.

You should take the time to select the most appropriate tags based on your skill stack to help clients get a good feel as to whether you're right for the job.

Make sure you're honest about these skills and your employment history, as failure to do so could negatively impact your job success score down the line.

Your profile can also include samples of your previous work, breaking down the challenges you overcame and other work-related accomplishments.

If you have testimonials from previous clients, your profile is the place to share them, helping to reassure prospective employers of your credentials.

Take the time to research the best Upwork profile examples to get clients so you can hone your profile toward the clients you're looking for.

Step 2: Choose A Membership Plan

There are two main membership plans you can choose from on Upwork to help you progress in your freelance career: the Basic Plan and the Plus Plan.

The Basic Plan is completely free and comes with ten free "Connects" each month you can use on the platform to submit proposals to clients.

Additional Connects can be acquired for $0.15 and are sold in various bundles, and you can also earn these tokens during Upwork promotions.

If you receive an email from a client, this won't reduce your Connects, so it pays to ensure your Upwork profile is the best it can be to stand out from the competition.

For the Plus Plan, the Upwork fees come in at $14.99 per month and significantly increase the available Connects to 80 per month.

Additional perks accessible through the Plus Plan include the ability to view the prices competitors have bid for a job and confidentiality for your own earnings.

You can also customize your Upwork profile URL to further enhance your reputation on the platform and ensure it remains visible at all times.

You can upgrade to the Plus Plan anytime, so if you're happy with the service but find the Basic Plan limiting opportunities, it pays to make this investment.

Step 3: Set Your Price

Once you've set up your Upwork profile and chosen your membership plan, it's time to establish your rate that will determine the Upwork clients who may want to hire you.

If you're new to freelancing and don't have a strong portfolio under your belt, it's wise to set your rates relatively low when first looking for work.

Upwork has plenty of low-paying jobs, so you'll have many options to consider depending on how many proposals you're allowed to make.

At the same time, if you have the experience but are new to the Upwork freelancing platform, you should consider setting lower rates while you build up your projects.

When setting your price, you should also bear in mind the best tax deductions for freelancers and how to take advantage of these to increase your overall income.

You can check out the rates other freelancers have set for themselves and assess how this corresponds to their level of experience and the amount of work done.

Step 4: Check Upwork Reviews

Whether applying to work in social media marketing or offering web development services, you'll need to research potential clients before reaching out to them.

One way to do this is to read through Upwork's reviews, where you can dive into lots of feedback from other freelancers and see if they're a good fit for you.

Checking out the ratings and feedback about agencies on Upwork makes it much easier to see what they expect from freelancers and how you can tailor your approach.

It can allow you to refine your cover letter, bring additional important context to the job description, and find the best match.

These reviews are also essential for avoiding bad clients who are challenging or difficult to work with so you can decide whether it's worth taking the risk.

The feedback system on Upwork is double-blind based on a fourteen-day expiration period, after which time comments become visible in your work history.

Only feedback for paid contracts is displayed, and the platform encourages all users to use the system to respectfully identify weaknesses and acknowledge strengths.

Both freelancers and clients are able to use this feedback system, and it's a powerful resource for all parties to discover talent and clients that complement one another.

It's an excellent tool for making sure you use your Connects wisely and choose the first few clients that have the highest chance of converting into paid work.

Step 5: Reach Out To Employers

Once you've shortlisted a handful of potential clients using the reviews and job postings, it's time to reach out to them and get your first job underway.

With Upwork, your Connects are used to send out proposals to clients based on what you find in a job search, sharing an introductory letter and your fee.

Some clients will include a series of questions in their job listing related to the specific role and will check your history with past clients and job success score.

You should also send any samples of your work in your proposal, tailoring these samples so that they're in line with the job description and client industry.

Each employer is graded on a five-star scale, with this rating visible on their page, so you should always check this out before sending a client your proposals.

You should also spend some time researching how to get more Connects on Upwork, so you maximize your potential clients and freelance work.

Once you're ready to approach some potential clients, you need to write an articulate and compelling cover letter introducing yourself and showcasing your relevance.

Make sure you use this cover letter to include additional work samples supporting your experience, such as past projects completed to satisfaction.

Step 6: Get Your Applications Out Fast

As with most job websites, whether they're dedicated to freelancers who work remotely or traditional in-office roles, the most successful freelancers and those who act early.

Jobs are frequently added to Upwork, with no shortage of competition from freelancers looking to get in first and pick up the best work.

To stay ahead of the competition, you should aim to get your applications out as soon as possible, clearly outlining your working hours and hourly rate.

You can improve this process by using Upwork's secret search filter and changing the options to ensure client payment verification and a matching experience level.

This will help you avoid wasting valuable time scouring through endless job listings that aren't relevant to your area of expertise and work history.

If you're a graphic designer working in digital marketing, you won't be applying for photography or web design, so these need to be filtered out of your job search.

The sooner your applications reach clients you're interested in working with, the quicker they'll respond with follow-up questions and help you make more money.

Step 7: Communicate With Your Clients

Communication with your clients doesn't end once you've submitted a proposal and they've accepted your services and continues throughout the collaboration.

There are several core reasons why you should communicate clearly and consistently with your clients throughout the process of creating content.

Not least, strong and lucid communication clarifies understanding, so you don't waste time working on the wrong thing or covering the right topic from the wrong angle.

It also prevents you and your client from getting into disputes down the line, where a lack of clarity can be the source of a great deal of headaches.

If you find jobs that have unclear instructions or are overly complicated, you should reach out to the client immediately rather than attempt to complete the job using guesswork.

Most clients will be more than happy to run through the project in more detail to clear up any issues and save you potentially hours, or even days, of unnecessary work.

You should also be clear on any preparatory materials needed for the project and access to the company resources needed for the job.

If there's wriggle room for the deadline, make sure you're clear on this to know if you have any leeway should you get stuck on the project.

You should also keep them up to date on any new developments in your career and skills you've acquired that may be relevant to the jobs you're doing for them.

If you've taken the time to create a personal website using a blog website builder, make sure you share this with your existing clients to showcase new portfolio pieces.

Step 8: Build Your Reputation

One of the most fundamental attributes that all employers look for in prospective employees or freelancers is their reputation.

The consistency and quality of your work, your ability to turn in projects on time, and the ease with which you communicate are all incredibly valuable attributes,

Upwork is no exception to the rule, and building your reputation can significantly increase the amount of money you'll end up earning.

There are several ways you can capitalize on your experience to earn good reviews from clients and increase your job success score.

If web design is your area of expertise, make sure each new website you've worked on that shows off your skills is added to your portfolio pieces.

You can write a blog post outlining how you achieved great results and include links to this in future cover letters you write to potential clients.

If you're first client gives you a glowing review, share it loudly and proudly when you send out additional proposals, and clients ask to see your feedback.

A fruitful interaction and successful project with one client can make all the difference in bringing in more employers with high-paying, long-term projects.

In this sense, reputation accrues over time, so working on your communication and persuasion techniques is a surefire way to achieve the best possible client base.

Step 9: Focus On Long-Term Projects

When first starting out on Upwork, it can be difficult to pick up high-paying and long-term projects while you work on building trust and reputation.

Fortunately, the £10 low-paying jobs offer a gateway to better clients as your success score increases with each completed project under your belt.

Once you start picking up more great reviews for your work, you can increase your rates and work toward connecting with clients for long-term projects.

This can be accomplished using Upwork's filters to single out prospective clients looking for a dedicated freelancer for ongoing work.

You can reduce the number of one-off projects you apply for, focusing instead on high-value clients who want to foster a relationship over time.

One of the advantages of Upwork is that your Upwork fees will go down as you earn more money for a given client, making it pay to switch to long-term projects.

By creating a compelling and thorough Project Catalog in your profile, you're more likely to attract relevant clients for long-term work opportunities.

A freelancing career on Upwork can be a great side hustle to pay off debt faster, and long-term projects will help you manage your financial goals.

Step 10: Raise Your Rates

The potential to make money on Upwork largely depends on the rate of pay you're receiving, whether taking jobs at a fixed price or hourly contracts.

This means recognizing the value you bring to the table and how your level of experience demands appropriate rates of payment.

As your freelancing journey develops and more clients leave a favorable Upwork review, you'll be in higher demand for other jobs that pay higher.

Most clients pay close attention to the different skills each freelancer has and are happy to increase the desired fee for freelancers with lots of experience.

While new freelancers have to put in more work to get noticed, established ones have to option to apply for work from the heavy hitters of the freelance world.

An established independent freelancer can command the highest rates of pay, whether they're working as a senior writer or as a graphic design consultant.

Once you've built up your credentials, consider the ways you can maximize earnings as a freelancer, increasing your rates to increase your bank account.

Summary

We hope you've found plenty of food for thought on how to make money on Upwork as a freelancing professional.

Upwork is popular among most freelancers thanks to its large base of potential clients and thousands of fixed-rate projects across a broad spectrum of roles.

Whether you're an experienced software engineer or beginning your career in graphic design, Upwork offers a complete resource for work opportunities.