Finding clients on Upwork and Fiverr
does not have to be a stressful recurring nightmare.
As someone who has experience posting jobs
and hiring people off these freelancing platforms,
I can tell you there are six very important tips
to help you stand out, land clients and get paid.
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Hey, Posse, what's up, it's Alex.
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Now, you are wondering how in the heck to find clients
on popular freelancing sites like Fiverr and Upwork.
Well, if you've optimized your bio,
gotten clear on your unique skills,
applied for countless jobs
and you still aren't getting any bites,
I am here to tell you it is not hopeless.
There is nothing wrong with you and you aren't doomed
to be a struggling freelancer forever, I promise.
The truth is finding clients does not have
to be a stressful recurring nightmare.
And in this video, I am here to help.
This is a topic that I had tons
and tons of people requesting over the past couple of years,
but the truth is I really don't have that much experience
in applying for jobs on these platforms
because they weren't really around
when I started freelancing. (laughs)
And since then, I've gotten almost
every single one of my clients through referrals.
However, I have posted jobs
and hired many people on these freelancing sites.
So I can offer you some advice from a unique perspective,
the perspective of the client who might be hiring you.
And as someone who has experience
in posting jobs and hiring people off these platforms,
I can tell you that there are some things that you can do
to stand out, land clients, and get paid,
including the single most important thing to keep in mind
when searching for clients on these platforms.
So stick around to the end for that last one.
And now here they are, let's dive in to my six tips.
I have my Sharpie and my flip board.
And number one is to make sure your application
is personal and personalized.
I can tell you, I have seen so many trigger applications
on Upwork where I can tell that that person
is sending the exact same application to everyone.
So you wanna use language that really humanizes you.
Be real, be personal and most importantly,
talk to the business owner who is looking for support.
Write in a conversational tone just like with any copy.
Forget long lists, and of course,
you don't wanna share your entire life story.
We don't wanna get too personal.
Stick with your values, what you believe in as a copywriter
and how you can help the business owner solve problems.
And trust me, you are going to stand out.
Alright, now, tip number two.
And this one is really simple,
but I'm telling you is an absolute game changer.
Read carefully.
You guys, I cannot tell you how many times
I have posted a job on Upwork
and included little instructions
or steps to follow in your application process.
And I do that for a reason.
I don't do that to be difficult,
I do that to see which of you is actually reading
the applications and following instructions.
Nobody wants to work with someone
who doesn't know how to follow instructions
or pays attention to detail.
So I always recommend my entrepreneur friends,
include these types of steps
in their applications on Upwork,
because then it immediately cuts out
about 90% of your applications,
because you simply do not read
the ones who follow directions.
So as an example, I will say,
"Apply to this job using this title"
and give a very specific formula to follow.
Anybody who doesn't follow that,
I don't even click to open their application.
It goes straight into the junk.
I only look at those who follow directions from the get-go.
Alright, now, my tip number three
is to build authority.
Now, if you're a brand new freelancer,
you might not have that much experience under your belt
and that's okay.
Of course, if you do,
make sure to share a little bit about your experience
and the highest authority information you can share.
So the biggest clients, the best results you've ever gotten
or what you've done to help businesses in the past.
Now, if you don't have any past experience, that's okay.
There's other ways you can build trust.
And one of the coolest ways that I've seen people do this
is to actually share their personality type.
So you guys have heard
about all the different types of personality types, right?
There's Myers Briggs, Kolbe, DiSC, Enneagram, Human Design,
I mean, the list goes on and on.
However, I know so many business owners
who very intentionally design their teams
based on personality types.
So if they're looking for someone
with a specific personality type
that say methodical or intuitive or creative,
or is a manifesting generator, I don't know,
they might wanna know what your personality type is.
It also shows
that you understand different personality types,
and that you've done the work,
and possibly even paid the expense
to get your personality type result back.
I highly recommend you include this in your application.
Again, you don't have to do all of them,
maybe pick two or three,
and then share why you are right for the job.
Share your qualifications, share your experience,
do all you can to build trust and rapport early on,
that's really important.
Alright, tip number four,
and this is possibly the most important tip of them all.
Maybe make it about them.
This is like rule number one in copywriting, right?
You're not gonna me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me,
me all over the place, you really wanna go in,
leading with how can I help you solve a problem?
And I'll give you a hint.
Most clients wanna save time, money and effort.
So make it really, really clear
how you can help them do that.
Focus on your unique solution, but only in terms
of how it can help them solve that problem.
Now, the other thing is make it really clear
that you took the time to investigate them,
research them, follow them, comment on their content,
things that they've done,
things that you love about their brand and mission.
So many applications on Upwork are 1000% cold, templated,
templatized, cut and paste that it is so clear
that you probably didn't even look
at the company you're applying for, right?
So even just a sentence or two
to showcase that you really took the time
to understand the brand and what it is they're looking for
can really help you go far on Upwork and Fiverr.
Alright, now the fifth tip is really important as well,
and this is something you guys hear me talk about a lot,
is to lead with value.
Alright, now what this means is go in
by already offering some sort of tip or advice
or feedback in your application, or better yet,
showcase your copywriting skills
and rewrite their main website's headline right there
in your application.
By doing that, you're not only showing
that you've taken the time to research the brand,
but you've actually gone and done some free work,
even if it is just rewriting a headline
to showcase your skills.
I can tell you, I am able to pick out a great copywriter
in one sentence or less.
So why not use that real estate and those eyeballs
to get attention by doing something like that.
Now you're not able to hire people
for free copy work on Upwork.
So tests are a little bit hard to do on Fiverr
and Upwork and other freelancing sites.
However, you can state in your application that you're open
to doing some sort of copy test down the road
to show them your willingness to just show up
and help them achieve their goals.
Alright, now, the sixth and the final tip
that I wanna share with you, and of course,
this is really important,
in any type of business is to be patient.
Listen, you will have way more applications
and conversations than clients who end up hiring you,
that is just how it works, it is a numbers game.
But treat every single one of those applications
as an opportunity to build awareness
with a potential client.
I can tell you time and time again,
where I haven't hired someone on Upwork
for a particular job,
but then when something comes up down the road,
if they made a good first impression,
they're absolutely the first people I reach out to.
So even if you're not closing all of these applications
that you're sending, treat that as a connection
and a way that you're building your awareness
and your network.
When you're building your network,
absolutely no contact with any business
or fellow freelancer is a waste of time.
So go in with that mindset
that you are simply having conversations
to slowly build your network
and trust that those connections will come back later.
Alright, now I'm curious to hear from you as freelancers
who have posted jobs on Fiverr
and Upwork and other freelancing sites.
What tips do you have to stand out,
get hired and get paid?
Comment below and let me know.
I hope you enjoyed this little mini training.
I will see you next week with a brand new video
on my four time-tested methods for finding clients,
along with real life stories
and advice from my Copy Posse students.
If you're not already subscribed, go ahead
and subscribe below so that you don't miss that video.
And until then, enjoy your week.
I'm Alex, ciao for now.
(bright upbeat music)
Alright, guys, if you enjoyed that video,
make sure check out the next one from me right here.
And you can click right here to get a free gift.
Have you ever sent an email,
a message or a proposal to a potential the client,
and all you got was
(crickets chirping)
Yeah, here are five reasons why
and what you can do about it.