How To Make Money Online On Upwork
“Freelancers predicted to become the U.S. workforce majority within a decade, with nearly 50% of millennial workers already freelancing“, annual “Freelancing in America” study finds.
Freelancing is becoming more and more popular nowadays. With the rise of technology and automation, working wherever and whenever you want is not a pipe dream anymore.
In this post, I want to share with you a way on making money online using Upwork.
If you have some knowledge and skills that you can offer online, then put Upwork as one of your best choice. Upwork.com is one of the biggest marketplace for freelancers to offer their professional services globally (a platform based marketplace similar to Fiverr).
How you will make your money on this platform highly depends on your skills, experience, ability to negotiate and of course, hard work.
Here’s the top 20 fastest-growing in demand skills for Q4 2017 reported by Upwork:
- Bitcoin
- Amazon DynamoDB
- React native
- Robotics
- Go development
- Forex trading
- 3D rigging
- Augmented reality
- Computer vision
- Penetration testing
- Media buying
- Chef.io
- Shopify development
- AngularJS development
- Swift development
- Video editing
- Influencer marketing
- Machine learning
- 3D modeling
- Motion graphics
Take note that these are just a small portion of in-demand skills highly sought by clients all over the world.
This is where I made my first income online 3 years ago (I made more than $11,000 working part-time).
Let’s get started!
1. Create an account
– Go to Upwork website and create an account as a Freelancer.
2. Make an amazing profile
Setting up an amazing profile attracts high paying clients. Here are some tips:
– Upload a high quality professional photo. Don’t forget to smile!
– Enhance your profile to 100%. This is required for you to be profiled under Rising Talent and Top Rated status (think of it as Tier 2 and Tier 3).
– Take the Upwork Readiness test and other skill test relevant to your expertise
– Place employment history and portfolio items, past work examples, certifications and projects.
– You can also link your public accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Google, DeviantART etc.
– If you really want to stand out, you can upload an introductory video highlighting how you can bring value to your client’s business.
3. Submit proposals
Once your profile has been set and you found a project you like, you can now submit proposals.
– This is where you set your terms and rate. Keep in mind that Upwork charges a service fee for freelancers
- 20% for the first $500 you bill a client across all contracts with them
- 10% for total billings with a client between $500.01 and $10,000
- 5% for total billings with a client that exceed $10,000
– Write a clear, concise and professional cover letter. Emphasize how you can solve the project that the client has posted. Don’t forget to request or suggest further discussion via skype at the end of your cover letter.
– Only submit proposals to jobs you are confident that you can complete.
4. Once you signed a contract, deliver world-class results
– Always ask feedback from your clients and use it as an opportunity to improve your skill.
5. Build good relationships with your clients
– Communication is key here. Some clients may even recommend your stellar service to other business owners.
6. Look for medium to long contracts
– Having medium to long contracts give a balance of continuous income while still having the time on learning and improving new skills relevant to your expertise.
How do you get paid in Upwork?
Upwork sends money to over 170 countries thru various channels:
- ACH
- Local Bank Transfer
- Wire Transfer
- PayPal
- Payoneer
Other Tips:
-Find your niche. Focusing on one thing that you do best and building your profile around it is way better than having several skills that you’re mediocre at. Just like the words of the late Bruce Lee “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times“.
-Know your worth. Do not sell yourself short.
-Learn the art of negotiation. Learn when to speak up and to politely state your terms.
If you have questions about how to make money on Upwork, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will answer them for you.
