I’ve been posting loads of freelancing tips and Upwork-specific success strategies that are not found on this site. As becoming a freelancer on Upwork and reaching the state that brings you the cozy freelancer lifestyle of your dreams is not the easiest thing to do, I’d recommend reading about other people’s experiences as much as possible!
Here are the most helpful, popular, and trending freelancing tips from LinkedIn that I’ve posted over the years listed by topic.
Follow #coconuts to get my latest weekly tips on LinkedIn! (And for getting my personal help, please see the CoachLancer Hotline page.)
Becoming a Freelancer on Upwork
Why offering free work is not a good way to build your portfolio as a fresher.
How to tweak your profile title right before sending a proposal.
Why long lists of keywords don’t work in profile texts.
How not to pester your client by sending redundant messages.
Highlighting the years of experience is not a great move even though many do it.
Why a very specific profile title is better than a generic one when you start fresh on Upwork.
How to read and interpret job proposals to avoid working for the worst kinds of clients.
The dangers of having multiple contracts with the same client.
Why not being the first to send a proposal for a job may not be a bad thing at all.
My nostalgic first invoice on Elance in 2015!
Description of the cases in which writing an elaborate proposal is not necessary.
Speculation on why many freelancers seem to quit within 3 years.
How to not waste the precious space in your proposal text.
A social media stunt of reviewing Upwork profiles of anyone who commented on the post. This was fun!!!
How to do a competitor analysis on Upwork… it’s really easy!
Why “team of freelancers” is probably the worst way to advertise freelancer services.
Short description of the success recipe I used to make it to the top on Upwork.
The much-appreciated checklist for picking Upwork clients.
Be sure to avoid getting hired by fake clients who bring not money but trouble… only.
Examples of how sometimes not the lowest but the highest bidder wins jobs on Upwork!
A couple of notoriously bad examples of profiles that advertise skills not related to the service offered. Seriously flawed logic from every perspective!
Why “Thank you for visiting my profile” should not appear in your Upwork profile text.
How to follow your niche market on Upwork or elsewhere to make sure you keep getting clients.
How to best deal with clients who ask for refunds.
Desperation should not be evident in your Upwork profile as it only sells to the worst clients if it sells at all.
How bad new freelancers appear when not yet mastering any jobs.
About doing test projects to create your portfolio (be sure to read the amazing comments).
Why aiming for mature businesses and Upwork Enterprise Clients can be a really good move.
The Top Rated perk that not all Upworkers know about (and some just don’t need it).
Doing better and better business
My hypothesis on why freelancers can earn much more than employees.
Career stats on Upwork after 5 years on the platform.
The most fundamental freelancing hack No. 1 is about raising your rates correctly.
Why ranking high on Upwork’s search results brings an insane amount of visibility!
A funny notice about my becoming a Top Rated freelancer on Upwork – about 5 years too late!
How to do business quickly on other platforms than Upwork.
Statistics relating to transitioning from a freelancer to a solopreneur who hires lots of others to get various jobs done.
On setting the price for your freelance services.
30 empirically proven freelancing hacks that I had to split into chunks of ten: hacks 1-10, hacks 11-20, and hacks 21-30.
How to increase the price of the project without asking for a better price (one of the best freelancing hacks).
Why charging 3-digit hourly rates is not a big deal on Upwork when you get your niche exactly right.
The funniest ways of rejecting offers from Upwork clients (see the comments for more).
How I yanked up my rate 10 times the original!
My classic refusal: “The talent specialist has too little Upwork experience.”
The dilemma of starting with small projects vs. hiring rockstar freelancers.
Why staying as passive as possible is the best way of using Upwork in my opinion.
About the dangers of getting too comfortable when things go good on Upwork.
How Upwork’s conversion fee is calculated for taking your clients off the platform.
How Upwork can still surprise anyone by providing a perfect match with high-end clients willing to pay hundreds of dollars per hour.
That lovely anniversary message from Upwork that shows your freelancing stats is always a pleasure to get. Every year!
When your contribution to your client’s business is maximized, you don’t need to work many days in a month to earn enough to support yourself.
How to use the connections you make on Upwork to build your business strategically.
Inspiring and highly educational freelancing stories
The stupidest thing I’ve ever heard from the mouth of a new freelancer.
Why I’ve never needed to give a refund or had a dispute on Upwork.
How seizing a surprising opportunity led to improving my portfolio instantly!
Probably the best review I’ve ever got on Upwork that I still proudly quote in my profile text.
My career summarized when I turned 42 and became a “Level 6 freelancer.”
My detailed journey on Upwork is the most popular article I have published on LinkedIn.
How a freelancer I tried to hire didn’t get much business from me because of trying to lock me in with the work already done. Bad move, I smelled it a mile away!
Why I think Upwork works for me and not the other way round.
Coconut special
As not working for peanuts but going straight for #coconuts is what I encourage every freelancer to aim for, I’ve dedicated plenty of my posts to coconuts. I blame my Head of Marketing for this!
The World Coconut Day is the birthday of… you just guess who!
A great coconut-inspired post by my colleague with a funny programming code snippet.
When the world was in the Squid Game frenzy, I found a perfect analogy from it applied to Upwork.
The crazy day when I got 3 invitations from new freelance sites – on the same day!
How going nuts and going coconuts is (slightly) different.
About how to optimize your life around the work you do so that you don’t suffer from a poor work-life balance.
How loads of freelancers from Pakistan joined my unofficial coconut club.
The sudden rise of coconut-related mentions on Upwork Community Forum. 🙂
My coconut-related new year’s resolution for 2022.
The biggest improvement on Upwork Community Forum has seen so far: My humble but highly coconut-powered petition went through!
Trolling the Upwork Community Forum with The 10 Commandments of Freelancing on Upwork.
How pervasive coconuts can be… someone I met in a virtual conference greeted me with a coconut mention. 😀
Last but not least, the TOP 5 freelancer proverbs (read the hilarious comments from my fellow freelancers)!
- 1: “To boldly go where no coconut man has gone before.”
- 2: “Don’t put all your coconuts in one basket.”
- 3: “You miss 100% of the coconuts you don’t take with you.”
- 4: “Keep your friends close, and your coconuts closer.”
- 5: “When life gives you lemons, have a coconut.”
And to conclude with style, the best explanation I have for this whole coconut thing.
Happy freelancing!
