How Does Upwork Work?
When it comes to Upwork, every freelancer is required to create a profile where they state their names, their profession, a brief history of themselves, their charges per hour, and their portfolio. From there you are to create different subscriptions of the kind of work you offer.
a) Apply for the Listed Jobs
With those two, you stand a good chance of either getting a client to buy your services or applying for the posted jobs on Upwork. Now there is something you need to know about job applications on Upwork. Unlike Fiverr where you can send your applications for free, Upwork uses “Connects”.
“Connects” are what I may call the currencies that you use to apply for any job on Upwork. Beautifully, Upwork has made it possible to have free “Connects” even without money irrespective of your membership plan.
As a freelancer on the free membership plan, you will be getting 10 “Connects” every month which you can use to apply for a few jobs. Now here is something else you should know. Perhaps you could be asking yourself, how many “Connects” does a job need?
Every job varies depending on the genuineness of the client, how long they have been on the platform, the amount they are planning to pay you, and even sometimes, the country of their origin.
From my experience on this best Fiverr alternative, jobs that are paying less and are from third world countries usually require 1, 2, or 3 “Connects”. However, more “Connects” are required if you are applying for a job posted by clients from top-tier countries.
If your “Connects” get depleted, you can always load a few dollars and purchase them. Upwork sells 10 “Connects” for $1.50. To me, that is extremely cheap for you to keep applying for the posted jobs.
The “Connects” bundles usually expire after one year and will always roll over to the following month. If you are in a free plan membership, the maximum number of “Connects” that can be rolled over to the next month is 200.
b) Create your projects
Most Fiverr alternatives don’t call the services you are willing to offer gigs like Fiverr. In Upwork, they call them projects. The process of creating a project on upwork is a bit complex just like in Fiverr. However, you just fill in basic questions to make your services clear to the interested clients.
The first step will involve creating the project, where you clearly give the title of your project. Then you will be required to create some plans and set the amount you want to charge for your basic, standard, and premium services.
Then Upwork will require you to fill in your requirements, the description of your services, and perhaps frequently asked questions. If you are an individual, don’t use plural words or pronouns like “we” or “us”. However, agencies are allowed to do that in their description.
After that, your project will be reviewed and they will email you their decisions basically within 24 hours. If approved, you will start receiving orders, get to work on the assigned task, and then submit it to the client. You will get paid if the client approves your work.
It is good to let you know that most Fiverr alternatives have affiliate and referral programs. For Upwork, their affiliate program is managed by impact. Upwork gives you 70% of the first $150 contract made by the client. For Fiverr, the most common use program is their referral program where you get $100 if your referral starts earning.
Finally, if you are going to work in Upwork, remember that you will be gauged depending on your skills and how many clients you have dealt with. That gives you a certain percentage that is put on your profile. As your skills become better you will either become a Rising Talent, Top Rated, or a Top Rated Plus freelancer.
Of course, each of the profiles is treated differently. Even in terms of payments, a Top Rated Plus freelancer will earn higher for the same task than a rising talent. Upwork further gives their freelancers categories and levels which include Entry, Intermediate, and Expert. We will discuss more on Upwork in the future.
Let’s now go to the second Fiverr alternative that we have worked with and see how it works. Are you ready?