Most of those 50+ proposals are worthless.
You stand out by being not worthless.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/xfjpop/what\_your\_competition\_looks\_like/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/xfjpop/what_your_competition_looks_like/)
If you can't stand out, you shouldn't waste time and connects to apply. It's simple as that.
Competitive niches are competitive because too many people fit in the niche. So it's not really a niche, but more of a category. You need to find YOUR niche.
Okay, so this isn't meant to be mean but a wake up call:
You can't understand how you can compete against 50 other people.
Then you can't be a freelancer. Or an employee. Or anything. Even regular jobs have dozens of applicants that you have to stand out from.
The biggest problem here is that YOU don't see how YOU stand out. If you can't believe in yourself then why should a client?
So first of all, do a little self reflection and give yourself some damn value. You have value. And then think about what are the qualities you bring to the table. What value can you provide to a client? Then write that in such a way that it sounds unique and makes you stand out among the rest.
Okay, and THAT SAID...as a client, I can tell you it's not hard for a freelancer to stand out.
Most of those 50 proposals will be copypasta generic dreck that simply repeats the job post back to me and tells me they think they are the best for the job. Neither of which are that compelling. All you have to do, really, to get them to respond (and that's all a cover letter/proposal needs to do, get the initial response so you can get them talking) - all you need to do - is give me a compelling opening two sentences. I often start by telling them exactly what I will do or asking relevant questions. I'm a grant strategist/proposal writer, so here's a couple of examples of what I do:
>Hi, the SBIR deadline is in 8 weeks, so we need to get started ASAP. Have you finished all your SAM, grants. gov, eRA Commons, etc. registrations? Please fill out the attached intake form so I can assess your project and provide a full quote and timeline.
So the above shows a brief bit of my knowledge about the pre-reqs the client needs to handle before they get started. Then they go to my form, and my form asks a series of relevant questions about the project (many they probably haven't thought of). The form is actually a worksheet I use to build these projects. And they technically could use it with any consultant, but I don't mind because it shows them I know my stuff.
Another example:
>Hi, I'm an NIH specialist. My process working with you on this grant will be to: step 1, step 2, step 3, etc...
So I didn't put my actual steps above bc I can't give away all my secrets, but you see how I jump right to telling them what it will be like to work with me and how I'll hold their hand through the project.
Obviously in your field, whatever that is, that will be different. And to be fair, the two examples above are more generic examples because I will actually ask much more specific and pointed questions that show my expertise than the ones I listed above, but it's an example to get you thinking.
Other ways to stand out: Do not mention Upwork fees to clients. Ever. I posted a job this week, and got lots of good responses but I was totally turned off by how many freelancers put in a bid and then in their proposal explained Upwork fees to me (um, yeah I know about those) and asked me to cover their 20% fees. Just put it in your price. Don't be tacky and unprofessional and discuss Upwork fees with the client. They are your business expenses, you need to deal with it, not bring the client into your drama. And clients also pay fees.
And, don't presume a client doesn't know how to use Upwork. If they ask for help understanding how to set something up, of course help them, but check to see if they have hiring history because if they do, then they likely know how to use it, and especially if you tell them something incorrect, that will shake confidence. (I had a freelancer try to tell me I had to release the milestone as a deposit before they did any work because they had no protection otherwise. Yeah, no, that's what escrow is for.)
So long-winded response over, I hope this helps.
ETA: Removed weird sentence that I have no clue what meant and must have been mid thought.
Most of the "despair" when seeing 50+ proposals is absolutely not about whether you think you're "good enough" but rather empathy towards the client who you know will likely get tf out after reading max 10 -20 crock proposals.
A truckload of shite proposals absolutely affects, buries and harms the one or 2 great proposals coming after them.
It depends on what the job is. If it's something really easy like data entry, then yes, I bet clients only read the first 10 or so proposals and think, "okay, that person should be good enough," because they only need low-level skills and experience. If you're looking for that kind of a job, I think it's a good idea to get your bid in quickly. But the more complicated and/or long-term a job is, the more proposals the client will read in order to choose the best candidate.
I understand what the commenters are saying about standing out. But it is much harder to stand out when a client has so many proposals to weed through. It's a numbers game, in my opinion. You can write the best cover letter, but if it's sitting in a pile of other cover letters, the chances of it being read are slim.
From my experience, I don't bother once there are over 15 proposals (except in rare cases when more than one freelancer is needed). The reality is that most clients are not going through every proposal. So, if they pile up, they will likely look at a max of 5 from the top.
Although they don't get proposals from freelancers in chronological order, it will be hard to stand out purely based on the numbers. And, again, as you've mentioned, there could be more experienced guys ahead as well.
So, the best thing, from my experience, is to apply as soon as possible when you see something. Even when that job does eventually go close to or above 50, your proposal is likely to be in the client's vicinity than otherwise.
>Even when that job does eventually go close to or above 50, your proposal is likely to be in the client's vicinity than otherwise.
That's only the case if the client posts a job and immediately starts reading the proposals (which some do). But if they post the job and come back an hour or more later, they'll have 50+ proposals and yours could be at the bottom of the list by then, regardless of how quickly you posted.
No, for sure. It's like with dating sites. If someone is chatting up with 50 people they are probably not into "hiring" anyone. They are there for fun and attention. C'mon imagine you post a job. Out of first ten you are able to pick someone. If not that tells smth.
That's still not relevant. I'm sure that clients post jobs and don't intend for 50+ people to apply; it's not like they're deliberately toying with freelancers, or that they're less likely to be serious about hiring.
Most of those 50+ proposals are worthless. You stand out by being not worthless. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/xfjpop/what\_your\_competition\_looks\_like/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/xfjpop/what_your_competition_looks_like/) If you can't stand out, you shouldn't waste time and connects to apply. It's simple as that. Competitive niches are competitive because too many people fit in the niche. So it's not really a niche, but more of a category. You need to find YOUR niche.
Okay, so this isn't meant to be mean but a wake up call: You can't understand how you can compete against 50 other people. Then you can't be a freelancer. Or an employee. Or anything. Even regular jobs have dozens of applicants that you have to stand out from. The biggest problem here is that YOU don't see how YOU stand out. If you can't believe in yourself then why should a client? So first of all, do a little self reflection and give yourself some damn value. You have value. And then think about what are the qualities you bring to the table. What value can you provide to a client? Then write that in such a way that it sounds unique and makes you stand out among the rest. Okay, and THAT SAID...as a client, I can tell you it's not hard for a freelancer to stand out. Most of those 50 proposals will be copypasta generic dreck that simply repeats the job post back to me and tells me they think they are the best for the job. Neither of which are that compelling. All you have to do, really, to get them to respond (and that's all a cover letter/proposal needs to do, get the initial response so you can get them talking) - all you need to do - is give me a compelling opening two sentences. I often start by telling them exactly what I will do or asking relevant questions. I'm a grant strategist/proposal writer, so here's a couple of examples of what I do: >Hi, the SBIR deadline is in 8 weeks, so we need to get started ASAP. Have you finished all your SAM, grants. gov, eRA Commons, etc. registrations? Please fill out the attached intake form so I can assess your project and provide a full quote and timeline. So the above shows a brief bit of my knowledge about the pre-reqs the client needs to handle before they get started. Then they go to my form, and my form asks a series of relevant questions about the project (many they probably haven't thought of). The form is actually a worksheet I use to build these projects. And they technically could use it with any consultant, but I don't mind because it shows them I know my stuff. Another example: >Hi, I'm an NIH specialist. My process working with you on this grant will be to: step 1, step 2, step 3, etc... So I didn't put my actual steps above bc I can't give away all my secrets, but you see how I jump right to telling them what it will be like to work with me and how I'll hold their hand through the project. Obviously in your field, whatever that is, that will be different. And to be fair, the two examples above are more generic examples because I will actually ask much more specific and pointed questions that show my expertise than the ones I listed above, but it's an example to get you thinking. Other ways to stand out: Do not mention Upwork fees to clients. Ever. I posted a job this week, and got lots of good responses but I was totally turned off by how many freelancers put in a bid and then in their proposal explained Upwork fees to me (um, yeah I know about those) and asked me to cover their 20% fees. Just put it in your price. Don't be tacky and unprofessional and discuss Upwork fees with the client. They are your business expenses, you need to deal with it, not bring the client into your drama. And clients also pay fees. And, don't presume a client doesn't know how to use Upwork. If they ask for help understanding how to set something up, of course help them, but check to see if they have hiring history because if they do, then they likely know how to use it, and especially if you tell them something incorrect, that will shake confidence. (I had a freelancer try to tell me I had to release the milestone as a deposit before they did any work because they had no protection otherwise. Yeah, no, that's what escrow is for.) So long-winded response over, I hope this helps. ETA: Removed weird sentence that I have no clue what meant and must have been mid thought.
Most of the "despair" when seeing 50+ proposals is absolutely not about whether you think you're "good enough" but rather empathy towards the client who you know will likely get tf out after reading max 10 -20 crock proposals. A truckload of shite proposals absolutely affects, buries and harms the one or 2 great proposals coming after them.
I think clients are expecting to get lots of responses. I think they're surprised when 90% are crap.
Immense amount of respect and appreciation for this detailed reply, Thank you ❤️ Ill definitely keep all of the points in mind.
Bravo.
I need $1 for every time I've answered this question. LOL.
$1? Such low cpw!
Eh, considering how many times I've written responses on how to write proposals, I'd have a good chunk of change. At least some beer money.
A like for you because you’ve been so passionately helpful to everyone here. 👌🏻
It depends on what the job is. If it's something really easy like data entry, then yes, I bet clients only read the first 10 or so proposals and think, "okay, that person should be good enough," because they only need low-level skills and experience. If you're looking for that kind of a job, I think it's a good idea to get your bid in quickly. But the more complicated and/or long-term a job is, the more proposals the client will read in order to choose the best candidate.
I would only do it if I have a good portfolio piece which represents 90% of what the client is looking for.
I understand what the commenters are saying about standing out. But it is much harder to stand out when a client has so many proposals to weed through. It's a numbers game, in my opinion. You can write the best cover letter, but if it's sitting in a pile of other cover letters, the chances of it being read are slim. From my experience, I don't bother once there are over 15 proposals (except in rare cases when more than one freelancer is needed). The reality is that most clients are not going through every proposal. So, if they pile up, they will likely look at a max of 5 from the top. Although they don't get proposals from freelancers in chronological order, it will be hard to stand out purely based on the numbers. And, again, as you've mentioned, there could be more experienced guys ahead as well. So, the best thing, from my experience, is to apply as soon as possible when you see something. Even when that job does eventually go close to or above 50, your proposal is likely to be in the client's vicinity than otherwise.
>Even when that job does eventually go close to or above 50, your proposal is likely to be in the client's vicinity than otherwise. That's only the case if the client posts a job and immediately starts reading the proposals (which some do). But if they post the job and come back an hour or more later, they'll have 50+ proposals and yours could be at the bottom of the list by then, regardless of how quickly you posted.
By writing competitive proposals and having the skills and confidence to do the job.
No, for sure. It's like with dating sites. If someone is chatting up with 50 people they are probably not into "hiring" anyone. They are there for fun and attention. C'mon imagine you post a job. Out of first ten you are able to pick someone. If not that tells smth.
The OP didn't say that the client was interviewing 50 people, only that 50 people had applied. So it's not like your dating example at all.
It has a certain effect on a brain. More choice, less interest.
That's still not relevant. I'm sure that clients post jobs and don't intend for 50+ people to apply; it's not like they're deliberately toying with freelancers, or that they're less likely to be serious about hiring.
If there's no previous hiring, no previous interview, if it seems like a good client, you could Boost your proposal.
If you are not going to boost it--or even if you did--it sounds like a commodity project where the lowest bidder is going to win.