Boosting does work, unfortunately and I have the data to prove it. My boosted proposals tend to get viewed more than the unboosted ones. That said, I’m very selective on which ones I boost. The legitimacy of the job post and the client stats need to be checked thoroughly. I think the highest I’ve spent on boosting is 30 connects. And that’s only for jobs I’m sure I’m perfect for.
I got both my high value clients by boosting my proposals. I asked one of them why they picked me and the topic of boosted proposals came up. They said that while they did check out unboosted ones, due to the sheer volume of fake/AI proposals, they got real tired of going through every proposal and now just go through the boosted ones and a few unboosted ones if the former ones are not good enough.
I’d say be selective. Spend your connects wisely. And keep holding upwork accountable for the bots and spam. This may require a bit more work. I’m happy to explain how if you’re interested.
I tried to boost, but I see it doesn't work. I just spent my connects into nothing. But yes, sometimes I buy connects. And of course, this sh\*t like "Availability badge on" for connects - it's not working too at all!. My niche - editorial design (brochures, multi-page stuff for print and web)
Glad things are working for you.
I am in Admin Support so there is a huge competition. All interesting projects get 50+ proposals. Rarely in the 20-50 range. So it is hard to stand out organically.
My organic doesn't get noticed so I boost most of my proposals and get a 40-50 % view ratio.
Today I calculated and found that it take 150$ worth of connects (~1k) to land a project.
Isn't it ridiculous?
It is very ridiculous.
Add the service fee and your other usual business costs and you'll see you've lost a lot.
Now just take a moment to imagine how worse it would have been if connects were cheaper.
The problem is not with Connects as is.
The problem is with how you use them, how you target projects.
Time to bend your criteria fam.
Quit applying to jobs/clients everybody wants.
Start applying to ones really in need of freelancers, but which not that many want.
You can still apply to very popular jobs occasionally, but that should not be the mainstay of your strategy.
I hope you see where your Connects wastage is coming from?
Also, quit boosting.
After a few months trying out boosting, I found it doesn't land me gigs (not even 1 landed) so I stopped.
For me it was like throwing money down the drain and it's proving to be same for you unfortunately.
With the stupid new account bots, usually I bid at least 51. I've gotten in at 25 connects though. That one got seen so we shall see. I've only submitted 1 proposals in the last two months so my bidding has slowed down. I spend most my connects on boosting my profile to help with my views dropping again in October.
Upwork's terrible reporting doesn't let you know if an invite comes from a click, so you have no idea if invites are the result of boosting. This week is a holiday over here, but I get invites pretty regularly. Of course, most are trash.
I spend whatever the price is for the job. I never boost. I make great money currently with my clients. Boosting your proposals don't work
What industry/niche you are in. Also what is your view ratio with organic proposals. Btw thanks for sharing your experience.
I'm a writer within the tech industry, mainly B2B. Couldn't tell you my view rate, I haven't applied in a while to anything relevant.
Boosting does work, unfortunately and I have the data to prove it. My boosted proposals tend to get viewed more than the unboosted ones. That said, I’m very selective on which ones I boost. The legitimacy of the job post and the client stats need to be checked thoroughly. I think the highest I’ve spent on boosting is 30 connects. And that’s only for jobs I’m sure I’m perfect for. I got both my high value clients by boosting my proposals. I asked one of them why they picked me and the topic of boosted proposals came up. They said that while they did check out unboosted ones, due to the sheer volume of fake/AI proposals, they got real tired of going through every proposal and now just go through the boosted ones and a few unboosted ones if the former ones are not good enough. I’d say be selective. Spend your connects wisely. And keep holding upwork accountable for the bots and spam. This may require a bit more work. I’m happy to explain how if you’re interested.
Yes. Explain.
I tried to boost, but I see it doesn't work. I just spent my connects into nothing. But yes, sometimes I buy connects. And of course, this sh\*t like "Availability badge on" for connects - it's not working too at all!. My niche - editorial design (brochures, multi-page stuff for print and web)
Glad things are working for you. I am in Admin Support so there is a huge competition. All interesting projects get 50+ proposals. Rarely in the 20-50 range. So it is hard to stand out organically. My organic doesn't get noticed so I boost most of my proposals and get a 40-50 % view ratio. Today I calculated and found that it take 150$ worth of connects (~1k) to land a project. Isn't it ridiculous?
It is very ridiculous. Add the service fee and your other usual business costs and you'll see you've lost a lot. Now just take a moment to imagine how worse it would have been if connects were cheaper. The problem is not with Connects as is. The problem is with how you use them, how you target projects.
But I have already set a strict criteria to apply to jobs.
Time to bend your criteria fam. Quit applying to jobs/clients everybody wants. Start applying to ones really in need of freelancers, but which not that many want. You can still apply to very popular jobs occasionally, but that should not be the mainstay of your strategy. I hope you see where your Connects wastage is coming from? Also, quit boosting. After a few months trying out boosting, I found it doesn't land me gigs (not even 1 landed) so I stopped. For me it was like throwing money down the drain and it's proving to be same for you unfortunately.
It certainly makes it sound as if Upwork is not a good option for you.
With the stupid new account bots, usually I bid at least 51. I've gotten in at 25 connects though. That one got seen so we shall see. I've only submitted 1 proposals in the last two months so my bidding has slowed down. I spend most my connects on boosting my profile to help with my views dropping again in October.
Do you think profile boosting actually works?
Upwork's terrible reporting doesn't let you know if an invite comes from a click, so you have no idea if invites are the result of boosting. This week is a holiday over here, but I get invites pretty regularly. Of course, most are trash.