Those freelance bidding sites where you can submit quotes on copywriting projects seem like a great deal. You get to just scan through listings, submit a quick proposal and quote to potential clients, and land tons of work. Great, right? Wrong.
Freelance bidding sites are great for clients … and a waste of a good copywriter’s time.
How Freelance Bidding Sites Work
First, let’s make sure we’re on the same page and recap exactly how these sites work for copywriters. Say Client X wants some copy written for his website. The client writes up a brief description of the work, possibly mentions the project budget or hourly rate, and then posts the job listing to the website.
From there, the copywriters on the site read the listing, write their own proposal of why they’re best for the job, and submit that along with a quote for the work.
At first blush, this can seem like a great deal for copywriters. After all, why go out and prospect for work when you can just troll these sites and pick up jobs that people are already looking to fill?
But if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. After all, if it were that easy, why would anyone ever leave the house? Ad agencies and in-house agencies would be scrounging for copywriters, desperately trying to compete with these bidding sites. And…that hasn’t happened.
Why Freelance Bidding Sites Are Terrible for Copywriters
Freelance bidding sites are not nearly as easy as they seem. First, for every copywriting job that gets posted, you’re competing with dozens of other writers for that job.
And how do you compete for it? You spend some of your own (unpaid) time to write up a proposal for work that you may not get.
Then, on top of that, Client X is on this site because the client is looking for the best quality copywriting … for the cheapest price. If you really want to get that work, you have to spend the time to write up a great proposal and slash your rates to undercut all of the other copywriters. (Check out this post for some of the math on freelance bidding sites.)
So, worst-case scenario, you waste time writing proposals for work you don’t even get. (Time that could be spent prospecting for other work.) Or, best-case scenario, you get work—for much less than your standard rates. You end up working for cheap instead of working for the rates you should be commanding.
Sites like these have a bevy of copywriters signed up to try to win work because it seems like the “easy” way to do it. (And most people really like easy.)
The Smarter (More Lucrative) Way to Land Freelance Work
If you really want to get work, get paid well, and build your portfolio, the exact worst route to go is the (so-called) easy route. You’ll have much more success by reaching out and prospecting for clients. You’ll face less competition, you’ll get far more clients who are looking for quality copy instead of cheap copy, and you won’t have to slash your rates to get work.
To use an analogy, it’s like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette TV shows. On freelance bidding sites, you’re like any one of the women (or men) vying for the Bachelor or Bachelorette’s attention. The odds are not in your favor. It’s one client with any number of freelance copywriters (plus, freelance bidding sites make it so easy for clients to look around!).
But when you take control and send clients wildly effective pitches, you’re like the bachelor. You’re one person with any number of potential clients that you can pitch! (With the added bonus of an online portfolio that shows your work, not the work of hundreds of other copywriters!)
Now, it’s your career. If you really want to give these kinds of sites a try, that’s up to you. But if you really want to build your portfolio and make good money, “easy” and—ahem—lazy—sites like these aren’t where you’re going to find your success. Start prospecting and start truly building your career.
Watch More
Want more insight into why copywriters (and freelancers in general!) should stay away from job bidding sites? Watch the video below to hear Nicki and Kate break down the ins and outs of these platforms, plus the far more effective way to land work (and get paid what you’re worth!).
Your turn! Have you tried any of these freelance bidding sites? Let us know about your experience in the comments below!
Last Updated on May 2, 2022 by Kate Sitarz
Upwork (oDesk and Elance post merger) isn’t worth any self respecting copywriter’s time. Here’s why:-
Copywriters are some of the highest paid writers in the world. Upwork is the exception to that rule. Don’t be surprised and aghast when you’re offered $30 for 2500 words of copy.
Most clients don’t know what goes into the copy writing process and expect their work to be done overnight. One client asked me to write a sales letter in eight hours.
That and his attitude ultimately led me to end the contract. He was a big jerk. Which brings me to…
Professionalism comes dime a dozen. Almost every contractor with a sales page is trying to earn a quick buck on the internet.
Don’t expect to be treated like anything but a copy churning machine. All they care about is reducing costs and making profit.
Speaking of churning copy…
You won’t learn much. There is no learning curve, especially if you know how to write decent copy. Reviews, sales pages, direct response copy and press releases are all it’s about, in a gist.
So for such little money and misdirected clients, you will not only not learn, you’ll not have the drive to learn.
That means, sites like Upwork are detrimental to your writing process. Would you want to find the hidden benefit and a Unique Selling Proposition while writing for $4.50 with an ignorant employer breathing down your neck?
The angry employer breathing down your neck reminds me of the rating system…
Yep, contractors hold power over freelancers and hang the rating system like a dagger over their necks. After completing an assignment, the employer has to provide a feedback and rate the freelancer’s work out of five stars.
Now, if your average rating is 3 stars, your chances of getting hired are very slim.
And contractors use this to their advantage!
They promise a good feedback to people willing to work for the lowest wages possible!
My advice is simple — start elsewhere and establish yourself.
Cheers!
Hi Umair,
Those are great points about the rating system. Thanks for bringing them up!
Nicki
I started off working for Elance and oDesk. At the time, I was happy because I was working a measly 10-15 hours a week on a good week. One client chose me, then made me wait for an additional three weeks until the marketing department decided on a strategy. When I inquired about the status, she complained. Another incident happened. After looking at my portfolio, the client told me I was “brilliant.” So for her post, I did hours of research, coordinated with a marketing guru and got an interview with a prominent expert (advisor to Obama’s staff). But I was six hours late with the submission. She slashed my 1,000 words and only kept a quote consisting of two sentences. So I rewrote the post for the Atlanta market, got some Likes and endorsements on LinkedIn. . I stayed with the job boards because I kept thinking that it would lead to something — perhaps a big contract. Didn’t happen. After a few years, it got old. I started reading the advice of other professional copywriters and had a paradigm shift:: The purpose of job boards is cheap labor. Period. Today, I stay active on social media and pitch my own clients. I am not rich yet but I am on my way.
Hi Anne,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. And good for you moving to pitching your own clients—that’s where you’ll find your success!
Nicki
Totally agree with every word. If you fail to land jobs you waste time and depress yourself. If you do win jobs you work for peanuts for clients who don’t appreciate quality (so it’s unlikely to result in work you are proud of/happy to put in portfolio). Also, time you spend on these jobs is time you don’t have to work on getting something better.
Also, the whole way this bidding process works undermines copywriters so by applying for job on these sites actually trashes the industry you are trying to build a career in.
As an industry we need to talk up the value of what we do rather than bidding it down for dummies.
Hi Jim,
I agree entirely! Thanks for weighing in. 🙂
Nicki
Hi, Nicki! I tried the sites that you mentioned, but I could never get responses back from the businesses I pitched to. I just figured I was a lousy pitch writer.
So, I signed up with BlogMutt. Even though I knew that they would only pay me $8 an article, I figured it was a good way (the only way I knew of back then that would work) to get my feet wet and generate some samples while putting a little change in my pocket. I did this for a few articles, got some samples together.
I now occasionally write undergraduate courses for several colleges, as well as do a little guest blog writing and test item writing. But my main goal is to be a successful copywriter. If I can just get over my cold feet in learning about that and jumping into it, I know that I could become good at it and be very successful.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Yeah…both work bidding sites and content writing are rough ways to try to earn a living as a writer. The bad news is that no one can help you get over your fear and get serious about your goals but you. But also…the good news is that no one can help you get over your fear and get serious about your goals but you. What is your happiness and fulfillment worth to you? What are you willing to do to get it? Are you willing to actually feel the fear…and do it anyway? You’re the only person that can answer that question, and the only person who can do it.
But once you *do* do it…the sky’s the limit. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Totally agree Nicki. I’ve had some success on Upwork, but 95% of my earnings came from one client. Most clients are looking for cheap and aren’t great to work with. The fees, UX, and customer service are bad. Not to mention, it’s much harder to build a writer’s profile there and it shuts down profiles without reason all the time
https://www.reddit.com/r/freelance/comments/546mb3/upwork_not_accepting_my_profile_help/
Hi Dalton,
Yup – those sites just aren’t worth the effort. They seem “easy” but it’s actually SO much easier to control your own income and opportunities by pitching! 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
UGHHHHH… don’t get me started on UpWORST. I think they were a solid freelancing option a while back, and writers/designers/coders used to be able to get some good work. But they’ve made it almost impossible now. They take any client they can get and rely too much on bots and misleading algorithms instead of actual people and data. As a result, they have pushed away strong talent and have basically become a junkyard swap meet of gigs. And make no mistake, they are 100% in it for the client, and that mindset rarely bodes well for the freelancer. Don’t do it unless you absolutely have to.
Hi Melissa,
I agree – you miss out on the incredibly important element of actually *connecting* with real clients so that you can give them the best possible work you can. Good thing there are plenty of other (better!) alternatives for finding work. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
I have been working on Upwork for almost a year. Yes, it can be a race to the bottom; yes , there are so many scams; yes, there are crappy clients that want quality work for pennies.
But!
It is possible to get decent work – real work – for good pay. I completed a 1000-word article based on a webinar for an agency and I charged $150. They liked it. A couple of weeks later, I wrote to them again, asking if they needed any articles written. Yes, two! I quoted $200 each and got the job.
I don’t send out a lot of proposals because 95% of the job ads I read are not worth my time. But I have had some good clients: long-term or repeat, and they respect my work and pay what I ask for.
I do plan on transitioning out of Upwork and prospecting for clients on my own, hopefully this year. But for now, Upwork is how I’m making my living.
Hi Halina,
It’s definitely *possible* to get work on those sites, but the point is that, by and large, people get paid much less than they should for that work. Instead of settling for low rates, people can command their standard rates by taking control of their opportunities and pitching. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki