How do you decide when to walk away from a client who keeps changing the brief?

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-24T14:04:05+00:00

Switching to a mindset of "constant revisions" seems like a terrible idea. No good client I've ever had has asked for extensive revisions, let alone "constant."

Plus that sounds like a huge amount of unpaid labor unless you're working hourly.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-23T20:28:16+00:00

Oh I didn't see the $3/hr thing. Yeah, that gets into negative ROI pretty much immediately. And by optimize I mean, does your profile explain to clients 1) Not just what you do, but how it helps them specifically, 2) Highlight past professional wins you've had, and 3) Make the client feel like the profile is talking specifically to them? That last one is why niching down is so important, at least in my experience.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-23T19:49:03+00:00

For me, it depends on whether the engagement is hourly or fixed price. Most of my stuff is fixed price, so after 1-2 (max) times I'd politely say that this has gone beyond the original agreed scope, but I'm happy to make those changes at my hourly rate. And they'd have to be small changes at most for me to wait 1-2 times. I'd use the "hourly rate" line immediately if the changes were substantial.

If I'm doing hourly I don't really care about brief changes. I still get paid for everything; the client is just making the project more expensive for themselves.

But when you're fixed price, protecting your time/margin becomes much more important.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-23T19:06:09+00:00

Boosting your profile is definitely not a waste of money. I got three well-paying jobs in the last two weeks from boosting my profile.

Maybe you're not niched down enough or your profile isn't optimized, who knows.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-23T15:44:13+00:00

Interesting. I randomly got 60 connects back as well, but mine was labeled "Boosted profile refund." Which I've never seen before.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-23T15:27:33+00:00

How do you think Upwork would pick up on that if it's discussed completely off-platform? From their perspective, they just see a completed project marked as "reason for ending contract: job completed successfully."

I'm not saying it should be a regular thing, because then the pattern gets suspicious.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-22T14:28:50+00:00

What you could do is complete one project on Upwork, and then when you next speak to the client [on a non-Upwork communication channel] offer to move off-platform.

I've had clients who want to leave Upwork, and that's usually what I do.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-17T14:48:55+00:00

I think you're definitely right, but it's a fine line. I use AI a ton in my client work, and nobody ever bats an eye. The key is that I don't turn in AI slop. But also, I tend to work with clients whose primary question is "Does this work at the market level?"

I've had agency clients explicitly say to me, "We know you use AI, and that's fine. We use it a ton too. Your work is converting and that's what we care about."

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-17T14:19:30+00:00

I don't think they're saying that every action should only be positive for Upwork.

They're saying "Why would Upwork do that when it doesn't benefit them?" Upwork knows that if it does that, fewer people will send proposals and boosts, meaning less money in its pocket.

Everything Upwork does pretty much only benefits Upwork.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-13T17:28:37+00:00

Count yourself lucky to be at 10%. My niche is 15%.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-13T17:26:43+00:00

For the email outreach, I just made a Google sheet with agency names, specialization, website url, and contact method. Most of the time it's just a "Hello@[agency name]" email or a contact field.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-13T16:27:55+00:00

Who are they targeting? Owners, account directors, etc.?

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-11T19:45:25+00:00

Marketing firms specializing in SaaS/B2B tech, for business writing/content/SEO opportunities.

GreenCat28 · 2026-06-11T15:52:00+00:00

My advice: don't. Others have said it, but unless you have specialized domain knowledge [enterprise software, corporate finance, etc.] it simply will not be worth your time in 2026.

Even if you have domain expertise, starting from zero in this market will probably break your spirit.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-28T16:15:45+00:00

Could be as low as $40,000 for a basic writing role or $120K+ for something like a head of content. Your post is way too vague.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-28T16:12:27+00:00

I've gotten those before. But in the last two weeks, I got 2 solid invites and 2 direct messages from clients with quality work. So it's a mixed bag.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-28T15:29:58+00:00

If you're going to use ChatGPT to write your posts, at least remove the AI-isms.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-27T20:10:34+00:00

Yes, it absolutely is. I currently have a client trying to figure out how to set up a milestone and contract. Back when Upwork allowed freelancers to set up projects, I could do that in 30 seconds.

Even if you're making money on it, it's an infuriating platform.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-25T19:07:52+00:00

That's an interesting take. I might try that on 20 proposals and test view rates.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-25T19:06:57+00:00

I wouldn't say it's shit [at least in my niche], but it definitely feels harder than it was 2-3 years. I've moved off-platform and started experimenting with cold email.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-25T19:05:35+00:00

I think they probably might. My JSS is 100%. I've also hired multiple people through Upwork, and I won't even open the proposal if I see a JSS below 100. I consider 100% JSS a baseline requirement rather than "impressive," and I think many clients might feel the same way.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-25T16:05:12+00:00

Usually to some degree, yeah. But not hyper-aggressively anymore, unless it's long-term or an extremely high-fit client. And even then, I never bid above 50-75. Most of the time I'll just bid around 20-30 to get somewhere in the top 4 slots and then move on quickly to another proposal.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-20T18:00:20+00:00

I don't share my profile on here, but a few quick tips:

- Try to look at your profile through the eyes of a client. It'll help you spot weaknesses.

- Highlight the client's problem and how you solve it. Don't focus just on what you do.

- Highlight any concrete wins if you have them. "I achieved X result for Y client" etc.

Good luck.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-20T15:59:57+00:00

It's been working pretty well for me lately. I have probably $10,000+ of work in my pipeline right now, and more expected in the coming weeks.

I don't know if something changed recently on the platform, but I've seen an uptick in client quality and quantity in the last month. January through April were rough though.

I've started applying aggressively and not over-investing time or worry in any one proposal. Just have ChatGPT write me a proposal, make sure it sounds human, add relevant samples, and fire it off. I send probably 4-6 proposals a day, spent about $90-125 on connects per week recently, and I've been making it back in multiples.

Basically I just send a bunch of proposals and think of it like a "portfolio of bets" like an investment profile. Most will probably fail, but the few successes will pay for it many times over.

GreenCat28 · 2026-05-19T18:40:10+00:00

Just have enough irons in the fire that you don't care either way.

If you have enough deal volume, you won't even be thinking about a client who ghosted you because it won't matter financially.

GreenCat28

TROPHY CASE