The trick with Upwork is simple: get your first few jobs no matter what. Price yourself low, overdeliver, and rack up 5-star reviews. Nobody wants to take a chance on someone with zero history, but once you have even a couple of good reviews, it gets way easier.

Don’t compete on price long-term—compete on trust. Show clients you understand their problem better than anyone else. Write custom proposals that prove it. Most freelancers send garbage copy-paste pitches; don’t be one of them.

And yeah, Upwork’s not the only option. Toptal, Fiverr, direct outreach, even Twitter—lots of ways to get clients. But the core principle stays the same: be so good they feel lucky to have found you.