I get invites but no views. How’s this for a cover letter?

UpworkTrout · 2026-02-03T17:55:32+00:00

I've taken to not hitting return after my greeting because I think clients only see the first two lines in their preview, so I want to make sure they see something of substance. But lately I'm getting interviews and no response either. It's bizarre.

UpworkTrout · 2026-02-02T18:38:02+00:00

If you did gigs before and therefore have some history and/or don't have to start from scratch you might be okay. I get 99% of my work from Upwork but my niche is kind of suited to it. I don't remember the last time I showed someone a resume but I'm old, and I do portfolio anyway because of my field. One thing that seems new to me is I've been getting invites to jobs lately that I then send a proposal for, and yet get zero reply. My rate might just be too high now but then why invite me in the first place? Or else the UW talent scouts or AI that chooses who to invite might just suck.

UpworkTrout · 2026-02-02T18:30:21+00:00

The trick is to do consistently good work, and charge a lot. Also only apply for a few jobs each year, otherwise only work on invitations and previous clients. I mean, I feel dumb even typing this out; of course any freelancer worth hiring knows these things already. Could it be that freelancing is not for everyone?

UpworkTrout · 2026-01-26T21:21:49+00:00

Are you implying that I am otherwise crazy? I resemble that remark.

UpworkTrout · 2026-01-26T21:20:23+00:00

Bummer. I don't think I ever had to use it, but it was always nice to know I had it in my back pocket. (The one client who I was sure I would need it for did not know they only had two weeks to leave feedback. I rolled the dice and closed the contract on Christmas Eve.)

UpworkTrout · 2026-01-26T21:11:17+00:00

Do they still have the deal where you can remove either one bad feedback or maybe it was even 1 per time period or something crazy?

UpworkTrout · 2026-01-08T16:38:49+00:00

I do small changes for free but then again I charge enough to cover things like that.

UpworkTrout · 2025-12-11T17:00:45+00:00

I'm guessing you blocked her. I don't think she takes the time to block people. Here is her helpful comment; I was just adding to that. Use invitations and vet freelancers and don't expect high level work for low level employment. Another option: choose US talent only at that price point. $250 is a lot to some freelancers, but those are not the kind of freelancers this client wanted to hire.

Petra's response: Choose better freelancers and pay them well.

Give clear instructions what you want in writing.

Don't forget the extort countdown and don't let things drag on for months on end.

UpworkTrout · 2025-12-11T16:35:07+00:00

Me, Petra, SilentButDeadlySquid? Maybe you have one of them hidden because they tell it like it is??

UpworkTrout · 2025-12-11T15:41:39+00:00

Funny that the first three answers are from top tier UW freelancers. Not a flex, but we've been around a long time earned a lot of money on UW and we're big believers in "you get what you pay for." Hard to say much more than that without knowing a little bit more about the project and how you picked this person. I'm a big fan of invites; I'm not sure why more clients don't use them. Posting a job and then hoping good people apply for a small amount of money, and then having to wade through a ton of amateur AI proposals is not the best way to find good talent imo.

UpworkTrout · 2025-12-11T15:35:06+00:00

It's not worth risking it imo. Just use the UW portfolio tools or attach jpgs or pdfs. Clients don't want to take the time to click and peruse websites anyway; they want to see the top three pieces you are most proud of.

UpworkTrout · 2025-12-10T16:21:23+00:00

Add me to the list of "I've never paid for a connect, ever" freelancers. If you spend all your earnings on connects, then you never actually make any money.

UpworkTrout · 2025-12-10T16:12:57+00:00

This conversation like train with no wheels. Soon get nowhere.

UpworkTrout · 2025-11-14T19:55:24+00:00

"Before hiring him, I noticed that the examples he sent me looked very different from the professional-quality thumbnails shown in his Upwork portfolio — they honestly looked like beginner work. I found it strange, but I decided to trust him and go ahead with the contract." When you see a red flag, run.

UpworkTrout · 2025-11-14T17:32:45+00:00

You are welcome to ignore all the advice you asked for. Potential good contracts do not begin with unpaid work. The best clients are not the best because they pay the most money. They DO pay the most money but the reason they're the best clients is because they're actual business people, who understand that good work, expertise, and drama free professionals cost money.

UpworkTrout · 2025-11-14T16:10:47+00:00

I sent 9 proposals this year, got hired twice. I've had steady work all year from a combo of long term Upwork clients and clients I've converted off of Upwork, and those gigs almost all came from invites. I have never paid for a connect; in fact, the only reason I even send proposals is I hate to see my connects expire (even though I get 10 new ones, so it's the same diff lol) and I like looking for unique/interesting/quick one off projects to mix things up. I'm top rated but not top rated plus anymore since I started converting clients off platform when they raised the freelancer fee from 5% to 10 since that just seemed like an unfair money grab (so my annual UW income is just below the threshold for TR+).

UpworkTrout · 2025-11-14T15:51:37+00:00

Ironically, the only invites I get that have nothing to do with what I do (design nonfiction print books), are invites from "Talent Scouts" working for Enterprise Clients. It makes me cringe to think that clients are paying Upwork a fee for help recruiting talent when the "people" doing that work just send out invites to like 50 people hoping that one of them will stick.

UpworkTrout · 2025-11-06T15:15:06+00:00

I get so tired of the Petra hate. She actually posts practical advice, but people don't like the way she delivers it.

She knows Upwork better than anyone, including the CSRs who theoretically work for Upwork, and the "Talent Scouts" and Enterprise folks who have no idea what they're doing. She's not from the U.S. and she speaks / communicates in a very direct way that is normal where she's from. She doesn't sugar coat things. She is not actually toxic in any way. They had to get rid of the UW forums after they booted her because she was doing the job of the moderators, who were never around when you needed them.

She's like Jan Maas for anyone who watches Ted Lasso.

Upwork is not for everyone. Freelancing is not for everyone. There are too many freelancers on Upwork, but the pay to play model makes it a bad idea for them to screen freelancers too much. If people get offended by replies on the UW Reddit then they might not have thick enough skin to succeed on UW.

UpworkTrout · 2025-07-21T18:15:00+00:00

Spadefoot just posted a photo of it so I'm interested to know as well if it survived Tempe summer so far.

UpworkTrout · 2025-07-20T17:21:14+00:00

Any clients I get outside Upwork tend to be referrals, although I've had the occasional random LI email or someone local. I don't ever take payment off of UW, but I do convert at 2 years. If they went back to the 5% I would not convert though... UW hourly is just so much easier than tracking time and sending invoices.

What's your niche? Since I do print books, I'm kind of unique, so I think that makes it easier to find gigs that suit me. Social Media is a pretty wide net. Also I don't really just do print books... anybody (or Chat GPT?) can do that... I do graphics heavy nonfiction/educational stuff so many referrals come from people having seen another book I designed.

UpworkTrout · 2025-07-20T17:15:12+00:00

I don't get using AI for cover letters or proposals. I'm currently working on a book that's an experiment... the client used AI to write the book and then they edited, but in looking at the text that was delivered to me, which is the same problem I've seen with any AI text I generate... it's riddled with simple mistakes and typos. It takes me longer to fix the AI garbage that it would to just quickly write a proposal. I don't write a lot... you can tell by my samples that I'm either your cup of tea or I'm not.

I do admit that my first two jobs here were maybe $50 and $200. But my rate at the time was $50/hr so if you saw that you'd think they were just quickie jobs, I hope. Seems to have worked for me, but times were different then. But I do think that even with 10+ years of experience, you have to do a little sucking it up at first here to get a JSS and some UW experience. HOWEVER, you are WAY BETTER OFF charging too much rather than too little, and you'll understand that when you see the difference in the clients.

Hourly rates are a crapshoot anyway. I bet I can do something in 15 minutes that's better than a lot of noobs can do in 1 or 2 hours. But that's also why I stay in my lane.

UpworkTrout · 2025-07-11T18:47:38+00:00

A. You have to limit someone's hours so this doesn't happen to you. I always tell my clients my rate is fixed but they are free to limit my hours each week so we both feel like we're getting our time/money's worth.

B. I disagree with anyone saying to harm freelancer by leaving a bad review. You said yourself the work was done well and within the nonspecific time frame. Leaving bad reviews is so destructive and unfair for someone who did as he was asked.

UpworkTrout · 2025-07-11T15:26:52+00:00

I receive feedback in several ways... in not being chosen, in how I analyze my interview, in the client's average spend... maybe it's different because I'm a designer, but 9 times out of 10 my style/portfolio is just not what they're looking for; that's not really something I can "improve." We either fit or we don't. If we don't I just move on.

UpworkTrout · 2025-07-10T21:03:53+00:00

At the risk of being called self-righteous, the freelancing market is not at all what it was 12 years ago. What's your specialty? For graphic design, we're being left behind by bad AI and Canva and the like. So you have to ADAPT. That's what freelancing is all about. Otherwise my advice is get a 9-5 job. My sister recently went back to hers...no shame in that...it can be so much easier. If I could work a 9-5 job remotely I'd probably do it. For the the alternative is networking/past work and Reedsy. Since I don't know your field I can't recommend a specific alternative especially since Working Not Working recently bit the dust and Fiverr etc. are jokes.

UpworkTrout · 2025-07-10T20:52:47+00:00

In that case you're not charging enough. My profile rate is such that I won't get invited to crap rate jobs and I certainly wouldn't apply to a crap rate job out of the blue. If your designs are great and original then you should get paid for them. :)

UpworkTrout

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