Why You Need an Arsenal of Work Samples to Land Jobs on Upwork

When you first get started on Upwork, the work samples that you use to promote your freelance writing career are extremely important for connecting you with clients. If you have not yet chosen a freelance writing niche, you will need samples in every niche you're applying for. There are several different types of writing projects that are quite common on Upwork and it's very beneficial to have work samples of each type if you intend to be submitting bids on a regular basis.

Having an arsenal of work sample has numerous benefits for you and I have covered in a previous post that it is not necessary to create an individualized bid for every single request for proposals. Certainly, if you have the time and energy to do this, it could help you to book more business but there's no guarantee that every client who has posted a job on Upwork is actually going to hire for that job. This means that you could be investing a lot of time creating custom work samples that may never actually be used.

Allows You to Bid Quickly

One of the best tips I have for success on Upwork is to bid quickly as soon as possible after a job has been posted. This because the client is already thinking about hiring someone and if they see a profile of a person who seems to be a good fit, they will more than likely hire you right away. In situations where I have been one of the first couple of people to bid with a work sample that was relevant to the client's needs, they were much more likely to hire me.

It Makes Your Bidding Process Easier

In the beginning of your efforts as a freelance writer, it can be challenging to consistently bid for more and more jobs. It can even feel very overwhelming as you have to invest hours in your bidding approach in order to see a return on your investment. During this stage, anything that saves you time can be extremely valuable. If you're only bidding on whitepaper projects, for example, it's excellent to have one completed whitepaper in your arsenal to submit that. If you're also submitting for editing work, however, or SEO blogging, you should also have examples of that type.

A Sample of a Complete Project Makes the Client More Likely to Hire You

One of the most important things you need that can overcome all other weaknesses in a freelance writing proposal on Upwork is pure writing talent. You must be able to demonstrate this through your writing samples. I have had the opportunity to look at plenty of different people's writing samples when I have been hiring for other clients and have been astounded to learn that many have errors or are simply not that well written. Your work samples are your calling card for clients and it is the only idea they will have before hiring someone of what your final work looks like.

Before someone drops $100 or more dollars on paying someone else to complete written work, they want to know that it's going to be done properly. Having an arsenal of work samples of all different types or in numerous different industries that you intend to focus on when you get started, allows the client to get an idea of what their final product will look like. Having an arsenal of work samples ultimately just makes your life easier.

Do you need dozens of samples? No.

Do you need one or two excellent samples for every project type you’re doing? Absolutely.

As a budding freelancer, there are things you can scrimp on when it comes to time. Work samples, however, are not one of these things. Your work samples communicate everything about you, and that’s why you need to really put in the time to do them properly.

Top Five Tips for Creating Work Samples

Don’t let the process of putting together work samples overwhelm you. It’s not as difficult as you think. Use these five tips to put together amazing work samples that will land you business over and over:

1. Research the competition. What do your competitors have on their Upwork profile? If your work is better, how can you highlight that in your bids?
2. Spend a few hours coming up with ideas for new work samples, writing them and editing them. It’s worth the effort to put your best foot forward with a new potential client.
3. Have a friend with excellent English skills look over your work samples. You’d be amazed at the small things that can be missed if you’re not careful. At least one extra pair of eyes is needed.
4. Make sure your samples are easy to view- put them in a Dropbox folder and on your Upwork profile. Clients have limited time, so don’t attach 20 documents to your bid (no one’s opening all those, and what if your best work was link #20? No one’s seeing it.)
5. Always make sure you choose the best possible samples for each potential job. If you’re bidding on a whitepaper, including a whitepaper sample. If you’re bidding on an editing job, have a piece you’ve tracked changes on. It’s far better to submit one really tailored work sample than 10 unrelated ones.