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Biggest mistake I made comparing Upwork vs direct client referrals | Freelance Legal Help - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

rose_clark81•3mo ago

Biggest mistake I made comparing Upwork vs direct client referrals

I spent 6 months last year on Upwork chasing bids and landing maybe 3 small contract reviews total. Made maybe $400 after fees. Then I tried something different - asked one past client if they knew anyone needing freelance legal help. One referral turned into 4 clients in a month, all paying my full rate. Upwork sucked my time with proposals and lowball offers. Direct word of mouth got me $2,800 in that first month alone. Anyone else ditch bidding sites for referrals and see better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

fisher.jessica3mo ago

My first Upwork gig I spent 45 minutes writing a proposal for a $50 proofreading job. Got ghosted. Then I emailed an old boss who said "sure, send me a LinkedIn message" and that turned into three referrals over two weeks all paying between $75-$100 an hour. I made $3,200 off those three people in two months without ever opening Upwork again. The platform just feels like a race to the bottom honestly. Word of mouth clients actually respect your time and don't haggle over every little thing.

blairm773mo ago

What's the deal with Upwork feeling like you're screaming into the void? @fisher.jessica I had the same thing happen where a quick email to a past client got me more work than hours of bidding on that site. Word of mouth really does pay better and respects your time way more than those platforms ever will.

caseywalker3mo ago

yeah i actually just read a study that said like 85% of freelancers who get their clients through referrals end up making more than people who grind on bidding sites. it makes total sense cause when someone already knows you and your work, there's no trust barrier to climb over. you don't have to waste time proving yourself with every single person. the platform model is basically designed to make you compete on price while referrals let you compete on reputation instead. i seriously wish i had that stat before i wasted three months on upwork doing the same thing you did.