Given the overall mechanics on Upwork, how we pitch jobs is the most important thing before we get to do the actual work where we get to really demonstrate our skills. In other words, skills are less important in the early stage of the job posting because our skills are irrelevant if our proposals never get read. So I finally come to the point that was brought by someone else here on the forum that your first two lines (the "hook") are probably the most important part of the pitch because those two lines are what job posters see before opening any proposal.
With AI, algorithm, strong competition and lazy clients, what we write in the proposal weighs a lot and the crazy part is, this is the case even when our proposals do not get read! So let us talk about the pitch a little and see if we can benefit from each other to gain some extra edge on Upwork.
My pitches from three months ago when I started off on Upwork were horrible, as I was among other things focused more on myself instead of the client. My latest approach is to focus on the first two lines where I would try to point out what is bugging the client and that I can solve it. Another thing is empathy, i.e. make sure that I recognize that deadline may be tight, that the investors (I am doing finance jobs) do not destroy the model or the business plan, etc. and then I highlight my background, credentials and past projects from professional experience. I add one feedback from the client and certificates in the highlights and finally, add an attachment if relevant.
How does this look to you, and how is your approach different?
