Upwork & Fiverr Client Hunting Tips: How to Stand Out in 2025

Upwork & Fiverr Client Hunting Tips: How to Stand Out in 2025

Why is competition so high on Upwork and Fiverr?

In 2025, Upwork and Fiverr are still the best places to find clients as a freelancer. It’s not surprising that the hardest part of being a freelancer is standing out from the crowd, since millions of people offer services like writing, design, programming, marketing, and consulting.

But here’s the good news: even though many freelancers have a hard time, those who are good at positioning, profile optimization, and client communication always get projects, even at high rates. You can make these platforms a steady source of income by learning how to stand out from the crowd, write good proposals, and market your services in a smart way.

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Why Some Freelancers Are More Popular with Clients

Before we talk about strategies, let’s make sure we know what clients really want:

• Trust and Reliability: Will you get the job done on time and do a good job?
• Branding in a Professional Context: Is your profile neat and tidy?
• Value Proposition: Are you giving them a better way to solve their problem than anyone else?
• Testimonials and Social Validation: Do other people recommend you?
• Communication: Is your answer clear and quick?

Many freelancers only think about their skills and forget that clients are buying results and confidence, not just services.

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Step 1: Make your profile more appealing to clients

Your profile is like a sales page. Clients will skip over you if your work looks unfinished, generic, or messy.

Tips for Your Upwork Profile:

• Headline: Don’t just look at job titles; look at results.
• Instead of “Graphic Designer” Use “Helping Startups Increase Sales with Conversion-Driven Graphic Design”
• Overview: Talk about the problems your clients have and how you help them.
• Portfolio: Upload at least three to five good examples.
• Skills and Keywords: Include keywords that are specific to your niche to make your profile easier to find.

Fiverr Profile Tips:

• Use long-tail keywords to make your gig title easy to find.

For example, “I will make modern Shopify stores that convert well.”

• Description: Talk about your process and the benefits to your clients.
• Packages: Offer three levels: Basic, Standard, and Premium.
• Pictures: Use clear, appealing gig thumbnails. Pro Tip: Put yourself in the client’s shoes. Does your profile answer the question, “Why should I hire you over 20 other people?”

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Step 2: Pick the Right Niche (Specialization Wins)

Generalists are often hard to find in a crowd. Experts are easy to spot.

In 2025, there will be a lot of demand for these niches:

• Copywriting for AI and SaaS
• UX/UI design for mobile apps
• Setting up an online store (Shopify, Woo Commerce) • Editing videos for short-form content (Reels, TikTok)
• Managing social media for coaches and consultants

Don’t try to please everyone. Choose a niche and make yourself the go-to expert.

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Step 3: Write Proposals That Win (Upwork Focus)

Most freelancers fail at the proposal stage. Clients often get more than 30 generic copy-and-paste proposals that they don’t read.

The Proposal Formula:

1. A personalized greeting that includes the name of the client or project.
2. Acknowledge the problem: Show that you understand what they need.
3. Solution Outline: Tell us how you plan to fix it.
4. Proof of Skills: Give an example or case study that is relevant.
5. Call to Action: End with a clear next step.

“Hi [Name], for example I saw that you could use some help getting more people to buy things from your online store. I design Shopify stores, and I recently helped a client boost sales by 42%. I’d like to give you a quick review of your site. Do you want me to send it?

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Step 4: Make Gigs That People Can’t Resist (Fiverr Focus)

Customers on Fiverr don’t see proposals; they see your gig listing.

Checklist for Optimizing Your Gig:

• Use gig titles that are good for SEO.
• Include professional-looking, interesting thumbnails.
• Write descriptions that are full of keywords but still sound natural.
• Add FAQs to answer questions ahead of time.
• Get early reviews by giving the first few clients something of value.

Pro Tip: Look into the best-selling items in your niche, find out what they do well, and then make your gigs 10% better.

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Step 5: Get Reviews and Testimonials to Build Social Proof

Reviews are important on both sites. It’s hard to win trust without them.

How to Quickly Get Reviews:

• Give more than you promised to your first two or three clients.
• After a successful delivery, politely ask for feedback.
• Start with small jobs to get things going.
• Raise your prices once you get some reviews.

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Step 6: Use communication with clients to set yourself apart

Clients don’t just hire the best workers; they also hire the best communicators.

• Answer within 12 to 24 hours.
• Be polite, clear, and businesslike.
• Instead of long paragraphs, use short bullet points.
• Make sure your timelines are realistic; never promise too much. People who hire freelancers again and again often recommend them to others.

Step 7: Set prices that draw people in without making you look cheap.

Setting prices on Upwork and Fiverr can be hard. If you go too low, clients will think the quality is bad. If you go too high without any reviews, clients might not take the chance.

Beginner Strategy:

• Start with prices that are reasonable but not the lowest.
• Start with smaller projects that can be done quickly.
• After you get 3 to 5 reviews, slowly raise your rates.

Strategy for the Middle:

Offer packages:

• Basic ($50–$100) → quick tasks.
• Standard ($150–$300) → A more complete solution.
• Premium ($400+) → Package with all services.

Advanced Strategy:

• Make yourself look like a high-end service.
• Use your portfolio and reviews to your advantage.
• Give out bonuses, like a free consultation, audit, or report.

Don’t always compete on price, though. Quality, trust, and results are what you should compete on.

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Step 8: Use keywords to help people find you (SEO for Upwork and Fiverr)

Freelance platforms use search algorithms, just like Google. Clients won’t be able to find you if you don’t use the right keywords.

Fiverr SEO Tips:

• Use your main keywords in the title and tags of your gig.
• Include keywords in your description in a way that sounds natural.
• Add videos (Fiverr gives gigs with videos a higher ranking).
• Use keywords that are specific to your niche in your title, skills, and profile overview.
• Apply for relevant jobs on a regular basis (freelancers who are active get more attention).
• Keep your response rate high; it will affect your ranking.

Some example keywords are:

“Shopify developer for e-commerce,” “SEO blog writing for SaaS companies,” and “video editor for YouTube channels.”

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Step 9: Don’t Make Common Mistakes That Ruin Chances

Many freelancers fail because they make common mistakes:

• Copying and pasting proposals without making them your own.
• Setting very low rates (clients think the work is bad).
• Not following client instructions in job postings.
• Having profiles that are missing information or are too general.
• Not meeting deadlines or not communicating well. Keep in mind that clients don’t like to take risks. They’ll move on if you look careless.

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Step 10: Get One-Time Customers to Sign Long-Term Contracts

Getting one project is great. But repeat clients and retainers mean stability.

How to Get Clients for a Long Time:

• Do great work (go above and beyond on the first project).
• Give suggestions for what to do next:

For example, “Would you like me to make your landing page better too?”

• Give people ongoing packages, like writing content every month or editing videos every week.
• Keep in touch by sending friendly follow-ups after projects.

Long-term clients mean less time looking for new jobs and more steady income.

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Step 11: Don’t Rely on Just One Source; Go Beyond Platforms

Upwork and Fiverr are great tools, but the best freelancers don’t rely on them alone.

Where else to look for clients:

• LinkedIn (for business-to-business clients who pay well).
• Facebook Groups (opportunities that come from the community).
• Sending cold emails.
• Recommendations from previous clients.
• A personal website or portfolio. Platforms are a good place to start, but to grow, you need a strategy for finding clients across multiple channels.

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Step 12: Create a personal brand that draws in clients By itself

Don’t chase clients; let them chase you instead.

Branding Steps:

• Post case studies on LinkedIn.
• Post short how-to guides on Medium, Twitter, or X.
• Build a basic website that shows off what you can do.
• Write reviews, testimonials, and results.

Clients will trust you more if they see you as an expert in your field, and you can charge more for your services.

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Step 13: Tools to Help You Find Clients Faster

To work smarter and save time:

• Grammarly or Quillbot to help you write clear proposals.
• Canva is for making thumbnails for Fiverr gigs.
• Loom: Make short video introductions for clients.
• Trello and Notion—Keep track of more than one project.
• Payoneer / Wise: Get paid with low fees.

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Step 14: A 30-Day Plan of Action to Get Clients

For beginners, here’s a useful roadmap:

• Week 1:
  • Optimize Upwork profile & Fiverr gigs.
  • Research top competitors in your niche.
• Week 2:
  • Apply to 5–10 jobs daily on Upwork.
  • Launch 2–3 Fiverr gigs with SEO-friendly keywords.
• Week 3:
  • Send personalized proposals daily.
  • Ask first clients for reviews.
• Week 4:
  • Refine gigs and proposals based on feedback.
  • Start building social proof (testimonials, case studies).
  • Reach out to clients for repeat work.

You should have 1 to 3 paying clients and reviews by day 30 in order to grow.

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In conclusion, stand out and make a living as a freelancer.

It’s hard to get started as a freelancer on Upwork and Fiverr, but you can get clients even in competitive niches if you optimize your profile, write good proposals, set fair prices, and build your brand.

• Your profile is like a store window, so make it look professional.
• Your proposals and gigs are your sales pitch, so make them unique.
• To be successful in the long term, you need to provide good service, make connections, and offer a variety of products.

If you use these platforms consistently and smartly, they could help you become financially independent in 2025 and beyond.