Upwork Profile Examples That Get Interviews
Your Upwork profile is critical for landing jobs as a freelancer. Clients use it to decide who to interview, and they also invite freelancers to interview directly after finding them in search results…
…So if you create an Upwork profile that gets seen and clicked in search results, you’ll start getting interviews without having to even send out proposals!
To help you write your own profile, I’m going to share 3 of the best Upwork profile examples to land jobs (including one I personally used to make tens of thousands of dollars on Upwork).
Proven Upwork Profile Examples
First we’re going to look at an Upwork profile example from my own personal profile when I was working as a freelance copywriter. I earned tens of thousands of dollars on Upwork after quitting my job as a recruiter but before this website earned enough to support me full-time.
(My Upwork profile says $10,000+ earned, but I made FAR more because I’d usually work directly with each client through PayPal or Stripe after the first project on Upwork. So it was more like $30,000 earned with this profile!)
And for the first time EVER, I’m sharing my exact Upwork profile word-for-word. From the headline down to the Call to Action at the end.
Here it is, and then I’ll walk you through why this is an effective profile step-by-step after:
Upwork Profile Example #1: (Freelance Copywriter/Marketing Consultant)
I’ll share a screenshot of the full example below, and then we’ll go piece-by-piece and look at why each section is effective. So check out this profile example and then scroll down for the reasons it worked.
Breakdown of Why This is a Good Upwork Profile Example:
Now that you’ve seen the full example profile above, let’s go through each numbered point in the screenshot and talk about why this profile worked well on Upwork.
1. A results-driven headline
Instead of putting a boring, generic job title, like “Marketing Consultant” or “Sales Page Copywriter”, I focused 100% on the result I provide. I wrote it like I’m selling a product, focusing on exactly what my ideal client wants!
They want to boost conversions and sales, and they need help doing it via their emails, advertisements, etc.
So that’s exactly what I address in the headline to get more clicks and get more interviews.
2. An eye-catching testimonial
Next, I started the body of my Upwork profile with a testimonial showing a past result I’ve gotten for a client. If clients see you’ve gotten results for other companies, they’ll immediately think, “great, this person can help me too.”
This is much better than starting off with something generic like, “Hi, I’m a ___ and I do ___.”
The WORST way to start your Upwork profile is by saying “I” or “I am” or “I do.” Why? Because that’s what almost everyone else is doing, and the client cares about themselves, not you. They just want the result!
Most profiles start like this, and it’s not going to attract many clients: “Hi! My name is Jeff and I am a web designer.” So avoid that, and start your profile differently.
Start with “You”, or “Let me help you do ___”, etc., or a testimonial like in my Upwork profile example above.
3. Introducing yourself
After you’ve got your attention, THEN you can talk about what you do and how you’ll help them. Introduce yourself and what you do.
Most people do this at the very start of their profile. Big mistake. You need to catch the reader’s attention first by talking about them and their needs, or showing what you’ve done for past clients (I did this with a testimonial).
4. Show your expertise and what you’ll do for them
After you introduce yourself, you can go into more detail about what you specialize in. You want to make yourself seem like an expert. What are you BEST at?
If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one. You need to make your Upwork profile focused and laser-targeted! The biggest mistake I see newbie freelancers make is thinking they’re limiting themselves by narrowing down their service offering. You’re not losing out on clients by doing this, you’re losing out on clients by being too broad and general.
Imagine you have a problem with mice in your apartment. Are you going to hire a general home repairman? Or are you going to hire a mouse and pest expert?
That’s how your clients are thinking, too. They want the EXPERT with a narrow focus.
So make the middle sections of your profile all about showing your expertise. Talk about why you’re an expert at what you do, who you’ve worked for, who you’ve studied, and what results you’ve gotten for past clients.
5. Scarcity/exclusivity
Showing that you only work with a certain type of client can help you land more jobs on Upwork. Don’t be afraid to show who you can work with, and who you cannot. Having standards and requirements makes you more desirable.
I’ll give you an example…
I just got in contact with a freelancer recently for help with this website- Career Sidekick, and she said, “I’ll take a closer look tomorrow and give you a heads up in case we’re not a good fit.”
That made me want to work with her far more… because it adds exclusivity. Now instead of worrying about whether I should hire her, I’m thinking, “Ohh, I hope she thinks my project is a good fit. I don’t want to get rejected.”
So that’s the power of showing clients you have certain guidelines in terms of who you work with. Make them prove to YOU that you should work with them.
If you do this, you’ll transform yourself from the seller to the buyer. They’ll be trying to convince you to work with you. This is a powerful way to turn more freelance job interviews into offers, too.
6. Call to Action
Finally, you should end your Upwork profile with a “Call to Action.”
Tell them what to do next. You’d be amazed how many people will do something simply because you ask in a clear, direct way. So think of the one single action you want them to take, and ask for it.
In the example above, I’m asking them to contact me and provide details about their project so I can determine if it’s a good fit to work together. (This is also adding more exclusivity/scarcity, from step #5 above).
Those are all the steps I used in my Upwork profile to get interviews and get clients as a copywriter! Now let’s look at another full Upwork profile example from another freelancer in a different niche…
Upwork Profile Example #2 (Graphic Designer/Illustrator)
Breakdown of this Upwork Profile Example:
1. Clear, direct headline showing area of specialization (with some great keywords to show up in search results, too)
I don’t like this as much as my headline in the first Upwork profile example we looked at, because this is more of a job title rather than a product or result the client gets. But it’s still a good Upwork profile headline – it shows what this person specializes in, and adds some good keywords to the profile.
If this were my profile, I’d try to make it more like a product or a result the client will get. For example, instead of, “Graphic Designer + Illustrator,” I might say, “Graphic Designs and Illustrations to Make Your Brand Stand Out”.
2. Social proof
This profile does a great job of starting off in a unique way that will grab attention. We looked at this concept in profile example #1 earlier in this article, too.
Remember – the WORST thing you can do is start off with, “Hi, my name is ___ and I do ___.” That’s what everyone’s doing.
So this person is naming some big clients they’ve helped and is making it clear exactly how they helped them.
If you don’t have permission to use past clients’ names, you could say, “Multiple international corporations with 10,000-20,000 employees have trusted me to ___.”
If you haven’t helped any big clients but have worked with many smaller clients, you could say, “More than 50 small businesses have trusted me to help them do ___.”
3. More results and proof
There’s no better way to show you’ll get great results for your next client than showing off what you did for past clients.
This Upwork profile does a great job of showing specific, tangible results. Getting featured on Buzzfeed. Getting 300K+ pins on Pinterest.
Now the reader is thinking, “maybe this person can do that for me, too.”
4. Call to action
This “Call to Action,” could actually be made a lot stronger. I’ll show you how I’d change it…
I’d recommend saying something much more direct like, “Send me a message with some information about your goals and what you’re looking for help with. From there, I can answer any questions you have, and we can discuss your project in detail.”
That’s an example of a stronger way to end your Upwork profile to get more inquiries.
Upwork Profile Example #3 (Email Lead Generation/Sales Copywriter)
This is another Upwork profile from a copywriter. Since copywriters are experts in writing words that persuade/sell, it’s no surprise that some of the best Upwork profile examples come from this niche.
Let’s look at the full screenshot example, and then we’ll go step-by-step through each piece below.
Breakdown of this Upwork Profile Example:
1. Clear, direct headline with keywords
This is another Upwork profile headline that does a good job of showing what this freelancer specializes in and what they offer.
I still might try to make it more results-focused. Something like, “Get more leads and sales. Email lead generation and copywriting.”
That turns the headline into a product or result, which is what the client really wants and is thinking about as they browse Upwork.
2. Make it all about their needs
This Upwork profile does a GREAT job of focusing on the client’s needs from the start. Read the first few words… “More of your emails…”
It’s immediately about their business and their situation, not about the freelancer. That’s the right way to begin your profile on Upwork.
3. Show what you’ll do for them
After addressing their needs/problems, THEN you can talk about yourself. This profile finally talks about, “I”, but not until the third paragraph. That’s how to do it!
And this profile still manages to keep the focus on the client even while talking about how they can help. The 3 bullets are all about the client’s goals, not about the freelancer.
Nobody cares about the “what” or “how”, they just want a result. This is an example of how to speak to that in your profile.
Also notice the unique formatting. By using unique symbols, graphics, or basic emojis (like checkmarks, red X’s to signify problems/mistakes, etc.), you’ll grab the reader’s attention and get your profile read instead of skimmed over!
4. Call to action
This Upwork profile could improve one thing: The Call to action. It doesn’t really ask the reader to take a specific action, which is a lost opportunity.
I’d improve this by saying something like, “If the results above sound interesting, contact me and we’ll set up a time to talk about your project and goals!”
Final Tip: Focus on What Clients See Before Clicking Your Upwork Profile
When you submit an Upwork proposal for a job, clients see a few things before clicking your profile. And they can use this to “archive” you (not good), “short-list” you (good), or click to view your whole profile to read more or invite you to interview (very good).
So work EXTREMELY hard on the following pieces, because these are what potential clients see before they decide whether to click you…
- Your headline
- The first paragraph of your Upwork profile
- Your Upwork profile photo
- Your job success score
These were all vital in helping me earn thousands per month on Upwork when I was freelancing.
If you read through the three Upwork profile examples earlier in this article, you should have a good idea of how to handle the first two items on that list.
For your photo, make sure you’re smiling and look trustworthy, competent and professional. It doesn’t need to be “stiff” (like a suit and tie), but you should look neat and professional.
And for job success score, make sure you always go above and beyond what a client expects. Communicate well and set realistic expectations. And offer a generous revision policy.
I recommend offering to continue revising a project until they’re satisfied. This doesn’t mean letting a client add to the scope of the project or get “free” extra work. But if the project is to write a sales page, and they’re not happy with it when you email over the file, revise it and re-submit.
I found that very few clients abused or took advantage of a revision policy like this, and it ensured nobody left me a bad review or left unhappy with what I delivered. My job success score was always 100% because of this.
If you follow these steps and model your Upwork profile like the 3 examples above, you’ll get more interviews and clients immediately.
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