Should New Freelance Writers Use Upwork?

When I first started freelance writing, I did what many new freelancers do.

I signed up for Guru.

Back then, Guru was one of the biggest freelance platforms around. Later, many writers moved over to Upwork, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour, and other similar sites as the freelance industry evolved.

I thought I had discovered the shortcut.

There were thousands of projects listed. Clients were actively searching for writers. New opportunities seemed to appear every single day.

As a brand-new freelance writer working from my kitchen table while my twins napped nearby, it felt like exactly what I needed.

I didn’t have a website yet. I didn’t have an audience. I certainly didn’t have a personal brand or a portfolio packed with impressive client work.

All I had to do was create a profile, browse through projects, and start applying.

At least, that’s what I thought. The reality turned out to be very different.

If you’re interested in being a freelance writer, I don’t want you to think the ONLY places to find clients is on freelance platforms. There are soooooooooo many other places to find high-paying writing jobs that you will never need to create an Upwork profile.

I Thought Upwork Had It All

At first, having access to so many potential clients feels exciting. You log in and suddenly you’re surrounded by opportunities. Blog posts. Website copy. Email marketing campaigns. Product descriptions. Social media content.

It feels like work is everywhere.

For a while, that can be incredibly motivating because it gives you hope. You start imagining all the clients you’ll land and all the money you’ll make.

But after a few weeks, I started noticing something that made me pause.

Every single project had dozens of writers applying.

Sometimes hundreds.

And many of those writers were willing to work for rates that I simply couldn’t compete with.

I remember scrolling through listings and seeing projects that would take several hours to complete, only to find freelancers bidding $10, $15, or $20 for the entire assignment. Even back then, I knew those rates weren’t sustainable.

It quickly became clear that I wasn’t competing based on my writing ability. I was competing based on price.

And that means you are seen as a COMMODITY and not as a valuable collaborator.

It Felt Like a Race to the Cheapest Writer

One of the biggest lessons I learned from freelance platforms is that the cheapest freelancer often gets the attention first.

Not always. There are certainly clients who value quality. But often enough that it becomes frustrating.

Many clients on these platforms aren’t necessarily looking for the best writer for the job. They’re looking for the lowest quote that seems “good enough.” As a result, you can find yourself constantly trying to justify why you’re charging a little more than the next writer.

That’s exhausting.

You’re spending hours writing proposals, refreshing the platform, sending applications and checking for messages waiting for the gig.

Then waking up the next day and doing it all over again.

I did land some decent projects through Upwork but that’s because I reached out to the client first on LinkedIn and then they told me they were on Upwork. I don’t want to pretend those experiences was terrible because it wasn’t. A few projects helped me build confidence, gain experience, and learn how to work with clients professionally.

But when I stepped back and looked at the bigger picture, something wasn’t adding up.

The amount of time I spent pitching didn’t match the amount of money I was earning.

The math simply didn’t work.

Eventually, I had a realization that changed the direction of my freelance business. I started to go to job boards and that lead me to higher paying clients.

And this is what I teach (as well as dozens of other ways to find clients) in Writeto1k.

Rather than competing with fifty other writers for every project, I started focusing on job boards and creating my own online presence. I launched a website. I started blogging. I guest posted on other sites. I connected with other writers. I created content that showcased my expertise and helped potential clients understand what I could do.

And over time, I built a successful freelance writing business.

Why Freelance Platforms Make It Hard to Build a Business

The biggest issue with relying entirely on freelance platforms like Upwork, Guru, Fiverr, or Freelancer is that you’re building your business on someone else’s platform….where they take a CUT of your PAY.

That might not seem like a big deal when you’re first getting started, but over time it can create some serious challenges.

1. You Don’t Own the Audience

When you’re finding clients through a freelance platform, the platform owns the audience.

They control the traffic and they decide which profiles get visibility and which ones don’t.

If your profile gets buried in search results, your leads can disappear overnight.

That’s very different from building your own website, email list, or LinkedIn presence. Those are assets you own and control.

A blog post you publish today could bring clients years from now but a proposal on a freelance platform might only be visible for a few hours.

2. You’re Constantly Competing on Price

One of the most frustrating parts of freelance platforms is how often they turn writing into a bidding war.

Instead of focusing on the value you bring, you’re often competing against dozens of other freelancers who may be charging significantly less….and this is discouraging for you I bet! It was for me.

I started thinking, maybe I don’t deserve more then a few dollars to write this type of content.

Over time, this can make it difficult to raise your rates and position yourself as an expert.

When prospects find you through your own content, website, or referrals, the conversation is usually very different. They’re already interested in working with you specifically, which means the discussion becomes less about price and more about results.

3. The Platform Controls Your Business

When you have a profile on a freelance platform, you have no control over algorithm changes, or rule changes.

I’ve heard stories from freelancers who built their entire income around one platform only to have their account suspended or restricted unexpectedly. Suddenly, the leads stopped coming and they had no backup plan.

That’s a scary position to be in.

When your entire business depends on a single platform, you’re putting a lot of trust in a company that can change the rules at any time.

I always suggest to writers to have more than one place to house your portfolio. Place it on LinkedIn, Pinterest, your blog or on Journo.

4. It’s Hard to Build a Recognizable Brand

Most successful freelance writers eventually become known for something.

Maybe they’re SaaS writers or they specialize in email marketing.

Maybe they’re experts in finance, health, or B2B content.

But on freelance platforms, it’s often difficult to stand out as anything other than another profile in a long list of applicants.

Building your own website and creating content allows prospects to see your expertise, personality, and experience in a way a platform profile never can.

5. It Encourages Short-Term Thinking

Freelance platforms are often focused on finding the next project.

And then the next one.

And then the next one after that.

It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of constantly chasing work instead of building systems that attract clients consistently.

When you invest time into content marketing, networking, referrals, guest posting, or growing your online presence, you’re building something that compounds over time.

That’s how you create a business that continues generating opportunities even when you’re not actively pitching every day.

Are Freelance Platforms Always Bad?

No.

I don’t think freelance platforms are evil, and I certainly don’t think every new freelancer should avoid them completely. I mean I even think content mills have a place for freelance writers (at times).

In fact, they can be useful in certain situations.

If you need experience, confidence, testimonials, or a few early projects to get momentum, they can help. They can also be useful during slow seasons when you’re looking to fill gaps in your schedule.

The problem starts when they become your entire business strategy.

I’ve seen writers spend years refreshing freelance platforms every morning.

Years!

Meanwhile, they never build a website. They never create content. They never network with people in their industry. They never develop a client acquisition system that works independently of the platform.

That’s when freelance platforms stop being a tool and start becoming a trap.

Build Something Bigger Than a Profile

Looking back, I’m grateful I started on Guru.

It taught me how to write proposals. It taught me how to communicate with clients. It taught me how competitive freelance writing can be.

But I’m even more grateful that I eventually moved beyond it. Because the goal isn’t to become the best bidder on a freelance platform.

The goal is to build a freelance business that supports your life.

A business where clients hire you because of your expertise.
A business where your rates aren’t determined by whoever is willing to charge the least.
A business where you’re not refreshing freelance platforms every morning hoping someone chooses you.

Instead, you’re building a reputation that attracts the right clients to you.

And trust me, that’s a much better place to be.