⚡ 0-$30K. On Upwork, with GigRadar
"I went from zero income to a small income for myself. I was still a student back then, so it was pretty cool making money from home. And that lasted quite a while actually, like more than a year. And then it snowballed from there."
Alejandro’s story is proof that you don’t need to hit it big overnight to grow a successful agency.From scraping by on Upwork to making a $30k with GigRadar in the short term, he did it by working smarter, not harder.You can find the full interview and case study with Alejandro on our website. Check it out for the complete breakdown of how he built his agency from scratch.
Here’s a quick rundown of the key takeaways from our interview with Alejandro, along with my comments and suggestions on how you can apply his strategies to your own journey.
Focus on Your Niche. Find it.
Alejandro stopped trying to be the guy who does everything. He narrowed down his profile to two core services: web development and Spanish content writing.
Alejandro was working on SEO, writing, web design, and website development all at once 🤯
Alejandro stopped trying to do everything and focused on just two services: web development and Spanish content writing.
"I used to have an all-over-the-place profile because I wanted to cater to many different people and I was not getting any replies at all. And since I've converted my profile to just one narrow single thing, I'm getting way more replies again"
Why This Works: Narrowing your profile not only shows clients that you are an expert in your niche, but it also benefits your Upwork visibility: the algorithm favors profiles that have earned and completed work primarily within a selected specialization.
Keywords. Again.
Of course, everyone who’s just starting on Upwork has no idea how to optimize their profile properly. So Alejandro began by adding keywords like "web design" and "Spanish content writing" to his profile to boost visibility.
"...if the text has the keyword that you want to run for in my experience. So if you're doing web design like I am, I always tell my clients to include something like "yeah, we wanted a web design expert and I think that helps a little bit."."
More About Keywords: Upwork is a search engine, just like Google.Use words your clients search for, like "React front-end development." Put these in your profile titles, descriptions, and ask clients to use them in their reviews.
Automate. Everything.
Before GigRadar, Alejandro was throwing away $2,000 a month on connects with little to show for it. MANUALLY!GigRadar changed everything, helping him automate proposals, slash his costs, and boost his replies. He reached a 27% LRR on his focused scanners. His PVR also went up, showing more clients viewed his proposals.For those who haven't yet had a chance to explore their Upwork leadgen dashboards (GigRadar's dashboard <3), here's a quick reminder on decoding your metrics from the GigRadar dashboard:
GigRadar not only automates proposal sending, but with its dashboard, you can access data to easily fine-tune your lead generation.
If your PVR is low while sending a lot of proposals, it means your Upwork Profile or Specialized Profile doesn't match the jobs you're applying for.If your PVR is high but LRR is low, it means your cover letter needs improvement—it may lack attention-grabbing content, personalization, or could be too long and boring.
Keep improving what works.
Alejandro also joined the GigRadar Growth Manager program for advice on improving the quality of Areia's agency lead generation.This helped him find better clients, leading to more successful projects. Also set up other parts of Upwork lead generation, like a proper sales funnel.This program isn’t available now, so Alejandro was lucky to use it. But you can still book a consultation with Tamara Levit to get:
- Honest feedback (it might sting, but it works)
- Insights on what to change right now
- More consultations, because after one, you’ll see real results
Alejandro’s success came from improving each part of his sales process. Not only Upwork profiles and scanners.
🎬 Videos for Upwork Proposals
Upwork has launched a new A/B test (traditionally available to 50% of freelancers, thus it's in beta) to attach a video to your proposals.So, no more random bans for shared Looms, haha.However, it costs extra 6 connects (yessir), and it probably will work as "well" as their meeting booking system, the Calendly-killer.Have you tested it? By the way, videos are a good way to build immediate trust with a client!
🌪️ Healthy Upwork Pipeline: Newbie Edition pt. 2
In the previous newsletter, I shared the basics on the Upwork sales funnel. Today, let's check the basic Upwork reply flow, which is simple but not everyone follows it properly.
Save this picture, put it in a frame, and hang it on the wall
- Reply ASAP: Quick replies on Upwork are crucial. The faster you respond, the more likely you are to convert leads. Consider a multi-shift SDR team to cover different time zones and aim for response times under 30 minutes. Ideally under 5 mins.
- Keep Engaged: Provide Updates During Estimates Don't fall silent when providing estimates. Keep leads engaged with progress updates like "Working on the final numbers" or "Almost done—just checking a few details." Consistent updates reassure clients and prevent them from looking elsewhere. Once delivered, ask for feedback to move them closer to signing.
- Follow Up: Be Persistent If leads go silent, follow up strategically—after 24 hours, then 2-3 days, then a week later. Each follow-up should provide value, such as further insights or reminders about your solution. Simple follow-ups can be the key to turning a cold lead into a client.
- Communicate During the Contract: Build Rapport Keep communication open during projects, not just for updates but to build rapport. This makes clients more comfortable and more likely to leave positive feedback with relevant keywords, boosting your profile's SEO on Upwork.
- Post-Contract Follow-Up: Reconnect for More Work Follow up after projects end—check in, offer follow-up services, or share new project ideas. Re-engaging clients leads to repeat business and keeps you top of mind for future opportunities.
💀 Upwork = Dead?
Recently, I got this message from a client. This unsubscribe reason isn’t as bad as it seems :DYes, someone got disappointed with Upwork, but it’s been "dying" since the Elance-Odesk days.
As you can see, opinions differ. Here’s a fresh post from an Upwork freelancer on Reddit:
Is it dead for you? 🧐
❤️ GigRadar Community
HAPPENED: How to Make Affiliate Networks in 2025
More clients, less effort — shh, your affiliate network can totally make it happen! 🤫Join us for a webinar with Ivan Proropets and Oleksandr Moroz, Cofounders of Prok Tech, and we’ll show you how to set up an affiliate network that works like magic 🛎️ Agenda: 1️⃣ B2B clients research results: what sources of traffic work in 20242️⃣ Affiliates vs Cold Outreach3️⃣ Best practices to create an affiliate network that will overflow your agency with referrals:
- How to identify your ideal affiliate
- How to create value to affiliates
- How to make affiliates send you referrals
🗓️ Date: 10.10.24
🕒 Time: 4 PM Kyiv time / 9 PM Bali time / 9 AM EST
📍Where: Zoom
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