How to Use Upwork to Land Premium Clients (Yes, Really)
Y’all, I’m about to challenge something I’ve been saying for years.
If you’ve been in my world for any amount of time, you know I’ve never been an Upwork fan. I’ve literally never logged into the platform. I even have a custom GPT trained on my knowledge, and when someone asks it about Upwork, it says don’t bother. So when one of my own Strategist Society members came to me and said, “Brandi, I’m filling my entire client roster from Upwork,” I had to pay attention.
Upwork can actually land you premium, champagne-level clients when you know how to work the system. And today I’m going to walk you through exactly how to do it.
My guest on the podcast, Ashley Kruse, is an ad strategist, a mom, a wife, and someone who describes herself as “just a regular old gal in the Midwest.” But what she’s doing on Upwork is anything but regular. She signed her first high-ticket client within 15 days on the platform, and seven months later, she was completely waitlisted. Not from Instagram DMs. Not from a fancy funnel. From Upwork.
Let me break down the exact strategies that made it work and how you can use them too.
Why Upwork Works When You Need Clients Now (Not in 90 Days)
Here’s where Ashley’s story gets real. At the end of 2024, she was back in corporate working a sales job that was draining the life out of her. She’d been doing ad management for over three years, but she’d stepped away from her freelance business and was stuck in a 9-to-5 that wasn’t aligned with the life she wanted.
So she made the decision to come back to her business. But here’s the thing: she didn’t have a runway.
She had one retainer client. One. And she didn’t have 60 or 90 days to wait around for clients to magically appear through organic marketing. She needed income now.
That urgency is what pushed her to try Upwork. And instead of approaching it the way most people do, she brought a methodology she’d developed years ago on LinkedIn when she used to write resumes. She understood the hiring process. She understood what potential clients are actually looking for. And she applied that strategic lens to the Upwork platform.
“I signed my first client from Upwork. That was a high-ticket client in the first, I think, 15 days that I was on the platform,” Ashley told me. “And then seven months later, I was waitlisted.”
That’s the power of having a system and working it consistently.
Why Upwork Isn’t What You Think It Is
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. When most service providers hear “Upwork,” they think $10/hour gigs and a race to the bottom. I get it. That was my assumption, too.
But here’s the reframe Ashley gave me that completely shifted my perspective: the people posting on Upwork aren’t all looking for cheap labor. A lot of them simply don’t know where else to find talent.
Think about it. Upwork spends a fortune on advertising. Their ads are on podcasts, on Hulu, on Peacock. So when a business owner who’s spending $100K+ a month on ads needs help, and they see an Upwork commercial, where do they go? Upwork. Not because they want budget work, but because that’s what the ad told them to do.
These are the same types of clients who DM me on Instagram asking where to find an ad manager. Before we had our Certified Ad Manager directory, I was literally posting in my group trying to connect people. Most business owners don’t know where to find quality service providers. Upwork just happens to be one of the places they look.
And yes, there are crappy jobs on the platform. Ashley is the first to admit that. But she also says there’s an art to filtering through them to find the ones worth your time.
“You’re gonna read these opportunities, and you’re gonna be like, eh, I don’t think that this is a great fit for me,” she shared. “And then you’re gonna see one that is a good fit. And the minute you read it, the budget’s gonna be in alignment. The way that they’re talking about the results that they want is gonna feel really good.”
How to Command Premium Rates on a Platform Known for Low Prices
This is where it gets good, and where Ashley’s approach as a strategist really shines.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Upwork is that everything is hourly. It’s not. Plenty of clients want retainer-based or project-based services. But even when a job posting does list an hourly rate, Ashley still pitches.
Her approach? Assume they don’t know what they don’t know.
She’ll respond and say something like, “Hey, I see you’re looking for hourly. This is actually how I work. If that’s something you’re open to, let’s talk about it.” And it works. She told me that for every 10 pitches she sends, she gets three to four responses. That’s a 30-40% response rate, y’all.
“Anyone who’s gonna buck back on an hourly versus a retainer rate probably aren’t your right fit client anyway,” Ashley said. And she’s absolutely right.
The key to getting past the pricing conversation? Case studies and results. That’s what clients actually care about. They don’t care how you get paid. They care about whether you can deliver what they need.
This is exactly what I teach inside Strategist Society. When you show up as a strategist, not just a task-doer, you get to dictate the terms of the relationship. Ashley is living proof of that.
The ROI That’ll Make Your Jaw Drop
Let’s talk numbers because I know that’s what you really want to hear.
Ashley tracked her spend on Upwork, and here’s what she found: for every $45 she spends on Connects (the platform’s version of boosted visibility), she lands a retainer client at $2,300/month. And those clients stay an average of four months.
So $45 turns into $9,200+. That’s not a typo.
Here’s what I always tell my people: you are either paying for clients with time or with money. Some of you spend hours every week creating content, engaging on Instagram, hoping the algorithm blesses you. And that’s great if that’s your strategy. But for Ashley, spending $45 to get in front of a high-intent buyer who already knows they need help? That’s a no-brainer.
And here’s the thing about Upwork buyers that makes this even better: the buying intent is already there. These aren’t people casually scrolling. They’ve posted a job. They’ve described what they need. They’re ready to hire. You’re not convincing anyone. You’re just showing them you’re the right fit.
What About the 10% Platform Fee?
Yes, Upwork takes 10% of your contract. Ashley is upfront about that, and she recommends adjusting your pricing accordingly. But here’s what surprised me: her clients actually offer to adjust pricing to account for the platform fee.
“I’ve had clients who have stayed with me for eight, nine months,” Ashley shared. “And they tell me, hey, let me know if we need to adjust pricing to account for what Upwork is taking.”
When you find the right champagne clients, they care about you as a team member, not just about the deliverables. That’s the kind of client relationship we’re all looking for, regardless of where you find them.
One thing Ashley is firm about though: don’t try to take clients off the platform to avoid the fee. If you get caught, your profile gets banned. Plus, staying on Upwork gives you protection. If a client doesn’t pay or tries to bail on their contract, Upwork has systems to manage that. Think of the 10% as a cost of doing business that also comes with built-in protection.
3 Steps to Start Landing Premium Clients on Upwork This Week
If you’re sitting there thinking, “Okay, I want to try this,” here’s exactly what Ashley recommends:
Step 1: Create your profile, and treat it like a sales page.
Do not copy and paste your LinkedIn bio. Your Upwork profile should read like your Work With Me page. It should sell. It should include your case studies. It should make your ideal client think, “This is the person I need.”
Step 2: Build a strong case study and lead with it.
The more your ideal client can see that you have relevant experience, the more likely they are to pay premium rates. If you’re sending generic proposals without showing them why you’re the best fit, they’re going to treat you like a commodity. And when someone treats you like a commodity, they think they can find what you do somewhere cheaper.
Step 3: Start pitching. Consistently.
Ashley recommends sending 5-10 pitches as part of your weekly marketing. And if you’ve been in my world, you know I’m all about those 30 minutes of marketing every single day. Ashley actually follows that framework and dedicates one of her marketing sessions each week to Upwork proposals.
Then track everything. Track how many pitches you send, your view rates, your response rates, and whether they led to discovery calls. Those numbers will tell you exactly where to focus. Is your pitch too vague? Are you not being direct enough about getting on a call? The data doesn’t lie.
The Bigger Lesson: Find What Works for You and Go All In
Here’s what I want you to take away from this:
You don’t have to do things the “traditional” way to build a profitable freelance business. I’ve worked with over 3,000 service providers, and the ones who win are the ones who find what works for them and go all in.
Ashley broke one of my own “rules” by building her business on Upwork, and she’s killing it. That’s the beauty of being a strategist. You understand the principles, and then you apply them to whatever platform or channel makes sense for your situation.
She used the same strategic positioning I teach inside Strategist Society: the same focus on premium clients, the same commitment to showing up as an expert rather than a commodity. She just did it on a platform I never would have recommended. And she proved me wrong. I love that.
If you’re someone who needs clients now and you don’t want to wait months for organic marketing to kick in, give Upwork a 90-day test. Decide how much you’re willing to invest, commit to the process, and do the dang thing.
Ready to Find Your Champagne Clients?
If Ashley’s story has you fired up, here’s what I want you to do.
If you want to try the Upwork route, go grab Ashley’s free Upwork Profile Checklist. It walks you through the eight things you need dialed in on your profile so you can show up like a pro and actually get found by clients searching the platform. Give her a follow on Instagram at @the.business.baddie while you’re at it.
If you’re an early-stage service provider who wants to build a solid foundation for landing premium clients (on Upwork or anywhere else), check out Conversions for Clients to get started.
And if you’re already past $5K months and you’re ready to scale to consistent $15K-$30K+ months while working less? That’s exactly what we do inside Strategist Society. Ashley is one of our members, and her results speak for themselves. Come join us and build a business that gives you the steadiness and predictability you’ve been craving. DM me on Instagram @brandimowles and tell me “STRATEGIST” if you want to learn more.
This post is based on Episode 277 of the Serve Scale Soar podcast. If you loved Ashley’s story, make sure you’re subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you’re a service provider who’s ready to stop hustling and start scaling, I’ll see you inside.
** This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you use one of the links to purchase. This helps keep the podcast going and I only share products I have used, tested and love.”
Listen on Your Favorite Podcast Platform
Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts
Are you following my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I already have so many amazing guests and topics lined up, I would hate for you to miss a single one! Click here to follow on Apple Podcasts
Could I ask a big favor? If you are loving the podcast, I would LOVE it if you would leave me a review on Apple Podcasts. I read each and every review. Plus, you get to pay it forward because it will allow other service providers like you to find the podcast! Wondering how to leave a review? Click here to review, then select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review”. So easy and so appreciated!
Meet Brandi
Brandi Mowles is the host of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast which is a podcast dedicated to helping service-based entrepreneurs scale their online business to five-figure months so they can soar into six-figure years. Brandi is a wife, mom and in less than one year, created a six-figure business. Now she is spilling all her secrets so you can too.
