Six months ago, I started my Upwork journey. During this time, I learned a lot about consistency, communication, and how the platform really works.
After four months of focused effort, I became a Top‑Rated freelancer on Upwork — even though there were periods when I wasn’t active at all. That inconsistency slowed my progress and taught me how important momentum and responsiveness are.
This article is part of a series where I’ll also talk about:
- How important certifications really are on Upwork
- How I became Top‑Rated in under 3 months of actual activity
- Why and how you should track your proposals properly
How I Became Top‑Rated in 4 Months
Becoming Top‑Rated wasn’t about luck — it was consistency, response time, delivering great work, and keeping clients happy.
Even during the times I disappeared from the platform (a mistake I wouldn’t repeat), the progress I had already made kept pushing me forward.
Here is my profile;
Why Tracking Your Proposals Matters
Every proposal you send costs $1.50–$2.50, so sending blindly doesn’t make sense.
Tracking your proposals helps you understand:
- Which types of jobs convert
- How many proposals lead to one contract
- Your ROI on connects
- Patterns in client behavior
I track every proposal manually in a simple sheet:
This one habit alone helped me reduce costs and increase conversions.
Using AI for Writing Cover Letters
AI can save time, especially when you’re applying daily. But if you're a beginner, I still recommend writing some cover letters manually to understand what works.
✅ Manual Cover Letters
These help you learn:
- How clients think
- How to tailor proposals
- What makes you stand out
✅ AI‑Generated Cover Letters
If you're applying frequently (like me), AI speeds things up and keeps your writing consistent.
Here are the tools I use:
⚙️ FreelanceHustle.ai — My Daily Tool
My friend on Upwork recommended this tool. I wasn’t sure at first, but now I use it every day.
✅ What I Like
- Voice dictation is a game changer — speak in your native language, and it generates a natural proposal.
- Understands chat history + your voice input.
- Replies to client messages using AI.
- Results don’t look AI‑generated.
- You can save and train your best proposals.
- Chrome extension works well for Upwork questions.
- No usage limits.
❌ What I Don’t Like
- Not designed only for Upwork, so sometimes feels slightly off.
- Pricing isn’t super clear — they should separate Upwork/Fiverr or use credits.
Price: $30
⚙️ Pouncer.ai — A Great Secondary Option
✅ What I Like
- Large template library (you can create your own too).
- Free plan available.
- Built‑in profile optimizer.
- Helpful community.
- Clean, simple UI.
❌ What I Don’t Like
- Uses Unicode characters for bold/italic — looks very AI‑styled.
- Proposal generation is limited.
Price: $35
Note: The both links are affliated you can search from google if you prefer not register from these links.
What Clients Actually See
Most freelancers overestimate how much clients read.
Here’s what clients really see:
Clients only get a preview of:
- First 1–2 sentences of your proposal
- Your country
- Your photo
- Your hourly rate
- Job Success Score
- Total earnings
- A small list of skills
This is why improving your profile, portfolio, and appearance matters even more than writing a “perfect” proposal.
Final Lessons & Advice
After hundreds of proposals and months of experimenting, here’s what I learned:
- Nobody cares who wrote your proposal — AI or you.
- Clients care about your profile, results, and professionalism.
- Tracking your proposals saves money and increases conversions.
- AI tools can help, but don’t rely on them entirely.
- Don’t expect any platform or AI to do the work for you.
I’m just sharing honest experiences here — not advertising anything. I currently use FreelanceHustle.ai daily because it fits my workflow, but you should choose whatever works best for you.
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