Upwork Lead
Generation
1-28 February Performance Report
Shevchenko Alex
1-28 February Report
Performance Overview
200
Proposals Sent
47 Viewed
Upwork Avg: 17.91%
13 Chats Started
Upwork Avg: 2.73%
4 Calls Conducted
1 Contract Started
Insight: Conversion rates for Views (17.91%) and Chats (2.73%) are significantly outperforming Upwork industry averages, indicating strong proposal relevance and effective initial messaging.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Investment Breakdown
Total Connects Cost
Weekly Spend
Cost per View
Cost per Lead (Chat)
Cost per Call
Cost per Contract
All costs calculated based on Upwork Connects expenditure.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Our Actions
Hook Personalization & Response Speed Optimization
This week, I tested different greeting approaches in the opening lines of proposals to create a stronger connection with clients and make the outreach feel more personalized.
To further improve engagement, I will continue testing a more contextual approach.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that Upwork has recently started displaying average response time to clients. Currently, your profile shows a 4–8 hour response window, which is a solid показатель, but there is clear room for improvement.
Faster response times can directly influence client decisions, as most clients prefer working with freelancers who reply quickly and maintain active communication.
The next step is to reduce response time to under 2 hours during active periods. Setting up instant notifications or forwarding messages from Upwork to email or Slack (depending on your workflow) can help ensure максимально быстрые ответы.
These improvements in both first-line engagement and response speed should positively impact overall conversion rates.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Conclusions
Strong visibility and above-average conversion performance
Retrospective Analysis
Recent updates to cover letters and profile optimization are showing positive results. Conversion rates are significantly above platform averages—nearly 2x higher. The key advantage is visibility: our title & hooks (first lines of cover letters) - WORK GREAT.
Additional refinements to the profile title and description have been implemented to further improve ranking.
Reduced Ad Spend with Sustained Visibility
Budget Optimization
This week, the total budget came to $201.60, bringing the monthly total to $858.96. I also improved efficiency, with cost per view at $18.28 and cost per lead (chat) reduced to $66.07.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Conclusions
Why recent conversations are not turning into calls
Chat-to-Call Conversion Bottleneck
Recent chat analysis shows that conversations over the past few weeks did not convert into calls. The core issue is in the highly competitive nature of Upwork—clients quickly move to alternative freelancers at the slightest friction. When pricing is introduced before the client understands clear value, clients default to cheaper options, not due to budget constraints, but because they don’t understand what they are paying for. The bottleneck lies in failing to communicate value early and build a stronger personal connection.
Shifting from price-first to value-first interaction
Communicating Value Before Price
To improve conversion, it is critical to avoid discussing pricing upfront in chat without context. Instead, focus on moving the conversation toward a call or sharing a short personalized video. For example, highlighting issues on the client’s website or common mistakes in low-budget builds helps demonstrate expertise. The goal is to build both personal rapport and perceived expertise—either through live calls or tailored video explanations—so the client understands exactly what they are paying for.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Conclusions
Non-ideal but strategically selected opportunities
Understanding Our Current Leads
Our current leads:
on one hand, they are capable of paying $40/hour or $1,000+ fixed;
on the other, they often have low competition because other freelancers avoid them.
These are typically new clients on Upwork or those with weak or unclear platform history. While not ideal, this is a deliberate strategy due to connect budget constraints. These leads require a more careful and trust-driven sales approach, which reinforces the importance of the earlier recommendations.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Path Forward
Working with Limited Budget Clients
During calls, identifying the client’s budget early allows for a more flexible and strategic offer. While budgets are fixed, scope is not. Instead of proposing a full $7,000 project, it is more effective to align with a smaller budget (e.g., $1,500) by focusing on a high-impact, minimal solution—such as a few optimized pages that can generate leads and revenue (not 15-pages corporate site).
This approach sets a scalable foundation, allowing future expansion while maintaining quality. It enables working with lower-budget clients without discounting your expertise or positioning.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Path Forward
Upwork has updated its response time metric
You might not even realize it, but clients can already see how quickly you respond
Previously, it only showed whether you replied within 24 hours or longer.
Now, the platform displays the exact number of hours it typically takes you to respond.
For example: 4 hours. 8 hours. 12 hours.
Response speed is becoming a public trust factor.
Before even starting a conversation, a client can see how responsive you are.
And while before you could ignore response time, now it’s part of your public profile.
Go check how quickly you respond to clients on average.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
1-28 February Report
Next Steps
Upwork Profile Optimization
Skill Optimization Update
As part of our monthly optimization process, I will review and update the profile’s core skills based on Upwork’s “green skills” — the keywords the platform actively highlights in search. Since only 15 skills can be selected on the main profile and they directly impact visibility, I’ll analyze which skills appear for “WordPress Developer” and “SEO WordPress Developer” searches, then adjust accordingly. This update is expected to increase our relevance to job posts, as well as improve performance in invites and direct client outreach.
Shevchenko Alex
Confidential
