Are Upwork boosted proposals worth it?

Boosting a proposal on Upwork can move you to the top of the client's list. It can also quietly eat your Connects on jobs you were never going to win. The honest answer to "is it worth it?" is: sometimes, and you can usually tell which times before you spend anything.

This guide explains how boosting works, when it pays off, when to skip it, and how much to bid.

How boosting works

A boost is a bid, in Connects, for one of a small number of top slots on the client's list of proposals. The number of top slots varies by job. Upwork shows the current competing bids and the smallest bid that would win a top slot right now.

A few rules are worth knowing before you bid:

• You bid on top of the Connects the proposal itself costs, from the same balance.
• A bid below the current minimum isn't accepted. If someone outbids you before your proposal goes in, it isn't sent and you're asked to choose again.
• Upwork takes the bid when the proposal is sent. If you don't finish in a top slot and the client doesn't engage with your proposal first, only part of it comes back. Check Upwork's own help pages for the current terms, as they can change.
• Once a proposal is in, you can't change or withdraw the boost. Withdrawing a boosted proposal forfeits those Connects and stops you applying to that job again.
• Boosting isn't available on every job, for example when you don't meet the client's preferred qualifications, and you can't boost a reply to an invitation.

When a boost is worth it

A boost buys visibility. Visibility matters when there is real competition and the client hasn't made up their mind yet. Look for all of these together:

• The job is a strong fit for you. A boost puts you in front of the client; it doesn't make a weak match a good one.
• There is real competition: plenty of proposals already, or other freelancers have boosted.
• The client hasn't started hiring. No hires yet, and few or no interviews.
• The bid needed for a top slot is within a limit you set for yourself in advance.

When to skip it

Most of the time, these are reasons to keep your Connects:

• The client has already hired someone, or is already interviewing several people. The decision is mostly made.
• There are only a handful of proposals and nobody has boosted. You're already visible near the top.
• The fit is only so-so. Spend the Connects on a better job instead.
• A top slot costs more than you'd pay. Chasing a bidding war rarely pays back.
• Upwork itself suggests skipping, which it does in cases such as the client having already hired.

How much to bid

If you do boost, bid what it takes to win a top slot now, and no more. Bidding well above the minimum doesn't buy you a better position than a top slot, it just costs more.

Set yourself a cap per job before you start looking, and stick to it. A cap you decide calmly in advance beats one you decide in the moment, with a job you like on the screen.

What it really costs

Connects are cheap one at a time and add up quickly. A job that costs 20 Connects to apply to, plus a 10 Connect boost, is 30 Connects for one proposal. Do that a few times a week and boosts can become a large share of what you spend on Upwork.

The useful number isn't the cost per proposal, it's the cost per reply and per hire. Our free Connects cost calculator works that out from your own numbers.

Mistakes to avoid

• Boosting everything out of habit. If every proposal is boosted, none of them are chosen for a reason.
• Boosting a job that's already hiring. You pay for a top slot on a list the client has stopped reading.
• Bidding far above the minimum "to be safe". You only need a top slot.
• Withdrawing a boosted proposal. You lose the Connects and the chance to apply again.

A checklist before you boost

1. Is this job a strong fit for me?
2. Has the client hired anyone or started interviewing? If yes, skip.
3. Is there real competition: many proposals, or others boosting?
4. What does a top slot cost right now, and is it under my cap?
5. Am I bidding the minimum that wins a top slot, not more?

How GigPitch helps

When you approve a proposal in GigPitch, it shows the live boost picture for that job: the current top bids, how many top slots there are and the minimum that wins one. It then recommends boosting or not, with the reasons, using limits you set yourself. It leans towards saving your Connects, and it never boosts without you choosing the amount.

A boost can't fix a proposal the client skips past, so pair it with a good one. Our free proposal checker is a quick way to check yours.