Clients are often in a hurry to find the right freelancer and get started. You may increase your chances of getting a contract by quickly responding to new messages and invitations.
Successful freelancers often try to respond within 24 hours, and best practice is to respond within 1 to 2 hours.
Fast response times can also help you:
- Show clients that you’re likely to respond to them
- Build your reputation as someone who is dependable and professional. Even if you’re not interested in the job, let the client know so they can move forward in their search for a freelancer
Communication tips:
- Check Upwork Messages as part of your regular routine. Consider setting a reminder on your personal calendar to make it part of your schedule.
- Adjust your profile notification settings. Here’s how:
- From your profile, select Profile Settings > Notification Settings
- For Messages, select Important activity only for your desktop, mobile, and email messages, and select the frequency you want for emails
- For Other Upwork Email Updates, check the boxes under Freelancer and Agency Proposals to get notifications about your proposals and invitations
- Turn on notifications for your mobile or desktop devices. Learn more about managing your notifications.
- Update your availability — if you’re taking a break or too busy for more work, mark your profile as Not available for new work. Here’s how:
- From your profile or Find Work page, select the ✎ Edit icon next to Hours per week
- Choose None and enter the date you expect to be available for work again
- Choose Save
You can also set your profile to private if you don’t want to get new invitations. Don’t worry, this setting will still allow your current and past clients and other Upwork users to contact you.