**Boosted Proposals

Boosted Proposals (externally referred to as “Boost your proposal”) is a feature that grants Talent the option to compete to appear in one of Top 4 “non-invited” proposal slots pinned to the top of a client’s Proposal Manager (PMGR) view. 

Boosted Proposals Global Access

In Boosted Proposals QT we saw that Clients were more likely to hire boosted FLs, implying that there is value in having the option to boost for both Talent (more control over their visibility) and Clients (implied by the fact that they actually were choosing sponsored candidates over others). However, due to the fact that we lowered the price of organic applications to 1 Connect, and the bids in the auctions were not very high, the previous iteration created a negative pressure on Connects revenue. We hypothesize that If we introduce the possibility to boost one's proposal on top of status quo job application pricing, then we still will see a positive effect of boosting on the probability of hire, but Connects revenue will increase.

The main updates with this phase are the following:

• Same UX as the original Boosted Proposals
• The notable difference is that the "organic price" (i.e., the price to submit a regular, non-boosted application) will match our standard pricing tiers.
• Update to the Ad slug from "Highly interested" to "Boosted"

The refunding of Connects will work differently depending on a few factors:

Anyone within the Placebo or Ghost Ad testing buckets will always receive a full refund of bidded Connects as the CL doesn’t see a “Boosted” badge. 

FLs moving from in the money (ITM) to out of the money with NO CL engagement will receive a full refund of bidded Connects.

FLs moving from ITM to out of the money AND has CL engagement will not receive any refunds.

CL engagement is described as:

• Client opens the FL’s proposal
• Client sends an offer to the FL
• Client shortlists the FL’s proposal
• Client messages the FL
• Client archives the FL’s proposal
• Client declines the FL’s proposal

FLs who were never ITM will receive a full refund of bidded Connects.

FLs in the Top 2 spots will receive a refund based on what the FL in the 3rd spot paid. Example:

• FL 1 spends 50 Connects and FL 2 spends 40 Connects, but FL 3 spends 10 Connects
• FL 1 will receive a refund of 40 Connects
• FL 2 will receive a refund of 30 Connects
• Now, all 3 Top 3 FLs only paid 10 Connects

Connects History Refund Views 

Disclaimer: these are screenshots with Connect charges/refunds all next to each other, but please keep in mind that pending on the FLs actions, these can be broken up amongst other Connects charges in the Connects history.

A full refund will have a total of 3 different line items for a proposal:

A partial refund will have a total of 4 different line items for a proposal”:

Connects History View

Client View of Proposals

Single Proposal Boosted

Multiple Proposals Boosted

Agents: Please use the following category and sub-category for all chats, tickets, phone calls about Boosted Proposals.

Category: Recent Launches

Sub-category: Boosted Proposals

External Freelancer FAQs 

I don’t see the option to boost my proposal. Why?

All boosted proposal auctions run for up to seven days or until the client makes their first hire. If the auction is closed but the job is still open, then the boost option will not be available. You can still submit a proposal regularly.

If I don’t win the auction will the client still receive my proposal?
Yes, the client will still receive your proposal to review. It just will appear in the list of proposals below the boosted proposals. 

What does “Promoted spaces at the top of the client’s proposal list” mean?

This is the total number of proposals that can be boosted for the job post. For example, there may be four slots available, meaning the top four bidders at any time will appear at the top of the list. 

What happens if I’m in a boosted slot but someone outbids me?
If during the auction you are outbid, your proposal will no longer be shown as boosted (it will still be visible, just lower on the list). Also, if you are outbid and your boosted proposal didn’t lead to an eligible interaction, we’ll only charge you the standard number of Connects required to submit a proposal. If it led to an eligible interaction with the client while you were boosted, you will be charged the Connects you bid.

What’s considered an eligible interaction?
Eligible interactions include:

• The client opens your proposal
• The client sends an offer to you
• The client shortlists your proposal
• The client messages you
• The client archives your proposal
• The client declines your proposal
  
  

You will only be charged Connects if your proposal ends up in a boosted slot at the conclusion of the auction, or if the client interacts with your proposal during the auction process. 

When and what will I be charged?

We will initially charge the amount of Connects that you bid plus the amount listed on the job post. Once the auction is closed (after seven days or after the first hire), we will issue any eligible refunds. Please allow 24 hours for refunds to appear in your Connects History. 

Example 1:

A job post lists 4 Connects necessary to submit a proposal. You bid 5 additional Connects to boost your proposal to a promoted one, meaning you spent 9 Connects total. Unfortunately, you don’t win a promoted slot because others have bid more. We’ll refund the 5 additional Connects that you bid to boost your proposal, and the client will still receive your proposal (it just won’t be promoted). You’ll only pay 4 Connects, the original cost of the proposal. It will appear in your Connects History as a charge of 4 (required) and 5 (to boost), then a refund of 5. 

Example 2:

You bid 10 Connects to boost your proposal and the next highest bids are 8 and 7. All four of you will only pay 7 Connects to have your proposal promoted, meaning you’ll be refunded the extra Connects you bid (3). It will appear in your Connects History as a charge of 10 (to boost), then a refund of 10, then a charge of 7 (what you owed in the end). 

Example 3: A job needed 5 Connects to apply. You bid an additional 6 Connects to boost your proposal. Your boost was successful and resulted in a top spot where the client saw your proposal and sent you a message. Later, someone else outbid you, knocking you out of the boosted proposal spot. You’ll be charged the full amount of the job, plus the full amount you bid (totaling 11 Connects), because it led to an eligible interaction. It will display in your Connects History as a charge of 5 (required) and 6 (to boost). 

How will Connects refunds work?

We designed this feature to help you make the most out of your Connects. If you are owed a refund of Connects, you will be refunded for the entire amount you bid, then charged the correct amount. You can always check your Connects by going to Reports > Connects History.

Refunds are issued if:

• You didn’t bid enough to make the top four spots at all. You’ll be refunded the amount of Connects you boosted, but not the amount of Connects it cost to submit a proposal.
• You earned a boosted spot temporarily, but the client never interacted with your proposal and you were bumped out of the boosted spot before the auction closed. You’ll be refunded the amount of Connects you boosted, but not the amount of Connects it cost to submit a proposal. 
• Your bid was above the third highest bidder. We’ll only charge you the lowest of the top four bidders and refund the rest. For example, you bid 10 Connects and the next highest bids are 8 and 7. All four of you will only pay 7 Connects to have your proposal promoted, meaning you’ll be refunded the 3 extra Connects you bid. This will display as a refund of the full amount you bid to boost (10) and then a charge of what you owe in the end (7). 
• You bid for a job that Upwork removes due to a Terms of Service violation. You’ll be refunded both the boosted Connects and the cost of submitting the proposal.

How do I decide what to bid?

Like with any auction, a high bid increases your chances to win. But it’s good to consider the value of the job to you, and carefully review the post to make sure you are a great match. Only bid as many Connects as you are comfortable spending. 

Do clients know I have used Connects to have my proposal boosted?

Yes. We’ve included a note that is visible to clients so they know freelancers use additional Connects to have their proposal in a top spot with the “Boosted” icon. 

When I boost a proposal, what does the client see?

If your bid is high enough and your proposal is boosted to a top spot, the client will see a blue lightning bolt icon with “Boosted” adjacent to your name. Your proposal will be in the top four proposals shown to the client.

How are boosted and unboosted proposals separated for the client?

Boosted proposals will be pinned to the top of the client’s Proposal Manager, meaning they see the boosted proposals first. All other proposals will be located below.

What happens if I withdraw a proposal? 

Boosted and unboosted proposals that are withdrawn are removed from the client’s list so they can no longer see them. If you withdraw a boosted proposal, you can’t submit it again (with or without boosting) and you will still be charged as if you had not withdrawn.

Reactive Only Freelancer FAQs 

Why are you price-gouging freelancers/gamifying the system during times of crisis? 

We spent months reviewing this feature and how it affects all of our customers. We want to give freelancers a better opportunity to be seen on jobs they know they are highly-qualified for and interested in. We’ve been working on relaunching this feature as soon as it was ready so that freelancers could benefit from it as soon as possible.

Are boosted proposals that don't meet the client's stated requirements still flagged as not meeting them?

We will enforce all of our standard rules for proposals. And, like always, a client can archive or decline the proposal.

I saw negative feedback, why are you restarting it again?

Thanks for your question. We received both positive and negative feedback about the feature and used the feedback to make adjustments before we started this feature again. The exciting thing we did notice during our initial testing is that boosted proposals are helping freelancers succeed. For example, those who won one of four boosted slots for a job in our test group had a 37% higher chance of being hired, with the highest bidder enjoying a 43% boost in their chance of being hired. With this second round of testing we will learn more, and we continue to welcome your feedback. 

If the top bidders are only charged the amount of the third highest bidder (the clearing price), how do you choose to display who is first, second, and third shown? 

Even though we only charge each of the top bidders the clearing price, the top four boosted proposals are displayed from the most bid (first) to the third highest bid (third). 

External Client FAQs 

Does this mean I’ll only get proposals from those who bid extra to boost their proposal?
No, you will still receive all the proposals that freelancers submit for your project. Those who successfully boost their proposal will appear pinned to the top of the list with and will also display a lightning bolt icon with “Boosted” adjacent to their name.

Can I turn this feature off? I don’t want to allow boosted proposals.
No, all job posts allow freelancers to boost their proposals. You will still see all proposals submitted, even if the freelancer doesn’t use the boost feature.

How much are freelancers spending to boost their proposal?
Freelancers can use Connects to bid for a chance to have their proposal boosted; the amount is up to them. We advise freelancers to carefully consider the value of the job to them and make sure they are a great fit for the project. If a freelancer bids and you don’t interact with their proposal, they’ll get a refund and only be charged the standard number of Connects required for submitting a proposal. 

How does archiving, declining, and withdrawing proposals work?

If you archive a boosted proposal, it is moved to the Archived tab. Any remaining boosted proposals are left as-is, listed above non-boosted proposals. A boosted proposal is boosted regardless of whether it’s in the main proposal tab or in the Archived tab. 

Boosted proposals that you have declined or that were withdrawn by the freelancer are moved to the Archived tab. They remain boosted unless they are outbid. If a declined/withdrawn boosted proposal is outbid, it loses its boosted status and the spot can then be taken by another boosted proposal.

If you hire somebody for the job, the auction is closed and boosted proposals are locked. This is true even if you intend to hire more than one freelancer. If the job is still open, talent will still be able to send proposals, but they can no longer boost them.

Does a boosted proposal mean that the freelancer is the best for my project? 

It’s up to you to decide who is best for you to work with. When a freelancer boosts a proposal, it means that they’re really interested in working together. High interest is a great sign that the freelancer is dedicated to helping you get the results you’re looking for. 

In response to boosted proposals possibly violating rules for federal RFPs. 

The obligations for federal compliance lie with the federal contractor. It's up to them to determine if they can post jobs and hire on Upwork or similar platforms while complying with their obligations. If you have any questions about hiring or posting a specific job on Upwork, you can reach out to our support team and discuss available options. Upwork offers multiple ways to work with talent.

I have concerns about spam and the quality of proposals.

If you believe you’ve received a spam or fraudulent proposal, be sure to report it. We are not setting a limit on the number of Connects a person can bid. We encourage freelancers to bid the amount that they believe the opportunity is worth to them. 

I have concerns about the ranking of non-boosted proposals.

Boosted proposals will be pinned to the top of your Proposal Manager. All other proposals will be located below and will be ranked just like they are today. The default order is by relevance, based on the information available to us. You can scroll down to see all of the proposals and will be able to sort them as usual. 

We will enforce all of our standard rules for proposals and client job preferences. Replying to invites will still require no Connects. While those proposals can’t be boosted, they are given a dedicated place within the Upwork Proposal Manager and will have an “Invited” badge.

FAQs about Proposal Slot Size Change from 3 to 4

If customers have questions about this change, please see the below FAQs:

What’s changing about boosted proposals? 

We’re making boosted proposals available to more freelancers by adding an additional slot in boosted proposal auctions. This change allows up to four freelancers to be boosted to the top of a client’s list of proposals (instead of three). By adding another slot, we hope to increase freelancers’ chances of being noticed, while continuing to let clients see who is most interested in their job post.

Why did the amount of slots for boosted proposals increase? 

This change boosts the likelihood of winning a client's attention and business, potentially at a lower cost to you. It also helps clients see who’s really invested and interested in their job post. 

This is a money grab by Upwork. 

Thanks for your feedback. We’re sorry you feel that way, and we’ll pass your comments on to the right teams. Boosting your proposal can increase your chance of being hired by up to 55%. By adding another slot, more freelancers can benefit from the feature and clients see more options for who’s most interested in their job post. 

I don’t like the boosted proposals feature or the increase in slots. 

Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it and will make sure to share it with our team.

Internal FAQs about “Pay what you bid” (internally known as first-price auction) GA Launch (August 30, 2023):

Can I go back to the old version of Boosted Proposals?

No, but boosting your proposals is always optional. 

Why did you change Boosted Proposals?

We heard from freelancers that they were sometimes discouraged from trying to boost their proposal because they were unsure of the auction rules, particularly around why what they bid might not be what they pay. By changing it so that bidders will pay exactly what they bid if they win (versus potentially getting a refund of Connects), this auction will operate like a traditional auction.

There used to be a different method of charging for Boosted Proposals. What’s changed?

We simplified the process to boost your proposal. Now, you’re charged what you bid if you get an eligible interaction or win a promoted spot at the end of the auction. You aren’t charged at all for your boost if you are knocked out of the auction before it ends and before you get an eligible interaction from the client.

Why aren’t you listening to our feedback about Boosted Proposals?
We appreciate your feedback, and we always forward it to the relevant teams. Boosting is always optional and may not be helpful for every freelancer or client.