How to get projects on Freelancer, including your first one

How to get your first project on Freelancer, step by step

1. Complete your profile with a real photo, a specific headline, a summary and a few portfolio pieces.
2. Add the skills you genuinely offer, so the right projects show up for you.
3. Verify your account: email, phone, payment method and identity.
4. Take one or two exams in your main skill.
5. Bid early on new projects with a clear brief, few bids and a budget that fits.
6. Write a short proposal for that client, not a template pasted everywhere.
7. Price inside the budget, without racing to the bottom.
8. Reply fast when a client messages you.
9. Deliver on time, then ask for a review.
10. Keep going: try contests, fix what isn't working and give it time.

Each step is explained below.

Complete your Freelancer profile first

On Freelancer, your profile is your CV, and you can't bid until the basics are in place: a verified email, at least one skill, a profile picture, a headline, a summary, an hourly rate, and your location and language settings. Doing them well matters more than doing them fast.

• Photo. Freelancer asks for a clear photo of you alone, from the shoulders up, on a plain background, at least 280 by 280 pixels. Using a photo of someone else is penalised.
• Headline. Say what you do and for whom. "Shopify developer for small online shops" tells a client more than "Expert web developer".
• Summary. Lead with the work you want to win, name the tools you use and say what makes you different. Freelancer's own tip is to be very specific: a front-end developer should name JavaScript, and a designer should say whether they work in Photoshop or Illustrator. Then proofread it.
• Portfolio. A handful of pieces that match the projects you'll bid on beat dozens of unrelated ones. Only ever show your own work. If you're brand new, make a couple of realistic sample pieces and label them as samples.
• Hourly rate. Set an honest rate for your skill and market. You can change it later.

Choose your skills, take exams and get verified

Skills

You can only bid on a project if you have at least one of the skills it asks for, and your skills decide which new projects Freelancer notifies you about. A free account can add up to 20. Pick the ones you'd be confident delivering tomorrow rather than everything you've ever touched: bidding on work outside your expertise is one of the things Freelancer penalises.

Exams

Freelancer offers skills exams you can take from your account; check the fee and pass mark on each exam's page before you start. Passed exams show on your profile as certifications, and clients can see them when you bid, which gives them another reason to trust a profile with no reviews yet. One or two in your main skill is plenty, plus an English exam if you'll work with English-speaking clients.

Verification and the Verified badge

Verify your email, phone number and payment method early. They're small steps that make a new profile look real. Then complete Freelancer's identity check (KYC): a government ID, a photo of you holding that ID and a keycode, and proof of address if your ID doesn't show it. Freelancer suggests doing this right after you sign up; review typically takes two to three business days, and you'll need it anyway for some withdrawal methods.

The blue Verified by Freelancer badge is a separate, optional step. To apply you need an up-to-date profile plus email, phone, payment and KYC verification. Freelancer reviews the application, usually within one to two business days, then holds a video interview. There's a $99 non-refundable application fee, and only Verified freelancers can bid on projects worth $2,500 or more. In our experience verified profiles get noticeably more client messages, and some high-budget projects only accept verified freelancers.

Which projects to bid on, and why early matters

With a new profile, choosing well is most of the battle. The best first projects are:

• New. Posted in the last few hours. Freelancer's own help pages say most clients award projects within the first 24 hours of posting.
• Not yet crowded. With a handful of bids, your proposal has a real chance of being read. With 50 or more, it rarely does.
• Clearly written. A specific brief lets you write a specific proposal, and it means the client knows what they want.
• Right-sized. Small, well-defined jobs you can finish quickly and well are the fastest route to a first review.
• Fairly budgeted. The budget should match the work. Tiny budgets attract dozens of bids and leave you nothing.
• From a real client. Payment verified and, ideally, some reviews. Skip anything that shows the signs in our guide to Freelancer scams.

Use the project search filters (type, budget, skills, location and language) and turn on notifications for your skills so you see new projects quickly. Some projects are off-limits at first: Featured projects and those with budgets over $1,500 are open to Plus members or higher with at least 5 reviews, or to anyone with 25 reviews.

Make your bids last

Every bid uses one from your allowance. Free accounts get a small number that refill slowly; paid plans get more. On the accounts connected to MoreGigs, Plus gives 100 bids a month, refilling about one every 7.3 hours, and Premier refills about one every 30 minutes. Once you reach your plan's maximum, no more are added, so spending bids on strong matches matters more than spending them all. Our guide to Freelancer membership plans compares the options.

Write a tailored proposal and price it fairly

A good first proposal is short and specific: the client's problem in your own words, how you'd tackle it in two or three steps, one relevant example, one real question, and your price and timeline. Around 100 to 200 words is enough. Our Freelancer proposal template has a structure and examples, and the free proposal generator turns a pasted brief into a first draft for you to edit. For the full bidding process, see how to bid on Freelancer.

Freelancer is strict about lazy bidding. Generic templates and the same text pasted on several projects can get you restricted from bidding for anything from a few minutes to months, and you shouldn't put contact details in a bid. You can also suggest milestones in your bid, up to 10 that add up to your price, which shows you've thought the work through.

Pricing your first bids

Stay inside the client's budget. With no reviews, pitching towards the lower middle of the range is reasonable, but the very bottom tends to signal inexperience and attracts the clients least likely to value your work. As Freelancer puts it, being competitive doesn't necessarily mean bidding low.

Two rules: price the job you can actually deliver, and never bid low then ask for more once you're awarded, which Freelancer penalises. Once you have a few good reviews, raise your rates.

Reply fast, deliver well and ask for a review

When a client messages you, the project is often decided in that conversation. Install Freelancer's mobile app so you can answer within minutes, and answer their questions directly.

• Agree the scope in the project chat: what you'll deliver, by when, and how many revisions.
• Start once a Milestone Payment is created, not before.
• Keep the client updated. A short progress note every day or two stops them worrying.
• Deliver on time, and a little better than promised where you can.
• Ask for a review. On fixed-price projects the review option opens once the project is marked complete, so politely ask the client to mark it complete and leave feedback, then leave yours for them.

Never offer money or favours for a good review, and never pressure a client for one. Extortion for reviews and gaming the feedback system are violations that get Freelancer accounts closed.

Use contests to get your first reviews

Contests are another way in: the client describes what they want, freelancers submit entries, and the client picks a winner. Freelancer recommends them because winning earns you reviews as well as the prize, and they suit design work in particular. They're unpaid unless you win, so pick contests with a clear brief and not too many entries, put real effort into a few rather than rushing many, and only submit original work.

How long does it take to get your first project?

Honestly, it varies. It depends on your skill, how crowded it is, your price and how well you bid, and it often takes a good number of bids before the first award. That's normal. If a couple of weeks pass with nothing, look at the pattern:

• No client messages at all usually points to your profile or the projects you choose.
• Messages but no awards usually points to price, reply speed or how the conversation goes.
• Change one thing at a time and keep bidding steadily rather than in bursts.

The first review is the hardest to get. After it, every bid carries more weight. If you're still weighing up the platform, read is Freelancer legit?

Let MoreGigs watch for projects and bid early

Bidding early and well is hard when you're also doing the work. MoreGigs runs on its own servers around the clock, checks new projects every couple of minutes and skips likely scams, tiny budgets, crowded or stale listings and off-skill work. For each good match it writes a fresh proposal from your real profile, priced inside the client's budget, and it paces bids to your plan's allowance and refill rate so they last the month.

It can't make a client hire you, but it gets a tailored bid in early. There's a 24-hour free trial with no card needed, then plans from $19 a month for one Freelancer account. Read how Freelancer auto bidding works, or check your profile for free.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my first project on Freelancer?

Complete your profile, add the skills you really offer and verify your account. Then bid early on new, clearly written projects with few bids and a fair budget, send a short proposal written for that client and reply quickly when they message you.

Why am I not getting any projects on Freelancer?

The usual causes are a thin profile, generic proposals, bidding on crowded or old projects and prices far outside the budget. Fix the profile first, then be pickier about where you spend your bids.

How many bids do you get on Freelancer?

Free accounts get a small allowance that refills slowly. Paid plans get more: on the accounts connected to MoreGigs, Plus gives 100 bids a month, refilling about one every 7.3 hours, and Premier refills about one every 30 minutes.

Can I get projects on Freelancer without a paid membership?

Yes, but with few bids, each one has to count, so bid only on strong matches. Paid plans add bids, and some higher-budget projects are only open to members with reviews.

Should I bid low to win my first project?

Bid inside the client's budget, towards the lower middle if you have no reviews yet, but not at the very bottom. Very low bids can look inexperienced, and raising your price after you're awarded is against Freelancer's rules.

Do Freelancer exams help you get work?

They can help a new profile. Passed exams show on your profile and clients can see them when you bid, which gives them another reason to trust you before you have reviews. A few in your main skill is enough.

Is the Verified by Freelancer badge worth it?

It has a $99 non-refundable application fee and needs email, phone, payment and identity verification plus a video interview. In our experience verified profiles get noticeably more client messages, and some high-budget projects only accept verified freelancers.

How long does it take to get the first project on Freelancer?

It varies with your skill, how competitive it is, your price and how well you bid. It often takes a good number of bids, so keep bidding steadily and improve one thing at a time.