Upwork Picks.

What is the update

and our observations

Starting May 23rd, Upwork is testing an algorithm that badges successful projects as Upwork Picks in Project Catalog. The test will last 2 weeks.

How Upwork Picks work:

After clients select a category page in Project Catalog, they’re shown ’Top projects you may like’. Previously, these badged projects were randomly selected.

Now projects will be badged based on the following criteria:

  1. Clarity of deliverables
  2. Competitive pricing
  3. Freelancer responsiveness
  4. Project relevance to category
  5. Talent rating
  6. Amount of purchases for project

Our observations of Upwork Picks

  • Most Top Picks are also featured in the ‘Projects with great reviews’ section. Where this section exists at least.

  • Most Top Picks have at least 200+ reviews, but we also saw Tops Picks with only 2 reviews.

  • Not all Tops Picks have 5 stars, but we didn’t see any with less than 4.6.

  • The delivery time of the tops Picks can vary from 1 day to a month (within the same category).

  • The price also varies a lot within the same category. We saw two Top Pick projects next to each other where one had $15 price and 816 reviews, and the other one $1700 price and only 41 reviews.

  • Project details of some Top Picks only had 1 sentence in the description. But they do all have clear ‘What’s included’ section.

  • The freelancers’ rating does seem to matter, since a lot of Top Picks were by Top Rated and Top Rated Plus. However, some freelancers didn’t have these badges and their projects still managed to get into the section.

So, the main take away is that there is no single tip on what you should improve in order for your project to be featured in Top Picks. It seems to be the combination of the things, so you would need to work on improving all the above criteria.

Here is an article on everything a freelancer needs to know about Upwork feedback, that could be a good start.

More Articles

Upwork Proposal Views Data for Freelancers - Finally! (but not yet)
21-03-2023

Upwork Proposal Views is a feature that we’ve been asking from them for SOOO long. Read details and why we are not 100% happy yet.

Learn more
Etcetera winter 2022-2023 in numbers
16-03-2023

To welcome spring the Etcetera team gathered last week for our quarterly all-hands meeting to discuss Etcetera winter 2022-2023 results

Learn more
Upwork “Freelance Forward 2022” Overview
14-03-2023

Here are a few numbers from the Upwork Freelance Forward 2022 report: What does all this mean for freelancers and should we care?

Learn more
Upwork Recruiter Services for Clients: Why It’s Bad News for Freelancers
14-03-2023

Find out more about Upwork Recruiter Services for Clients: What they changed and why it’s not such a good news for freelancers?

Learn more
Upwork Hourly Dispute Process Update
14-03-2023

On February 21, they updated Upwork Hourly Dispute rules, making them a bit more fair for the freelancers. Read details

Learn more
February updates on Upwork
14-03-2023

Did you miss February updates on Upwork? A lot of them are minor updates, but we’ve marked important and interesting ones with a star 😉

Learn more
Digital learning day: 21 Scholarships for Ukrainian Students in USA - Our top picks
14-03-2023

To the digital learning day, we’ve prepared a list of 21 Scholarships for Ukrainian Students in USA with a Full tuition fee.

Learn more
Upwork Unveils Most In-Demand Skills for Independent Professionals in 2023
22-02-2023

If you are a freelancer in Ukraine and thinking of learning a new career, choose one of these Skills for Independent Professionals

Learn more
How much is Upwork fee for freelancers
22-02-2023

How much is Upwork fee for freelancers? Read the article, where we’ve collected ALL the information on the topic.

Learn more
Happy Freelance Writers Appreciation Week & ChatGPT
13-02-2023

Copywriters, meet your new secret weapon - ChatGPT, the AI-powered language model that's revolutionizing the world of copywriting.

Learn more
January Updates on Upwork
26-01-2023

Here are all January Updates on Upwork that were released at the beginning of 2023. See what you might have missed!

Learn more
How to Learn Your Customer's Needs
25-01-2023

Find out why it is necessary to know your client and their needs and how to learn your customer's needs as a freelancer

Learn more