Caleb Ulku explains how new Upwork freelancers can get their first reviews by avoiding highly competitive, broad skill categories and instead targeting hyper-specific niches with far less established competition. He demonstrates that searching 'SEO' on Upwork reveals freelancers with hundreds of thousands in earnings, while searching 'Google My Business' shows top competitors with only $6,000 earned. The same principle applies to Facebook Ads vs. 'Facebook Ads for E-commerce.' Upwork's algorithm uses job history and earnings to determine 'Best Match' rankings, so new profiles need to compete in low-competition sub-niches to get initial visibility and reviews.
A strategy metaphor for new Upwork freelancers to compete in low-competition niches rather than going up against highly established profiles with large earnings.
View concept page →The principle of targeting hyper-specific, low-competition keywords and service categories on Upwork instead of broad, saturated ones to improve visibility and win early jobs.
View concept page →Upwork allows users to create up to three profiles; specialized profiles should target narrow, specific niches rather than broad service categories to reduce competition for new freelancers.
View concept page →Upwork's matching system that uses the number and types of jobs a freelancer has completed to determine how likely they are to appear as a recommended match to potential clients.
View concept page →A low-competition Upwork niche for local SEO services where clients search for help using plain language ('GMB listing') rather than technical SEO terminology, making it easier for new freelancers to rank.
View concept page →A specific sub-niche of Facebook advertising on Upwork targeting e-commerce clients, which has significantly lower competition than the general 'Facebook Ads' category.
View concept page →Total earnings displayed on an Upwork profile serve as a proxy for experience and trustworthiness, making high-earning freelancers dominant in broad, competitive niches.
View concept page →The phenomenon where clients post jobs using plain, non-technical language (e.g., 'Google My Business listing') rather than industry jargon (e.g., 'local SEO'), creating keyword opportunities for niche profiles.
View concept page →The primary guest and SEO expert featured in the video, founder of an AI SEO agency that developed the Core 30 local SEO methodology and scaled to 97 plumber clients using AI-driven content and local link-building strategies.
View concept page →With a brand new profile on Upwork, you face two major challenges: First, you're competing against well-established freelancers who have hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings. Second, Upwork's matching algorithm uses the number of jobs you've completed and the types of jobs you've done to match you with potential clients. This means a new profile is less likely to appear as a 'best match' to clients, making it much harder to get interviews or even show up in search results.
The 'beating up on third graders' strategy refers to intentionally targeting niche, low-competition subcategories on Upwork rather than broad, highly competitive ones. Instead of competing directly against top freelancers with $100K–$500K+ in earnings (the 'Mike Tysons'), you narrow your profile focus to very specific services where competitors have little to no earnings. This makes it much easier to appear as a 'best match' and land your first few jobs.
Upwork's matching algorithm considers the number of jobs a freelancer has completed and the types of jobs they've done when matching them with potential clients. Freelancers with more completed jobs and relevant experience in a specific category are more likely to appear as 'best match' candidates. This puts new freelancers at a significant disadvantage when competing in broad, popular categories.
Instead of creating a profile broadly focused on 'SEO' — where top competitors have earnings of $100K, $200K, or even $500K — you can create a specialized profile focused on 'Google My Business (GMB) listings.' In the Google My Business niche, the highest competitor earnings drop to around $6,000, making it far easier to compete and get noticed. Many clients post jobs for GMB help because they don't know the formal term 'local SEO,' so they search for Google My Business specifically.
Many clients who need local SEO help are not familiar with industry terminology like 'local SEO.' They simply know they need help with their Google My Business (GMB) listing, so they use that specific term when posting jobs. This means freelancers who optimize their profiles around 'Google My Business listings' can capture this client demand more effectively than those who only use broader SEO terminology.
Upwork allows you to have up to three profiles in total. The recommendation is to create one general profile (e.g., broadly focused on SEO) and then use your specialized profile slots to target hyper-specific niches within that broader skill set (e.g., 'Google My Business Listings' instead of just 'SEO'). This lets you compete in low-competition subcategories while still maintaining a general presence.
Instead of positioning yourself broadly as a 'Facebook Ads' freelancer — where top competitors have $200K–$500K in earnings — you can create a specialized profile for 'Facebook Ads for E-Commerce (e-com).' In that niche, competitor earnings drop dramatically, with many top results showing $0–$10K in earnings. This makes it much easier for a new freelancer to appear as a best match and win their first jobs.
In broad, competitive Upwork categories, top freelancers have very high earnings. For example, in the SEO category, top freelancers show earnings of $100K, $200K, and even $500K. In the Facebook Ads category, competitors show earnings of $100K, $200K, $400K, and $500K. These high earnings make it extremely difficult for new freelancers to compete and get visibility in these broad categories.
In niche subcategories, competition is much lower. For 'Google My Business listings,' the highest competitor earnings shown were around $6,000, with many showing $0–$2,000. For 'Facebook Ads for E-Commerce,' many top results show $0 in earnings, with others ranging from $380 to $10,000. This represents a dramatically lower barrier to entry compared to broad categories.
The key principle is to go 'super narrow, hyper local, hyper specific' with your keywords. Instead of targeting broad service terms like 'SEO' or 'Facebook Ads,' you should identify very specific subcategories or use-cases (like 'Google My Business Listings' or 'Facebook Ads for E-Commerce') that attract targeted client searches but have far fewer established competitors. This dramatically increases your chances of appearing as a best match.
A new Upwork freelancer should avoid competing in broad, saturated categories and instead focus on hyper-specific niches where competition is low. The strategy involves: (1) Creating a general profile in your broad skill area, (2) Using specialized profile slots to target niche subcategories with low-earning competitors, and (3) Selecting keywords that match how clients actually search (not just industry jargon). This approach helps you appear as a 'best match' against less experienced competitors, making it easier to land your first jobs and build your review history.
Creating a broad, general profile when starting out puts you in direct competition with highly established freelancers who have hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings and many completed jobs. Since Upwork's algorithm favors freelancers with more job history in a given category, a new profile will rarely appear as a 'best match' in broad searches. Without visibility, it's very hard to get interviews or land jobs, creating a cycle where you can't get jobs because you don't have jobs.