Earn · Find work online
First Client: how to win clients on freelance marketplaces
Six lessons on getting started on Upwork and Fiverr honestly: how each marketplace works and what it charges, pricing for what you take home, a profile clients trust, proposals and gigs that win, staying on-platform and safe, and the records to keep. Fees checked 24 October 2026.
About this course
how to win clients on freelance marketplaces.
Starter · About 1 hour of learning · 6 lessons · 12 quick checks · 1 download
Who it's for
New and returning freelancers in Australia, the UK, the US and elsewhere starting on freelance marketplaces.
How it works
6 guided lessons in your browser, with worked examples, exercises and a quick check after each lesson. Progress is saved in this browser only, and you can restart at any time.
Sources we rely on
21 published sources, mostly regulators and official bodies, listed below so you can check the original guidance yourself.
By the end you can
- Explain how proposal-led and gig-led marketplaces work and what they charge
- Set a price that covers platform fees and pitching costs
- Write an honest profile and a tailored proposal or gig
- Recognise marketplace scams and keep work and payment on-platform
- Deliver a first job well and keep records for your tax authority
Downloads
- Freelance marketplace planner .xlsxFee planner (price to charge and effective hourly rate), profile and proposal templates, and a job log. Includes Sam’s worked example.
Rules by country
Learning time
About 1 hour of learning. May count towards your CPD or professional development; check your professional body's rules. Estimated from reading time, exercises, quick checks and downloads.
Sources
Check the originals.
Drafted with AI assistance and run through automated quality and source checks. How these courses are made. Spotted an error or out-of-date rule? Send a correction.
Education only. We make no earnings or income claims: results depend on your skills, effort, market and many other factors, and most new ventures earn little at first. We don't teach investing, crypto trading, network marketing or dropshipping schemes, and we don't use affiliate links.
- Learn about the Freelancer Service Fee · Upwork Help
- Direct Contracts (bring a client to Upwork) · Upwork Help
- Is Upwork free to join? Pricing breakdown (2026) · Upwork
- Understanding and using Connects · Upwork Help
- Circumvention, and why it’s against the rules · Upwork Help
- Recognize red flags and avoid scams · Upwork Help
- Scams: frequently asked questions · Upwork Help
- How Fiverr works for freelancers · Fiverr Help Center
- Your earnings page · Fiverr Help Center
- Paying for orders, extras, or custom offers · Fiverr Help Center
- Stay protected: Fiverr’s off-platform policy · Fiverr Help Center
- Avoiding spam and staying safe on Fiverr · Fiverr Help Center
- FTC announces final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (14 August 2024) · Federal Trade Commission (US)
- Online reviews for products and services · ACCC (Australia)
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Schedule 20, paragraph 13 (fake reviews) · legislation.gov.uk (UK)
- Income and deductions for providing services (sharing economy) · Australian Taxation Office
- Understanding your Form 1099-K · Internal Revenue Service (US)
- Self-employed individuals tax center · Internal Revenue Service (US)
- Check if you need to register as a digital platform operator · HM Revenue & Customs, GOV.UK
- Working for yourself · GOV.UK
- Report Fraud: the place to report, prevent and learn about cyber crime and fraud · Report Fraud, City of London Police (UK)
Publisher
Who publishes this course.
Published by trainyourself.org, a trading name of Combine TRS Pty Ltd (ABN 42 112 983 678), Brisbane, Australia.
How it's made: drafted with AI assistance from published official, regulator and platform guidance, then run through automated quality checks against our course depth standard and automated source checks that match each rule to its official source, listed above. The course guide is an AI presenter and is labelled as one. Read how these courses are made.
Last updated:
General information, not tax, accounting, legal or professional advice. Spotted an error or an out-of-date rule? Send us a correction.
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