First Upwork client experience… is it always like this?
So I recently got my first client on Upwork, and honestly I don’t know how to feel about the whole experience.
The client had just created his account that same day and personally invited me to apply for his job (SMM role). I applied, we got on a call, and he told me he could only pay $100 total. My usual rate is $13/hr for SMM and $10/hr for content/graphics, but he said it would only be ~4 hours a week and if they liked my work, they’d move me into a proper SMM role (even though he mentioned he already had one… which I found a bit odd).
I was skeptical but said yes since I’m new and wanted to get started.
From the beginning, communication was messy. I kept asking for guidelines. No clear answers.
We had another call (this time on Zoom), and he asked me to move communication to WhatsApp because he’s “not active on Upwork.” I didn’t know better at the time, so I agreed.
I started working: Created content, Planned reels, Scheduled posts on their platform, Followed their Instagram as asked
He kept saying he liked my style and gave me “full creative freedom.”
But then I found out he had hired another person for the same role. That person’s content (which honestly looked very AI-generated and had visible mistakes) was getting approved and scheduled.
Meanwhile none of my posts were approved, No feedback was given, No communication despite multiple follow-ups.
I kept asking for clarity and direction, nothing.
Eventually, he ended the contract within almost two weeks of hiring.
Thankfully, I had set it up hourly ($7/hr for 4 hrs/week), so I did get paid. But I also did extra work outside of Upwork (like editing short-form content) and didn’t track that time… so that effort basically went unpaid.
It honestly made me question do clients actually value original, strategic content? Or is it just about quick, AI-generated volume? ( which got them a total of no followers. )
Also… is this kind of experience normal when starting out on Upwork?