Boosted Proposals is an Upwork feature that allows freelancers to spend additional Connects to have their proposal prominently displayed to clients, increasing visibility.
When you boost a proposal, Upwork places it higher in the client's proposal list and adds a 'Boosted' badge. The cost to boost varies by job and is determined by a competitive bidding system where freelancers choose how many extra Connects to spend. The more you bid, the higher your proposal ranks among other boosted proposals.
Boosting is most effective when combined with a high-quality cover letter. A boosted proposal with a weak, generic message will still be ignored by clients. The real value of boosting is for high-value contracts where the potential return justifies the Connect investment. Freelancers should treat boosting as a complement to, not a replacement for, strong proposal writing. Data suggests that combining a boosted placement with a targeted, metrics-driven cover letter can increase response rates by up to 3x compared to a non-boosted generic proposal.
Put this into practice
Ready to apply what you have learned about Boosted Proposals?