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Question for the Contra community:
How long did it take to land your first client here? 🚀
I’ve been on the platform for six weeks. While the user experience is great, I’m still waiting for that first "Yes."
For those consistently winning work:
Did you bring your own clients to the platform first? 🤝
How many Proposals did it take to get a win? ✉️
Does the platform favor specific niches or industries? 🎯
Let’s discuss what’s working in 2026!
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I made a post about this a time ago! I hope it helps.
It took me a while honesty, but keeping the portfolio updated and bringing some clients to leave reviews has helped me enormously.
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anita! thank you so much for linking your post! I'll try to follow this steps!
Hi Alsiria, it took me 6 months and 66 applications to get my first client here on Contra. I didn't bring my clients to the platform because there are no real benefits for them if they already trust me.
I've heard of people getting their first client in weeks, and I remember one...
Thank you, I needed this 😑
I've been making a huge amount of applications, but still no response! Anyway, I'll keep working on it! Thanks for your reply! 😊
If you really want it, keep pushing. Check out these tips to write better applications:
https://on.contra.com/DPTbTr
Hey! Well, for sure you’re on the right path. I had Contra Free for one year and nothing happened. I paid for Pro and after one week I landed my first client. My best advice is to write very specific and tailored cover letters when you apply for projects and reply fast! I think...
Thank you for this insight.
It took me 72 proposals to land my first client here, and I’ve now worked with around 10 clients. I joined Contra about 5 months ago.
Took me 3-4 months
Hope that keep consistently refining my portfolio will pay off soon. Thought here will be easier that behance, but still have no faith! hahah!
If you can bring clients to the platform, I believe it will be a great help in managing your chances of getting new clients on Contra
I'm thinking on bring at least one, so maybe that 1x hired will help the news client to hire me via Contra!
Yes, and try to get to the $1k mark. That will be super helpful as well
Honestly, this isn’t just a Contra thing - it’s a broader market behavior.
On Upwork you see the exact same pattern:
clients post projects… and then disappear.
No replies. No feedback. No hiring.
Then suddenly — a week (or month) later — they come back in panic:
“Hey, can you...
Couple of weeks, but I think I got lucky! Not too many brand design opportunities on here it seems. Definitely more aimed more at UX/UI and AI stuff that's happening at the moment (which I find a bit tedious). I mostly bring clients in for the ease of the platform.
Keep doing...
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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haha i recently found it out myself
Hey, new here, but not new to design 👋 10 years in, obsessed with SaaS, and ready to meet the Contra community.
Let's connect! :)
welcome to the contra!
That awkward moment where you’ve worked on amazing brands but can’t show any of them yet because they haven’t launched so your portfolio looks suspiciously calm...
Ohhh that’s the most frustrating thing
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