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I get a lot of comments like this one, and I wanted to share a few things I've learned about getting clients on Contra:
✨ Use less AI when applying or posting on the community, please!! People can tell. Make your message sound like you.
📖 Build case studies and show your process.
🎯 Apply only to projects that genuinely match your skills and portfolio. Fewer, better applications beat sending dozens.
And one more thing... I don't land every job I apply for and when I have a very slow month, I use that time to improve my portfolio and keep showing my work. Eventually, the right clients find me.
What advice would you add?
great🎉🎉
what tip can you give to someone new on this platform
Thank you for this Anita i really appreciate
Anytime!!
It's nothing!
Agree! Showing up consistently counts!
Yeeeees
Slow and steady
It’s all about making sure you match what the want and vice versa
Especially that using less AI… people be sounding robotic and fake it’s almost hard to read what they say here…
thanks for the insight
I couldn't agree more!
I completely agree
Congratulation🔥 😊
Please what tip can you give me to get my own first client on this platform
I have literally listed some advice on this post hahaha I have some more on my profile
Thank you for sharing this! 🔥 That’s very helpful for the beginners on Contra, who’s struggling with getting their first clients. I’d also add an advice to participate in challenges 👍
Yeees, challenges are also key! I have made a past post about this as well, but it's a great reminder!
great thanks
Thank you for the awesome tips, Anita!
Great insight!
I agree on the less AI as well, I see it so much on this platform that sometimes I think every account posting in here are just bots posing as humans, so whenever I sense someone feels real to me, I immediately give them a follow.
Hahah that's so true, I do the same!
The "fewer, better applications" point is underrated. I've noticed clients respond faster when the proposal clearly connects to something specific in their brief instead of a generic pitch. Using slow months to rebuild the portfolio instead of panic-applying is solid advice too.
Super super true, I have noticed this too
That Ai content is literally unbearable everywhere 😭🙏🏻
🫠 true
Great tips Anita
I am not Gen Z but I can still tell! Haha
Spot on especially about skipping generic AI copy. I would also add quick response time to the list.
Yes, that is key as well!
First of all, thanks for sharing! I'm trying to engage more with the platform, and posts like yours really help.
Great work @Anita Autorino
Wandering why some other platforms like famous and well known integrated AI to write proposals 😊
and second one does the people that post projects don`t use it to write the gigs 😊
so is this fair enough🧠
I would add: open the proposal with the client's actual problem, not my experience. After 19 years the thing that still moves proposals is proving I read the brief before I prove I can design. Everything about me can wait until the second line.
This is a nice one! I have to apply it!
This is so true! I'd spot an AI message immediately...
Open question for you. How do you find applying for a job when the competition is sometimes high? I've been in situations where I have very good experience with similar products, but I find they end up hiring someone else, and not even checking my portfolio, or message
I'd really appreciate some advice here 😃
That's a nice question and the same happens to me, I think it's a matter of applying quickly but sending a relatable application as well. I don't land every project for which I send applications
So true about quality over quantity🙌
Relentless patience and continuous improvement are the keys to growing on contra.
do you absolutely need a contra pro subscription for any visibility?
It’s not a necessity but it helps
thanks for the tip!
I think there’s definitely a tendency to sound more AI-ish because we’re reading AI-generated content everywhere now 😂 I’d keep it simple, write like you actually talk, and don’t over-polish every sentence. Sometimes the slightly imperfect version sounds the most human.
Anytime, I do think that that's a great strategy!
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Reminder for those getting client inquiries: people asking you to run code on your system before they've given you any money is likely a scam. Get real contact info, get a face to the name, and do your best to vet the client before you start doing anything like installing packages.
@Contra HQ does a really phenomenal job of handling issues once you flag them, if they don't catch them by the time you open your messages. There's a handy 'Report' button. Best to use that and not even let the scammer know you're onto them.
Stay safe, fake clients are everywhere. The only obstacle to you making more money is losing it all to a scam.
Good call on the Report button over calling them out directly, I hadn't thought about tipping off the scammer that way. Did something specific happen recently that made you write this up, or is it more a pattern you keep seeing in inquiries?
Thought I’d share something besides polished design work for once ✨
I’ve been designing here in Berlin for the past 4+ years, but only really started taking Contra seriously this past year.
Before that, I always had a reliable client or retainer keeping things stable. Then I lost my job because of funding changes at the company, and suddenly had to figure out what was next.
Putting real effort into freelancing and growing on Contra has honestly been a big boost for me. I’m getting to keep doing what I love, work with great clients, and slowly build something of my own.
Recently hit the top 1% of creatives on Contra, which feels pretty cool considering where I was not that long ago.
Still building. Still figuring it out. Keep going 🚀
Congrats Dane! Weldone✨
How much does it actually cost to be a designer? 👀
I did the math on my yearly essentials:
🎨 Adobe — $172/year
🌐 Internet — $25/month
🤖 Claude — $200/year
☁️ Google Drive — $50/year
🍎 Apple storage — $9.99/month
✨ Contra — $29/month
Typography, mockups and other assets are project-dependent, so I only buy them when needed.
I also use ChatGPT, Figma and Notion without paid subscriptions.
That puts my basic yearly setup at around $843.
And that's before the coffee. ☕️
What does your designer setup cost you?
It’s so crazyyyy