Are Contra Job Boards Effective for Freelancers Seeking Work?

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Genuine question for freelancers on here:

Is anyone actually landing quality gigs from the Contra job board at least semi-consistently?

I get that for the most part, it's a numbers game -- the more you apply, the better your chances are.

But with consistent applications to relevant jobs, I'm seeing virtually no traction of any kind. I'm lucky to get a 'someone viewed your application' notification.

Compared to Upwork, even if I wasn't winning contracts I would still be receiving messages from the job posters fairly regularly.

Curious if it's eventually worth the pursuit / effort on here. Or should I continue focusing on my other lead gen strategies.

Daniel G Bright

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@Noah Jennings I do, however I notice that at least for me they usually want to pay outside because of some corporate stuff which is so unfortunate and something I'm trying to avoid

@Daniel G Bright yeah that's always a big struggle with platforms like this. especially when your earnings help boost your profile. I've been considering bringing some of my outside clients through here just to get that momentum.

Anita Autorino

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@Noah Jennings I’m not landing many jobs through direct applications either, but after updating my profile and portfolio, I’ve started receiving more inbound requests from potential clients, not necessarily from the jobs I applied for. So, it seems like visibility plays a big role here!

@Anita Autorino interesting, I probably need to do a revamp of the portfolio on here as well.

Kyle Humber

@Noah Jennings I work full time and trying to build up freelance on the side so it might be a bit different for me.

I've barely looked at the job board, but I've been matched with multiple jobs and had potential clients reach out to me directly inquiring about their job listings. The hard part...

@Kyle Humber fair point -- it is still relatively new and that might change over time. especially as more clients are posting jobs.

Contra really is the only platform that I know of where the job listings aren't complete lowballs, hence why I want to be super active applying haha.

Maybe overtime we'll see the improvements

Kyle Humber

@Noah Jennings It feels like with what they've been teasing, creating external exposure is a big part of their 2025 roadmap.

Them making it easier for us to share our work and get noticed, even bringing clients into Contra, will in turn spread general knowledge of the platform.

Finger's crossed it's a big year for the platform's growth!

Luca Da Corte

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