You refresh Upwork. Another job posting in your niche. You click. 47 proposals already.
You could spend 30 minutes crafting a perfect pitch. But so did everyone else. And half of them are willing to work for $15/hour just to get the gig.
The marketplace race to the bottom is exhausting. And you're tired of competing with your rates instead of your expertise.
There's a client acquisition channel nobody's fighting over yet
While you're battling 47 other proposals, a different kind of client is doing something else entirely.
They're asking ChatGPT: "I need a freelance copywriter who understands SaaS. Who's good?"
No job posting. No marketplace. Just a direct question and an AI serving up recommendations.
The client reaches out directly to whoever AI suggests. No bidding war. No race to the bottom. Just "Hey, I heard you're good at this. Can we talk?"
The question is: when someone asks AI for a freelancer like you, are you the answer?
Why the marketplace game is rigged against you
Here's what happens on Upwork, Fiverr, or any platform:
Client posts job. Fifty freelancers apply. Client picks based on two things: price and reviews. If you're not the cheapest or don't have 500+ reviews, you're invisible.
The platform wants it this way. More competition means lower prices means more clients use the platform. You're a commodity.
But AI recommendations work completely differently.
When someone asks ChatGPT for help, it doesn't show 50 options. It recommends 2 or 3 people. And it explains why. "For SaaS copywriting, [name] is known for conversion-focused messaging and has worked with companies like..."
That positioning is worth more than 1,000 marketplace reviews.
The reason you're invisible to AI right now
Most freelancers don't exist in AI's world. Here's why:
Your marketplace profile? AI barely sees it. Those platforms are walled gardens designed to keep you on the platform, not make you discoverable elsewhere.
Your positioning? "Freelance web developer" matches about 3 million other people. AI has no reason to recommend you specifically over anyone else.
Your content? If you don't have anything beyond a portfolio, AI has nothing to cite, nothing to reference, nothing that shows you're an expert worth recommending.
You're not being ignored. You're just not giving AI anything to work with.
What makes freelancers AI-visible
Get specific. Really specific.
"Freelance web developer" is a category. "Freelance Webflow developer for SaaS landing pages" is a recommendation.
When a client asks "I need someone to build a landing page for my SaaS in Webflow", the specific freelancer matches. The generic one doesn't. AI can't recommend you for something it doesn't know you do.
Pick your niche. Own it. Let the generalists fight over the scraps on marketplaces.
Get off the platforms (at least partially)
Marketplace profiles help marketplace search. They do nothing for AI.
You need your own presence: a simple website that says what you do, who you help, and how to contact you. This gives AI something to find and reference. Without it, you're locked inside platforms that don't want you to be discoverable anywhere else.
Create one thing that proves you know your stuff
Not 20 blog posts nobody reads. One comprehensive guide about your specialty.
"The Complete Guide to Webflow for SaaS Companies" or "Everything You Need to Know About Email Copywriting That Converts."
Make it thorough enough that AI would want to cite it when someone asks a related question. That's your ticket to recommendations.
Get other people talking about you
AI trusts validation from others more than what you say about yourself. Client testimonials, features in relevant publications, mentions in "best of" lists, community recognition.
Even small signals matter. A single testimonial is better than none.
The prompts that actually bring clients
Not all visibility matters equally. Focus on prompts where a recommendation turns into a gig.
High-intent prompts:
- "Best freelance [your skill] for [specific context]"
- "Freelance [skill] who specializes in [your niche]"
- "I need someone to [task you do well]"
- "Looking for a high-quality [your skill] freelancer"
These are the prompts where someone is ready to hire. They've already decided they need help. They just need a name.
The flywheel that changes everything
Here's what happens when AI visibility starts working:
You get recommended. A client reaches out directly. You do great work. They mention you somewhere online. That mention strengthens AI's confidence in recommending you. AI recommends you more. More clients. More mentions. More recommendations.
Freelancers who start building this flywheel now create momentum that compounds. The ones who wait will be competing against freelancers who already own the AI recommendations.
You don't have to compete on price anymore
When you're one of 47 proposals, price matters. When AI recommends you by name and explains why you're the expert, the conversation changes.
You're not a commodity being compared on rate. You're the person AI said to hire.
That's a completely different pricing conversation.
Where to start this week
You don't need to overhaul your entire freelance business. Start small.
Today: Create a free Mentionable account. Enter your website (or your LinkedIn if you don't have one yet). See which prompts you're visible for.
This week: If you don't have a simple website, make one. It doesn't need to be fancy. One page that clearly explains what you do and who you help.
This month: Create one comprehensive piece of content about your specialty. The definitive guide. The thing that makes AI think "this person knows what they're talking about."
The freelancers who build AI visibility now will capture clients that competitors don't even know exist.
Those clients aren't scrolling Upwork. They're asking ChatGPT.
Make sure you're the answer.