What Upwork Boosted Messages are
Upwork Boosted Messages flip the usual direction of the marketplace. Instead of waiting for a job post and spending Connects on a proposal, you pay Connects to put a short message straight into a client's Messages inbox, labeled Boosted. Upwork picks the clients by matching your message and profile against what they have been hiring for recently, such as jobs they posted, freelancers they invited, or conversations they have had.
It is an ad, not a cold DM. You never choose a specific client and you never see who received your message unless they reply. Think of it as the outreach cousin of [Boosted Proposals](/blog/are-boosted-proposals-worth-it-on-upwork) and the [Boosted Profile](/blog/upwork-boosted-profile): same Connects currency, different placement.
How to create a Boosted Message campaign
If you have access, you can start a campaign from Find work or from your own profile. The setup is four steps:
- Write your message. One message, up to 500 characters including spaces, aimed at the type of client your profile already attracts.
- Set your bid and spending limit. The bid is what you pay per delivered message; the limit is either a daily cap or a total cap for the whole campaign. You can also add an optional end date.
- Review the preview. It updates live as you edit, so check formatting here, because this is your last chance.
- Launch. Every message is reviewed before delivery, which Upwork says typically takes a few minutes. The campaign shows In Review, then On.
Messages that break Upwork's advertising or marketplace policies are not delivered, and that explicitly includes anything that tries to move the conversation off Upwork. No email address, no calendar link, no 'message me on WhatsApp'. If you need the reasoning, see [when a client wants to pay outside Upwork](/blog/client-wants-to-pay-outside-upwork). If a message is rejected, you get notified and write a new one.
What Boosted Messages cost
Boosted Messages are paid in Connects, and you are charged only when a message actually lands in a client's inbox. Each delivery shows up in your Connects history with the line 'Your Boosted Message was received by a client.' Connects cost $0.15 each, so a 1-Connect bid is $0.15 per delivered message, a 10-Connect bid is $1.50, and so on.
Boosted Messages campaign settings at a glance
| Setting | How it works |
|---|---|
| Bid per message | Minimum 1 Connect, no maximum. Upwork shows a suggested bid when it has one, based on similar campaigns and competition. Higher bids generally raise your chance of delivery. |
| Spending limit | A daily limit or a total limit. When it is reached, the campaign stops delivering automatically. |
| End date | Optional. Leave it blank and the campaign runs until the spending limit is hit. |
| Delivery estimate | Shown during setup, based on your bid, limit and end date. |
| Ad credits | Can be applied to a campaign when available. |
| Agency Connects | If you belong to an agency with an eligible subscription, you can pay with its Connects. The agency admin is notified. |
Two cost details matter more than the bid. First, if a client marks your message Not interested, it disappears from their inbox, you are not told, and the Connects you paid are not refunded. Second, if your Connects run out mid-campaign, Upwork stops the campaign before it goes over budget, but in rare cases you can end up with an outstanding Connects balance that you must buy Connects to cover before you can start another campaign.
Delivery limits: why your campaign can be On and send nothing
An active campaign is not a guarantee of delivery. Upwork only sends your message when it finds an eligible client who is actively looking to hire and is a strong match, and it caps how much Boosted outreach any client sees:
- A client receives at most one Boosted Message every 30 days, from anyone.
- A client receives at most one Boosted Message from the same freelancer every 90 days.
- A client receives at most one Boosted Message from the same campaign.
- Clients you have already messaged will not get a Boosted Message from you.
- If a client hides or dismisses your message, Upwork will not deliver another one from you to them for 90 days.
That first rule is the important one. Every client is a single slot per month shared by every freelancer running a campaign in your niche, which is why bid size matters. A campaign that shows On for days with zero sends is not broken; it is losing the slot or not finding a match. You are not charged for those days.
What the client sees, and what you see
On the client side, a Boosted Message sits at the top of their inbox with a Boosted label until they open or reply to it. They can open it and click through to your profile, reply, invite you to a job, hire you, or hide it without you being notified. If they ignore it for 30 days, it moves to their Hidden folder automatically. Until they reply, you cannot see their name, company or contact details.
On your side, the message does not appear in your Messages inbox, even though it counts as sent. You only get aggregate numbers in the Boosted Message section of My Stats: messages sent (delivered), messages viewed, and replies. Profile views that come from the campaign are folded into your normal profile view stats, so a bump there during a campaign is likely the message working. The moment a client replies, it becomes a normal Messages thread.
How I would write a Boosted Message
500 characters is about three or four sentences, and the client does not know your name yet. Upwork's own guidance for the copy is sound: speak to a shared problem rather than your resume, get specific about a concrete skill or result, keep it short, end with one clear next step, and skip openers like 'I'm interested in working with you'. My addition is to write it for the profile, not instead of it. The message gets the click; your profile title and portfolio do the convincing. If your [profile title](/blog/upwork-profile-title-that-ranks) is vague, fix that before you spend a Connect on outreach.
A shape that fits the limit:
- Line 1: the specific problem your best clients hire for, in their words.
- Line 2: what you do about it, with one concrete detail (a tool, a turnaround, a type of result you can show in your portfolio).
- Line 3: who it is for, so the wrong clients self-select out.
- Line 4: the next step, such as 'my profile has three examples, reply here if you want to talk scope'.
Because you cannot edit after launch, write two or three versions before you open the campaign screen, then pick the most specific one. If you want help drafting variants, a Claude Code session (the desktop app is the easiest place to start) can take your profile overview and spit out ten 500-character options in a minute, which is also how I would generate versions for a later A/B test.
Should you use Boosted Messages?
This part is my opinion, not Upwork policy. Boosted Messages are worth a small, capped test if you already have a clear niche and a profile that converts, because they reach clients who may not have posted a job you could find. They are a poor fit if your profile is still generic, because the click lands on a page that does not close.
- Start with the suggested bid, or the minimum if none is shown, and a daily limit you would be fine losing entirely.
- Judge it on replies, not views. Views cost the same as ignored messages.
- Compare it to what the same Connects would buy as proposals. If your proposals already win at a decent rate, proposals are the better use of Connects; see [how to spend Upwork Connects without wasting them](/blog/how-to-spend-upwork-connects-without-wasting-them).
- If replies stay at zero after a fair run, end the campaign and rewrite. A new message means a new campaign anyway.
Short, practical drops on proposals, niches, client scripts, and rates. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Frequently asked questions
What are Boosted Messages on Upwork?
A paid outreach ad. You write one message of up to 500 characters and bid Connects, and Upwork delivers it to the inbox of clients whose recent hiring activity matches your profile, labeled Boosted. The feature is still in a limited test.
How much do Upwork Boosted Messages cost?
You set the bid in Connects, from a minimum of 1 with no maximum, and you are charged only when a message is delivered. Connects cost $0.15 each, so a 1-Connect bid is $0.15 per delivered message.
Can I edit a Boosted Message after launching it?
No. The message text is locked once you submit. You can still change the bid, spending limit and end date, or pause and end the campaign. To change the wording, start a new campaign.
Can I choose which clients receive my Boosted Message?
No. Upwork matches your message to clients automatically based on your profile and their recent hiring activity. Clients you have already messaged will not receive one from you.
Why is my Boosted Message campaign active but sending nothing?
Upwork only delivers when it finds an eligible, actively hiring client who is a strong match, and each client can receive only one Boosted Message every 30 days. You are not charged until a message is delivered.
Do I get my Connects back if a client is not interested?
No. If a client marks your Boosted Message Not interested, the Connects are not refunded, and Upwork will not send them another Boosted Message from you for 90 days.
Why don't I see Boosted Messages on my Upwork account?
Boosted Messages is being tested with a limited group of freelancers and clients. If you do not see it under Find work or on your profile, it is not available to your account yet.
Last reviewed by David Iya on October 28, 2026
