🥸 Giants copying giants

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Happy Friday! ‘Tis the season for holiday traditions. Do you have a favorite? Hit reply and let us know. Ours is a creamy vanilla spiced eggnog and rum. Try this recipe if you’re in the mood for a little extra holiday cheer.

Mentioned in today’s edition: Amazon, TikTok, Google Trends, and the H-1B Visa Program. Plus 11 ways to get more clients on Upwork, why you should forget the 4-hour workweek and do this instead, and how to keep low ROAS away.

Read time: 3 minutes and 24 seconds

Making the Rounds

  • Amazon launches TikTok-like features within its app to accelerate social shopping. The new feature, called Inspire, will show users a continuous feed of photos and videos featuring products that they could then buy through the app. Beta tested by in-house staff, the feature is now available to select customers with a nation-wide rollout coming soon.
  • Google has released their annual Year in Search report with an added hyper-local twist. As with years past you can see what the top global search trends were (Wordle beating out Queen Elizabeth was not something we saw coming) but this year you can get as granular as knowing what a given zip code was searching for (“quick pancakes” in my neighborhood’s case 🥞).
  • Recent tech layoffs have left thousands of H-1B visa holders stranded and scared. It’s been a rough fall and early winter for tech workers, as more than 144,000 have lost their jobs. Many experts believe H-1B visa holders make up between 10%-30% of those lost jobs, meaning thousands are scrambling to find a new work sponsor within the 60 day window.

Working With Clients

11 Ways to Land More Clients On Upwork in 2022

Whether you’re new to freelancing or a seasoned vet…

Upwork is one of our favorite places to find clients.

It lets you filter for paying clients who are looking to hire ASAP…

And in our experience, many 7-figure and 8-figure business owners actually PREFER to hire from a freelancing platform like Upwork vs a direct referral.

Why?

Because they can evaluate your track record, look at past reviews, and see how you stack up against the competition.

Not to mention…

For business owners without a strong network, freelancing platforms like Upwork are sometimes the only option.

So, if you’re looking to land more gigs on the platform…

Check out this article for 11 ways to win more business:

[READ]: How to Get More Jobs on Upwork in 2022

Working For Yourself

Forget the 4-Hour Work Week (Do This Instead)

Spoiler alert:

The 4-Hour Work Week is not realistic for most of us.

(It’s still a great book, though.)

And while even a 4-day work week would be a major upgrade from spending a full 5 days at the slag heap every single week…

Here’s a simple hack that can make the workweek easier to bear:

Structure your workload so you start strong but then taper down throughout the week.

This means stacking Mondays with as much work as you can possibly handle to get ahead and create a buffer…

Then slowly and steadily taking your foot off the gas…

So Friday can be a much more leisurely work day to cap off the week.

Here’s what it might look like in application:

  • Monday: 10-12 hours
  • Tuesday:  8-10 hours
  • Wednesday: 8-10 hours
  • Thursday: 6-8 hours
  • Friday: 4-6 hours

Now, will this be possible every week?

Doubtful.

And it’s probably not for everyone.

But if you struggle with the monotony of a uniform work week or have ever wanted to shake up your schedule…

Give this a try.

Easing into the weekend with a lighter and/or shorter Friday can feel mighty nice.

From The Paid Ads Gig

One Ad a Day Keeps the Low ROAS Away

Coming up with killer ad ideas doesn’t always require creative genius.

You just have to be savvy enough to save a great ad when you see one in the wild.

Add one new ad to your swipe file every day and you’ll never lack for creative ideas.

Whether it’s going to the Facebook Ad Library and checking in on your favorite advertisers (because you do keep a list of them, right?)…

Or simply grabbing a screenshot when you see a killer ad in your news feed…. 

It only takes a few minutes each day.

Get yourself a tool like SnagIt, Evernote, or the GoFullPage Chrome extension and you’re all set.

Gig Alerts

Looking for clients? These freelance jobs were posted on Upwork in the last 24 hours:

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Quote of the Day


“Big breakthrough ideas often seem nuts the first time you see them.”

— Marc Andreeseen

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