Freelance project posted for what you sell
A company posts a project on Upwork, Contra, or a similar marketplace for the work you do.
A freelance post is a budget and a timeline written down. Companies often post when they want the work done but are not ready to hire, which is the moment an agency or product can step in.
- Strength
- Good
- Act within
- The 2 weeks after the post goes up
- Best for
- Agencies and services companies
How we detect it
Runs on Apify, Clay, and Upwork.
- Search freelance marketplaces for the projects you deliver, and keep the ones posted by companies that fit your ICP.
- Match the client to a company and a decision maker in Clay, since many posts hide the company name.
What it triggers
An opening line, to show the angle. It never goes out as written.
If you’re scoping a one-time Clay build, the part that usually gets left out is who keeps it running after month 2. Happy to share how we price both.
- Email: Write to the leader about the project scope, with a fixed price option.
- Rep alert: Route qualified posts to a person the same day.
Where it goes wrong
- Bidding against freelancers on price. Go to the company with a different offer.
Stack it with
A second signal on the same account moves it up.
Role reposted after 60 days
A job a company needs has been open for 60 days or more, or was taken down and posted again.
First hire in a function
A company posts its first ever role in a function, such as its first marketer, first RevOps manager, or first SDR.
More hiring signals
Every hiring signalHiring for the role you sell to
A target account posts jobs for the team that would use or buy your product.
Job posting names a tool
A job description lists a tool in your category, a competitor, or a tool yours replaces or connects to.
Hiring through a startup ATS
Companies found by the applicant tracking system their job board runs on, such as job pages hosted on Ashby or Greenhouse.
FAQs about this signal
A company posts a project on Upwork, Contra, or a similar marketplace for the work you do. A freelance post is a budget and a timeline written down. Companies often post when they want the work done but are not ready to hire, which is the moment an agency or product can step in.
Search freelance marketplaces for the projects you deliver, and keep the ones posted by companies that fit your ICP. Match the client to a company and a decision maker in Clay, since many posts hide the company name. Understory Agency runs it on Apify, Clay, and Upwork.
The window to act is the 2 weeks after the post goes up. Understory Agency routes it to email and rep alert. Write to the leader about the project scope, with a fixed price option. Route qualified posts to a person the same day.
It works best for agencies and services companies. It is strongest alongside “Role reposted after 60 days” and “First hire in a function”.
Or let us run it for you
Understory Agency's GTM engineers build the detection in Clay, wire it to the play that fits, and sync every touch to your CRM. Tell us who you sell to, and we'll show you where we would start.