When working with milestones, clients will be able to review your workflow and pricing before placing an order. This allows clients to understand your work process and enables you to attract clients with larger orders. Demonstrate precisely what deliverables clients can expect, and when.
Use the milestone workflow to:
- When it comes to conversion, milestones are a great tool to increase Gig interest and sales.
- The added layer of transparency into your process shows clients exactly how you manage your workflow.
- With structured updates throughout the process, your clients know what to expect from you, and by when.
- Limit the (oftentimes unnecessary) inbox dialogue between you and your clients. Instead of asking you to clarify process details, it’s already clear to clients—based on your milestone workflow.
As soon as you add and save a milestone, clients will see the option to use milestones on your Gig.
To include Milestones in a Gig, the basic package must be $100 or more, and the Gig has to be in one of the eligible subcategories:
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- 3D Product Animation
- Custom Application
- On-Page SEO
- Accounting & Bookkeeping
- Customization
- Online Trading Lessons
- Ad Review & Optimization
- E-Commerce Product Videos
- Personal Finance & Wealth Management
- Ads Setup & Management
- Email Automations
- Producers & Composers
- Analysis, Valuation & Optimization
- Email Platform Support
- Profile Setup & Integration
- Application Improvements
- Financial Forecasting & Modeling
- Search Engine Marketing Management
- Applications & Registrations
- Full SEO Package
- Setup & Strategy Consultation
- Articles & Blog Posts
- Full Website Creation
- Shoppable Content
- Audience Development
- General Legal Advice
- Shopping Ads
- Book & eBook Writing
- Ghostwriting
- Short Stories
- Book Editing
- Help/Consultation
- Social Content
- Bug Fixes
- Legal Disputes
- Social Media Management
- Business Plans
- Legal Documents & Contracts
- Strategy & Planning
- Campaign Management
- Legal Research
- Tax Consulting
- Character Animation
- Logo Design
- Technical SEO
- Cold Emails
- Marketing Plans
- Video Editing
- Concept Development
- Marketing Strategy
- Voice Over
- Consultation & Audience Research
- NFT Art
- Voice Search SEO
- Consulting
- Off-Page SEO
- Website Design
This feature also gives the option to:
- Ask that clients pay per completed milestone.
- Update your clients about the stages completed in the work process.
Adding a milestone
When you create or edit your Gig, you can add milestones directly from the 'Description & FAQ' tab.
- Use an existing milestone template or create your own.
- To add your first milestone, click "Start from scratch". Your first milestone will automatically be created.
Note: You can add up to 5 milestones. - Milestone payments are set as 'On' by default. Use the toggle to deactivate.
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Click "Add a milestone" and fill in all the details:
- Milestone name and description
- Include Zoom option (toggle on/off)
- Select Available packages
- Verify that all details are accurate and complete, and then click "Save milestone."
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After adding your first milestone, you can add a 'substep' (optional) to the milestone, or move on to the next milestone.
To add a substep:
- Click 'Add a substep,' enter the substep name, and select the 'Available packages.'
- Verify that all details are correct and click "Save substep."
Note: You need to add a minimum of 2 milestones.
- Save all milestones by clicking "Save and continue."
Adding milestones to your custom offer
If you don’t want to apply the milestone workflow to your Gig, you can still use milestones in your custom offers to clients. Use milestones to manage your larger projects and use smaller, and more manageable steps—and get paid for each one completed.
Suggestion: Define your revisions per milestone for an even more organized project.
Creating a custom milestone offer
Note: Milestones are not available in all categories.
- Go to 'Messages' and select 'Inbox.'
- Open a message and click "Create an offer."
- Select a Gig and click "Choose an order type" (single payment, subscriptions, milestones).
- Give each milestone a name, state the time it will take you to complete it, and the amount you charge for it.
Note: Custom offers allow for up to 6 milestones per project, with each milestone lasting up to 30 days.
- Clients pay for each milestone upon order placement and upon milestone approval. If a client stops the order after any approved milestone, the order is marked 'completed,' and no further milestones are required.
- In the final delivery, submit the full project (after your last step in the project) to deliver.
Note: Clients have 8 days from the delivery of each milestone to request a revision or accept it. If no action is taken, the order will be stopped and marked as completed.
FAQs
- Once each milestone is completed, you’ll get paid. In the past, freelancers were paid only once an entire order was marked as completed. This is no longer the case, and you’ll be reimbursed per milestone in each order.
- We recommend using milestones for bigger projects that allow for more flexibility in the smaller steps. milestones offer your clients reduced risk in the shape of “motivators.” These are per-task payments that also give you the incentive to keep up the good work.
- Break down orders into manageable, deliverable milestones to provide value to the client, and give them an idea of how it is to work with you.
- Clients will be charged for the first milestone when they place an order. Once a milestone is approved by the client and the client initiates the next milestone, the associated payment will be made.
- Clients will have 8 days from the delivery of each milestone to request a revision or accept a milestone and continue to the next one. If they don’t, the order will stop, and be marked as completed.
- Clients can choose to stop a milestone order after each milestone is accepted; it doesn’t cancel the previous delivery. It does stop the order from continuing to the next milestone. Once a client stops an order, they won’t be able to resume it. You’ll be paid for the completed milestones after the order is marked as completed.
- Yes, a milestone within an order, or the whole order, can be canceled through the Resolution Center or through Customer Support, for valid reasons.
Note: Even if a milestone order has been canceled but at least one milestone was completed in the order, the order will still be considered as completed. - Revisions are defined per milestone and can be used in each step of the order.