I've been freelancing part-time for about 5 years and am looking to up my game. Most of my work has come through Upwork or Freelancer but recently, the huge fees have been pissing me off. I get that they offer some measure of protection to both sides, but it's still disheartening to see them take up to 20% of earnings.
I've been considering setting up my own website and running a google ad campaign to try and push my business locally to SMEs. From what I can see, there is definitely a gap in the market, though I suppose I won't know until I try.
I've heard a few other copywriters mention Linkedin, but I only ever seem to be offered full-time permanent work there, as opposed to freelance contracts.