A Complete Guide to Write the Perfect Freelance Proposal

When freelancing came in existence, it emerged with bidding concept. Same as the physical business world, lowest bidder is awarded the project. Clients started following norms of real world. And this norm is still prevalent in leading freelance market places like Guru, Upwork, People Per Hour and Freelancer.

Where, a client posts a project, freelancers submit their proposal. It is not necessary that lowest bidder will be awarded the contract. There are a lot of other factors which decide the winning proposal like cost, budget, portfolio of service provider, timelines, structure of proposal, convincing power of freelancer etc.

With availability of internet at gross route level, people are learning new skills, polishing them by offering services using social media and building their portfolio. Hence, in turn, it has increased competition on freelance marketplaces. In order to excel, a service provider must have strong convincing power. A proposal is the front face of freelancer.

In this blog, we will discuss how a freelancer write and present a convincing proposal. Let’s begin the game. Here we go.

Let’s write a persuasive freelance proposal

To enter in freelancing, you need to be good at pitching the expertise you are offering. And to achieve this, you need to be skilled at writing a persuasive freelance proposal to get the best job. Gig is little bit different from the proposal. Our blog posts have covered topic of gig separately.

However, freelance market has become highly competitive, as many professionals have switched from traditional jobs to freelancing. Therefore, you need to write a freelance bid to grab your client’s attention. Then ultimately, you can win the bid. So, you can turn the table in your favor.

Customizing every proposal according to every order is crucial. But once you have written down perfect bid, you can use it as a template. But you must put in the work to achieve it. After some research, we have listed some practical and time-tested tips to writing the perfect proposal to get your freelancing career started.

Carefully Read the Description

Make sure you have read the project description carefully before you decide to send your proposal. Because if the employer feels you don’t understand the project, you obviously won’t end up getting the order. Therefore, try and take your sweet time to meticulously go through the description before you start writing a freelance bid.

A handy tip is to use the same vocabulary in your proposal as the project description as this will resonate well with clients.

Add Samples

What the client is really interested to see in your proposal is your work sample. Make sure the samples that you are attaching are of quality and would add more value to the proposal. Such samples may include previous completed related projects.

For instance, you are submitting bid for designing SEO strategy of blogging website of tech niche. Here, you may mention a blogging website of similar for which you accomplished same task. It increases chances of winning the bid.

Grab your Client’s Attention

The client would merely spend a few seconds on your proposal. And, if you want them to choose you from the rest then you need to make your bid stand out. So, try making the first few lines of the proposal engaging, gripping, and interesting. Also, focus on making the application more personal, as it shows that you are interested in getting the job and collaborating with them.

Proofreading is your Ally

Always, always proofread your bid before you submit it. A badly written freelance bid makes you unprofessional. So, always try to check your proposal for any errors before bidding for a project.

Be courteous – it goes a long way

Your good customer service and polite manners can take you far. When talking to a potential client always be courteous but approach professionally. Greet clients properly and make your proposal more adept by ending the proposal with closing notes e.g., “Best Wishes”, “Best Regards”, “I am looking forward to your kind response”, “Kind Wishes” etc.

A Big No

Avoid using generic proposals e.g., using the same proposal repeatedly on several projects. Your best chance to bring a gig is to tailor each proposal according to the client’s needs and requirements.

Keep your proposals concise

Short and concise proposal easily grab client attention. Provide complete but concise details. Never repeat information in proposal. Add facts, figures and statistics. Proposal should be straight forward.

Long proposals won’t convince anyone. As no one will read them. People run from big blocks of text, and no one has the patience to read your life’s story.

Capture the client’s attention fast

You have just a few seconds to win your client’s attention, so you need to be witty in the first two or three lines. One trick, look at the feedback on the client’s profile when applying. This lets to start your application with client name.

By doing this, your client would wonder how you know their name, which draws them to your profile to see if they know you. It also shows that you are very interested in the job and in collaborating with them.

 You paid attention to their job description and looked even further. Finally, it makes the application more personal.

Answer the “Why should I work with you” question

Every client wants to know why they should pick you instead of any other freelancer out there. This is basically what your application has to be focused on.

No, don’t start your application with: “You should hire me because…” Present the advantages of a collaboration with you, as well as your qualities. Don’t brag, but be honest and present real facts:

• Talk about the experience (i.e. how many years)
• Mention your excellent feedback (if you already have some)
• Mention the number of projects you have worked on so far (inside or outside of freelance marketplace)
• Tell them about your education, if it is relevant to the job

Point out anything that makes you look good as long as you can prove it, via samples or your profile. You should leave the rest out.

Be professional and friendly

Improve your customer service. Act in professional manners. “Dear Lee Jane,” will always sound better than “Hi.” “Thank you for taking the time to read my application” is a great closing line. You can make your proposal more professional or warm with a friendly closing, like “Best regards,” or “Kind wishes.”

Conclusion

It is not easy to survive in competitive market of freelancing. Professionals are now switching to this arena. Work with smartness and firm strategy to stand out. Therefore, we have shared practical tips to present your proposal to grab potential client within seconds. This blog is the insight of the experienced freelancers like Hisham Sarwar and Subhan Tariq.

Hope they will work with you.

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