14 Ways To Write Freelance Proposals That Make Clients Beg You To Work For Them

When you’re a freelancer, finding new work can be difficult. You have to create pitches and then send them off into the world, hoping that some of them lead to paying gigs. If you spend hours creating each pitch, it’s like throwing darts in the dark: out of 100 pitches, maybe 5 will become paid projects.

Or…you could use this framework for writing freelance proposals that make clients beg to work with you (sometimes literally). This post will show you how.

How to Write a Proposal for Freelance Work – YouTube

Takeaways
1. Understand the client’s needs and requirements thoroughly.
2. Tailor your proposal to showcase your expertise and how it aligns with the project.
3. Clearly outline your unique value proposition and what sets you apart from other freelancers.
4. Craft a compelling and attention-grabbing introduction to hook the client’s interest.
5. Provide a detailed project plan, including timelines, deliverables, and milestones.
6. Demonstrate your understanding of the project by addressing potential challenges and proposing solutions.
7. Showcase your relevant experience and highlight past successes in similar projects.
8. Use clear and concise language, avoiding jargon or technical terms that the client may not understand.
9. Include samples of your previous work or a portfolio to demonstrate your capabilities.
10. Provide a transparent and competitive pricing structure that reflects the value you bring to the project.
11. Show enthusiasm and passion for the project to convey your commitment to delivering exceptional results.
12. Proofread and edit your proposal carefully to ensure it is free from errors and maintains a professional tone.
13. Follow up with the client after submitting the proposal to address any questions or concerns they may have.
14. Continuously refine and improve your proposal writing skills through learning and feedback.

Table of Contents

1. Look At The Project From The Client’s Perspective

This is the most important part of writing a proposal. Your client will be looking for you to explain how you can help them, how much it will cost, and when they can expect results.

Let’s look at each one:

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Know The Client’s Needs

Can you help them solve a problem that they’re facing? If not, then why should they hire someone like you instead of someone else?

Know The Client’s Pain Points

How does their current situation make them feel? Are they happy with where things are now or are there problems that need fixing? What does success look like for them in this project/job in terms of time, money spent and results achieved.

Know The Client’s Goals

What do they want from this project/job (or from working with you)? What do YOU want from this project/job (or working with YOU). If these aren’t aligned then nothing will go well! Both parties must have clear expectations!

2. Keep Your Proposal Short

Be sure to keep your proposal short. I’ve had many clients tell me:

“I just want to know if you can do the work.”

They don’t want a comprehensive overview of my background and experience, nor do they need an in-depth review of their business goals, objectives and challenges. They just want to know if I can write for them. So keep it simple!

Here are some examples:

Keep it to a letter (the smallest unit of text) – “If I were able to start working with you tomorrow on this project, how would we proceed?”
Keep it to a number (the smallest unit of measurement) – “How many words per hour do you think this will take?”
Keep it to a symbol (the smallest unit used in writing or printing) – “I’m available Mondays through Fridays between 9am and 6pm.”
Keep it to a smile (a facial expression showing happiness or pleasure) – “The proposal looks great!”

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3. Tell The Client How You’ll Help Them Get What They Want

When you’re writing a proposal, it’s important to be clear about how you’ll help the client achieve their goals. This is where your persuasive skills come in.

You should be able to tell them exactly what you will do for them and how it will help them get what they want. Your proposals should always include:

What are your specific deliverables? The more detailed these are, the better. If there’s something specific that needs doing or creating, make sure it’s included here.

How do those deliverables help meet their goals? What difference will they make? You may want to talk about this in terms of value-added or cost savings whatever language best conveys this idea of “helping.”

How will we measure success? Do we have benchmarks for measuring progress against time and budget constraints?

4. Talk About What’ll Happen If Your Proposal Is Accepted

Now that you’ve discussed the scope of work and how much you’ll charge, it’s time to talk about what will actually happen when your proposal is accepted. In other words, what’s next?

When a potential client accepts your proposal, they’ll probably be thrilled! You’ve just made their day they should be thrilled with one less task on their plate and ready to start work immediately.

But no matter how excited they may be at first, there’s still more work to do before you can start working together. Here are some things you should consider including in your letter:

Explain the next steps in this process (have them send over files or sign something)
How often will we communicate throughout the project? (daily/weekly/monthly)
What methods of communication would suit them best? Texts? Phone calls? Video calls? Email threads or Google Docs documents shared between us both so we can go back and forth as necessary without having longwinded phone conversations every time something comes up (which happens all too often).

5. Share A Personal Anecdote Or Story

Personal anecdotes and stories can be a helpful way to share your expertise with a client. They also help to demonstrate how you can help the client achieve his or her goals, as well as your passion for the project.

Whether you’re writing a blog post or an article, sharing personal experiences is always going to be more engaging than simply presenting facts and figures. Similarly, when writing proposals for clients, sharing stories about yourself and what inspires you helps build trust between parties and makes proposals more meaningful overall.

One way this can be done is by telling them about why you have chosen their company over others; another maybe by sharing a story from your life that relates directly back to this proposal (e.g., “I have been working in digital marketing since graduating college seven years ago.”).

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6. Explain To The Client Why They Should Hire You

When you explain why the client should hire you, keep in mind that your pitch is a sales pitch. You need to be able to convince the client that hiring you will be a smart move for them, so it’s important to highlight all of your strengths.

Here are some things that could make you stand out from other freelancers:

You have the right experience and skills for the job (e.g., if it’s writing an article, you’re an expert at writing articles)
You have the right personality and attitude for the job (e.g., if they’re looking for someone who can do this work with a sense of humor and flair, then clearly those are traits they want in their writer)
Your credentials show how qualified you are to do this kind of work (e.,g., if they’re looking for someone who has worked as a writer before).

7. Make Sure Your Grammar And Spelling Are Impeccable

With so many writers out there, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. One way to do that is by making sure your grammar and spelling are impeccable.

This can be difficult when you’re trying to get through a lot of writing in a short amount of time, but it’s worth taking the time to double-check each email before hitting send or submitting it for review.

You should never use slang or abbreviations in your emails; they make you look unprofessional. Likewise, contractions like “I am” or “you are” should be avoided as well because they make your writing sound rushed and unedited.

If you want to sound authoritative without being stuffy, stay away from text speak like lolz (laugh out loud), brb (be right back), ttyl (talk to you later) and all their variations as well as emoticons: those little faces that show up next to certain words in emails are best left alone if you want prospects thinking about hiring you instead of laughing at how immaturely they were written!

8. Be Transparent Around Pricing And Payment Terms

Be transparent about pricing. Most clients don’t want to feel like they’re getting ripped off, so it’s best to be upfront and honest about the cost of your work. If you’re a designer, say how much for each mockup you’ll create and what that exact cost includes (like design time or revisions).

If you’re writing, tell them how much per article, blog post, or email campaign and let them know if there are additional costs associated with marketing and promotion beyond just writing the copy itself.

Be transparent about payment terms. Clients will not be happy if they have to pay upfront without being guaranteed that they’ll get something in return before they do so.

So when negotiating payment terms with new customers make sure there are clear expectations around when payments will be due.

As well as when deliverables need to be completed by so both parties are on the same page regarding expectations at all times during this process which helps avoid misunderstandings further down the road when the project gets underway.

But most importantly helps ensure peace of mind from both parties involved throughout the entire process because nothing kills momentum faster than worrying about money coming due.”

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9. Share Testimonials From Past Clients The More, The Merrier!

If you don’t have any testimonials, that’s okay. In fact, it’s expected. I know you’re new and just getting started.

You’re not a big-time freelancer yet, but that’s exactly why you need to start building a portfolio now — so when the day comes for someone like me to hire you or recommend your services to others (which will happen), they’ll be able to see all the great work you’ve done before!

That said, adding testimonials from previous clients is one of the best ways to make up for your lack of experience and build credibility in the eyes of potential clients.

Plus, if they like what other people say about their experience working with you? It might be enough for them not to even ask any other questions or require anything else from your proposal before hiring away!

10. Tell Them Exactly What They’ll Get When They Hire You To The Letter

When you’re writing a proposal, it’s important to tell your potential clients exactly what they’ll get when they hire you. You want to be as clear and specific as possible so that there are no misunderstandings about the scope of your work or what will be delivered.

For example, if your proposal includes a copy of a previous project that is similar in scope and length to their request, include some specifics about why it was successful: “The campaign resulted in 2,000 new subscribers with an average lifetime value (LTV) of $5 per month.” Or if it’s not relevant, then don’t include it!

11. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Let ’em Know How Much Of An Expert You Are!

It is important for you, as a freelancer, to make sure that the client understands what you are doing and how long it will take. You should communicate with them often. Make sure they know that you have questions about their project, and don’t be afraid to ask them anything!

12. If You Do All These Things, People Will Want To Hire You!

Here are some tips for how to write freelance proposals that make clients beg you to work for them:

Make sure you are clear about what you are offering. You need to explain why your services are a good fit for the project and at what price point. If they’re not, then it’s up to you and your client to negotiate something better suited.

Make sure you’re clear about your pricing. If there’s one thing clients hate more than anything else (in my experience), it’s uncertainty around money matters like when a freelancer accidentally charges them twice as much by forgetting about the time zone difference between where he lives vs where his client does.

That said, don’t be afraid of charging appropriately high rates if needed, and make sure those rates include any taxes or fees associated with working in their area too

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Conclusion

We hope these tips help you craft killer proposals that get you hired. Keep in mind that your proposal is a reflection of you and the quality of your work. It’s worth it to spend time crafting something specific and thoughtful, because you’ll win more business if you do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Charge By The Word?

No, I don’t. My standard rate is $50 per hour of writing time. This includes editing, proofreading, and formatting as well. If you need a proposal written in a different format (for example, a sales pitch or an outline) we can work something out together.

How Long Does It Take To Finish One Of These Proposals?

It depends on what kind of proposal it is and how much input you give me during the process.

For example, if I’m writing an outline for your novel based on our phone call last week, that should take only about two hours because I already know what needs work and can get started right away without any back-and-forth with you about what should go in each chapter and so on.*

You might have noticed that there’s no mention here about how long it takes for me to respond when clients contact me via email or social media platforms or even voicemail!

Why Should You Write A Proposal?

Proposals are good because they get the client excited about your ideas and ready to pay you. They also show that you’ve done your research and can clearly articulate your value proposition.

You can even add attachments with additional examples or design mockups to make it even more compelling. A poorly written proposal, on the other hand, might prompt clients to hire someone else instead of risk working with someone who’s not putting in their best work, and who knows if anyone else will follow through?

How Do I Write A Freelance Proposal?

The first step is figuring out what exactly it is that your client needs from you. Try asking yourself questions like: Who am I talking to? What does this person want from me? What do I have to offer them that no one else does?

Once those are answered, start thinking about how those things could be translated into something tangible like an actual product or service. Then start thinking about how much time it would take for all those things to come together into something meaningful for both parties involved (this includes research).

It’s important not just because it ensures quality control but also because everything costs money;

If there’s nothing tangible being produced yet then either party might think twice before making any investments upfront without a clear understanding of where their money’s going downstream so they know when exactly they’ll see returns on investment once everything comes together at some point down the road.”

How Much Should I Charge For My Services?

This depends on your experience and skill level, but there are some general guidelines we can provide:

The more you know about the field of writing, the more you’ll be able to charge for your services; similarly, if your resume shows that you’ve written a lot of successful proposals in the past (like those listed above), then clients will likely pay more because they know they’re getting quality work from someone who has proven their expertise with multiple successes in the past.

Herman Edward

I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!