5 Quick Tip: Your Freelance Proposal Is Only As Good As Your Work

We’ve all heard the old saying “It takes money to make money.” But when you’re just starting on your freelance journey, that can feel like a cruel joke. After all, how do you earn more without having any clients?

Most freelancers start by sending out proposals in the hopes of landing a gig but what happens next? Well, if you have a distinctly average proposal, then there are three possible results:

You get ignored altogether

You get an offer that doesn’t pay much (and is likely too time-intensive for what it is)

Your prospective client wants to negotiate your rate DOWN instead of up

As you can see, none of these scenarios ends with you getting paid. If a freelance proposal is the first thing your prospective client sees about you and your business, then it stands to reason that this proposal needs to put its best foot forward… or risk losing business before it even gets started!

TOP 5 Upwork Proposal Tips from an $847243 Freelancer

Takeaways
1. Your freelance proposal is a reflection of the quality of work you provide.
2. Invest time and effort in creating a well-crafted and professional proposal.
3. Clearly communicate your expertise, skills, and unique value proposition in the proposal.
4. Provide relevant samples or portfolio links to showcase the quality of your work.
5. Continuously improve your skills and deliver high-quality work to back up your proposal.

Table of Contents

1. Your Portfolio The Best “Sales” Material For Your Freelance Business

Your portfolio is your best “sales” material for your freelance business. It’s the place where you can show prospective clients what you’re capable of, and it’s the first thing they’ll look at when they’re considering working with you.

You want to make sure that whatever work you display in your portfolio is recent and represents what kind of results you’re capable of achieving today not five years ago or ten years ago.

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2. Your Portfolio Should Be Easy To Find And Easy To Access

If a prospect wants a copy of an old project, they shouldn’t have trouble finding it on their own; if they can’t figure out how to get their hands on something without asking someone else (i.e., themselves), then maybe hiring you isn’t such a good idea after all!

Your website should also include links back to any social media accounts where people can find additional examples of your work; this way there will always be somewhere else for them to go if something isn’t available through other means (like emailing directly).

What you send out says a lot about your professionalism and your interest in the project.

The first thing a client will do with your proposal is read it, and the second thing they’ll do is compare it to others. If you don’t know that already, then I hope this has opened your eyes to the fact that what you send out says a lot about your professionalism and your interest in the project.

A good proposal must be professional in every sense of the word. It must be well written and designed, easy to read, and delivered on time and it should show that you understand what needs doing as well as who’s going to do it.

It must also clearly show off any relevant qualifications or experience, so clients can evaluate if those are suitable for their purposes or even better than other bids they’ve received from other freelancers (for example).

A statement that shows that you truly understand what they’re looking for, and can deliver the right solution.

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3. Your Freelance Proposal Is Only As Good As Your Work

You may have seen a lot of writers talk about how important it is to write proposals that show you understand what the client needs. But there are so many more things than just understanding that go into crafting a winning proposal.

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4. You Also Need To Understand Their Industry And Goals

These things will help you make sure you’re offering solutions tailored specifically for them and not just generic solutions that could be applied to any project, regardless of the situation (and likely won’t be).

Not only to showcase your work that’s relevant to their industry or field but also, to highlight the factors they will care about most in their decision making.

Now that you have a clear understanding of what your client wants and expects from you, it’s time to submit your proposal. If potential clients can see that you’re confident and understand their needs, they’ll be more willing to work with you.

To help them see why they should choose you over other freelancers to complete their project, make sure your portfolio demonstrates how well-versed in the industry/field/niche (or all three!) and what sets you apart from the competition.

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5. Your Portfolio Should Showcase Examples Of Previous Work

“Here’s how I’ll go about delivering this specific result.” Your proposal should guide them through this process by previewing the client experience.

This is a good time to show your clients exactly what they can expect from working with you: what their experience will be like, and why it will be useful for them.

You want to make sure that you’re clear on what needs to happen before work begins so that there are no surprises down the line. The client doesn’t want any surprises either they want someone who delivers on promises and is clear about expectations upfront.

In other words: You need to pre-sell yourself as much as possible!

This is a tip for freelancers about how to write a good proposal for potential clients.

The proposal is your best chance to make an impression on the client. The proposal should be concise, well written, and easy to read. You want to make sure they understand what you are offering, how much it will cost, and what their payment terms are going to be.

The proposal should include:

What they can expect from working with you (specifics about deliverables).

Relevant samples or case studies that highlight your skillset or experience in similar projects. The more relevant samples or case studies used in the proposal package, the better chances of winning the project!

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Conclusion

So next time you’re putting together a proposal, take out your portfolio (or create one if you haven’t already), highlight a few of your best pieces, and add them to your pitch. This will help show the client that you listen to their brief, have the skills required to complete the job, and that you can be trusted with their project.

You’ll also stand out from other freelancers who don’t bother to show off their work, giving yourself an advantage when it comes down to making that final decision on which freelancer to hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use My Style Guide?

Absolutely! It’s your project, after all. We just recommend that you use our templates as a starting point and make sure to include the information we’ve outlined here.

What If I Don’t Have A Style Guide?

Then we’ll create one for you! Just let us know what information you want to be included and we’ll get it done in no time.

How Do I Make Sure My Freelance Proposal Is Only As Good As My Work?

You’re going to have to make sure you meet your deadline and deliver the quality of work that you promised. If you don’t, don’t be surprised if your prospective client never gives you another chance.

How do I get started?

You can either start with a blank proposal, or you can copy and paste the details of an existing project into a new proposal. The choice is yours! If you’re copying and pasting, be sure to check the “copy from” box before you start typing in the proposal editor.

How Do I Know How Much To Charge?

That’s a good question! Here are some tips:

Check out your client’s portfolio and see what kind of budget they have for projects like this one. If their portfolio is super high-end, then maybe you should ask for more money than if they’re working with smaller budgets or personal projects.

Also, think about what your time is worth what would it cost you to hire someone else to do this work? And remember that if you have any overhead costs (like paying rent or buying equipment), those will come out of whatever payment you’re making for this job as well!

How Do I Know If My Work Is Good Enough?

What does the client want? Did you ask them in your proposal? If not, go back and ask them. Then, look at your work and tell yourself if it meets their expectations.

How Do I Know If The Client Will Like My Work?

You can’t always know this, but you can get a sense by looking at their website. If they have a similar style or theme to yours, then that’s a good sign that they’ll like what you do.

If they don’t have anything similar to yours, then maybe try doing some research on their industry and see if any trends could help inform your decision-making process (for example: “This industry is moving towards a more abstract brand identity” or “websites for this industry tend to be bright and clean”).

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.