Freelancing is on the rise in our modern, sharing economy. There are 53 million freelancers in the U.S. alone. That’s a huge percentage of the American workforce (about 1/3)!

There can be no denying that every freelancer out there wants to have more clients and land higher paying projects as well.

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While the benefits of freelancing are obvious – working from home, choosing your own schedule and a huge increase in freedom – there are also some drawbacks that many people aren’t aware of.

But as a freelancer (whether new to the freelancing world or a seasoned freelancer), there are chances that you might have realized how challenging convincing potential clients that you are indeed the best for the job can be, especially when one is competing with thousands of other freelancers.

That’s why writing a winning freelance job proposal can make all the difference in your freelancing career. It’s actually what will set you apart from your competitors.

A strong proposal can help you beat seasoned competitors hence increasing your chances of getting more clients and landing higher paying freelance jobs as well.

Better still, a truly great proposal with help make clients want to hire you over and over again.

Here are some tips for writing winning freelance job proposals that will help you get started with putting your best foot forward in the eyes of prospective freelance clients.

1. Read the project details carefully

This is crucial to understanding what the prospective client wants. It can help you match your talents, skills and interests to a specific gig so as to figure out whether it’s best suited for you or not. It can further help you know whether you’re qualified for the task head or not.

Therefore, it’s imperative you read through the project details carefully and further ensure that you have understood these details prior to placing your bid.

One of the costly mistakes that lots of freelancers make when bidding for freelance jobs is sending their proposals when they haven’t read through the project details beforehand.

Unfortunately, clients can note this and hence deny them the job. To avoid this, read the project details carefully so that can you can be able to demonstrate how you are best suited to meet a prospective client’s needs.

In case there is anything you don’t understand in the project details, you can contact a prospective client requesting them to clarify on it further.

2. Start with a strong introduction

A great proposal should be capable of wowing potential clients straight out the gates. After all, that’s what will make your proposal different from that of other freelancers who are bidding for the same gig.

Starting your proposal with a captivating introduction can help rekindle an instant interest in a prospective client’s mind.

It is indeed what will make the prospective client want to continue reading the rest of your proposal, or ignore it altogether.

Having a strong introduction can also help demonstrate your commitment towards the job at hand, in addition to helping you make a great first impression.

The good news is that coming up with a strong and interesting opening for your proposal isn’t difficult at all. It is actually something you can do so long as you are bit creative.

3. Mention your strengths, skills and talents

When writing your proposal, it is quite important to keep in mind that you are simply selling yourself to potential clients.

But even as you are doing it, you should also remember that there are countless others out there who are offering a similar service as well.

That is why your proposal needs to reflect the traits that set you apart from the rest, in order to increasing your chances of landing the gig.

In other words, you really need to show potential clients how you stand out from the rest in order to increase your chances of getting more clients and higher-paying freelance gigs.

Therefore, mention your strengths, skills and talents and how they will enable you do the particular job with excellence.

Again, if the job at hand requires a unique skill set that you already possess, then it’s important you mention it in your proposal. If you’re bidding on a logo design job for instance, make a point of elaborating on your log design skills.

Don’t forget to attach your samples to your proposals to prove that you possess the skills that the potential client is looking for.

Samples will help show prospective clients that your past works aligns with what they are looking for. If you’re a freelance writer for instance, attach some of your written work for clients to review. However, only include most recent and relevant samples in your proposal.

4. Keep it short

In addition to starting off your proposal with a strong introduction, you also need to make your proposal short while at the same time demonstrating a clear understanding of the client’s needs just by providing enough detail.

Most clients have little time to go through long-written proposals and, therefore, there are likely to reject yours if it is long and lacks substance. As such, write short, punchy sentences while ensuring that you’re demonstrating a clear understanding of the client’s need.

Even though you have many skills that you think can benefit them, you should, however, avoid giving a long list highlighting each skill. To keep your proposal as short as possible, avoid mentioning irrelevant strengths and skills that aren’t related to the job at hand.

5. Proofread your proposal

Typos and grammatical errors can be an ultimate deal breaker when it comes to writing freelance job proposals. Even if you have the best proposal, you risk missing out on great gigs if you send proposals with errors to prospective clients.

That’s why you need to proofread your proposal for errors before sending it to a prospective client. Read your proposal loudly and see whether words are flowing well with each other.

You can also give it to someone else to proofread it for you before sending it. Remember you won’t have another chance to proofread the proposal once it’s in the hands of the client. Therefore, it always helps to have a final check on before sending your proposal.

Your proposal can make or break your freelance career. It’s in your best interest, as a freelancer, to ensure you have a great proposal when marketing yourself to potential clients.

With these tips for writing winning freelance job proposals right at your fingertips, then you can be sure of crafting a proposal that will make clients long to work with you over and over again.