Upwork is a platform that connects freelancers with employers. As the number of freelancers keeps increasing, employers are more strict and picky on who they hire and freelancers are finding it harder in a saturated market.

To secure high-paying freelance jobs, you must master the skill of writing compelling proposals on Upwork

A Job-winning proposal on Upwork must tick the following boxes:

1. Conciseness
2. Client-focused
3. Results-driven

What Clients Look for in a Proposal

Once you come across a job you know you are perfect for on Upwork, the next step is to write a proposal you think would impress the client.

The issue here is that you are not the only one who came across that job and your proposal might get muddled up among the rest if it’s not optimized.

The following are the best upwork proposal writing tips you need;

1. Have Specific Solutions to their Problems

The sole reason a client would give a second glance to your proposal is if it talks about how to solve their problems. Avoid lengthy personal histories, and focus on providing clear, actionable solutions.

E.g

“Hello “Name of Client”. From your Job description, I understand you need someone who can help you boost your site’s ranking on search engines in such a short time. Having gone through your site, I have identified minor on-page SEO mistakes and major technical deficiencies that your site is lacking…“

This type of introduction in a proposal speaks volumes to your readiness and expertise.

2. Relevant Experience

After your detailed solution, clients would love to verify if your experience can back you up. You must state the relevant experiences that make you a perfect fit for the job.

The relevancy of your experience to the gig you are applying for is important. Ensure your experiences prove you are the best option available

E.g

“I have six years of experience in Search Engine Optimization. I helped XYZ Company increase its organic traffic by 75% in four months through strategic keyword research and backlink acquisition.” 

3. A Professional Tone

However fit you are for an Upwork role, don’t get too comfortable and use a casual tone in your Upwork proposals. Maintain a professional tone all through the deliberation phase.

This standard gives an air of Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness to your proposal.

4. Clear Pricing

It’s important to not lead with money in a proposal but you should also put some value on your service later on.

A proposal without clear pricing can be confusing and may reduce your chances of securing the job. Having solutions to their problems with your relevant experiences accompanied with the professional tone must be closed with clear rates for your services.

If you are fine with the rates stated by the client, make sure to state it. If you aren’t but still willing to move on, state it placing the client’s wants as your reason for continuance.

The following Upwork proposal writing tips would help you address the client’s problem directly instead of talking about yourself too much.

How to Write a Proposal Sample for Upwork (Winning Guide)

Once you master how to write a proposal on Upwork, you will start getting more replies and contracts on Upwork. Here is the winning guide to help you;

1. Use Personalized greetings
2. Hook them in your first few sentences (Problem and Solution)
3. Highlight your relevant skills and experience
4. Offer simple solutions
5. Add social proof
6. End with a call to action

1. Use Personalized Greetings

Instead of addressing clients with their positions or the general Sir/Ma, it’s best to use the client’s names if available.

This shows a bit of effort and can warm the client up to you faster.

Instead of: Dear Hiring Manager

Say: Dear Franklin (Name of Client)

2. Hook them in your first few sentences

How?

Most freelancers would lead with their names and an extensive introduction about who they are, what they’ve been through and how their life experiences have shaped them.

On the other hand, you should show superiority by leading with an in-depth knowledge of the job’s primary needs and secondary needs if possible. Next, state how you are going to solve this problem and the expected outcome.

Be SMART in your goal setting to balance expectations from you.

Instead of: Hi Hiring Manager, My name is Bolu Moibi, an expert in SEO management. I have been doing SEO for many years now and have really gone deep in this game. I have goals in Digital Marketing and hope to bring these skills to new job roles…

Say: Hi,  Godwin, It seems you are finding it hard to market your products online despite your best efforts in ad promotion and dynamic website setup. Selling your products can be better with some advanced SEO strategies that will place you in front of your customers…

3. Highlight your Relevant Skills and Experience

Back up your solutions with evidence of previous successes.

E.g. State how you improved a client’s visibility with a similar strategy to the one you are proposing.

Add relevant skills to the Upwork proposal that would boost confidence in your work. This part should be brief and relevant. You can use bullet points if necessary. This is a mirror of a quick resume your clients need to increase trustworthiness.

4. Offer Simple Solutions

There is no use in offering solutions that your clients cannot explain to someone else. Ensure your preferred solutions are simple enough for your client to understand and visualize.

No matter how accustomed you are to your job, your usefulness primarily lies in your ability to make the confusing solutions clear and easy to understand.

5. Add Social Proof (Portfolio, Reviews, or Case Studies)

The deeper you go into your proposal, the more you should find better ways to convince your clients.

Proof of your previous work stamps your authority as an expert. The proofs can be in the form of a portfolio, Customer Reviews or Case studies you’ve worked on.

This video will give you more in-depth info on how to create an online portfolio that will get you hired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1bDAmNACzY

6. End with a Call-to-action (CTA)

I come across various Upwork proposals and they are near perfect up to this stage. Most freelancers forget to end with a call to action.

Leaving your proposal without a call-to-action can be confusing especially to clients that receive many proposals for that same job.

“When you treat your prospective client like a baby that needs to be convinced to like you, your chances of getting accepted are higher”

Lead them by the hand back to you.

Examples of good Call-to-action are;

1. Would you like to discuss this further? I’m happy to jump on a quick call.
2. I’ve begun developing (a solution), let’s discuss how to get it up and running.
3. Take the first step and send me a message, I’ll handle the rest!
4. Let’s not delay any further on executing this, when do we get started?

Now that you know how to write a proposal on Upwork, let’s look at real examples that converted.

Winning Upwork Proposal Sample (Model & Use)

Some of these samples might not be exact for your job, but you can follow the template for an easier process.

1. Upwork Proposal Sample for Beginners (A)

2. UpWork proposal sample (B)

3. UpWork proposal sample (C)

4. UpWork proposal sample (D)

5. UpWork proposal sample (E)

Common Mistakes to avoid in your Upwork Proposal

To write the best Upwork proposals, there are some key mistakes you need to avoid for better client reception.

1. Not addressing the client’s needs.
2. Overloading with too much personal info.
3. Writing long, generic proposals.
4. Not including a call to action.

These common mistakes should be avoided if you want to write competent and competitive Upwork proposals.

Conclusion

Here is a brief summary of what you should take along;

If you are confused about how to write a proposal on Upwork, Follow these steps;

1. Use Personalized greetings
2. Hook them in your first few sentences (Problem and Solution)
3. Highlight your relevant skills and experience
4. Offer simple solutions
5. Add social proof
6. End with a call to action

Now you know exactly how to write a proposal on Upwork that gets noticed. Ready to land your first gig?