What is a Freelance Proposal and How to Create One

The client is committed. You’ve confirmed your understanding of the scope and deliverables, and you have their approval in principle.

You blocked off a chunk of time — and money — to work on this project. Now, you need to produce a well-written project proposal that’s pitched just right so your freelance pricing aligns with the value proposition delivered.

Maybe you don’t know what a freelance proposal is or how to create one. Don’t worry. By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how to create winning, professional proposals that help you land more clients. Plus, we’ll talk about freelance proposal templates, freelance proposal examples, freelance proposal generators, and the value of your time.

Let’s get started…

What Is a Freelance Proposal?

A freelancer proposal, also known as a freelancing proposal, is a persuasive document sent to a prospective customer that outlines a consulting or project engagement from your business perspective. Freelancers should use project proposals to show their expertise in value, as well as to sell the value that they bring to the project at hand.

Effective Project Proposals are the Key to Connecting with Clients & Earning More

Freelancing proposals are the soul of your freelance career. They set the tone and purpose for working with the client. Proposals are powerful tools for working with potential clients.

Your proposal is a document detailing the project structure and terms of the engagement. It should also specify any milestones or deliverables. Clients want to know what they will get from you before committing any money. Thoroughly understanding the job description is crucial to tailor the proposal to meet the client's expectations.

<tweet-link>The important thing to remember is that clear, concise, client-focused proposals win more business.<tweet-link>

That’s why it’s important to make sure your project proposals are brief, easy-to-understand, and focused on the client’s specific problem and how you’ll solve it for them.

Poor proposals show a lack of understanding, professionalism, and respect for the prospective client’s time while winning proposals demonstrate your understanding of the client and their problem and how your services address both.

Which brings us to the next point...

What Are the Key Elements and Structure of a Winning Freelance Proposal?

So, what exactly does an effective proposal look like?

That depends on a few factors, like your industry, client needs, and the specific project. That said, successful proposals usually share some common elements. Crafting a compelling bid proposal is essential for securing work by highlighting your skills and addressing client needs. Here are ten elements you’ll find in most winning proposals:

1. An overview/summary of the client’s problems and how you’ll help solve them – One of the most overlooked areas in proposals is sharing an overview that goes over a high-level view of exactly what you will do for them and how.

2. Problem statement – According to Corey Pemberton, a freelance copywriter and blogger, "The problem statement is one of the most important elements in any freelance... proposal. Forgetting to include one (or including one anywhere besides the beginning of your proposals) makes your proposal look like all the other boring ones flooding your clients’ inboxes. Your proposal loses its edge.”

3. Proposed solution – Your proposal should clearly identify how your solution will solve the client’s problem. It should also explain how it’s different from existing solutions.Don’t make the mistake of conflating services with solutions.

For example, instead of proposing “freelance writing services,” you could suggest providing “8 SEO-optimized blog posts with relevant calls-to-action to help you rank well, drive organic traffic, and grow your email list.” Which option sounds more valuable to you?

4. Pricing information/Fee Summary – This section should be straightforward and easy for clients to understand. Be as detailed as you can, but keep your pricing information “high level” and list a price for your entire service package instead of a separate price for each component. Including multiple packages in your proposal gives your client options besides “yes” and “no.” 

5. Timeline and milestones – Establishing an overall timeline for the project is a must. Include time for client review or approval in your schedule. Project milestones show clients which pieces of the project will happen and when they’ll receive project deliverables.

6. Next desired actions – Remember your proposal is a sales document so include a strong call-to-action at the end. Also include your contact information, payment information, an expiration date for your proposal (after which a new proposal must be solicited), and anything else your potential client needs to move forward.

7. Answer the (unspoken) question, “Why me?” – You should always assume people are considering other freelancers. Communicate what makes you the best person for the job and sets you apart from other freelancers. Showcasing achievements and results from previous clients builds credibility and demonstrates your ability to deliver tangible outcomes.

8. Your proposal must answer Danny Margulies' 3 “invisible questions” – Share information (and work samples or portfolio pieces) that makes your client confident the answer to these three questions is “yes!”:

1. Invisible Question 1: “Are you capable of doing my project?”
2. Invisible Question 2: “Will you make my life easier?”
3. Invisible Question 3: “Do you care about helping me succeed?”

9. Confirm details you’ve previously discussed with the client – Nothing in your proposal should be “new” information. In other words, nothing in the proposal should ever surprise a client.

10. Signature – The proposal should include signature lines, so you and the recipient can accept the proposal’s terms.

Even if you’ve checked off everything we’ve covered so far, don’t just send your potential client a PDF and call it a day.

Instead, be on the watch for...

How a Few Mistakes Cost Some Freelancers Thousands of Dollars in Freelance Business

Good proposals help manage client expectations and prevent scope creep, but sloppy or cut-and-paste proposals often do more harm than good.

Clients won’t hire you unless they’re confident you understand their needs and an effective, persuasive proposal is one of the best ways to convince clients you’re the best freelancer for the job. Crafting a winning freelance proposal is crucial to stand out in a competitive market and establish your credibility.

But bad proposals waste your and the prospective client’s time.

According to in-house data collected via Folyo’s Design RFP Newsletter, “the average client looks at 15+ design proposals before deciding who to go with. If it’s a large website design project (contracts worth over $15,000+) that goes up to 30-40 proposals. This is why every serious design company needs to invest in a great proposal template that will actually help your company stand out.”

Folyo also found that “90% of all design proposals never see the light of day. They are instantly discarded by the client because of 3-5 common errors.”

With more people freelancing than ever before, each project has more people competing for it than will ultimately get the job. Because clients get inundated with dull, generic proposals all the time, anything that loses their interest or confuses them gets deleted or ignored.

What Are Freelancers Doing Wrong That Puts Clients Off?

Freelance writer Roshan Perera did an observational study where he posted two different jobs on Freelancer.com and UpWork – a web design job for developing a real estate website and a content writing job for a business blog – that received a total of 228 bid proposals from different freelancers. When he reviewed the proposals he received, he found:

• 85% of freelancers have bad writing skills – Approximately 190 bid proposals were poorly written and contained bad grammar.
• 7 out of 10 freelancers didn’t bother to read the full description. Roshan included a request (at the end of his job posting) for applicants to include a specific word in their response. Lots of people do this to screen out the freelancers who don’t pay attention to detail.
• Many freelancers didn’t take the time to learn about the client and personalize their email. Roshan used an alias for posting the jobs,  “Mike Ford,” which was clearly visible in both the username and the client profile. None of the freelancers used that first name to address him in their proposals.
• He also found many freelancers simply copy-pasted proposals without addressing the particulars of his project.
• Surprisingly, a number of freelancers applied for the wrong job completely. For example, a designer responded to the content writing job.

Here are seven more mistakes freelancers make that cause them to lose out on lucrative projects:

• Mistake #1 – You're focusing on yourself instead of the client. Yes, your skills and experience are relevant. No, they shouldn't be the main focus of the proposal. Clients want to hear about what you can do for them, not your life story.
• Mistake #2 – You’re not proofreading your proposal before sending it over. Mistakes and typos make you look unprofessional and unprepared.
• Mistake #3 – You’re making it difficult to accept your proposal. Optimally, allow them to sign a proposal electronically which saves them time.
• Mistake #4 – Your proposals are too long. A recent Bidsketch survey discovered that proposals that are less than 5 pages in length are 31% more likely to win business than those that are longer.
• Mistake #5 – You're too slow responding. That same Bidsketch survey found that winning freelance proposals get to their clients, on average, 26% faster than losing proposals. In fact, the average winning proposal made it to the client in 2.7 days, compared to the average losing proposal, which took 3.4 days to arrive.
• Mistake #6 – You’re not giving your prospective client options. As I mentioned earlier, giving a prospect a few choices increases your odds of landing a project. Provide people with options for engaging with you, communicating with you, paying you, etc.
• Mistake #7 – You're making it all about price. Proposals shouldn’t read like a supermarket circular where you pay $X for Y. Instead, showcase the value the client will receive from your solution and educate them on why you’re worth it. If possible, show how working with you will directly impact revenue, lead-gen, brand awareness, the bottom line, etc.

There Are No Shortcuts (but There Is This…) 

In most cases, whether you’re responding to an ad, job posting, or RFP, the sections in your proposal won’t change, just the specific details. That means that as long as you include the right elements in your proposal and avoid the mistakes we’ve already covered, you’ll increase your chances of winning projects.

Just use one of the many available freelance proposal generators and customize the document as needed for each particular project and client.

And since you’re here – on the Moxie blog – I’m going to recommend you check out Moxie’s easy-to-use, easy-to-send proposal builder!

How To Create a Freelance Proposal (in Record Time)

If you want to create visually appealing, on-brand proposals that make it easy for clients to hire you, try using Moxie.

It took me about 5 minutes to customize Moxie’s sample proposal with my own cover page and company details.

The proposal includes sections for:

• Cover
• Your Needs
• My proposed Solution
• Deliverables and Timeline
• Signatures

Adding a few additional elements was as simple as clicking the “+” button and selecting the type of content block I wanted to add. It will appear at the bottom of the page and then you can drag to reorder it.

Making Your Proposal Better With Moxie

You can create beautiful proposals your clients won’t be able to resist with a simple proposal builder in just a few minutes. Consider looking at a freelance proposal example to understand the structure and components of a successful proposal. Once the proposal has been sent and reviewed, easily turn it into an air‑tight contract and get to work.

There’s an art and a science to creating proposals that impress clients and win freelance business. Now that you know what to do (and what not to do) it’s time to go get your first (or next) freelance client!

Learn more about building proposals with Moxie.