Important tips for writing a freelance bid proposal on WorknHire, UpWork etc.

The first thing you need to learn while starting as a content writer is to create an amazing freelance bid proposal. Otherwise, you will struggle to find good clients and miss out on a lot of work.

Sites like UpWorkWorknHire, and Freelancer are quite competitive and in order for you to grab that job, you need a killer bid. While placing a bid on WorknHire, UpWork, Freelancer etc. may seem like a daunting task but believe us – it is not once you get the basics right!

Today, we are going to provide some important tips that will help you in placing a bid on WorknHire, Upwork or other Freelance websites.

With these tips, you will be able to easily write impactful freelance bid proposal for any content writing job!

But before we get to writing the proposal, let us get accustomed to the basics first.

What is a freelance bid proposal?

Before you know how to place a bid, let us first understand what exactly a bid is.

A bid or a proposal is basically an offer to determine a price tag for providing a service or creating a product. In a freelance marketplace, bids refer to the process of bidding for the job posted on the portal.

A potential employer puts up a job post listing his requirements. Details like the niche covered, amount of work, and price offered are usually included in the post.

These posts also have information about the duration of project and long term opportunities (if any).

Writers are then invited to bid for these jobs. As a content creator, you are required to submit a bid telling the client why you out of the lot are best suited for the job. The one with the best bid bags the job.

Almost all freelance job sites work on this model. There are some sites like Fiverr, Rozgaar India, etc where you have to create a gig and then sell it to your clients.

But, for today, our focus will be on how to write a freelance bid proposal for a writing job posted on these portals.

How do I bid? Is there a framework?

While there is no fixed framework for bidding, there are a few best practices to keep in mind.

In order for your bid to stand out, you need to highlight the unique point that you as a writer can provide.

As an illustration, we will walk you through the process of creating a freelance bid proposal for a job at WorknHire.

However, the principals involved in a bidding process are same everywhere and you can use these on sites like Freelancer, UpWork, Fiverr or any other site of your choosing.

Writing your first freelance bid proposal – Important steps

The bidding process at WorknHire is quite simple. But, before placing your first bid, you need to do the following:

I. Sign up as a freelancer on WorknHire.com. You can sign up using Google/Facebook/LinkedIn or use an email id for the same.

II. Complete your profile by adding basic information about yourself.

Pro Tip – Do not start bidding for projects without updating your profile. Having a blank profile is a big NO. It is because such profiles are not taken seriously. Therefore, it will not get you the required attention.

Spending some time in creating a bio and updating your info shows the client that you’re serious about being a freelancer.

Lastly, treat freelancing as a business and like every business, you need to be on top of your marketing.

Your profile is the first canvas for you to market your skills and hence, you should use this opportunity to its maximum potential.

III. Start browsing through the available writing jobs and shortlist the ones on which you want to bid.

Writing jobs are available under the “Writing, Content & Translation” section in the job categories.

How to write the best freelance bid proposal

Now that you are all set, let us get to the main thing i.e. writing the freelance bid proposal.

Writing the proposal

For writing an impactful proposal, follow the below points:

Research the price –

The first thing that you need to do is research the price for the job. You can check out how much other people are bidding to get an idea (might not be possible in sites like UpWork, Truelancer, etc unless you are a PRO member). Looking at similar job postings is another way to determine the price range to follow for the job in question. Finally, there are times when the client himself puts in a final price per word (PPW). In such cases it is needless to quote anything higher. Do not quote higher than what others are bidding for your first job since the key here is to get the job and gain experience. While it may seem counter-intuitive, it most certainly is not. Also, depending upon the topic and the amount of research required, you can then decide upon a final bid amount. (Confused about what to charge? Read our post on the 2020 freelance writing rates in India for all experience levels)

Never send the same proposal to everyone –

It is very important to word your bids according to the project you’re bidding on. Do not use a standard bidding template and just copy and paste it everywhere with minor changes. Such an attitude does not fare well with the clients and might get your bid outright rejected. When you understand the project requirements and bid accordingly, the client will take more interest and your chances to land the job will be higher.

Talk about your strengths –

Tell the client about any writing related achievement that you have. Be it from school / college or from a blog you may have started, showing them that you’ve achieved something in this field is always an advantage. Due to this, we recommend that every content writer must think of starting their own blog. A blog is a great place to showcase your writing talent. Furthermore, a blog can be a great source of passive income if you have decent blog traffic. You can even consider a video pitch that you can share with the client. However, if this does not apply to you at the moment, don’t panic. It is good to have but not mandatory for becoming a successful content writer.

Keep it short and to the point –

This one is self-explanatory. Be crisp about how your skills can help the client in achieving the required outcome. Tell him all relevant details like contact, price, skills, etc. and leave the detailed introduction for later stages. Since clients get numerous bids on their project, they are not likely to read a long proposal. Treat this bid as a resume and follow all the best practices for success.

Bundle your services –

Another important way to leave an impression is to bundle your service. While drafting the freelance bid proposal, think of additional services you can give the client. Items such as keyword research, blog image creation, social media posting, etc. can be great value added services. These can not only help you get the job, but also increase your earnings.

End with a CTA –

Always end your bids with a Call to Action (CTA). By inviting and encouraging the client to do something (like checking out your blog, connecting on social media, checking your past work), you are more likely to get a response. Hence, make sure that you end with a good CTA that creates a positive impact as this will help you land more clients. You should try to make it as lucrative as possible for the client in order to make sure that he / she goes through with the action.

placing a freelance bid proposal on worknhire, upwork, freelancer
Writing a good freelance bid proposal

And that is it! By following the tips mentioned above, you should be able to draft a killer proposal.

Do not worry if the first few times don’t click. Writing is an art and the more you practice, the better you become.

Bid on as many projects as possible so that you get your first break ASAP. This will ensure that you start building your portfolio which will serve as the gateway to more and more writing gigs.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to create an impactful bid, it is time to get to work.

Check out our post on 5 freelance job sites that are great alternatives to UpWork, WorknHire etc.

Build your profile on as many portals as possible. There is no one size fit all in this business and you need to keep experimenting.

Before you go, let’s take a quick look at the points covered:

  • Research the price per word that you wish to charge before bidding.
  • Do not have a fixed bidding template and send it to everyone. Customize your bid according to the project requirement.
  • Highlight you strength and relevant experience to stand out from the rest and give the client a reason to hire you.
  • Keep the bid short and design it as per the ask of the project.
  • Bundle multiple services to provide a holistic content solution to the client.
  • Always treat freelance bid proposals as a sales pitch and end with a CTA.

Let us know in the comments below on how these tips helped you. Also, if you have any suggestions to create even better freelance bid proposals, don’t forget to drop a line, and we will be more than happy to hear you.

To top it up, when you do get your first writing job, give it your best by using these amazing content writing tools.

Also, we highly recommend you follow these 3 tips to write kick ass content that will get you repeat jobs from your clients.

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