To increase your chances of getting freelance writing jobs, ensure your proposal stands out and appeals to the clients.
Clients want people who can do the job perfectly. And that`s not possible through sending generic template proposals.
To stand out and win the clients` attention your proposals should
- Be Personalized
- Use simple language
- Be benefit-driven
- Use correct grammar
- Be brief
But how do you achieve this? That`s what this article covers: proposals tricks to compel clients to hire you.
1. Know Your Niche
Be it on freelance writing websites or social media, job posts always have many applicants. To be unique, your skills should align with the job requirements.
That`s why before applying for jobs, you should find a niche.
A niche is a job specialty that people can identify you with. This can be your profession or talent.
If you are yet to find your profession or talent, you can learn simple skills online.
For example, you can learn English grammar and listening skills and be able to do proofreading jobs.
There are various platforms where you can choose your preferred course.
What`s better, some of them offer free courses, meaning that lack of money can`t hold you back.
Some of the best learning platforms are
Taking courses will build your confidence and make it easy to choose jobs because you know your strengths.
Here is how you can find a niche for your freelance writing business.
2. Read the Job Requirements Carefully
Don`t apply for any jobs, even when they align with your niche.
Read and understand the requirements to know whether you fit in or not. You could have the needed skills, but the job demands that
- It`s done by a person from a different location
- You have particular years of experience
- It`s done at odd hours, such as at night
- It`s finished within a very short time
Sometimes the clients may even ask you to write a certain word in the proposal so they can confirm that you read it before applying. To be hired, you should fulfill that, too.
If you quickly understand that you don`t qualify for the job, you can save time applying for other ones.
3. Check the Job Budget
When you apply for jobs, especially on social media, clients might allow you to state your rates. This enables you to state your preferred price.
For starters, you can charge $30–$50 per 1000-word article and increase as you gain experience.
Other clients pay per hour. In that case, you can start with $10–$30 per hour, and raise your charges as you gain more skills.
However, sometimes the clients may set a fixed budget, especially on freelance writing websites.
However, sometimes the clients may set a fixed budget, especially on freelance writing websites.
Therefore, first, check and be content with the price before applying.
Nevertheless, if you qualify, you can still apply and ask the client to increase the price if it`s too low. If your skills and experience convince them, they can raise the price and hire you.
4. Examine the Client
As it is with any other jobs, there are scammers in freelance writing as well. Therefore, gauge the clients` trustworthiness before applying for a job.
If you are searching for jobs through freelance writing websites, check whether the client has good ratings, preferably 4–5 stars.
Moreover, they should have positive reviews from fellow freelance writers.
Also, check if they spent any money yet on any services on the platform.
That will enable you to apply only to serious clients` jobs and be assured of being paid if hired.
However, on social media, it`s not possible to check for clients` ratings, reviews, and money they spend on freelancing writing services.
To avoid being scammed, if you qualify for a job, ask the clients for an escrow upfront deposit. If they can`t, you can ask to work with them and have them pay per article.
A genuine client will understand and pay you according to your terms.
However, sometimes clients will want to pay you after the whole project is done or monthly. Although some may be genuine and pay you, it`s easy to lose all your payments in this type of agreement.
So, as you decide to take such jobs, be prepared for any outcome.
5. Create Personalized Proposals
Your proposals won`t be successful if they don`t address the particular person and job you apply for.
Address clients by their names. That`s how they`ll know the application was meant for them.
Moreover, don`t write a proposal and use it to apply for any job. Ensure it aligns with the job requirements.
An example is when applying for a freelance writing job. Your proposal should tell the client how you can make the articles SEO-optimized to raise the client`s website rank and increase traffic.
Here is how it can be:
I will write for you content that answers the readers` queries, which involves using the appropriate keywords.
Plus, I will break it into intriguing subheadings and short, readable paragraphs to make it scannable.
Additionally, I will back it up with external and internal links to make it navigable and indexable.
The client will trust this proposal more because it explains the process of making the content SEO-optimized.
Here is an example of an unappealing proposal:
I am action-oriented and skilled. I have worked with many different people and helped them achieve their goals.
If you hire me, I will help you skyrocket your business growth.
This is a generic proposal that doesn`t show anything you can do to help clients reach their goals—avoid it.
6. Use Simple Language and Be Precise
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| Image by Brett Jordan: Unsplash |
The more brief and straight to the point you are, the faster the client will understand if you are fit for the job.
Long proposals are tiresome and will bore your clients and make them skip you.
Therefore, you need to create short proposals, which you can achieve by creating short paragraphs.
Create one-to-three-sentence paragraphs and use short sentences.
To make your paragraphs easy to understand, each one of them should carry one idea and be logically connected to the others.
For instance, if you say you are SEO skilled in the first paragraph, in the second one you can explain how you optimize content for SEO.
However, if the first paragraph is about SEO and the second one is about graphics and design, you will be out of the topic. That will make you not be hired.
Besides, short paragraphs and sentences make proposals much more readable.
Moreover, even if you are experienced, if your grammar is incorrect, clients will still doubt your competence and ignore you.
So, be sure to use correct grammar and avoid high-end vocabulary.
What matters is explaining the steps you`ll take to do the job and not using difficult vocabulary.
Grammar checker tools like Grammarly and the Hemingway App can help you identify and correct grammar errors.
However, these tools are not 100% accurate always. To properly use them, ensure you understand grammar.
To improve your grammar, take paid or free English grammar courses on platforms like Coursera or edX.
7. Don`t Be Pushy
Explaining how you will handle the job and bring the best results is enough to get clients` attention.
Don`t use too good-to-be-true language and make clients feel pushed to hire you. That will make you marked as a spammer.
An example is writing: I can create breathtaking content that will skyrocket your business growth and change your life.
This sentiment is filled with misleading adjectives, like breath-taking, skyrocket, and change your life. However, it doesn`t tell the clients how you will help them solve their problems.
Clients will always ignore such proposals. Instead, be specific on how you will perfect their project and bring value to their audience.
Besides, don`t plead with clients. You`ll sound unprofessional and empower them to underpay you.
Therefore, don`t use statements like, “Hire me please,” or mention your personal problems like, “If you give me the project, it will help me pay my hospital bills”
Make the proposal about the client—not you—and you will increase the chances of being hired.
To reiterate: explain the process you will take to provide high-quality work that will appeal to the client`s audience.
8. Provide Samples in Your Proposals
Your proposal can show value and catch clients' attention, but without samples, they`ll have nothing to confirm your assertions.
Therefore, ensure to link relevant samples in the proposal.
If the job requires a dog disease article writer, be sure to provide a dog disease sample.
You can create articles related to your niche on Google Docs and use them as samples if you have no website.
However, building a website will make you look more professional and make it easy for clients to confirm your skills and hire you.
The good thing is you can create a website for free and upgrade later when you get money.
Upgrading enables you to access more features like installing SEO plugins. This helps increase website visibility and avail your skills to many clients.
Some of the best web development software include
What`s better, even when you use a free plan to build your website, you can still use a custom domain name. This makes you look professional and trustworthy.
A free domain has the web-building company name as part of your domain, which might be difficult for clients to remember as well.
For example, instead of themailscheme.com, if it were a free domain, it would be themailscheme.blogspot.com.
You can get a custom domain name for as low as $15 per year on sites like Namecheap.
To entice the client more, include certificates for courses related to the project.
For instance, if it`s a proofreading project, you can include your Journalism or English proficiency certificate.
That will assure the clients that they are working with somebody qualified for the job and be convinced to hire you.
Create Value-Driven Proposals and Increase Your Freelance Writing Earnings
To benefit from your freelance skills, you should know how to market yourself. And that`s through writing compelling proposals.
That involves creating proposals relevant to the projects and ensuring that you show how you will solve the clients` problems.
However, be precise and use simple and correct grammar, and you`ll win clients.
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