When I first started freelance writing in 2016, I remember how intimidating it was to send proposals to potential clients. How would I be able to compete with freelancers that had years of experience?

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Since then, I’ve learned to take the focus off of competing with other freelancers. No matter how much experience I get, there’s always going to be another writer who’s more impressive on paper than I am.

And truthfully, most clients don’t hire you based on the number of bylines you’ve received. Experience and writing skill certainly plays a role, but at the end of the day, clients hire you because they like you.

So when you’re sending proposals, you need to be yourself while still painting yourself in the best possible light. And that is exactly what this blog post will teach you how to do.

How to Create a Memorable Freelance Writing Proposal

Here are the five elements of a great freelance writing proposal:

1. Use the individual’s first name

I am a pretty highly rated freelancer on Upwork, so I get sent a lot of job invitations. This basically means that a client reaches out to me and invites me to apply for their job, so I don’t have to go look for it.

One of the things that always surprises me is that 99% of the time, clients never use my first name in the job invitation. It’s clearly some copy-pasted message that was sent to a bunch of freelancers.

But occasionally, someone will send a job invitation that was clearly written with me in mind. It’ll say something like:

“Hi Jamie,
We’re looking for a personal finance writer and I think you’d be a good fit. Check it out and let me know if you’re interested.”

Whenever I receive those types of messages, I spend more time considering their request. And even if I’m not interested in taking the job, I always respond to that person and thank them for inviting me to apply.

The point is that whenever possible, you should always use a potential client’s first name in your job proposals. It feels more personal and it shows that you put in the effort to learn something about their business and what they’re looking for.

The only real exception to this is if you’re applying to a job that you found on a job board where the client doesn’t include their name. But if they include their name, then you better use it!

2. Act confident

I have never really struggled to find freelance writing jobs, even in the early days of building my business. And I think this is partly due to the fact that I always acted really confident when I approached potential clients.

In every single proposal I sent, I told the client that I was a good writer and that I was a good fit for their job. Apparently, some of them believed me because they hired me.

Notice I said that I acted confident, not that I actually felt confident.

Guys, I felt zero confidence in the beginning. I had no experience and didn’t even have any writing samples to send to clients! What did I have to feel confident about?

But I knew that acting timid and apologizing for my lack of experience wouldn’t get me anywhere.

3. Use a professional headshot

Okay, I know this point isn’t technically about your freelance writing proposal. But I wanted to include it anyway because it has a big impact on how potential clients perceive you.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new freelance writers make is that they don’t use a professional headshot. Instead, they use a selfie they took on their phone or some dark, grainy image that’s hard to see.

Or worse, they take a group photo and crop everyone else out of the picture. Take a moment and think about how this looks to a potential client.

Whether it’s right or wrong, clients will form an immediate opinion about you based on the photo you use. This is not about looking good -- it’s about presenting yourself as a professional.

Professional writers who get paid a lot of money use a professional headshot. So if you want to eventually make the kind of money they do, then you need to do this as well.

Please do not email me and tell me you can’t afford this step. You can go to JCPenney right now and get one high-resolution headshot for $50. If you can spring for $99, you can purchase an entire album.

Professional headshots are an investment in your business and one that you can easily earn back with just one writing job.

4. Keep it friendly and brief

If you signed up for the Freelance Writer’s Starter Guide then you received two free proposal templates. And you might have noticed that both templates are relatively short.

That’s because most of the proposals I send are about six sentences, max. I introduce myself and provide a little bit of info about my experience and how I can help.

Then I close by inviting the client to check out my samples and contact me if they want to learn more. That’s it -- helpful, friendly, and very brief.

If you’re writing long and lengthy proposals, then the focus is probably on you and not the client. Potential clients don’t need to know how much you love writing or where you went to college.

Freelance writing proposals aren’t a way for you to convince the client that you’re the perfect person for the job. It’s an opportunity for you to introduce yourself and let the client decide whether or not they like you enough to give you a shot.

But if they lose interest and stop reading halfway through your proposal, I promise you’re not going to get that shot.

5. Include a few writing samples

I recommend including three writing samples with every proposal. I used to just send one link to my writing portfolio, but over time, I noticed that this is a less effective strategy.

I have hundreds of samples on my writing portfolio, which is probably pretty overwhelming for most clients to look at. But if I send just three samples, they can quickly look through them and figure out if I’m the right person for the job.

Ideally, your samples will be relevant to the job you’re applying for. For instance, if my client was looking for someone to write about student loans, all of my samples would be about student loans.

But if you haven’t settled on your niche just yet then I wouldn’t worry about that. Just send them three examples of your best work.

Check out this blog post if you don’t have any samples to show potential clients.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you found this blog post helpful, but please don’t worry about sending the perfect proposal. As a freelance writer, consistency should always be your goal, not perfection.

If you’re not sure where to even begin, my freelance writing course, Zero to $1K as a Freelance Writer will really help you. It’s a step-by-step guide to finding clients and earning your first $1,000 as a freelance writer. And as a bonus, it comes with two free proposal templates.