Taskora

Writing proposals that get shortlisted

How to write freelance proposals clients actually read: the structure, length, pricing and follow-up that move you from “submitted” to “interview”.

By Sofia Marques

A typical job on Taskora receives 15–30 proposals. The client reads the first two lines of each, opens perhaps eight, and shortlists three. Your proposal does not need to be long or clever. It needs to prove, in the first two lines, that you read the brief and understand the problem — and then make the decision to talk to you easy.

Choose your jobs carefully

The best proposal strategy starts before writing: send fewer, better proposals. Freelancers who send 10–15 carefully chosen proposals a month consistently outperform those who send 60 generic ones. Before applying, check:

• Is this work I have done before and can show evidence of?
• Is the budget realistic for the scope, or can I propose a smaller scope that fits?
• Does the client look serious — payment verified, a history of hires, a clear brief?
• Is the competition manageable? Jobs with fewer than 10 proposals give you better odds.

The structure that works

1. Open with their problem, not your introduction

Skip “Hello, my name is…” and “I am a highly skilled…”. The client sees your name and title next to the proposal already. Start with one sentence that shows you understood the brief: “You need your booking flow live before the 1 July campaign, and it has to create HubSpot contacts reliably — I built almost exactly this for a dental clinic in March.”

2. Prove it with one relevant example

Link one portfolio case study, not five. Explain in one or two sentences why it is relevant and what the result was. Relevance beats prestige: a smaller project in the client’s industry often beats a famous brand in an unrelated one.

3. Explain your approach in three to five steps

Show how you would do the work. This is where you demonstrate expertise — and where you can raise a risk or a question the client had not thought of. “Before building the booking flow, I would confirm how you handle cancellations, because that changes how slots are released.” One smart question often wins the shortlist on its own.

4. Answer the screening question

If the client asked a question, answer it directly and early. Many clients skip every proposal that ignores it — and more than half of proposals do.

5. Price and milestones

State your price clearly and break it into milestones with deliverables. If the budget is too low for the full scope, say so politely and offer two options: the full scope at your price, or a reduced scope at theirs. That shows respect for their budget and confidence in your value.

6. A simple next step

End with an easy action: “Happy to do a 20-minute call this week to confirm the details — I am available Tuesday or Thursday afternoon CET.” Avoid ending with a vague “Looking forward to hearing from you.”

Length: 150–250 words is the sweet spot for most jobs. Long enough to show thought, short enough to read on a phone between meetings.

A template to adapt

“[One sentence restating their goal and key constraint.] I recently [relevant project] for [similar client], which [result] — [link]. Here is how I would approach yours: 1) … 2) … 3) … One question before I finalise the estimate: [smart question]. My proposal is [price] in [N] milestones: [milestone 1 — amount], [milestone 2 — amount], [milestone 3 — amount]. I can start on [date]. Would a short call on [two options] work for you?”

Treat the template as scaffolding, not copy. Clients read dozens of proposals and can spot a template instantly when the brackets are filled with generic phrases.

Pricing signals

Proposals at the very bottom of the range attract suspicion as often as interest. Clients shortlist proposals that are close to their stated budget and well justified. If you are above the budget, explain what the extra buys — fewer revisions, faster delivery, a performance guarantee. If you are well below, check you have not misunderstood the scope.

Timing and follow-up

• Apply early: proposals sent in the first 24 hours after a job is posted are viewed noticeably more often.
• Respond to messages quickly — within two hours during working time if you can. Speed signals reliability.
• Follow up once, three to four days after the client viewed your proposal, with something useful: a quick idea, a relevant example or an answer to an open question.
• Do not follow up more than once. If the client is not interested, move on.

Track and improve

On Taskora, each proposal shows its status: submitted, viewed, shortlisted, interview, accepted or declined. Your analytics show the funnel over time. A healthy funnel for an established freelancer looks roughly like this: 60–80% of proposals viewed, 20–35% shortlisted or interviewed, 10–20% hired. If your view rate is low, your first two lines need work. If you are viewed but rarely interviewed, look at relevance and pricing. If you interview but are not hired, practise the call.

The most common mistakes

• Opening with a self-introduction instead of the client’s problem.
• Pasting the same proposal into every job.
• Linking an entire portfolio instead of one relevant piece.
• Ignoring the screening question.
• Leaving the price vague or buried at the end.
• Promising everything: “I can do anything you need.”

A proposal is the first piece of work a client sees from you. Make it specific, useful and easy to say yes to, and the shortlist will follow.