Demystifying Freelance Project Proposals

Whether you’re an editor, a writer, or you’re looking for any other type of freelance work, having an effective project proposal is an absolute must. A professionally written, comprehensive, and well-designed proposal may be all that you need to impress prospective leads, land new clients, increase your success, and boost your income. 

While there’s no doubt that project proposals are a vital for freelancers, drafting them yourself can be a cumbersome task. Figuring out what to include, wording the information just right, and making sure that the layout is neat and organized so that you can catch the eye of prospective clients can be quite daunting and can take up a whole lot of time; but fortunately, there’s a solution: freelance proposal templates! These templates can save you a great deal of time pitching, a whole lot of aggravation, and can increase your chances of hiring more clients – and earning more income, too. 

But wait, what is a freelance project proposal? What does a freelance project proposal include? Read on to find the answers to these questions and more so that you can potentially increase your chances of landing more gigs and advancing your career. 

What is a Freelance Project Proposal, Anyway? 

In the world of freelancing, project proposals can be equated to a job interview. They are documents that freelancers submit to prospective clients. The documents communicate the skills that a freelancer possesses and the services that a freelancer offers. Project proposals are custom-tailored to the unique needs of the project, the client, and the freelancer. In a nutshell, these documents give freelancers the opportunity to share their abilities with prospective clients and why they would be the right pick for the job. As such, if you’re a freelancer, it’s imperative that each and every project proposal you submit is picture-perfect. 

Project proposals should feature key pieces of information that you want to communicate with prospective clients, such as your skills, the service you offer, and why the prospective client should hire you for the job. It should be formal, professional, and it should include a cover that includes: 

• The name of the project proposal (the name of the gig you’re applying for) 
• Who it was prepared by (the name of your business, for example)
• Your contact information, including your email address and phone number
• Who it was prepared for (the prospective client’s name)
• The date you are submitting the proposal

What Do Freelance Project Proposals Include? 

Freelancers can use project proposals to send directly to clients that they want to pitch or they can use them when they’re applying for gigs that are listed on job sites, like Indeed.com or FlexJobs.com. Reedsy offers a great freelance proposal template here. No matter how you’re planning on looking for work or what type of freelance work you’re looking for, there are some key features that a freelance project proposal should entail, including: 

• Your Goals. This part of the project proposal is where you will outline what the prospective client is looking for and what you will be able to do in order to achieve their goals. This is your opportunity to illustrate that you have a firm understanding of their needs and show that you are the right freelancer for the gig. 
• Deliverables. This part should be short and to-the-point. You can offer more detail about the services you offer, such as the specific amount of deliverables; 5 blog posts per month, for example. You should also be clear about the scope of the project and additional services that you’ll include. 
• Timeline. Explain when you intend on delivering the project to the client for review.
• Payment. Detail the overall cost of the work or price points for parts of the project. Include disclaimers regarding additional tasks outside of the scope of the work that would cost the client an additional fee. 
• Statement for moving forward. Explain how prospective clients can get in touch with you to learn more information about you and to further discuss the project.