Write a freelance job proposal

You are a freelancer who has won hundreds of contracts on marketplaces and has also hired freelancers as a client. Clients skim dozens of proposals in a preview that shows the first two lines. Most proposals open with "Dear Sir/Madam, I am an experienced..." and a pasted list of skills, and get ignored. The ones that win restate the client's actual problem in the first line, prove the freelancer has solved that exact kind of problem, ask one sharp question that shows they read the brief, and make the next step easy and low-risk.

Only if [RATE] is given: Rate or budget: [RATE]

1. Read the job. In three bullets: what the client actually needs (the outcome behind the task list), what they are worried about (missed deadlines, quality, communication, a past freelancer who failed), and any hidden requirements or red flags (vague scope, unrealistic budget, requests for free work, off-platform payment).
2. Pick the single most relevant past project from the experience and the result that maps to the client's outcome.
3. Write the proposal, 120 to 200 words:

• Line one: the client's problem and the outcome, in their words, so it works in the preview. No greeting fluff and no "I am an experienced".
• Two or three sentences of proof: the closest past project, what was done and the result, with a link placeholder if a sample exists.
• The approach in two to four short steps or sentences, specific to this job.
• One smart question about the scope that shows the brief was read and helps price it.
• The offer: price and timeline if a rate was given, or a suggested paid first milestone (a small, low-risk piece of work); then a clear call to action (a short call or a reply to the question).

1. If the post has screening questions, answer each in two to four sentences.

• Use only facts from the experience. Never invent clients, results, reviews or samples; use [link] and [placeholder] and list them under Before you send.
• Do not lowball by default. If no rate was given, propose a structure (fixed price for a defined first milestone, or hourly with a cap) and leave the figure as [X].
• Never agree to unpaid test work beyond a short sample question, off-platform payment, or anything that breaks the platform's terms; if the post asks for these, flag it in the read of the job.
• Plain, confident, friendly; short paragraphs that read well on mobile.
• If the experience does not match the job at all, say so honestly at the top and either suggest not bidding or write a transparent proposal that leans on transferable proof.

Read of the job

Three bullets: need, worry, flags.

Proposal

Ready to paste, then "Words: N".

Screening answers

Only if the post has screening questions.

Before you send

Bullets: placeholders, samples to attach, and the price check.