5 Tips To Mastering Freelance Proposal​s

A great proposal can make or break your deal.

But here’s the thing.

It takes time to move a prospect along the sales pipeline from finding them, crafting your outreach message, following up and then hopping on a discovery call. 

The last thing you want is to lose them because of a proposal that wasn’t convincing enough after putting in all that effort to get them till this point.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to create proposals that seal the deal.

We’ll cover everything from understanding your client’s needs to structuring your proposal for maximum impact.

And by the end of it, you’ll have actionable tips to craft proposals that speak directly to your client’s needs.

The #1 Thing You Need To Do Before You Even Start Writing Your Proposal 

Before you start writing your proposal, you need to gather all the necessary information to tailor your pitch to your client's needs. This means asking the right questions and truly understanding their goals, challenges, and expectations.

Start by asking what the client hopes to achieve with this project. 

Next, ask them about the challenges they're currently facing in solving this problem. 

This insight allows you to position your services as the perfect solution. And it tells you which objections you need to handle with your proposal.

Next up, discuss the project scope and budget upfront. 

This lets you understand exactly what to pitch to your client – instead of leaving it all up to guesswork.

Understanding this will help you propose a realistic solution that fits within their constraints.

You don’t want to pitch them something way over budget and have your proposal get discarded immediately.

And you don’t want to pitch too low and end up leaving money on the table.

Finally, figure out how they’ll measure the success of the project. 

This will help you set clear expectations and propose deliverables that align with their criteria for success.

Plus, you can also lay out exactly what KPI’s you’re going to achieve for them during your time working together.

Your Action Step: Create a list of key questions to ask during your initial client meetings. Use these questions to guide your conversations and gather the information you need to craft a winning proposal.

Once you’re set up and have all the information you need, let’s talk about structure.

"Start by asking what the client hopes to get out of the project, discuss the budget and scope, and figure out how they'll measure success. That's how you take your prospect on a journey with your proposal"

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What Is a Freelance Proposal?

A freelance proposal is not a CV. And it’s definitely not a generic PDF you send to everyone.

A freelance proposal is a written continuation of your sales conversation. It shows your prospect three things:

• You understand their problem
• You have a clear plan to solve it
• You’re the safest, most obvious choice to hire

Most freelancers treat proposals like paperwork. That’s why they lose deals.

A strong proposal does the opposite. It reinforces everything you already covered on the call, answers lingering objections, and makes saying “yes” feel logical.

If you’re ever wondering “is freelancing worth it?”, your close rate on proposals is usually the answer.

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How To Create a Freelance Proposal

Let’s talk about how to think about proposal creation. Most freelancers jump straight into writing before earning clarity. Your proposal should feel inevitable, not persuasive. And that starts before you type a single word.

Get to Know Your Client

Before you write anything, you need context. This means asking the right questions and actually listening on your discovery call or strategy call. You should clearly understand:

• What they’re trying to achieve
• What’s currently blocking them
• Why this matters now
• How they’ll measure success

If you’re running a solid discovery call or using a structured closing call script, your proposal should feel like a recap.

Craft a Clear, Structured Proposal

Confusion kills deals. Clarity closes them.

Your proposal should guide your prospect step by step. From their current situation to the outcome they want, and how you’ll get them there.

A clean structure builds confidence. It shows you’ve done this before. And it prevents prospects from getting stuck in “let me think about it” mode.

Highlight Relevant Experience

It’s the place to show you’ve solved this problem before.

Case studies, past results, and examples should feel directly connected to the client’s situation. Bonus points if it’s the same niche, business model, or growth stage.

Relevance beats volume. Every time.

Set Clear Expectations

Unclear expectations are the fastest way to kill client retention before the relationship even starts. Your proposal should clearly define:

• Scope
• Deliverables
• Timelines
• Communication cadence

This protects both of you. And it positions you as a professional who runs a tight operation.

Use a Strong Call-to-Action

Never end a proposal with “Let me know your thoughts.” Tell them exactly what happens next.

Booking an onboarding call, signing an agreement, or submitting payment. Make the next step obvious and easy.

Momentum matters at this stage. Don’t lose it with a weak close.

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How To Structure A Winning Proposal (Freelance Proposal Template)

‍You want your proposal to slowly take your prospect on a journey. ‍

Starting with where they are now – where they want to go – and how you’re going to take them there.

With that in mind, here’s a proven structure you can use: 

‍Section 1: Goals

Remind them WHY they hopped on call with you in the first place.

Here, you want to paint a picture for them about where they are – and where they want to go.

Talk about the problems they’re facing including specific metrics if you have any. And then talk about the goals.

For example, if they’re hiring you to run their paid social advertising because their current cost of acquisition is $40 and they want to bring it down to $20…

State this issue & the metrics clearly.

Next up, we have…

‍Section 2: How We’re Going To Get There

This is where you tell them HOW you’re going to help them achieve this. Building on the earlier example, you might explain that to reduce their CAC from $40 to $20, you will implement a multi-faceted paid advertising strategy focused on optimizing ad targeting and improving ad creatives.

You could outline specific tactics, such as:

• Conducting a thorough audience analysis to ensure Meta Ad Sets reach the most relevant potential customers.
• A/B testing different ad copies and creatives to determine which hooks perform best in driving conversions.
• Setting up a Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) dashboard to continuously monitor the effectiveness of campaigns and make data-driven adjustments.
  

By clearly articulating your plan, you not only instill confidence in your expertise but also demonstrate a commitment to achieving their desired outcomes. This section is vital as it shows them the roadmap you will follow to bridge the gap between their current state and their goals.

Now, this is a section you can also use to handle objections – and set yourself apart from anyone else they’re talking to.

You want to show them why you’re the ONLY person that can get them these results.

Section 3: The Roadmap/Timeline

People love speed. If they’re talking to two people with similar skills who are promising the same results, speed is the next differentiator.

Show them you can get them the results the fastest by building out a detailed timeline of what they can expect.

But remember, do not overpromise. 

When you put something in writing in your proposal, you’re going to be expected to deliver the results by the specified time.

If anything, underpromise, and overdeliver.

Section 4: Past Results

Of course, adjust the headline to be more interesting than “Past Results”. In the example above, you could say “How We’ve Profitably Managed $6 Million Plus In Ad Spend Over The Last 2 Years”.

In this section, you’re going to show them that you’ve already achieved these results for other clients before.

Bonus points if it’s for someone in the same niche or for a direct competitor.

Show off your best case studies here and make sure the results are tangible.

Section 5: Your Investment

This is where you hit them with your price. But don’t just say it’s going to cost $4,000 and leave it at that.

Position it as an investment. 

List out every single deliverable that’s included. 

If you can throw a couple of inclusive bonuses in there, do that too to beef up the value.

And if there’s a direct monetary result you’re promising them, make sure you mention that. For example, “You’ll make your investment back 3x within the first month.”

Section 6: Call To Action

Finish with a strong call to action that motivates your prospect to take the next step. 

This could be an invitation to schedule an onboarding call, or a link to pay for their investment. 

By providing a clear and compelling call to action, you make it easy for them to move forward once they’ve reviewed the proposal. 

This final step is crucial in converting a prospect into a client and ensuring they feel confident in their decision to work with you.

‍Your Action Step: Based on everything we’ve discussed, create a templated version of your proposal. If there are any sections that you think might be necessary for your specific role, add them in too.

And that’s it!

Now, all you need to do is customize your templated proposal based on your initial conversation with the client.

Follow this structure & make sure you handle any objections they’ve raised on the call within your proposal…

And you’ll be on your way to closing more deals in no time.

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