Digital Nomad, Remote Work

How to Write a Proposal on Upwork to Get Jobs Right Now

Sending applications on Upwork is not free, and for this reason, you should be careful when applying to a new project. So, you want to know how to write a proposal on Upwork to make money online or even become a digital nomad? I’ll tell you how here.

After 3 years on Upwork and over $20,000 earned as a side hustle, I think I’m in a good place to give you some serious tips. While there are many different ways to find clients and make money online, Upwork is definitely one of the best.

In fact, Upwork allows you to find dozens of different easy freelance jobs for beginners.

Knowing the best tips and tricks to get hired by sending fewer applications is essential to earn more money and avoiding wasting your time.

So let’s get started.

Table of Contents ⬇️

Why is your Cover Letter so important on Upwork?

Your cover letter on Upwork is the first thing the client will see from you, so it needs to represent exactly what you can do for them.

This is the first impression your client will have of you, and if you’re the right fit.

Also, I can see many people complaining they can’t find clients on Upwork. Fair enough, it isn’t the easiest task when you start. However, I can also see that they make important grammar mistakes.

I’d recommend downloading Grammarly (free) to show your potential clients that you can at least write without making mistakes.

As I mentioned in the “how to use Upwork” guide, clients actually receive the cover letter upside down. For this reason, you’ll want to write greetings both in the first box and the last one.

How to Write a Proposal on Upwork to Start

Pictures speak a thousand words, so let’s see how I personally write my cover letters so you have a cover letter sample for Upwork.

First of all, I look for the client’s name in his previous reviews and start with “Hi, Name”.

Then, I introduce myself using keywords such as “experienced”, “qualified”, “expert”, or even “senior”.

Secondly, don’t always start sentences by “I”. Clients want to see what YOU can do for THEM, and not the other way around, and this is a key element when sending Upwork proposals. Also, you want to mention anything that they said. For instance, you can see that this client wanted 3 things:

Comments with 4+ words
Don’t go overboard with emojis
Comments to be written on a Google Sheet

That’s exactly what you should use and certainly how to write a proposal on Upwork. Always write what the client wants in your cover letter and they’ll be more interested (more of this below).

Now, this is the Upwork proposal example I used:

Hi George,

I have just seen your job posting and I think I’d be a great fit for this role.

I’m an experienced and qualified content writer that will write great and general comments for your Instagram.
Of course, these will be long enough and longer than 4 words. I won’t exaggerate on the emojis, but I’ll include one or 2 here and there.

I can take care of it quickly for you to use them asap. As you can see from my profile, 100% of my clients were happy with my services.

If anything above sounds interesting, let me know so that we can start working on it.

Best regards,
Stefan

The client replied to me after 5 minutes only and hired me.

So, do you know how much this cover letter got me? Check the contract below.

That’s right, I earned $350 for writing Instagram comments and spending 2 minutes writing a proposal on Upwork.

All in all, the best Upwork proposal sample is simply showing off your skills while repeating the details listed on the job description – you can’t go wrong with that. For instance, if you apply to a data entry job, you’ll want to list the best software you can use so that they know you have experience.

What to include in your Cover Letter?

There are several things to include when writing your proposal on Upwork and that will certainly help to get you projects.

The first thing is to mention your past experience. Avoid writing a full resume with thousands of words. Instead, simply write something along the lines of “I’m a qualified and expert in [Your Field] and I’ve worked on similar projects for the past 10 years.

If you worked or have experience in big companies such as Google, Nike, Apple, or more, don’t hesitate to include it.

Furthermore, and when applicable/relevant, try to include good samples of past projects. For instance, if you are an SEO specialist, you can include a Before and After screenshot from Google Analytics of a website you helped to grow

How Long Should Your Proposal Be?

The length of your application is another key element to the job applications on Upwork. While some job applications are (and should) be longer than others, I would say the average of a proposal on Upwork should be 100 words long.

If I look at my last 3 applications on Upwork, my cover letters were 98 words, 90 words, and 93 words. I will go through 3 Upwork proposal samples here below that earned me hundreds of dollars. Don’t mind the repetitions, we’ll cover them later on in this article.

how to write a proposal on upwork — 93 Words – Result: $1678
This translation project lasted less than 2 weeks, which would mean over $3000 a month.

Of course, the Upwork proposal sample length also depends on the job you’re applying to. In fact, you might need to include more details and examples if you’re applying for an English Teacher position

On the other hand, 3 or 4 paragraphs will be enough if you apply to a Content Writer or Translator job.

To sum up, if you want to know how to write a proposal on Upwork, keep it short with around 100 words.

The Mistakes to Avoid on Your Cover Letter

The Upwork proposal examples I shared above will get you projects for sure. But there are a few mistakes to avoid when writing a proposal on Upwork that will make or break your application. First of all, using a template on Upwork is good, however, not modifying your template is a big mistake.

As you can see from the screenshots above, my cover letters are very similar to each other with small differences depending on the client. You should always add details depending on the job offer.

For instance, if a client requests fast delivery and full-time availability, add it to your proposal.

As you can see on my first screenshot, I added the line “the translations will be done quickly and efficiently” and that only earned me hundreds of dollars.

Secondly, avoid grammar mistakes. This is such a small thing to correct and yet it can cost you lots of money.
Using software like Grammarly will correct your proposal and will make it look good. Can you imagine receiving a proposal full of mistakes? It just doesn’t look good and you’ll have spent money in Connects and lost your chance to get hired.

Last but not least, don’t lie on your Upwork proposal. Many people think that writing the exact skills that the client is looking for is good for them.

Well, it could potentially give you more chances to get hired. However, if you end up getting hired and the client will specifically ask for the skill you actually don’t have, you might do a bad job, which will result in a bad review and therefore a drop in your Job Success Score.

What to Apply to on Upwork

Looking for a job on Upwork doesn’t mean that you should apply to every project you like, as you might spend lots of cash uselessly. And filtering the jobs is key to getting hired and working on Upwork.

Now you know all the secrets and have seen great Upwork cover letter samples, let’s discuss what projects to apply to.

The first important element would be to apply only where the competition is low. For instance, if you notice a project that you like but see that there are over 50 proposals, don’t waste your time.

Second of all, avoid applying to jobs that were posted days ago. For instance, a client that posted 8 days ago might already have found a freelancer to work with, and it’ll make you lose money and time.

Many clients advertise their projects on different platforms and not receiving proposals doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t found anyone.

I usually apply on projects that were posted in the last 24 hours max. Finding a freelancer is easy on Upwork, and I doubt that clients don’t find anyone within that timeframe (depending on the field).

How to Know if Your Proposal on Upwork is Good

Testing your proposal on Upwork is the last key to the puzzle that you shouldn’t underestimate. If you do not receive any response to the applications you’ve been sending, there’s probably something wrong.

How to write a proposal on Upwork is only the beginning and you’ll probably have to write a few before finding the right one that clients like.

Only time will tell if you wrote it well or not and if you need to modify it. I’d personally recommend sending a few applications and see if you receive a response. If not, add details, remove a part of it, and try again.

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The Bottom Line

These were the main points to write a great proposal on Upwork. From writing without grammatical mistakes and avoiding fillers in your cover letter, you’ll be probably become successful fast. And it doesn’t matter if you apply to data entry or Upwork handwriting jobs, this was the winning recipe for any gig.

Making money online is much easier than one could think, especially when working on Upwork.

Follow my tips, test your cover letters with different clients, and start making a living out of the platform. If you want to be like me and earn 5 figures a year on Upwork only, this is your chance.