If you do freelance writing work, submitting proposals on projects may be a large part of how you get work. By working as a freelance writer, I have learned that there are two very important things to consider when submitting proposals.
First, know what you are bidding on. This serves two very important purposes. The first is that you must know enough about what the job entails in order to be able to make an honest assessment of whether you can do the work and for what price. If the project description is unclear, ask questions. Knowing what you could be getting yourself into helps you to keep a manageable work load and, more importantly, it can help you to avoid a situation in which you drastically underestimate the time or skills involved and end up “winning” a project that turns out to be a huge headache.
Unfortunately, I have a personal example to share to illustrate this point. When I began working as a freelance writer in April, I submitted bids on a few projects and won most of them. I completed most of them without incident, however, the very first project that I “won” was almost enough to send me running scared from freelance writing work. The project involved transcribing audio from a webinar. When I was preparing my proposal, I thought that I was a great fit for the job. After all, I could type fast – or so I thought. Back in law school, I had developed the ability to type my professors’ lectures verbatim. I estimated that it would take me two hours to type each hour of audio. That was a very poor estimation. In reality, it took me more like four to five hours to transcribe each hour of audio. I got it done on time, but boy was I scrambling, and I pulled about three all-nighters in a row. Because of the amount of time that I spent on the project, the amount that I earned per hour of work was ridiculously low.
Now, I know that it is best to leave the transcribing to those who are skilled at transcribing dictation and have the specialized equipment that goes along with it. There are plenty of projects out there to bid on, and I do not have to place bids on those where I would not be adequately compensated for my time.
The second thing that it is important to be aware of when you are drafting a proposal for a job is that a well-crafted proposal goes a long way towards winning the job. It is better to take more time to write fewer excellent proposals than to devote minimal time to dashing off as many cookie cutter proposals as you can. Remember, someone is going to read your proposal and compare it to the others that they have received.
How can you give your proposal a better chance of making it to the top of the pile? My first suggestion is to bid only on jobs that are truly a good fit for your personality and your skills. After you are sure that a project is right for you, read the project description carefully and then write about who you are and how your personality and skills can deliver exactly what the client is looking for.
It has been my experience that by following these basic principles when submitting proposals, I attract jobs that are a great fit for me. As a result, I enjoy my writing work immensely. From the feedback that I have received on the jobs that I have completed, my clients are happy too.