Get Our Freelance Writing Proposal Template (With Sample Content)

What's in This Template?

  • Proposal content that's easy to follow and structured to sell
  • A bundled pricing section to help you avoid any “race to the bottom” price wars so many writers face
  • Time saving examples of positioning for value that you can incorporate in your own proposals And more!

Freelance Writing Proposal Template: A Proven Formula for More Clients

You love nothing more than connecting with people through the written word.

But to land the best freelance writing potential clients, you'll need to make an unforgettable impression in your great proposals.

This is a different style of writing than the blog posts, emails, or website copy you're used to. By using a specific combination of elements and presenting them in a persuasive structure, you can get clients' attention and show them that you're the best choice for the project.

How?

It starts by understanding what a freelance writing proposal is, what it takes to make them compelling, and the key questions to ask before you get started.

Let's take a look at those now!

What is a Writing Proposal?

Some freelance writers cringe at the thought of creating job proposals. If you aren't offering copywriting services yourself, they might feel a little too “salesy” for your comfort.

But the best clients expect to see them before they'll hire you. Not only that: your winning proposal is a direct reflection of your abilities as a writer. The proposal writing is like a “free sample” new clients can read to get a taste of your high quality skills.

So it's crucial for you to get your proposals just right.

The biggest goal: to give clients the information they need about the details of the project and good reasons why you're the best freelancer for the job.

With the right techniques, you can walk the line between persuasive and informative. That starts by including key elements and arranging them in a time-tested structure…

Which brings us to the next section.

Key Elements and Structure of Successful Writing Proposals

Freelance writing is a massive field.

You might specialize in blog articles, white papers, or eBooks. You could be a copywriter who excels in getting people to read and buy in little time. Maybe you do all of the above.

Every freelance writer is different, just like every writing project is different. Compelling and effective proposals must adapt to the scope (and complexity) of each project.

If you're trying to land a long-term project, like revamping the content marketing efforts for a large brand, it's much easier to feel overwhelmed than if you are writing copy for a three-page website. You wonder which details to include in your project proposals – and how to best distill the value you can deliver.

Freelance writing projects large and small will benefit from following a proven structure.

While complex projects require more information regarding timeline and milestones than simple ones, they all share key elements. These elements give clients the details they need… and plenty of good reasons why they should hire you to gain client work.

Here are the most common elements in smaller scale freelance writing business projects:

Small-scale writing project elements

  • Writing need. Lay out the business pain point behind the writing project. What is the client's top priority and specific needs (raising awareness, increasing traffic, making sales, etc.) that they want the content to achieve? This goes beyond just rehashing the project requirements.
  • [Service] solution. Identify which service(s) you will use to address the client's business need. With small-scale projects, this is usually just one or two of all the writing services you might offer. Common examples include: copywriting, blogging, eBooks or white papers, and email autoresponder sequences.
  • Your investment. Mention how much it will cost the client to invest in your writing solution.
  • Moving forward. Ask clients to act right now, and give them an easy way to accept your proposal. This is key because you want to strike while the iron is hot – before the client gets distracted or loses interest.

Here are some of the most common elements in large-scale writing projects:

Large-scale writing project elements

  • Writing goals and opportunities. Give clients an overview of the most frustrating business problems that drove them to seek a freelance writer. Insights from your own research and discovery call with the client will help you create a more meaningful context.
  • Project recommendations. Recommend a specific combination of writing services (copywriting, blog posts, emails, etc.) that will solve the business problems. Also mention how the services will work together as a unified whole to help the client.
  • Our process. Break down the “deliverables” of the project. Which pieces of content will the client receive, and how often will they get them? How many? How long will they be? The goal is to showcase just how much value the client is getting – and create a reference point for later.
  • Timeline and milestones. Here is where you describe which pieces of the writing project will happen when. Tables are usually the best way to help clients visualize the process.
  • Payment Estimated costs.
  • About us. What is it about your team, writing process, and experience that makes you the best fit for this project? Mention your job description here.
  • Writing samples. Include a few clips and/or links of your past writing work. You want to show clients that you've done this before and give them an idea of your writing style with specific examples. Bonus points if your samples are in the same industry and writing type (copy, blog posts, etc.) as the project you're applying to.
  • How to get started
  • Terms and conditions

Before You Get Started: Questions to Ask

You're a writer, so you're completely comfortable with shutting yourself in a quiet room and banging on a keyboard until the project ends is finished.

It's tempting to tackle your freelance proposals in the same way. However, connecting with the would-be client before you get started will save you a ton of time and pinpoint their greatest needs.

You can do this in a quick discovery call or Skype meeting with every client. After you read the request for proposal (RFP), set up a time to ask the client a few key additional questions.

The questions below will help you get started. These are designed to cut beneath the surface level of the project requirements. That way you can understand the deeper business pain points – and show clients that you're willing to put in the work to truly understand them.

  • Do you have a company blog and email list now? If so, can we get access to the analytics to see which content angles/topics resonate the most with your audience?
  • Have you worked with any freelance writers before? If so, how was the experience? What did you like (or not like) about the process?
  • How involved would you like to be in the content creation process? Would you like to suggest and/or approve topic ideas? Or leave that up to us?
  • In your mind, what makes a piece of content successful? Traffic, comments, social media shares, etc? What are your key metrics?
  • What are some of your favorite pieces of written content online? Why do you like them?
  • What separates you from your competitors? (this will give you ideas how to incorporate this info in every piece of content you create)
  • What tone are you looking for in this writing? Professional and technical? Casual and lighthearted? Something in between?
  • Who is your target audience? Do you have demographic data? Survey results? Use cases or customer personas?

Got the answers to your questions?

Good! Now's the time to integrate those insights into your freelance writing proposals. This instantly sets you apart from all the competitors who won't do this and merely regurgitate the project requirements.

Getting Started

Writing awesome freelance writing proposals is just like any other kind of writing. You'll get better with practice.

With that said, sticking to the proven formula above will save you a bunch of time and shortcut the process.

Ready to get started?

There's no need to figure all this out on your own. Check out the free proposal template below. With real-world examples, it will walk you through the proposal process step by step.

Preview: Freelance Writing Proposal Template

Freelance Writing Proposal Template Cover Image

Meeting Your Needs

Meeting Your Needs

{client_name} needs more than just random website visitors to distinguish itself from its competitors; it needs an engaged, growing audience. High-quality content, created and added to your website on a consistent basis, will give {client_name} the tools it needs to build a following of interested prospects and make more sales. Content creation services will help {client_name} to:

  • Create fresh, compelling content to establish your authority as a leader in your niche
  • Gain credibility among your visitors, entertain them, and persuade them to buy
  • Build a list of interested prospects and communicate with them intimately via email

Without a collection of high-quality content and an intelligent strategy to publish it, {client_name} risks losing its prospects' attention – and their business – to more engaging competitors.

Delivering Results

Delivering Results

Here’s what {my_company}’s content creation team will deliver to help {client_name} build a thriving online following:

  • A long-term content creation plan to engage prospects – Attention is the most valuable online currency. We’ll plan out how to create the consistent content you need to gain that attention, maintain it, and expand it to reach new prospects.
  • Compelling, consistent content to build your credibility and prospects’ trust – To create profitable long-term relationships with your prospects, you need content that stands out time and time again. Our talented writers will deliver that content for you.
  • A list of leads that eagerly awaits your emails and responds to your promotions – Communicating with your prospects via email is a great opportunity to amplify their interest to do business with you over time. We’ll build your prospect list for you using emails, carefully balancing their content between delivering value and making offers.

Recommendations for Your Company

Working with {my_company} will allow {client_name} to obtain the quality content and strategy it needs to overcome the challenges described above. If hired, we’ll break the project down into the following content creation services:

Development of a Long-Term Content Creation Plan

We’ll start by analyzing your current content and how you’re distributing it. Then, with your unique needs in mind, we’ll create a detailed strategy to give your prospects a stream of fresh content so you can gradually build authority in your niche.

Launching an Email Marketing Campaign to Build a List of Prospects

We’ll craft a series of messages to send to your email subscribers. Each email we write will be designed to build your prospects’ trust and gradually persuade them to do business with you over time.

Ongoing Content Creation and Publishing

We’ll put our long-term content strategy into action. Our writers will create top-quality content for you according to our publishing schedule. Then, after we proof each piece of new content, we’ll publish it on your website so you can engage new visitors.

Building Visitor Engagement Through Quality Content Solution
  • Creation of long-term content strategy – We’ll take a look how you’re using content currently, identify opportunities to expand your authority in your niche, and create a plan to systematically exploit those opportunities with new content.
  • Launch of email marketing campaign – We’ll write a series of messages to send to your email subscribers in order to keep them engaged and eager to buy from you.
  • One year of ongoing content creation and publication – We’ll create fresh content and publish it regularly to keep your website visitors coming back for more. We include 12 months of service with our content strategy package, and extensions are available at a negotiable rate.
$14,800

Why Choose {my_company}?

{client_name} needs to establish long-term relationships with its customers in order to generate consistent revenue and allow for long-term growth. {my_company}’s writers create the high-quality content you need to build those valuable relationships, and they publish it strategically to make the most impact on your website visitors. Here’s why we can help {client-name} achieve its goals better than any other content creation agency:

  • {my_company}’s writers write for people, not search engines – Many online content creators produce boring, robotic-sounding content in an effort to appease search engines. Our writers understand traffic is useless if that traffic isn’t engaging, so they focus on creating content that engages the most people at the deepest possible level.
  • {my_company} employs a large team with a wide range of knowledge, experiences, and writing styles – Our writing team represents a broad selection of specialists. That means we have the tools we need to create whatever type of content you desire, and to do so in a writing style that meshes well with your businesses’ voice.
  • {my_company} offers free rewrites until you’re 100% satisfied with every piece of content we create – We believe that when you communicate with customers, the quality of those communications is paramount. So if we write something you aren’t completely happy with, we’ll be glad to rewrite it for you at our expense.

Project Timeline

If {client_name} hires {my_company} to create the content it needs to build long-term relationships with its customers, our timeline would proceed as follows:

Phase Activities Completion
Development of Long-Term Content Creation Plan {my_company} will analyze {client_name}’s content strategies and create a long-term plan to boost visitor engagement at {client_name}’s website. 04/07/XX
Launch of Email Marketing Campaign {my_company} will create and send a series of messages to {my_company}’s email leads to build credibility and persuade them to become customers. 04/21/XX
Ongoing Content Creation and Publication {my_company} will create and publish compelling content to {client_name}’s website for 12 months in order to build a following there and establish {client_name}’s authority in its niche. 03/31/XX

Next Steps

Next Steps

To take advantage of this proposal and proceed with the project as outlined, {client_name}’s next steps must be to:

  • Accept the proposal as-is
  • Discuss desired changes with {my_company}
  • Finalize and sign the contract
  • Submit an initial payment of 50 percent of total project fee

Once completed, {my_company} will contact {client_name} to schedule a project launch meeting to make introductions and gather information before beginning the work.

We’re happy to make changes to project scope on {client_name}’s request at any time, but may be subject to additional billing.

Terms and Conditions

Once the project fee is paid in full to {my_company}, any elements of text, graphics, photos, contents, trademarks, or other artwork furnished to {client_name} for inclusion in website are owned by {client_name}.

{my_company} assumes {client_name} has permission from the rightful owner to use any code, scripts, data, and reports are provided by {client_name} for inclusion in its materials, and will hold harmless, protect, and defend {my_company} from any claim or suit arising from the use of such work.

{my_company} retains the right to display graphics and other web content elements as examples of their work in their portfolio and as content features in other projects.

This agreement becomes effective only when signed by agents of {client_name} and {my_company}. Regardless of the place of signing of this agreement, {client_name} agrees that for purposes of venue, this contract was entered into in [STATE] and any dispute will be litigated or arbitrated in [STATE].

The agreement contained in this contract constitutes the sole agreement between {client_name} and the {my_company} regarding all items included in this agreement.