How to Write Proposal Titles That Win Deals

by Ruben 2 Minutes

Do the titles of your proposals look like this?

  • Marketing Project for Company X
  • New Website Development Proposal for Company Y

If you’re like most people your proposal titles probably look like the above examples; this means you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to stand out from your competition.

Breaking Down the Bad Examples

Let’s talk about why these are bad ways to title a proposal.

Marketing Proposal for Company X

The problem with the above title is that it’s too general. It’s boring.

It’s the type of title that no one really reads; you glance at it (maybe) and move on. Also, you want to avoid using the word “proposal” in the title; your client already knows it’s a proposal.

New Website Development Proposal for Company Y

This next one is similar to the first except that it’s a tiny bit more specific. But again, it’s too general.

A service description followed by a company name is not going to entice your customer to keep reading.

So What Does a Good Title Look Like?

Good titles are short yet specific enough to include the result they want, in words anyone can understand.

When I say short I mean it’s best to keep titles under 10 words.

Including the result will show the client that you understand what they’re looking for (always a good idea).

Examples of good titles:

  • Increasing Leads Through Social Media Campaigns
  • Cutting Advertising Costs With Improved Natural Search Rankings

Note the verbs used in the above titles. You’re talking about taking them from their a bad situation to a good one. Make sure to include a verb that focuses on the change they seek.

It’s tempting to use internal company terminology or product names to describe how they’ll attain the benefit you mention in the title — don’t do it.

Keep things simple and only use terms the client knows and will understand.

Remember, next time you write a proposal title ask yourself if the title you’ve written is something that’ll make your client want to read more.

 

Resources

We have some great tools available to help you get started. Take advantage of the proposal templates for web design, marketing proposal, and one for creating a persuasive social media proposal.

Get Our $270M Client Proposal Kit (free)

by Ruben
Ruben originally founded proposal software, Bidsketch as a one-person company while working as a software developer for a billion dollar payroll company. Since its early days as a “company of one,” Bidsketch has grown to help over 2,000 paying customers win billions of dollars in new business and save thousands of hours in the process.