A proposal is your offer to the client: what you will do, how, by when and for how much. On marketplaces it is the message you send in reply to a posting. With local clients it may be a short message or a one page document after a conversation. Either way, a good proposal is specific, short and easy to say yes to.
What a good proposal contains
- The client's problem, in their words. Show you read and understood. "You need a weekly set of five posts for your boutique's Instagram page, ready for the festive season."
- How you will solve it. Two or three sentences on your approach. "I will plan the posts with you each Monday, design them to match your shop's colours and send them for approval by Wednesday."
- One relevant sample. A link or image of similar work. One matching sample is better than ten unrelated ones.
- Price and timeline. A clear price, what it includes, and when you will deliver. If there are options, give two at most.
- A simple next step. "If this suits you, I can start on Monday after the deposit."
Answer every question the client asked
Some postings ask applicants to answer specific questions, mention a word to prove they read everything, or state availability. Answer every one, clearly. Skipping them is one of the fastest ways to be ignored.