This article is about writing effective Upwork cover letters / proposals, so you can spend less time looking for clients and more time doing paid work.
Readers have gotten results like this:
This article is part of an 8-part series about Upwork. Click here for the headlines.“Not a week later I have now secured not one but TWO long term contracts due to these templates getting me through the door and my work being up to par! Many many thanks!”
Upwork is the largest freelance marketplace online, with thousands of jobs posted every day.
Getting started as a freelancer on Upwork can be tough, because you’re often competing with dozens of other freelancers for a single job, and many of them are well established on the platform, with lots of great ratings and reviews.
So, how can you compete?
Well, it helps to submit A LOT of proposals.
In the words of Wayne Gretzky…
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
And it follows that the more shots you do take, the more likely you are to score.
But you should also ensure that you’re submitting QUALITY proposals, proposals that will help you stand out from the crowd and give you a solid chance of winning the job.
So, QUALITY and QUANTITY.
That’s what you should be aiming for.
And that’s where the following list of Upwork sample cover letters can help. They will enable you to apply for more jobs without resorting to obvious copy-and-paste tactics.
Each sample below is derived from a real cover letter that won a real job on Upwork.
I’ve included screenshots of the original job postings and cover letters so you can see exactly what the job was and how it was won.
Below each sample you’ll find a corresponding template you can use to quickly craft your own proposal for ANY job on Upwork.
There are 4 templates in total:
Note that each sample you’re about to see was submitted by a member of our private Freedom Business Builder community. Two of them were responses to job invites, and two were cold pitches.
Alright, here are the cover letter templates…
This first proposal sample comes from Justin, a freelance web designer and digital marketer.
Justin was hired for the job at $50/hour.
I typically use the same model for Upwork proposals: I ask about 3-4 relevant questions about the job in the first paragraph, and I qualify myself in the second paragraph.
So the template is as follows:
Hello [Client Name] ,
[If applicable: Thanks for the job invite.] It’s a pleasure to meet you. [Ask 3-4 short but relevant questions about the job here. This shows that you’ve read the description and know your stuff, and also invites the client to begin a conversation with you.]
[Qualify yourself briefly here. 1-2 lines that communicate why you’d be a good fit for this job.]
Best regards,
[Your Name]
This next proposal sample comes from Natalia, a freelance copywriter.
See Natalia’s screencast here:
Natalia explained to me via email:
This was my very first proposal screencast. It saves time to make a screencast to review a client’s website rather than writing endlessly to explain what you mean.
This proposal was an answer to an invite to apply, but he invited a few people so I wanted to stand out.
The client was impressed:
Natalia ended up getting paid $350 for this job, but that wasn’t the end of it:
I’m still working for this client, and he is constantly thinking up new jobs I can do for the campaign because he is always happy with my work.
First, a warning:
The template is as follows:
Hello [Client’s Name] ,
[If applicable: Thank you for your invitation.]
[Share a link to your screencast and briefly explain what it contains. You want to give the client a compelling reason to click the link and watch. Tell them what benefit they will get from it and note that it will only take up a few minutes of their time.]
[1 paragraph explaining why the job appeals to you. Bonus points if you can share why the goals of the client resonate with you personally.]
[1 paragraph sharing an example of your work, ideally closely related to the job you’re applying for.]
If you want to collaborate with me let’s discuss it in more detail over the chat.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
This next proposal sample comes from Gray, a freelance graphic designer.
Gray was hired to do the job at a 10% discount, but that was only the beginning. As he explained to me via email:
This also led to ongoing work and was for the guys who I am pricing up that $8,000 job for. Its looking like it is going to be a bit more than that btw. Its for a complete game, and Im currently going through the spec with them bit by bit.
I came at it with an honest approach and said basically ‘look, I have a lot of experience, but none on upwork, help me out and Ill do it for a 10% discount. Win win.’
The template is as follows:
Hello [Client’s Name],
I’d really like to work with you on this one if possible!
I do have a couple of questions, but first I’d like to make you an offer and some background so you can check my work out.
[Short paragraph explaining your work experience relevant to the job.]
However, I am new to Upwork and looking to get a few clients that I can build upon. If you take a look at my work and feel that I could help you, I’ll do it for a 10% discount.
You’ll get all the expected stuff like a great professional service and a fast turn around, at a bit less, and I get a bit more exposure.
[If applicable, include a link to your portfolio website here, or invite the client to check out the work samples you’ve attached to your proposal.]
[Ask 1-2 short but relevant questions about the job here. This shows that you’ve read the description and know your stuff, and also invites the client to begin a conversation with you.]
If the above offer sounds like something you would be interested in, I’d love to hear from you.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Note that the template above doesn’t contain the word TOKYO, which was included at the top of Gray’s cover letter. Gray added that as a response to the client’s request at the bottom of the job description. Many clients use this trick to quickly determine if you’ve actually read the job description.
So… make sure you actually read the job description!
This next proposal sample comes from Susan, a freelance editor and proofreader.
Susan explained to me via email:
I bid $125, and it was accepted immediately. This job took me 90 minutes to complete and 30 minutes to double check. As this was a legal document, I was careful to edit in a way that did not change the meaning of any of the sentences. This Swiss lawyer had English that was near perfect.
I delivered the files within 2 hours and the client added a $40 bonus to my payment and left me 5-star feedback. $165 for 2 hours is a pretty good rate.
Hi [Client’s Name],
I would be happy to work on your [document/job/whatever] immediately.
[Numbered list covering the most important requirements mentioned in the job description, and how you plan to meet them. This shows that you fully understand what’s needed and have a plan for making it happen.]
[1-2 paragraphs detailing your background/expertise, as relevant to the job at hand.]
What you’ll receive:
[Short list that paints a clear picture of what you will deliver (and by when) should the client hire you to do the job.]Send me a quick message and we can figure out if we are a good fit to work together!
[Your Name]
This article is part of an 8-part series:
Niall Doherty – Founder and Lead Editor of eBiz Facts Born and raised in Ireland, Niall has been making a living from his laptop since quitting his office job in 2010. He's fond of basketball, once spent 44 months traveling around the world without flying, and has been featured in such publications as The Irish Times and Huffington Post. Read more.
Hi,
I have been an Upworker for the past several years. But of late, only very few clients are contacting me for jobs, and I could not figure out the reason. After going through community discussions, I figured out that rewriting proposals can help a bit. So I am trying to do that. This blog post is really interesting, and I could get some ideas from this. Thanks a lot for sharing. Reply
Confirm that this approach to proposal writing works well. I get about 50% of the answers. Thanks Niall! Reply
Muhammad NomanHey, Thank you so much! I read your blog post the previous night and sent a proposal according to your first 1. The short and sweet. I applied it and tomorrow morning I saw a reply from that client. Thank you so much. It is crazy. I am going to subscribe you to get more and more beneficial posts. Reply
Hi Nail,
I read this writeup and some other posts (the profile remodeling and scam flags) and I have to say, I was really pumped and I put them to work. A few days later, I got my first gig. I finished in record time and got an excellent review. It’s just that after that, I’ve got nothing else. After a lot of proposals using the techniques above, I get a few responses but nothing serious. Any advice?
Thanks for the tips and the first job, tho’ and thanks in advance for any tips.
David Reply
Hey David, It could be a number of things, hard to know just from what you’ve written. But ultimately pitching for jobs on Upwork is a numbers game. You have to keep pitching as much as you can and perhaps even lower your rate to get the first few jobs and reviews. Once you have more reviews it becomes easier to get jobs. Reply
Thanks a lot Niall Doherty, Your Cover letters really helped me to win more jobs on Upwork. Thank you again! Reply
Trish BoyleThanks for the helpful tips. I’ve already had some successful contracts on upWork, and do use some of the ideas (such as addressing by name.) I’d like to increase my percentage of contracts won, and hope to do so by following some of your other tips. I’ll report back next week, after I’ve tried a few.
Cheers! Reply
Hi Sir Niall,
Good day!
I just sent my proposal today and hopefully, I’ll get a response soon.
Here’s the link to my cover letter and the job posted.
https://imgur.com/a/YOwNZdJ
Thank you,
Joshie Reply
I cannot thank you enough for sharing this information! I used a mix of a The Honest Newbie & The Quick Lister for my very first proposal on UpWork. I got a contract back later that day! Thank you! Reply
Glad to hear that, Sam. Well done! ReplyHi Niall,
I have been trying to freelance on Upwork for the last few months, but am getting little interest from potential clients. I am an architectural designer with 13 years experience, but have no college degree. I write cover letters offering to help with the problem the clients listed about design or construction, list the services I can give them, attach samples of my previous work, and tell that I am ready to start if they are interested. So far nobody is. It is discouraging to keep submitting offers for work that are ignored, when I try to be friendly, professional, and interested. What am I doing wrong do you think? Reply
Hi Amber, It’s hard to know what the issue is based only on what you’ve shared here. But first thing I’d say is that if you’ve submitted less than 20 proposals, you should keep trying. You can keep tweaking and experimenting with your proposals, but ultimately Upwork is a numbers game. Even the best freelancers on there probably win no more than 30% of the jobs they pitch for. And starting out it’s probably more like 5-10%. Secondly, it might be worth lowering your rate for a while, if you haven’t already. Do that in combination with the Honest Newbie template above and see how you get on. Reply
Thank you Nial. I combined your two templates No.4 + No. 3 in order to write my proposal yesterday.
And I got the first job out of 5 proposals. I really appreciated it. Reply
Woow! Niall, this is an amazing content and excellent guides to upwork. Thank you and keep it up. Reply
Thanks, Nicholas 🙂 Reply Swapan Dewan Thanks a lot for your suggestion. Great work! I will definitely try in this process. Reply Christine JTHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! I was able to get my first job within my first round of sending out only 6 proposals because of these templates! As a student this was such a great feeling. Reply
That’s great, Christine! Well done 🙂 Reply Christine JUpdate, not a week later I have now secured not one but TWO long term contracts due to these templates getting me through the door and my work being up to par! Many many thanks! Reply
You’re crushing it 🙂Hi Niall..
As i am new to upwork.com. I am so.much disturb due to not getting a perfect contract here on upwork. i quit my job as a teacher. But when i started sending proposals here it didn’t worked out.
Will these templates of yours help me out in getting the desired job Reply
Hi Niall Doherty.
My name is Jay and Thank you for sharing your great experience Knowledge here.
I has just start on upwork. and this will be big help for me.
If i says honestly then i was completely tired because there is no activity acting on my profile. i have tried many things to get clients but i just got only one client in a month which is not good. and was looking for guidance and it’s my pleasure that i meet you here on your home(website).
I have just read your most of articles and i would like to follow your steps. I am very exciting to leave a screenshot of my next success here on your site by following your words.
do you like to give me any suggestions!!
great regards,
Jay R. Reply
This article really gave a boost to my aspirations. I believe you have just jump started my career on Upwork. Thank you. Reply
