If you are a freelancer yourself, you probably know that there are thousands, even millions, of active freelancers competing for online gigs al around the globe.
Sometimes there are hundreds of them bidding on the same job as you.
Being talented in your field and having a lot of experience is not enough to score a good online gig, so the real question is:
How do you make your bid stand out?
1. Your Bid Needs To Be Clear And Concise
Keep in mind that the employer you are trying to impress probably has dozens (perhaps even hundreds) of bids to consider, so if your bid has unnecessarily long descriptions, the person reading it might skip your bid completely.
Keep your bid:
- Clean
- Concise
- To the point
2. Always Read The Project Description Carefully
Remember, “Tl;dr” is never an option here.
Most employers ask for specific details from their project later on, or include a specific phrase that must be inserted in your bid so they are positive you had indeed read the whole description thoroughly.
3. Be Competitive With Your Pricing
This of course doesn’t mean you always have to be the lowest bidder. On the contrary, you need to respect yourself and sell your work for just the right price.
Guidelines for pricing:
- Don’t be too cheap
- Don’t be too pricey
- Find that sweet spot according to your experience and the quality of your work.
4. Make Sure You Don’t Oversell Yourself
Just like with pricing, you need to find that sweet spot when it comes to your confidence as well.
Self-confidence is definitely a must, but never boast about your skills too much. Over-the-top claims have never impressed anyone. Honesty is always the best policy.
5. Always Proofread Your Bid Before Submitting It
A poorly written proposal is a huge no-no. Make sure you read your bid carefully before you decide it is time to submit it.
Pay attention to the following questions:
- Is it clean/concise?
- Are there misspellings or clumsy grammar?
- Are there any parts that are redundant?