As someone who tutors freelancers on how to get their first/next client on Upwork, I’ve read a lot of proposals.

From my observation, I can confidently tell you that one of the major reasons most freelancers on platforms like Upwork never get hired is because they don’t know how to sell themselves, their services, or their skills through proposal writing.

You may be qualified for the jobs you see advertised on Upwork, but if you don’t know how to prove this to clients, you may never get hired. Less competent people will get hired if they can sell themselves better.

If you’re conversant with Upwork, you’ll know that as a freelancer on the platform you must submit proposals. What this spells is that you must learn how to write proposals if you want to see those dollars rolling into your account.

Initially, the argument was that Upwork doesn’t accept Nigerians on their platform.

But as most of us already know, that’s false.

So the new argument most people who haven’t been able to land their first client make is that- people don’t like to give Nigerians jobs. So they register on Upwork using the picture of a random white man or woman downloaded from Google and change their location using a VPN.

Yet, they don’t get any jobs.

Next, they get frustrated. And when you try to tell them that it’s possible for them to earn in dollars from Nigeria using their original identity and true location, they feel you want to sell them snake oil.

But whether you believe it or not, people are feeding their families and buying luxurious items with the money they make on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.

So before you throw in the towel as a freelancer on Upwork, read this post till the end.

The main questions your proposal should answer are:

- How can I help my client achieve his goal/ solve his problem?

- What qualifies me to do this?

Most freelancers never answer these questions in their proposals. If you don’t answer these questions, it means you’ve submitted a selfish proposal, and no client will award his job to a selfish freelancer.

To easily answer these questions, put yourself in the client’s shoes.

Let’s discuss the first question;

How can I help my client achieve his goal/ solve his problem?


Answering this question proves that you have read the job description and you understand what the client needs.
But sometimes, you’ll need to look beyond what is written.


Here’s what I mean.

For example, an affiliate marketer uploads a job description stating that s/he requires the services of a product description writer.
The main goal of an affiliate marketer is to convince people to make a purchase so s/he can earn a commission from the sales.

So what this client needs, although he doesn’t explicitly state it in his job description, is a (copy)writer who can write persuasively/ convincingly, so his readers can buy the product/ service he is promoting. Thus, generating revenue for him.

While writing your proposal, hint on how you will help the client achieve this goal too.


Q2: What qualifies me to do this?

Talk is cheap.

What’s the proof that you are who or what you say you are? What qualifies you to handle the client’s project?

Experience has always been the best way to prove this. But other things like educational background works too.

P.S.: The tips I’ve discussed in this post are applicable outside Upwork too.

P.S.S.: Asides your proposal, your profile also plays a huge part in your client acquisition journey on Upwork. You may want to work on that too if you’re struggling to get a client.

If you'll like to learn more about how to get clients on Upwork, send me a message on Whatsapp: 07062525532

am interested this my email ukaracletusjames@gmail.com just that am not using WhatsApp enabled phone this my number 07015667816