Did you know Upwork has thousands of new job postings available every hour? It's a sea of opportunity but it takes some real talent to stand out among all the freelance fish... Here are proposal writing 5 tips and an Upwork cover letter sample for each one!
Updated on
2025-04-21
The best Upwork cover letters are always the ones that get straight to the point. Avoid lengthy introductions and random paragraphs that have nothing to do with the job in question.
Instead, jump right into the core of the matter - tell them why you're interested in the position and how you can contribute to them or their business.
That's all they want to know and the faster you can convey that through the cover letter, the better. Pro tip: think of your cover letter as a bait - the very first sentence needs to hook the client to read the whole thing.
So, if you want to stand out, skip the introduction and get straight to the core in the first sentence. Provide value first and then circle back to shortly introduce yourself after.
Upwork clients can sniff copy pasted proposals from miles away. If all you do is paste a proposal template and call it a day, chances are your cover letter will end up in the digital trash can.
The key to winning the cover letter war is proving that you have read the job description with utmost attention to detail. Make it obvious that you've done your homework and read past the job title.
All you have to do is carefully read the job post and extract the most important keywords. Then address each keyword in your cover letter. If you want to go the extra mile, throw in a couple of valuable insights for each keyword and address the main problem your client is facing.
Having experience that's relevant to your client's requirements will immediately put you at the top of their list. When searching for job opportunities, focus on jobs where your skills and experience will make you look like a good fit.
Too many freelancers on Upwork throw cover letters left and right, regardless of whether they have the right experience or not. Unless you want to waste connects (Upwork's points needed for submitting proposals), you need to be more intentional with your cover letters.
Hence, don't forget to mention relevant experience and any past projects you worked on that are similar to the one you're applying for now.
We get it. You have a lot to say! But when it comes to writing Upwork cover letters, less is more. The last thing clients want is to read 2 page essays from strangers who are trying to snatch their money.
Keep your Upwork proposal under 300 words and only include information that matters. This includes your previous experience, work samples, and suggestions on how you can turn this project into a success.
Even if you have a lot of good insights to share, save some value for the interview. Pro tip: offer to jump on a quick call with the client and continue the conversation there.
Find the low-hanging, quick-wins and 10x your freelancing business!
Get the Client ChecklistAn easy way to stand out among hundreds of other freelancers is to make your cover letter as easy to read as possible. Put yourself in the client's shoes.
They're not going to read every single proposal from start to finish. Instead, they will skim through each one and scan the text to see if anything specific catches their eye.
That's why you need to break up text paragraphs and make the cover letter more appealing to the eye.
Bullet points will help you make the text easier to scan and read through, while emojis can help you draw their attention to specific sentences.
Links to quality work samples will signal to the client that you might be the right person for the job. Seriously, you'd be surprised how many freelancers don't include their work samples in the cover letter.
Now that you're equipped with 5 powerful cover letter tips, you should be ready to jump into Upwork and give these a try. If you're still not sure whether Upwork is worth the time, I've got just the right article for you here.
As long as you're sending out high quality cover letters and building up your work history, there is no reason why Upwork wouldn't work for you. It all comes down to how well you're able to pitch your services to potential clients.
Implementing the five tips we went over in this article will significantly boost your chances of landing more gigs than ever before. Remember to get straight to the point, keep your cover letter shorter than 300 words, and always mention relevant skills and experience.
Then package it all up nicely in a couple sentences and use bullet points to make the text easier to read. There you have it - a cover letter that will stand a chance amidst hundreds of other Upwork proposals!
Before you leave, remember that applying for jobs on Upwork is a numbers game. The more cover letters you send out, the better.
Find the low-hanging, quick-wins and 10x your freelancing business!
Get the Client ChecklistJoin 20.000+ freelancers in our weekly value bomb, and grow your frelance income with confidence!
By entering your email address you acknowledge to subscribe to the FreelancePizza mailing list.
You will be sent a confirmation (opt-in) email to confirm your email. You can unsubscribe any time.
