The quality of the proposals you receive depends mostly on the quality of your job post. A vague post ("Need a website, cheap, ASAP") attracts copy-paste replies from people who didn't read it. A clear post attracts freelancers who know exactly what you need and can tell you how they'd do it.
Writing a good post takes ten minutes, and it saves hours of back-and-forth later. Here's what to include.
1. A title that says what you need
The title is what freelancers see in search results. Make it specific:
- Weak: "Need help with my business"
- Better: "Write 10 blog posts about home gardening for an online plant shop"
- Weak: "Designer needed"
- Better: "Logo and business card design for a new bakery"
Include the type of work and, if it helps, the subject or industry. Freelancers who specialise in exactly that will click first.
2. The goal, not just the task
Tell freelancers why you need the work. "I'm opening a bakery next month and need a logo that works on signs, packaging and Instagram" gives a designer far more to work with than "I need a logo".
When freelancers understand the goal, they can suggest better solutions, sometimes cheaper ones, and their proposals become much easier to compare.
3. What exactly will be delivered
List the deliverables as concretely as you can:
- How many items (pages, articles, designs, videos, hours)?
- What format (Word document, PNG and SVG files, a live website)?
- Any length, size or technical requirements?
- How many rounds of changes do you expect?
If you're not sure what you need, say so: "I'm not sure whether I need a full website or just a landing page; I'd welcome advice." Experienced freelancers enjoy that kind of job.
4. A realistic budget
Freelancers decide whether to apply largely based on the budget. A budget that's far too low for the work attracts the least experienced applicants and puts off the best ones. A realistic range attracts people who can actually deliver.
If you don't know what the work usually costs, look at similar jobs in the same category, or post a range and invite freelancers to explain their quote.
Decide whether the job is fixed price (a clear deliverable for a set amount) or hourly (ongoing or open-ended work). Most one-off projects suit a fixed price paid in stages.
5. A timeline
When do you need it? Is the date firm (a launch, an event) or flexible? Freelancers plan around deadlines, and an honest timeline helps them tell you whether they can fit your project in.
6. What you'll provide
Say what you already have: brand colours, a logo, sample texts, access to a system, examples of work you like. And say what the freelancer will need to find or create themselves. This changes the price, so it belongs in the post.
7. Screening questions
Adding one or two questions is the easiest way to filter proposals. Good questions are specific to your job and quick to answer well:
- "Which of your portfolio pieces is closest to this project, and why?"
- "How would you approach the first week of this project?"
- "What do you need from me to get started?"
Freelancers who answer thoughtfully have read your post. Those who paste a generic reply have filtered themselves out.
8. Attachments and examples
A picture really is worth a thousand words. Share a rough sketch, a link to a site you like, or an example of the style you want. Remove anything private (names, addresses, internal numbers) before you share files.
What not to put in a job post
- Contact details. Keep conversations on the platform. It protects you, and it keeps a record of what was agreed.
- Unpaid "test" requests for full pieces of work. Offer a small paid first stage instead.
- Everything in one post. If you need a logo, a website and social media management, consider separate posts. Specialists will apply to each.
A template you can copy
Title: [Type of work] for [what/who it's for] About the project: We're [who you are] and we need [the goal]. This is for [where it will be used]. Deliverables: [Number and format of items], including [rounds of changes]. Budget: [Fixed amount or range], paid in stages: [e.g. deposit, first draft, final]. Timeline: [Start date] to [deadline]. The deadline is [firm/flexible]. We'll provide: [brand assets, texts, access, examples]. To apply, please answer: [one or two specific questions].
After you post
Reply to good proposals quickly; the best freelancers are often talking to several clients. Ask follow-up questions in the chat. When you're ready, send an offer with a staged payment plan so both sides know exactly what's agreed before work begins. Here's how staged payments work.
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