how to write a perfect cover letter for Upwork

how to write a perfect cover letter for Upwork

Upwork is a freelancing platform that connects businesses and individuals with freelance professionals. It offers a wide range of job opportunities in various fields, including writing, design, programming, and more. With millions of freelancers on the platform, competition for jobs can be tough. One way to stand out from the crowd is by writing a great cover letter. A cover letter is your first opportunity to make a positive impression on the client and convince them to hire you. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about writing a winning cover letter on Upwork.

Understanding the Upwork Proposal Process

To submit a proposal on Upwork, you need to have a strong profile and an impressive portfolio. Once you find a job that interests you, you need to write a compelling cover letter that convinces the client to hire you. A good cover letter should be tailored to the specific job posting, highlight your relevant skills and experience, and show your enthusiasm for the job.

To stand out from the competition, you need to go beyond the basics. Research the client and their business to show that you understand their needs and can provide value. Use storytelling techniques to make your cover letter memorable and engaging. And be sure to proofread and edit your letter to ensure its error-free and professional.

Components of a Winning Cover Letter

A winning cover letter should have three main components: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In the introduction, you should grab the client’s attention and explain why you’re interested in the job. In the body, you should highlight your relevant skills and experience, and show how you can add value to the client’s business. And in the conclusion, you should wrap up your letter by expressing your enthusiasm for the job and requesting an interview.

When crafting each section of your cover letter, be sure to follow these dos and don’ts:

Introduction:
  • DO start with a catchy opening line that grabs the client’s attention
  • DON’T use a generic greeting like “Dear Sir/Madam”
  • DO show your enthusiasm for the job by explaining why you’re interested in it
  • DON’T use overly formal language or jargon
Body:
  • DO highlight your relevant skills and experience
  • DON’T list all your qualifications without explaining how they relate to the job
  • DO show how you can add value to the client’s business
  • DON’T make unrealistic promises or exaggerate your abilities
Conclusion:
  • DO wrap up your letter by expressing your enthusiasm for the job
  • DON’T end with a generic closing like “Sincerely”
  • DO request an interview or further discussion
  • DON’T be too pushy or demanding

Tailoring Your Cover Letter to the Job Posting

One of the most important aspects of writing a winning cover letter on Upwork is tailoring it to the specific job posting. To do this, you need to research the client and their business, as well as the job requirements and expectations.

Start by reading the job posting carefully and highlighting the key skills and requirements. Then, research the client’s business and website to understand their brand voice, style, and values. Use this information to customize your cover letter and show the client that you understand their needs and can provide value.

Here are some examples of how to customize your cover letter for different types of jobs:

  • For a writing job: Highlight your experience in the specific type of writing required (e.g. blog writing, copywriting, technical writing) and show how you can write in the client’s brand voice.
  • For a design job: Showcase your design portfolio and explain how your design style aligns with the client’s brand.
  • For a programming job: Highlight your programming skills and experience with relevant languages and frameworks, and show how you can use them to create the desired functionality for the client’s website or application.


Some additional tips to write a perfect cover letter for Upwork


Before submitting the proposal, you must always check some important information about the job. Like, For how many proposals have been sent, if the client is invited someone for an interview or he is interviewing someone,

  • If the submitted proposal are more than 15-20
  • If the client has sent the invites to more than 5-6 people
  • If the client is already interviewing 2-3 people,

THEN DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME AND CONNECTS ON THAT

Use ChatGPT to write your cover letter


If you’re struggling to write a winning cover letter on Upwork, you may want to consider using AI technology like ChatGPT to help you. As a language model trained by OpenAI, ChatGPT can generate high-quality text in a variety of styles and formats.
Just copy-paste the job posting and write your professional info such as your skills and years of experience inside ChatGPT and give it a clear prompt about the what type of cover letter you want to write, hit Enter, and see the magic happing,
Remember to give a clear prompt to Ai, so it can give you the result you want,

You can also use ready prompt by using a Google Chrome extension called “AIPRM” using AIPRM can you use my prompt which I have written to help freelancers to win contracts on Upwork. Click here for prompt

You can also utilize an other amazing Chrome extension called “UpChat for Upwork” with this you can create your personal profile and with your experience and skills it will add a button inside your Upwork “Write Cover Letter” all you have to do is to hit click on it and this tool will read the job posting by itself and will write a cover letter based on it.


Things to consider before writing a cover letter:

  • Don’t call the client “Dear or Sir” always call them by their name. You can find client names in their profiles and reviews they have received from freelancers, if you don’t find their names, just start with “Hi”, “Hello” or “Hi There!”, ”Hello There!”
  • Keep your cover letter simple and to the point.
  • Very short info about yourself.
  • Read the job request carefully and talk about the project, if you have some suggestions about the task mention them.
  • Attach 4-5 samples of your work related to the task.

Mistakes to Avoid:

When writing a cover letter on Upwork, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid. Here are some tips on how to avoid these mistakes:

  • Don’t use a generic cover letter for every job application. Tailor your letter to the specific job posting.
  • Don’t make unrealistic promises or exaggerate your abilities. Be honest and transparent about your skills and experience.
  • Don’t use overly formal language or jargon. Write in a clear, concise, and conversational style.
  • Don’t forget to proofread and edit your letter. Typos and grammatical errors can make a bad impression on the client.
  • Don’t be too pushy or demanding. Show enthusiasm for the job, but also respect the client’s time and decision-making process.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Ahtisham

    Brilliant, It’s very helpful and really I didn’t but I done a lot of mistakes. This article helps me to improve my upwork cover letter.

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