Proposals not viewed

[#1]

I noticed that only 3 out of 15 proposals I sent are viewed by clients:

Is it normal? How's yours if I may ask?

I tried my best on writing the proposals but they're not "click-baiting" enough for clients?

Here's my latest proposal sent a few days ago, about Rush PSD to HTML work:

Hi here's a sample of my work: ***  from this (flatten) PSD:***

It's mobile first. Fluid until 1024px before it changes element positions. Fluid again until 1280px and it becomes fixed-centered. I can find the middle line between Rush and Quality.

Thank you.

I'd appreciate any comments & suggestions about my proposal.

Thanks!

[#2]

Hi Susi,

Thank you for your message. I am sorry to hear about your proposals. I've pulled a few resources that may be helpful to you. Check out these articles to help you create a profile that stands out and improve your profile title and overview. For some great tips on writing proposals that win jobs, check out this article.

Visit our Resource Center and sign up for upcoming events and webinars to learn more about how you can boost your success on Upwork.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[#3 · Accepted solution]

My Proposals sent to view ratio is just about the same, yours is 20% and my 90-day average around is 23%, and I am happy with that! 

But my interview-to-view ratio is @ 60%, and of all the views 60% resulted in an interview. And yours is 0, so that means people are viewing your proposals but not willing to initiate a discussion. You should focus on writing more customized, engaging, and interesting proposals. 

[#4]

Thanks Ashraf, so I'll take it that it is normal to have a low view ratio of our proposals (which has no, or very little relation to how the proposal was made).

I'll have to learn more about how to create a more interesting proposal so the low views can be more converted into interviews.

[#5]

I do not know if 20% or 23% is the normal view rate, I just shared my view rate with you, others may have a higher rate...we never know

The proposal view does have a relation to how the proposal was drafted because the client can see the first two lines of your proposal without opening the proposal. So if you start with something that might appeal to the client and his project client is more likely to open the proposal. 

[#6]

Yes I remember reading about that first two lines (thanks for confirming), and I always try to put something interesting early but still they're not interesting enough for a click.

Does clients able to view profiles before opening proposals?

[#7]

I know that. I my proposal is not good enough to attract clients 

But lot's of time i applied for job those have no proposal 

But still . Something I thought that my proposal is not reaching clients

I don't know but 

It's bad after wasting lot of time and money still don't able to earn nothing

 

[#8]

---

Deependra pratap S wrote:

my proposal is not reaching clients

---

Yes that is my concern. The first two lines does have a relation but I didn't know if they are significant enough to make only 3 out of 15 proposals read by clients.

I think there might be other factors on why clients tend to skip a lot of proposals? Is there other things that makes them skip proposals other than the proposal's first two lines? Like, do they see snippets of freelancer's rating, or number of completed works, along with the first two lines?

Btw, you have 14% read ratio, which is worse than me, but your interview ratio is 72% which is better than Ashraf's. I really need to learn how to make a better proposal

[#9]

I have a rate of 50% proposals readed. I think you must improve your proposals. You are being extremely direct to the point "Hi, here is a sample of my work", don´t do it. Presents yourself first with something like "Hi, I´m a web devolepper specialized in../silled in... " Talks about you a bit then shows sample of your work.

Clients sees the first line of each proposals in the proposals list. If your first line is just "here is a sample of my work...", they may thinks you just copy paste links, they won´t open your proposals in anyway.

[#10]

Hi Andre,

I did that on purpose. It's my attempt to make the proposal stands out.

I believe there's a lot of proposals with "introduction" in the first few lines already, so I thought to provide something different. But thank you, I do need to find something else/better to be put in those two lines.

[#11]

There is 2 kinds of "diferent things":

1 - A diference that is better than usual
2 - A diference that is worst than usual

Better is being like everybody than being worse than everybody. Better is being just more one in the crowd than being the only one nobody wants.

Just saying "Hi, here is sample of my work: (link here)" is too much worse than the usual. This kind of approach doesn´t works. You have more chances of sucess if doing what everybody is doing than doing another action that is worse than what everybody is doing just to be "diferent". Being better than usual is realy hard, but being worse than usual is very easy. If you want to be diferent in a better way, you must think hard. You must have a very good idea, something to impress the clients. And to be honest "Hi, here is a sample of my work..." isn´t impressive, as I said, If I was a client I would think the freelancer who started with this sentence is lazy and just did just a copy paste with a suspicious link trying to scamm me. I would never open a proposal with "Hi, here is sample of my work....". Try to think like clients would thinks. I don´t have much hires, I realy needs to improves too, I´m not a top rated freelancer, but I´m fighting everyday to be better.

[#12]

I respect your view Andre.

Although I don't totally agree that being direct is considered lazy, I will definitely keep trying to find better proposal format.

Or maybe we need to "know" what kind of person the client is so we can respond with a correct format (which isn't easy to do just from reading their little writings).

[#13]

It's really sad to note that. You might be interested to note that I experienced that also. 

This ended after reading a couple of supportive articles on the same. The key to all this is;

"Applying to jobs which are the BEST MATCHES for your skills"

We sometimes get dillusional to the amount of time and connects we waste on jobs we don't even match with the skills needed by the employer (normally the skills highlited under every job post).

Now I have more interviews, which means my proposals converts.

Its better to apply to 2 to 3 matching jobs than a tone of jobs that only have 1 or none as a match.

[#14]

It sounds reasonable. From the screenshot I see that our skills are presented to the client. It might/could affect their decision to click.

[#15]

An update after 2 weeks, 12 additional proposals, and playing with a few elements that seems to appear to clients (first two lines, profile titles, etc).

Almost no change in the views vs sent proposal ratio. Around 20%. I am now convinced that this is normal (also based on some other user's experience).

It still leaves questions, curiosities. If we can rise this view ratio then the interview and hired ones will be rised as well aren't they.

[#16]

Hi, 

I guess its not only up to the first 2 lines of the proposal. In last few weeks I have been really Selective with my proposals.

Applying only to Less than 5 & 5 to 10.

85% of boosted proposals. 

Tried Catchy, Conventional and Relevent first lines. 

But the ratio of viewed proposals doesn't go above 20%. So there might be something  either we are missing or upwork needs to look for. 

[#17]

I have no views in my proposals and my profile, att all. 

I have a professional profile, always sending personalized cover letters, that I believe is suited for wich client. And only apply for best match with my abilities, I'm a experienced professional, but I getting nothing from up work. It's feels my proposals don't even get to the clients, even if I high the bid. I'm starting to think is something thecnical from upwork, that I have no Idea of what it can be. 

I don't know what to do anymore. 

[#18]

Hi Lua,

Thanks for reaching out! I've pulled a few resources that may be helpful to you. Check out these articles to help you create a profile that stands out and improve your profile title and overview. For some great tips on writing proposals that win jobs, check out this article.

Don’t hesitate to visit the  Academy and sign up for upcoming events and webinars to learn more about how you can boost your success on Upwork.

Good luck!

[#19]

Isn't having a good profile irrelevant if proposals aren't even being viewed?

[#20]

I spotted this 'If you've been receiving invites and don't have any views in your graph, it may be due to ad-blockers that the client has turned on.' on the 'My stats' page which could have something to do with it.

Makes no sense to me why someone who gets 10-15 proposals does not have a quick read of them all.

[#21]

Noticed that the last 5 proposals I sent without being viewed are with clients who have a total of 66 jobs posted, 12 still open and only 23 hires. That's a 43% job posting to hiring ratio which might help explain things too.

[#22]

Out of 13 proposal, I am unable to get any client view, I have tried all strategies and applied for 100% relavent jobs to my profile