How to Write a Project Description That Attracts Quality Bids

Introduce Yourself or Your Business: The freelancer should know what your business does and its mission. But don’t drone on…well-written, one line introductions go a long way. They ensure potential freelancers can quickly capture the essence of what you do.

Specify the purpose of the project: Imagine you were told to ‘build a website’. Without knowing whether it’s for a product or service, whether it’s meant to generate sales or conversations - you could end up with some wacky results. So instead of saying “I want a website”, it makes more sense to say something like: “I want to build a website optimised for an online shoe store where I can take online payments, respond to customer inquiries, and track changes in stock.” Freelancers are more likely to produce stellar work if they know where to focus their efforts and exactly how their skills should be applied. 

Share your goals: So you’ve got the vision - but does your freelancer? Make sure you share your desired outcomes with your freelancer in as much detail as possible. For example, if you’re hiring an SEO specialist you could provide a percentage improvement that you’re aiming for when it comes to your website’s ranking. Or if you’re hiring a video editor - specify what sort of tone, feelings, cuts, and colours you want in your video. This enables the freelancer to deliver a project tailored exactly to what you're looking for. No more scoping through irrelevant submissions.

Declare a deadline: This is a great way to weed out the freelancers who can’t meet your timeframe - and more importantly, call in the ones who can.

Attach extra resources for the freelancer: You might like to give your freelancer liberty to work with a wide range of design styles. Maybe you’d prefer they stay within certain constraints. Any resources or toolkits that you’d like your freelancer to use or abide by should be attached to the project for their reference (i.e. website URLs and branding kits).