How to Bid on Freelancer.com the Right Way

The first three weeks on Freelancer.com, I spent Rs 840 on bid credits and won exactly zero projects.

That's not a typo. I bought bid packs, sent proposals on 23 different projects, got a few replies asking questions, and then nothing. Not one paid project.

At week four I nearly gave up and decided that Freelancer.com was "just not worth it."

Instead I decided to actually look at why my bids weren't working. That turned out to be more useful than quitting.

---

What was wrong with my proposals

I read back through the proposals I'd sent. They were, genuinely, pretty bad.

A typical one looked like this: "Hello, I am a content writer with strong skills in [topic]. I can complete this project efficiently and deliver high quality work. Please review my portfolio and message me."

That's not a proposal. That's a template that could apply to any project on the platform. The client posting about their specific travel blog rewrite, their SaaS product description, their Shopify store copy gets 40 proposals that all say approximately this. Nothing in mine told them I'd read their post.

The second problem was the bidding pattern. I was bidding on everything. Small projects, large projects, jobs that were vague, jobs that had clearly been posted by buyers with no history on the platform. I was treating bids as lottery tickets rather than calculated decisions.

---

The research phase

I spent two days looking at projects that had already received multiple bids rather than sending more proposals.

A few things became clear. Clients with project history (previous jobs posted, previous reviews given) were more likely to actually hire someone. Projects with a budget and timeline that had already attracted 20+ bids but the client was still marked as "active reviewing" were ones where a good late bid could still win.

And I started reading the project descriptions more carefully, which sounds obvious but wasn't what I'd been doing. A client who writes a detailed brief wants a proposal that matches that detail. A client who writes three vague sentences probably has a vague project.

---

The bid that won

My first winning proposal was for a product description project , an online store selling home organisation items needed 17 product descriptions rewritten.

I'd done similar work before (not on Freelancer, just in practice). My proposal:

"I noticed you're looking for descriptions that convert, not just describe. For products like these, the approach I'd take is leading with the problem the item solves rather than its specs. For example, for a cable organiser, 'Never untangle a cord again' rather than '3-compartment cable management tray with rubber base.' Happy to do one sample description before you commit, so you can see whether my tone fits your brand."

I offered a sample. I referenced something specific from their post. I showed I'd thought about their actual problem.

The budget was Rs 2,800. I bid Rs 2,650. Four other bids were between Rs 1,100 and Rs 4,200. The client messaged me 11 hours after I sent the proposal.

---

What changed in the approach

A few things I changed that made a consistent difference:

Project selection: Only bid on projects from clients with at least 2 previous hires on the platform. That filters out a lot of posts that were never going anywhere.

Proposal structure: First sentence acknowledges something specific from the post. Second sentence shows relevant experience with a single example. Third sentence explains my approach briefly. Final sentence is a clear action , a sample offer, a clarifying question, a next step.

Bid price: I stopped trying to be cheapest. Bidding near the median (middle of the bid range, not the lowest) combined with a better proposal outperformed low-ball bids consistently.

Response speed: Within an hour of a project going live is genuinely better than two days later. The client has often already shortlisted 2-3 people by the time the 15th bid arrives.

---

The credit cost reality

Bid credits cost money and that's worth acknowledging. If you're on the free plan, you get a limited number of bids per month. Buying packs adds up.

My Rs 840 spend in the first three weeks was essentially tuition. After adjusting my approach, my win rate improved enough that the credits became worth spending.

But if budget is very tight, the calculation matters. A project paying Rs 1,500-2,000 needs to be won within a reasonable number of bids to justify the credit spend. Bidding on 40 low-budget projects at Rs 400-600 fees doesn't make sense mathematically even if you win some.

---

Is Freelancer.com worth it

Honestly, it depends what you're looking for. The platform has more small, quick one-off projects than Upwork does. The client quality is mixed, but there are good clients on it.

For a first freelance project and first review, it works. The feedback loop is faster than Upwork's sometimes because clients can see and respond to bids more immediately.

For building a long-term freelance income, Upwork probably has better infrastructure , better long-term contract tools, better dispute resolution, and clients who are more accustomed to ongoing relationships.

But I'd say Freelancer.com is worth trying, as long as you go in knowing that the first 3-4 weeks are essentially practice rounds while you figure out what proposals actually work...