Personalized Greeting: Address the employer by name if possible (e.g., "Hi John,"). This shows you have read the project description carefully. Acknowledge the Project & Pain Points: Briefly restate your understanding of their project and the problem they are facing. This shows them their project is important to you (e.g., "I see you are looking for someone to format a scanned 800-page book where some pages are upside down"). Highlight Relevant Skills & Experience: Be specific about how your skills will solve their problem. Mention similar past projects or specific software/tools you will use. Include links to relevant portfolio samples if applicable (e.g., "I have over 3 years of experience with PDF editing and recently completed an identical project for another client. You can see their positive review here: [link]"). Proposed Solution & Timeline: Clearly state the bid amount and the realistic deadline you can meet, including suggested milestones. Be confident in your ability to deliver, but don't overpromise. Ask a Question: Ask one or two specific, open-ended questions about the project that weren't answered in the description. This encourages a dialogue and further demonstrates you've done your homework. Call to Action & Closing: End with a professional closing and a clear invitation for them to chat with you further (e.g., "I look forward to discussing this further. Best regards, [Your Name]"). Proofread: Check for spelling and grammar errors. A clean proposal looks professional. Example of a Strong Bid Here is an example based on the PDF project mentioned above: Hi John, I understand you need an expert to correct the upside-down pages in your 800-page scanned book PDFs. I can definitely help with this annoying issue! I'm a PDF expert with over 3 years of experience dealing with large-scale document formatting. I've previously worked on the exact same type of project, ensuring all pages are oriented correctly. You can view the sample I fixed for that project here and see my client's positive review here. I can get this fixed for you in 48 hours for a bid of $X (within your budget range). I propose splitting this into two milestones: one for the first half and a second for the remainder. When do you need the final project delivered by? I look forward to working on this project with you. Best regards, [Your Name]