The Best Cover Letter For Upwork: Tips Plus Sample!

Want to write the best cover letter for Upwork but don’t know how? Well, good news because you’re in the right place!

When I started on Upwork as a freelancer, I had no idea where to begin and how to write the best cover letter for Upwork to get the jobs and clients I wanted.

It’s completely understandable given that Upwork is such a huge marketplace for freelancers and clients!

I wished I had someone show me Upwork cover letter examples so that I could have saved all that time.

But you know what, I don’t want you to struggle as I did, so I’m here to provide help writing a cover letter so that you’ll be able to write anything from short and sweet cover letters to providing outstanding cover letter examples.

So buckle up and dive right into some tips I learn on how to write a cover letter for Upwork during my Upwork journey, as well as provide one of the best cover letter examples.

By the end of this article, you’d be a complete Upwork cover letter pro!

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How To Write The Best Cover Letter For Upwork?

1. Read The Job Description Carefully

As a beginner on Upwork, you might be very excited to get things going and to start applying to as many jobs out there. That’s fine.

But what’s not okay is if you just blindly apply with the same Upwork proposal cover letter for different jobs and do not pay attention to individual job requirements.

Imagine if you were a client weeding through dozens, if not, hundreds of proposals, trying to find the perfect candidate for your job, and the frustration you face if the applicant’s cover letter didn’t match your requirements.

That’s why many clients have started including instructions right at the end of their job descriptions to ensure that you’ve read their entire post, and also are sure of their requirements.

See if you can spot the special instruction below!

This is becoming increasingly common, so make sure you read through every word on jobs you apply to!

2. Prioritize Answering The Additional Questions

This was a mistake I made as a beginner on Upwork. I often thought the additional questions were just, well, additional questions.

So what I would do is spend all my time, energy and creative juices on the cover letter, making it the best Upwork cover letter.

When it came to the additional questions, I would often post a single-sentence response or make a reference to my cover letter.

My thinking was that the client would have read my cover letter first then the responses, right?

How wrong I was!

I literally only realized this when I started hiring people on Upwork that clients see your response first, followed by your cover letter.

This makes a lot of sense because if you have multiple applicants to weed through as a client, you’d set specific questions to zone in on your ideal candidates. Duh!

So make sure you don’t commit the same mistake I did and invest all of your energy into writing a good cover letter for Upwork that you neglect the additional questions!

3. Personalize Your Cover Letters

This is extremely important. Imagine if you’re a client looking through many proposals and every cover letter starts with a generic greeting.

But suddenly one of them addresses you by name.

Wouldn’t that make you stop and read further?

Yes, granted not all job posters post their name on the job posting, but a little digging goes a long way.

Here’s how I find out how to address the job poster if they haven’t posted their name on their job posting – I just look at past reviews they got!

Here’s one example below:

Most of the time other freelancers would have given them feedback and addressed them by name.

Sure I’ve gotten it wrong sometimes as it might be someone else in their team. (rarely though!)

But the fact is they can tell if you’ve done additional homework on them as a client and are sincere in your cover letter.

4. Ensure Your Expectations Align

Now one thing I need to remind you before you go about crafting the best cover letter for Upwork is this – ensure that what the client requires is what you are able to provide and at the budget they’ve set.

There is no point in doing a smashing cover letter on Upwork but you realize that the client is paying too low, or that they require more availability than you are able to provide.

This goes back to reading their job post clearly for the budget and availability required and also looking at their past history as a client.

Are they dependable? Have they paid decently for past projects?

Once you have established this, then you can go about putting together all the tips I’ve highlighted so far to craft the best cover letter in Upwork.

5. Tailor Your Experiences And Skill Sets To The Job Description

If you want to write a good Upwork cover letter then you jolly well make sure that your cover letter addresses your client’s requirements.

If they want someone with health and fitness experience and you have a personal trainer certification on the side, mention it.

If they’re looking for a cryptocurrency fanatic and you love following the ups and downs of the crypto market, make sure you tell them all about it too!

Often your experiences may not be directly relevant. But dig deep and I’m sure you’ll find something.

I once saw a job posting for a wedding planner requesting SEO articles for their website.

I told them I wasn’t married (yet!) but I loved weddings and I had actively helped some of my good friends behind the scenes for their weddings.

It didn’t get me hired, but it sure got them interested enough to start a conversation with me on Upwork. Baby steps!

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6. Show Don’t Just Tell

You can have the best cover letter for Upwork, but this doesn’t matter much if you don’t have the chops to back up what you’re saying.

If you’re a freelance writer pitching to a new client, make sure you have your portfolio on hand to show the client just what you’ve been telling them – your writing style and areas of expertise.

Here are some of my writing samples!

If you don’t have the means to purchase a site to host your writing samples, there are tons of free sites out there where you can host your portfolio!

Psst, I go through this in detail in my freelance writing course.

But if you don’t have time for that and want to start immediately, Journo Portfolio is an amazing platform to get started on!

7. Make Sure You End With A Call-To-Action

If you want to end things on a high as you craft the best cover letter in Upwork, then make sure you end your cover letter with a strong CTA.

A CTA or Call-To-Action is a statement which encourages your reader or recipient to act immediately.

It’s like when you watch an advertisement on YouTube or on Instagram and they tell you to click on a link if you’re keen to find out more.

You can say “Looking forward to hearing back from you!”

But why do that when you can say, “I look forward to working with you and I’ll be happy to jump on a Zoom call today or tomorrow to discuss your requirements in detail.”

Imagine if a client needed something urgently and needed to speak to a freelancer within the next day to get this done.

Your CTA would have been a godsend to them!

Best Upwork Cover Letter Samples

Now, are you curious about how to weave together all these tips to create the best Upwork proposal cover letter?

Here’s how!

Hi [name of client],
I came across your post looking for [job requirement]. I have strong experience in the [industry] space and have helped clients achieve [example of results].
I am able to help you [example of what you can do for them based on their requirements] within [your availability].
Here are links to relevant samples in my portfolio:[Links here]
I look forward to working with you and I’ll be happy to jump on a Zoom call today or tomorrow to discuss your requirements in detail.
Regards,[your name]

Now before you go ahead and copy and paste this or any best cover letter examples for your next client proposal, remember that it is always important to read every posting carefully and personalize!

Made it this far in the article? Great! Here’s a real-life example of an Upwork best cover letter that I wrote that got me the job!

Hi Peter,
I came across your post looking for a cryptocurrency content writer. I have strong experience in the banking and finance space having worked in finance for 8 years. I currently own a personal finance and lifestyle blog and have been teaching people to make and save money for the past 5 years.
I have personally worked with fintech clients who have engaged me to write articles on similar topics and I have managed to help clients get their articles onto the first page of search engines, as well as boost visitor traffic.
Aside from content writing, I am able to conduct keyword research to find low-competition and high-search volume keywords that would help get readers clicking on your crypto articles. I also have SEO training, and would be able to keyword optimize your articles should you require these services.
I see that you require one 2000-word article to be written and would be happy to do so within one week after receiving the brief and clarifications.
Here are links to relevant samples in my portfolio:
Save Money Live Better With These 17 Money Saving Hacks
Dave Ramsey Budget Percentages [2022 Update]
I look forward to working with you and I’ll be happy to jump on a Zoom call today or tomorrow to discuss your requirements in detail.
Regards,Aisha Preece

FAQs For Best Cover Letter For Upwork

How Do I Write A Cover Letter For Upwork?

Here are some quick tips on writing the best cover letter for Upwork:

Read The Job Description Carefully
Prioritize Answering The Additional Questions
Personalize Your Cover Letters
Ensure Your Expectations Align
Tailor Your Experiences And Skill Sets To The Job Description
Show Don’t Just Tell
Make Sure You End With A Call-To-Action

Is A 500 Word Cover Letter Ok?

No, a 500-word cover letter is not ok. You should target a word count of 250 to 400 words for a cover letter. Keep things short, sweet and concise as your prospective client or employer may have a lot of cover letters to look through.

Some of the best sample cover letters for employment aren’t the longest ones. They’re the ones that display the candidate’s experience best in the most succinct way.

How Do You End A Cover Letter On Upwork?

The best way to end a cover letter on Upwork is to reiterate why you’re the best person for the job and to remember to include a call-to-action statement so that the client will be inspired to contact you right after.

Some of the best Upwork cover letter samples are those that clients can look at and go – yes, this is exactly the person we need.

By ending the letter with these elements, you can be sure your proposal will be top of mind for your future client.

How Do I Write A Good Cover Letter?

Writing a good cover letter isn’t just for Upwork, you can also apply these skills when writing a cover letter for a job:

Read The Job Listing Carefully
Do Your Research On The Role
Start With A Strong Opening Statement
Use Forward-Looking Statements Like What You Want To Do For Them Instead Of Just Saying What You’ve Done
Be Personal
Show Enthusiasm And Interest For The Role
Keep Your Cover Letter Short And Succinct
Ask For Feedback Before Sending It
Spell-Check Your Letter

So there you have it. The steps to writing the best cover letter for Upwork to get the job and clients you want.

It’s really not that daunting or scary, right?

The steps are very straightforward and as long as you’ve read the job posting carefully, you’ll be able to craft the perfect cover letter that shows the client you are exactly what they are looking for

If you’re still unsure about your Upwork journey, don’t worry I have many other Upwork resources you can refer to!

You’ll realize that the best way to learn to get better at finding work on Upwork is really to just start applying to jobs with these tips and then finetune your approach from there.

Take that first step, start writing and applying, and as always reach out to me in the comment section down below if you need help!

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The Best Cover Letter For Upwork: Tips Plus Sample!