What is this crap?

Let me tell you a story.

Many, many years ago… (2018 or so) I saw a post in a freelancer group.

Someone named Lisa shared her Upwork proposal that went something like this:

"Hi there! I'm going to be totally honest - I've never written about spas and swimming pools, nor have I ever experienced a burning desire to do so. I do, however, have a very strong desire to be able to afford to eat - so here I am..."

She went on to mention her $0.05 per word rate, how UK food isn't as cheap as in the Philippines, and that she's "generally not delulu."

And you know what happened?

Richard Rowley (who'd spent $15k on UpWork) chimed in with some solid advice about displaying skill and using video proposals to stand out.

But here's the thing that struck me about her approach…

She was trying to be "different" and "honest" - but she completely missed the mark on what clients actually want to hear.

Because while she was busy being self-deprecating about not knowing the topic and making jokes about needing to eat,

She forgot the most important element…

Empathy for the client's actual problem.

See, the client doesn't care that Lisa needs to eat. They don't care about UK vs Philippines food costs.

They care about ONE thing: getting their spa and pool content written well, on time, and without headaches.

But she made it all about HER needs instead of THEIR needs.

Fast forward to 2025...

I see the same mistake happening everywhere - especially with all these AI-generated proposals flooding platforms like Upwork, LinkedIn, and the rest.

Freelancers are so busy trying to sound clever, different, or "authentic" that they forget to actually connect with what the client is going through.

The spa owner isn't lying awake at night worried about your grocery bills.

They're worried about:

— Will this person actually understand my business?

— Can they capture the tone I need?

— Are they going to be a pain to work with?

THAT'S what keeps clients up at night.

And if you can speak to those fears and desires in your proposals (while demonstrating you actually have the skills to solve their problems) you'll stand out from the sea of generic, self-focused pitches.

Whether you're writing proposals in 2025 or 2035, this principle remains the same:

Make it about THEM, not about YOU.

But then I had a conversation with someone (let's call him "Omar") who'd been getting compliments on his beautiful writing but kept losing jobs on these platforms.

And Omar told me:

Instead of trying to impress prospects with his skills, he started focusing on one thing - understanding what clients actually needed and solving their biggest problems.

Now, here's where I wanted to throw my laptop across the room (:

Complaining about losing jobs DESPITE having great writing skills, and his solution is to... HIDE those skills?

That's like a surgeon saying:

"I keep losing patients even though everyone says I have steady hands and great technique. So I've decided to stop mentioning my surgical skills and just focus on understanding their pain."

Sir. What??

The client's biggest problem IS finding a skilled person who can actually do the work!

Richard got it right - clients with real budgets (like his $15k) aren't looking for the cheapest option.

They're looking for someone who can demonstrate they have the chops to deliver quality work.

Sure, you need to understand the client's needs. That's basic common sense.

But if you can't PROVE you have the skills to solve those needs, all the empathy in the world won't get you hired.

Anyway, that's my rant for today.

The lesson applies whether you're freelancing, running an agency, or selling anything else for that matter.

Talk soon,

– Laura

P.S. - Richard was right about the video proposals too.

In 2025, with everyone using AI to spam identical text proposals, a personal video stands out even more than it did back in 2018.