Landing your first clients

Finding the right first clients, writing proposals and messages they answer, and spotting the clients to avoid.

Vetting a job post

What: Checking a post before spending Connects: payment verified, the client's hire rate and total spend, reviews from past freelancers, number of proposals and whether they are already interviewing.
Why: Most wasted Connects go on posts with no real intent to hire or with dozens of proposals already in.

Watch out

Applying to a brand new client with no payment method, a huge budget and a vague post, a common scam pattern.

Proposal

Also called cover letter, bid

What: Your reply to a job post: a short cover letter, your rate or bid, answers to the client's questions and relevant portfolio items.
Why: Clients read only the first lines in the list view, so those lines must show you read their post and can solve their problem.

Code

Hi Sara, your checkout page takes 6 seconds on mobile.
I fixed the same issue for a Shopify store last month
(case study: link), cutting load time to under 2 seconds.
Plan: audit apps and images, then fix the theme.
Question: is the slowdown on all products or a few?

Watch out

Opening with "Dear hiring manager, I am a highly skilled developer with experience in" which every other proposal also says.

Boosted proposal

What: Bidding extra Connects to place your proposal at the top of the client's list. You bid against other freelancers and pay only if your boost wins.
Why: It can help on a job you fit very well, but it costs real money and never fixes a weak proposal.

Discovery call

What: A short first conversation, often 15 to 30 minutes, where you ask about the client's goal, current situation, deadline, budget and who decides, before you quote.
Why: Good questions show expertise better than any pitch, and the answers let you write a scope and price that fit.

Watch out

Spending the call talking about yourself and quoting a price before you understand the problem.

Red flag client

What: Warning signs: pressure to move off the platform or to Telegram or WhatsApp before a contract, payment promised later, requests for free samples, very high pay for vague work, or refusal to put anything in writing.
Why: Turning down one bad client costs you a little time; accepting one can cost weeks of unpaid work, a bad review or your account.

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