In short
- Say what exists now and what should exist afterwards.
- Name the constraints that move a quote: stack, deadline, integrations, who signs off.
- List what you supply, so nobody prices around a guess.
- Ask one question that makes replies comparable.
The quality of the proposals you get is mostly set by the post that produced them. A thin post attracts people who did not read it, because there was nothing to read. A specific post filters itself: the wrong people skip it, and the right ones arrive with a number you can actually assess.
What a job post has to carry
Six things, in whatever order reads naturally. Miss one and you will answer it fifteen times in messages instead.
- What exists now. The current site, the file, the account, the mess. Link it if you can.
- What should exist afterwards. The finished thing, described so you could check it.
- Constraints. Stack, platform, brand rules, integrations, deadline, anything not up for debate.
- What you supply. Designs, copy, access, examples, and when they will be ready.
- How you will judge it. What matters most: speed, precision, being easy to work with.
- One question to answer in the proposal. The fastest filter you have.
A weak post rewritten
Weak
Need a website. Send your price.
Better
We need a six-page marketing website for a SaaS product. Figma designs are ready. The developer should build it in Next.js, connect the contact form to our CRM and make sure the pages work well on mobile.
Six pages sets the size. Designs being ready removes the largest unknown in a website quote. Next.js tells the reader whether this is their job at all. The CRM connection is the detail that quietly adds a day if it is discovered later. In one sentence each, the post has removed every assumption that would otherwise be priced as risk.
You can go further without writing an essay. Add what you will supply and when, the deadline that is real, and the one question you want answered.
Say the parts that feel awkward
Posts get vague exactly where the truth is inconvenient, and that is where the vagueness costs the most.
- A budget you are unsure about. A range with a reason ("we have about this much, tell us what fits") gets better replies than silence.
- A deadline driven by something real. Say what it is. People plan around a launch; they ignore "ASAP".
- Unfinished inputs. If the copy is not written, say so. Somebody will price writing it or tell you they cannot.
- A previous freelancer. If work exists and you did not like it, say what was wrong. It is the clearest brief you have.
Title and length
Title the job the way somebody would describe it to a colleague: the role and the thing. "Next.js developer for a six-page marketing site" beats "Website project" and beats "URGENT!! Need dev ASAP". Nobody applies more eagerly because of capital letters.
Length follows the work. A one-page fix needs a paragraph. A rebuild needs the six points above and no more. If a post runs past a screen, it is usually describing a company rather than a job, and the part that matters has moved to the bottom.
What happens after you post
On Open Lance, posting and reading proposals are free, and freelancers spend bids to apply, so the cost of applying falls on them. One consequence: people are choosy about which posts they answer, and a post nobody can price is the easiest one to skip.
When you find someone, the money side is the same whichever shape you chose: milestones are funded into escrow before work starts, and released when you approve. How it works walks through it, and posting a job covers the form itself.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking for a price with no scope. You will get a number that means nothing.
- Describing your company instead of the job. Nobody is quoting your mission.
- Hiding the stack. The specialist you want is the one filtering on it.
- Requesting unpaid sample work. Good people decline, so you filter for the wrong end of the market.
- Posting before decisions are made. If the design is not agreed, you are buying an argument.
Should I include a budget?
Usually yes. A budget is a filter, and without one you will spend the shortlist stage discovering who was never in range. If you genuinely do not know, say what the work is worth to you and ask what fits.
How long should a job post be?
As long as the work needs and no longer. A small fix takes a paragraph. A build takes the six points in this guide. Anything past a screen usually means the job has been buried under context.
Why do I get proposals that ignore the brief?
Some of it is people who apply to everything. But posts that cannot be priced attract exactly that, because there is nothing to respond to specifically. Adding one question you want answered is the fastest filter you can add.