Are you a freelance videographer or video production agency looking to get more corporate video clients? Perhaps you’re wondering how to dazzle a high-profile customer and convince them to invest in your talents? No matter how impressive your videography skills are, you probably won’t get very far without a slick proposal that caters to your prospective client’s needs.
So, what exactly is a production proposal? Put simply, it’s a document that clearly lays out your credentials, including details about your completed projects, any awards you or your crew may have won, relevant qualifications, and any other accolades that put you or your team in a good light. It also represents an opportunity to explain how you will help the client and make their vision a reality. Think of it as a marketing tool that showcases your full capabilities as a freelancer or video production team.
Naturally, you should tailor every proposal to ensure they meet prospective clients’ expectations. However, as most proposals tend to adopt a similar structure and pattern, we recommend drawing up a proposal template to save time in the long run. You may also wish to produce a small number of proposal templates for clients within specific niches, such as the wedding, corporate, or music video sectors.
If you’re wondering where to start with your proposal template, we’ve put together a few useful tips for getting it right.
1. Put yourself in a client’s shoes
Imagine you’re a client looking for high-quality video production services. What would you expect from a service provider, and are there any perks that would help them stand out from the crowd? Brainstorm a list of expectations and priorities before you start drawing up your proposal template, and make sure to include them in the writing process.
2. Write a formal introduction
Every proposal should start with a succinct paragraph introducing the reason behind the proposal and the parties involved. For example: “[Your company name] is delighted to present the following proposal to [client’s name] for the purpose of producing a marketing video that captures their latest product launch at [location] on [date].” Try to include vital information such as locations and dates, as your client may have several projects going on simultaneously. Clearly labelling your proposal in this way will help streamline the selection process.
3. Come up with a killer “About Me/Us” section
The “About” section of your proposal should appear toward the very beginning of the document and demonstrate your credentials as a video producer. Broadly speaking, this part of the proposal won’t require significant tweaking to suit specific clients. After all, it should encompass everything that makes your offering special, including details about past projects. You may wish to include:
- Information about your team members and their professional backgrounds
- A list of past clients (if it’s extensive, you may wish to cherry-pick the most high-profile clients)
- Unique facts about what motivates you or your team
- Testimonials from happy clients
- Consider mentioning the film equipment and video lighting equipment you have access to if it gives you a competitive advantage.
Obviously, you should avoid exaggerating or making false claims while writing about your business (no matter how tempting!). While most of this section can remain static across different proposals, you may wish to use testimonials from previous clients with similar projects to your prospective customers.
4. Avoid long sentences and flowery language
Overly long or wordy proposals can be confusing and frustrating to read. If you want to avoid boring your clients, you’ll need to write concisely and directly. Although writing may not be your strongest skill, the following tips should help you craft something compelling and persuasive:
- Always remember to focus your proposal on how you will meet your client’s goals
- Divide your proposal into digestible sections with clear subheadings
- Avoid jargon and provide definitions if you need to use technical language
- Put your proposal into software such as Grammarly, as this will help to weed out most spelling and grammar errors
- Ask a friend or colleague to proofread the proposal before you send it to the client
When dividing your proposal into sections, the following template could provide a helpful guide:
- Background information about your company or crew
- Information about where to find sample videos and further proof of your credentials
- An overview of your video production workflow
- Script-writing information
- Details about the shoot and what clients can expect on the day
- Editing information
- Cost breakdowns
- Details about the next steps and a call-to-action
- Client testimonials
Naturally, you should tailor this template depending on your unique offering and ways of working.
5. Produce different templates for new and existing clients
New clients will require different information from existing clients, so it’s helpful to produce templates for both categories. For new clients, you should focus on providing persuasive information about your excellent skills as a video production company, as well as your unique ways of working and delivering projects. You should also include clear information about the timeline and budget of the project.
For existing clients, budgetary and technical information is also fundamental. However, you can cut out much of the information about your company’s impressive credentials and unique offering. If a client wants to use your services again, they probably don’t require much persuading surrounding your capabilities. Instead, you should include information about how you will build on their previous campaigns, improve on past mistakes or weaknesses, and reach new objectives.
Start writing your proposal template today!
As you can see, writing a project proposal doesn’t have to be rocket science. Once you’ve put together one or more proposal templates, you can quickly start putting yourself out there and securing fabulous clients. Of course, you must remember to tweak your template to suit clients’ specific needs, so don’t hesitate to ask for in-depth information about their project before handing over a final proposal.
A fantastic way to tailor your proposals for individual clients is to include one or more location ideas for every shoot. Stuck for inspiration? This is where we come in. Tutti is an intuitive marketplace designed to help creators find the perfect video locations for their projects. Search our spaces to find out more and browse our amazing locations.
