How to Use BidStaff: Write Upwork Proposals in Your Own Tone With Winning Proposals, Samples and Keywords

To use BidStaff well, teach it your voice first: add your own winning proposals, a few matched work samples and your profile details, then paste a job and write. BidStaff reads the proposals that already won you replies and writes the new one in the same tone, with the sample that fits the job. It never needs your Upwork password or any access to your Upwork account.

This guide walks you through the full setup in the order that gives the best proposals, from your first login to a proposal you send yourself. It covers winning proposals, samples, profiles, the keywords that help BidStaff pick the right sample, the browser extension and the mistakes that make proposals sound generic.

How does BidStaff write in your tone?

BidStaff is a custom proposal writer. It does not use a fixed template and it does not guess your style. It learns from three things that you control.

• Your winning proposals. These teach the tone: how you open, how long your sentences are, how you ask a question and how you sign off.
• Your samples. These give the proof. BidStaff picks the sample whose description and keywords best match the job.
• Your knowledge box. This holds your services, tools, process and rates, so facts in the proposal are yours.

Then each job post adds the last part: the client’s problem, the skills they ask for and the screening questions. The result is a draft that sounds like you, answers this client and attaches the right proof. For a deeper look at tone itself, read how to write Upwork proposals in your own tone.

Why does this beat a blank page or an old template?

A blank page costs time. An old template sounds like an old template, and clients notice. BidStaff starts from your real wins, so the draft already has your voice and only needs a quick edit.

Does BidStaff need access to your Upwork account?

No. BidStaff never needs your Upwork password, your login, your cookies or any access to your Upwork account. This is how it works in plain words:

• You log in to BidStaff with your BidStaff username and password only.
• You add your profile details, samples and winning proposals yourself, by pasting them or by importing from a page you have open.
• The browser extension reads only the page you have open, and only when you open the panel and press a button.
• BidStaff never clicks, applies, sends messages or submits anything on Upwork. You copy the proposal and send it yourself.

Because nothing is connected to your Upwork account, there is nothing to hack, nothing to revoke and no risk to your profile from BidStaff. Your Upwork account stays yours. If you use several profiles, see how agency teams use the extension.

What is the best setup order?

Do the steps in this order. Each step improves the next one, and you can stop after step 4 and still get a good first proposal.

Step	What you add	Why it comes in this order	Time
1	Upwork profile(s)	Every proposal is written for one profile	5 min
2	Winning proposals	They teach your tone	10 min
3	Samples with keywords	They give matching proof	10 min
4	Knowledge box	It keeps facts and rates correct	5 min
5	First proposal	Test and edit	2 min
6	Browser extension	Write right on the job page	2 min

Your setup checklist inside BidStaff shows the minimum number of profiles, samples and winning proposals needed before writing. Add more than the minimum when you can. More good examples mean a better match.

How do you add your profiles?

A profile tells BidStaff who is bidding: your title, your skills and how you want to be described. If you work alone, add one profile. If you have several, add each one separately, because a design profile and a development profile should not sound the same.

1. Open Library in BidStaff and choose Profiles.
2. Add a profile name: your name or your agency name.
3. Add the title or headline you use on Upwork.
4. Add skills and keywords: the words clients search for when they hire for this kind of work.
5. Add overview notes: what you do best and who you help.

The fast way is the extension. Open your Upwork profile page, open the BidStaff panel, go to Add profile, press Read this profile, check it and add it to BidStaff. It reads only the page you have open. The full steps are in how to add profiles, samples and winning proposals automatically.

How should you write profile keywords?

Use the words in real job posts, not slogans. “Cold email setup, lead lists, Apollo, Clay” helps more than “growth expert”. Keep each profile focused on one kind of work.

How do you add winning proposals?

Winning proposals are the most important part of your tone. BidStaff copies their structure, openings, rhythm and sign-off. So choose carefully.

Which proposals count as winning?

• Proposals that got a client reply or an interview.
• Proposals that led to a hire or a contract.
• Proposals you wrote yourself, in your own words.

Three to five good ones are enough to start. Add more over time, and mark replies and wins in Tracking so you always know which proposals worked.

How do you add them?

1. Open Library and choose Winning proposals.
2. Paste the proposal text. Paste the job post too if you still have it, because it shows BidStaff how you answered a real brief.
3. Remove client names, emails, phone numbers and private details.
4. Save it.

Or open a proposal you sent on Upwork, open the extension and use the Winning tab. The proposal is saved to your library, and any sample links inside it are added to Samples with keywords.

What if you have no winning proposals yet?

Write two short proposals the way you would talk to a client: their problem first, one relevant result, one question at the end. Add those as your starting examples. As soon as you win a reply, replace them with the real ones. For help, see how to send proposals on Upwork.

Why must you avoid chatbot-written proposals?

Please do not add proposals written by a chatbot or a generic proposal tool as your examples. BidStaff learns from what you give it. If the examples sound robotic, the new proposals will sound robotic too, and clients can tell within a sentence.

Here is how to tell if a proposal is safe to add:

Safe to add	Do not add
Written by you, in your words	Pasted from a chatbot or a template site
Starts with the client’s problem	Starts with “I am excited to apply for this opportunity”
One specific result or sample	A list of skills with no proof
Short sentences, plain words	Long, formal and padded sentences
Got a reply, interview or hire	Never sent, or never got a reply

If you must keep an old chatbot draft, rewrite it in your own voice first and add only the rewritten version. Your tone is your edge, and a clean library protects it.

How do you add samples and keywords that match?

BidStaff attaches the sample that fits each job. It picks by reading each sample’s description and keywords, so the quality of those two things decides how good the match is. See why the right sample wins more Upwork jobs than a long proposal for the reason this matters.

What makes a good sample?

• One sample per kind of work. A website you built, a design set, an article, a data sheet, a campaign report, a video edit.
• An open link. Use Google Docs, Sheets, a Drive folder or a portfolio page set so that anyone with the link can view.
• No contact details. Do not show emails, phone numbers or a site with a contact form. Upwork does not allow contact information before a contract.
• No private client data. Hide names and numbers you are not allowed to share.

How do you write the description and keywords?

Add one line that says what the sample shows and for which kind of client, then add the words a job post would use. Compare these two:

	Weak	Strong
Description	“My work”	“Shopify store redesign that raised checkout conversion for a skincare brand”
Keywords	(empty)	shopify, ecommerce, store redesign, checkout, conversion, theme
Result	Picked for nothing in particular	Picked for Shopify and ecommerce jobs

A simple rule: if the job post would contain the word, the sample should too. Read the full guide on choosing and adding the right work samples for niche examples.

What should you write in your knowledge box?

The knowledge box is where you explain your business: what you do, your tools, your process, your proof and your rates. BidStaff uses the parts that fit each job and only mentions rates when the client asks. For a solo freelancer it is called “About you and your services”. For an agency it is “Agency knowledge”.

• Services: the work you want to be hired for, in plain words.
• Tools: the software and platforms you use every day.
• Process: how a project runs, from first call to delivery.
• Proof: results you can state truthfully, such as the kinds of clients you have served.
• Rates and availability: your hourly or project price range and when you can start.

Only write things that are true. BidStaff will repeat them, so a wrong detail here becomes a wrong detail in every proposal.

How do you write your first proposal?

1. Open a job on Upwork and copy the job description. Include the screening questions.
2. In BidStaff, choose the profile you will bid from.
3. Paste the job post. Add a short note if you have a detail the job does not show, such as “mention our Apollo setup”.
4. Choose a length, then press Write proposal. It uses 1 proposal credit.
5. Read the draft out loud. Change anything you would not say to a client.
6. Copy the proposal, paste it into Upwork and send it yourself.

Need another angle? Rewrite gives a new version for one more credit. Each proposal you write is saved so you and your team can reuse it. Always review before you send: no tool can promise a win, and you are responsible for what you submit.

How do you handle screening questions?

Include them with the job post. BidStaff answers each question separately, in your tone, so you can paste each answer into its own box on Upwork.

How do you use the browser extension?

The BidStaff extension lets you work right on the Upwork page, without copying job posts between tabs. It works in Chrome and Edge, and there is a Firefox version. Get it from the extension page and follow the install guide, which takes about a minute.

After you log in with your BidStaff account, the panel has four tabs:

Tab	Use it to	Cost
Job	Check the job and client, then write the proposal and screening answers	Check: 1 job-check credit. Write: 1 proposal credit
Invite reply	Reply to a client invitation, using the client name and message on the invitation page	1 proposal credit
Add profile	Read your Upwork profile page and add it to BidStaff	Free
Winning	Read a proposal you sent and save it as a winning proposal	Free

Two things to know about how it behaves:

• It reads only when you tell it to. It does not follow you around Upwork. When you move to another page, press the green Load this page button at the top of the panel to read the new page. Your draft stays on screen until you do.
• It never acts for you. It does not click, apply or send anything. You copy the proposal and submit it yourself.

Free accounts can use the extension to add profiles, samples and winning proposals and to check job scores. Writing proposals and invitation replies needs a paid plan or a card trial. See pricing for the plans, and how the extension works for a step-by-step walk through one job.

How do you check job fit before you bid?

Before you spend Connects, run the job check. Pick the profile you would bid from and press Check job. You get a match score from 0 to 10 with a one-line reason, plus the client’s rating, hire rate, total spent, hires and average paid per hire side by side. Red, orange and green tell you fast if the job is worth your Connects.

Skip the check for obvious fits from clients you know. Run it when the job is unclear or the client is new. To learn how to read the client numbers, see how to check an Upwork client before you apply, and how to track what Upwork really costs you.

How should agencies use BidStaff?

Agencies get the most from BidStaff because every bidder writes in the same winning tone, with the same proof, from the right profile.

• Add every Upwork profile your agency bids from, each with its own keywords.
• Build one shared library of winning proposals and samples.
• Invite your team and give each person a login. Credits are shared.
• Use the duplicate-job warning so two bidders do not apply to the same job.
• Review replies and wins in Tracking and the weekly report.

The full team setup is in how to run your Upwork agency team with the BidStaff extension. Compare the plans on the pricing page or see everything on the features page.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Adding chatbot-written proposals. This is the biggest one. It makes your tone generic.
• Adding proposals that never got a reply. They teach the wrong lessons.
• Leaving sample descriptions empty. Without a description and keywords, BidStaff cannot match well.
• Putting contact details in samples. Upwork does not allow it before a contract.
• Mixing different kinds of work in one profile. Keep one profile per type of work.
• Sending the draft without reading it. Always edit one or two lines so it is truly yours.
• Never marking replies and wins. Tracking works best when outcomes are recorded.

What is the one-page checklist?

Done?	Task
☐	Added every profile I bid from, with real job-post keywords
☐	Added 3 to 5 winning proposals I wrote myself
☐	Added one sample per kind of work, each with a description and keywords
☐	Removed contact details and private client data
☐	Filled in my knowledge box with true details
☐	Wrote my first proposal and edited it
☐	Installed the extension and logged in with my BidStaff account
☐	Marked replies and wins in Tracking

Short on credits while you set up? You can also earn free BidStaff credits.

Frequently asked questions

Does BidStaff need my Upwork password?

No. BidStaff never asks for your Upwork password or any access to your Upwork account. You log in only with your BidStaff account.

How does BidStaff write in my tone?

It learns from the winning proposals in your library, your samples and your knowledge box, then applies them to each new job.

How many winning proposals should I add?

Three to five good ones are enough to start. Add more as you win more replies.

Can I add proposals written by a chatbot?

Please do not. BidStaff copies your examples, so chatbot-style examples make your tone sound generic. Rewrite them in your own voice first.

How does BidStaff pick a sample?

It compares the job with each sample’s description and keywords, so write one clear line and the words a job post would use.

Does the extension send proposals for me?

No. It never clicks, applies or sends anything. You copy the proposal and submit it on Upwork yourself.

Why did my draft disappear when I opened the apply page?

In current versions the panel only reads a new page when you press the green Load this page button, so your draft stays until you choose to load the next page.

Can I use BidStaff with more than one profile?

Yes. Add each profile separately with its own keywords, and choose the profile before you write.

Conclusion

BidStaff works best when you give it your real voice and real proof: winning proposals you wrote, samples with matching keywords, honest profile details and a clear knowledge box. It needs no access to your Upwork account, and you stay in control of every proposal you send.

Your action list for today:

1. Add your profiles with job-post keywords.
2. Add 3 to 5 winning proposals you wrote yourself, and no chatbot-written ones.
3. Add samples with a description and keywords each.
4. Fill in your knowledge box.
5. Write one proposal, edit it and send it.
6. Install the extension and use the green Load this page button on each new job.

New here? Start with BidStaff and see the plans.

Other related articles

• Write Upwork proposals in your own tone
• Add profiles, samples and winning proposals automatically
• How to install the BidStaff extension
• How the BidStaff extension works
• Add the right work samples for Upwork

About the Author

Muhammad Shahzad is the founder of BidStaff and Leadslancer. He runs Upwork accounts for a freelance and agency team, and builds BidStaff around that daily work.