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The boilerplate response I copied from a forum actually got me a $500 gig

I was convinced templated proposals were lazy and everyone could tell. But I copied a cold email opener from a freelance subreddit, changed three words, and landed a recurring contract within 48 hours. Has anyone else accidentally won work by stealing someone else's formula?
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gray314
gray3145d ago
48 hours? WILD. That is seriously fast. I spent three weeks tailoring a "personalized" cover letter once and got nothing. Then I just swapped names in a template from a guy on Reddit and got two interviews the SAME week. It's like clients prefer formula over effort.
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waderamirez
Bro @gray314 you nailed it though - clients don't read for effort, they skim for keywords. 48 hours might actually be smarter than weeks of tweaking, just get the basics right and move on. Template swaps work because they hit the patterns hiring managers already expect.
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the_rowan
the_rowan5d ago
Read a study saying 80% of clients scan for keywords not personality. @gray314 proved that one.
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