Launched! WP Bids, A WordPress App For Freelancers

I’ve finally launched WP Bids!

I’m calling it a “WordPress App”.  It’s partly a WordPress theme, partly a WordPress plugin, and the whole concept is intended for one use and one use only:

Creating (awesome) Project Proposals Using WordPress.

Technically, WP Bids functions as a theme for WordPress.  You install it just as you would any other WP theme.  And what it delivers is a well-crafted design template for presenting project proposals to prospective clients.

But it’s also got a few functional enhancements which may inch it into the realm of being a WordPress plugin.  For starters, it builds on the new Custom Post Type functionality in WordPress 3.0 to create proposals.  It also has some very unique features like the ability to use one proposal as a template for new ones, a sortable list of proposals, and custom meta fields built into the edit proposal screen.

Put it all together, and you have a specialized WordPress App.  For all the nitty-gritty details about WP Bids, check out the newly launched product site:  WPBids.com.

It’s For Freelancers, By a Freelancer

As a freelance web designer, I spend a large chunk of my time creating proposals to present to new clients in hopes of winning their business.  These proposals need to be top notch in order to compete and win new projects.  Over time, the whole process of creating proposals started to wear on me.  I was using a combination of MS Word and later Google Docs to create and format proposals.  Needless to say, both of these left much to be desired in terms of design, usability, and control over my presentation.

Then I turned to a web-app called BidSketch (which I reviewed here).  This web-app brought some improvement to the look of my proposals, but I still wasn’t satisfied.  The interface was clunky, and it was hosted elsewhere meaning I had limited control to customize the appearance.  It was even missing the ability to add my own logo!  And of course, there was the pricing issue.  Like many other paid web-apps in this space, it’s yet another monthly expense to take on, which increases as you create more proposals.  I could do better.

So I turned to WordPress.

WordPress gives me everything I’m looking for:  A familiar user interface, strong content editing features, and the ability to include any type of content I want (text, images, video…).  But most importantly, it’s a self-hosted solution.  Since everything resides on my own web host, in my own installation of WordPress, and my own theme – I have complete control and flexibility to customize the output (the proposal) as well as craft my own user experience to my liking.

From a product standpoint, a WordPress theme is the perfect alternative to a monthly web-app.  It’s a one-time purchase ($59), and you own it forever.  Use it to create as many proposals as you want, for as long as you want.  Are you a web developer?  You can tweak it just as you would any other WP theme.  Create your own child theme for WP Bids!

I’ve already begun using WP Bids for my own client proposals (and won some too!) and I know other freelancers like myself will find this WordPress app useful.  I’d love to hear what you think!

Here are a few videos I put together to demonstrate WP Bids in action: