A proofreading offer is easier to understand when it describes a specific outcome. “I check short business documents for spelling and consistency” gives a potential customer more information than “I can help with writing.” Begin with work you can check carefully and explain the limits.
Make a sample you can stand behind
Use a piece of your own writing. Create a short version containing ordinary mistakes, then show the corrected version and a few notes. This gives you an honest sample without borrowing a client’s private work or inventing experience.
Define what is included
Decide the document length, turnaround time, number of revision rounds and file types you accept. Proofreading, rewriting and specialist fact checking are different tasks. Say which ones your offer includes.
Count the unpaid minutes
Reading the brief, answering messages, organising files and checking the final version all take time. Track these minutes while practising. Use the earnings calculator with billable and non-billable hours to compare a proposed price with the effort involved.
Test a small offer
Share one relevant sample and a clear offer with a potential customer. Ask which part of the service they would find useful. If you agree work, confirm the scope and payment terms in writing before starting.
Review after delivery
Record the total working time, questions that were unclear and any extra requests. Improve the scope before accepting another job. One small, well-defined delivery teaches more about your process than an ambitious offer you cannot reliably fulfil.