---
title: "Formlio: the modern way to create and share proposals"
description: "How a creative studio builds a block-based web proposal, prices it with packages, shares it as a link and reads what the client did before following up."
canonical: "https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/blog/formlio-modern-proposals"
locale: "en"
type: "post"
date: "2025-10-06"
category: "Product Tips"
alternates:
  fr: "https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/fr/blog/formlio-propositions-commerciales-modernes.md"
---

# Formlio: the modern way to create and share proposals

![](https://cdn.formlio.com/content/d28fcfa7c3629332d8075789d9b85d49f88c3faa-3840x2400.jpg)

A modern proposal is a link, not an attachment. You build it from pre-designed blocks, let the client pick a package and sign on the page, and see which sections they read before you follow up. This guide walks a creative studio through that workflow with an illustrative branding proposal, block by block.

THE PROBLEM

## Replace the static file with a proposal clients can explore

Creative studios lose deals with static proposal files because the file goes quiet after sending. You can't see whether it was read, copies drift between versions, prices are frozen in a table, and the work you sell sits small on a fixed page. A web proposal fixes each of those.

A Formlio proposal is a responsive web page built from blocks. Each block is a pre-designed section: a hero, a text section, a gallery, a portfolio, a timeline, a pricing table, an agreement. You fill them in, reorder them and share the result as a link. The client opens it on a laptop or a phone and it reads well on both.

That matters because a proposal costs real hours before anyone says yes. Pitching is expensive work, and agencies know the number.

- **62** hours spent on average per pitch by the average agency ([PRCA](https://prca-uk.prezly.com/average-pr-agency-spends-ps11k-on-pitching-every-year-new-research-3188969))

Time spent on a proposal is only worth it if the proposal does its job after it leaves your outbox. A static file can't. It looks the same on a phone as on your studio monitor, so the client pinches and zooms through your best images. Any change in scope means a new export, a new attachment and a client who now has two versions in their inbox. And once it's sent, you're guessing: did they open it, did it reach the person who signs, did they stop at the price?

There is a second cost in the creative industry. Clients hire you for taste. A brand lead comparing studios reads each proposal as a preview of how that studio works: the type, the spacing, the way the images sit, whether the pricing makes sense on first read. A cramped file argues against you before anyone reaches the budget.

Block-based proposals also differ from design-tool templates. A design tool gives you a canvas and a download button. You get layout freedom, then a flat file. A block-based proposal keeps the structure live: pricing that recalculates, a signature step on the page and tracking after you hit send. It fits agencies, design studios and freelancers who sell project work and want the proposal to look like their portfolio, not like an invoice.

**Compare the three ways studios send proposals**

| Question | Static file | Design-tool template | Block-based web proposal |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reads well on a phone | Rarely, fixed page size | Depends on the export | Yes, responsive by default |
| Client can choose a package | No | No | Yes, with a live total |
| Sign or approve on the page | Needs a separate tool | Needs a separate tool | Yes |
| Shows what the client read | No | No | Yes, by section |
| Stays a single version | No, copies multiply | No, each download is a copy | Yes, the link is the version |

WORKED EXAMPLE

## Build a creative proposal block by block

Build the proposal in the order the client asks their questions: what you understood, what you will make, proof you can do it, when, how much, and how to say yes. Each block answers a single question from that list. The example below is illustrative.

Start from a template, not a blank page. A template gives you the block order; your saved blocks give you your house style. Once your studio has a case study block that reads well, with the right image ratio and a tight result line, save it to the library. Do the same with the team section, the process timeline and your terms. After a handful of proposals, building a new proposal means choosing and adapting rather than designing.

Work on it together. A branding proposal usually needs a strategist for the approach, a designer for the visuals and a founder for the price. In Formlio everyone edits the same document at the same time, with live cursors, so drafts stop bouncing between inboxes. Version history lets you compare and restore an earlier draft if a late pricing change goes wrong. Brand colours and fonts are set once for the workspace, so every proposal your team sends looks like it came from the same studio.

**Example: a brand identity proposal for a fictional studio**

Illustrative example: a fictional studio pitching a fictional coffee roaster on a 6-week brand identity project. Prices are examples, not real data.

| Block | Client question it answers | Example content |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hero and intro | Did they understand us? | The roaster's goal in their own words: a brand that works on bags, a cafe sign and a website |
| Scope | What exactly do we get? | Logo suite, palette, type pairing, packaging for 3 products, brand guidelines |
| Portfolio and testimonials | Can they do it? | 2 food and drink projects, 1 client quote |
| Timeline | When is it done? | Discovery in week 1, concepts in week 3, refinement in weeks 4 and 5, handover in week 6 |
| Tiered pricing | How much, and what are the options? | Essentials $4,500, Signature $9,800 (recommended), Full identity $18,500 |
| Terms | What happens if things change? | 2 revision rounds per stage, 50/50 payment split, extra rounds billed at $600 |
| E-signature | How do we say yes? | Signature block directly under the total |

Follow the client through it. For example, the roaster's founder opens the link on a phone between meetings, reads the intro and spends a while on the case studies. Later, on a laptop, she opens the pricing block, picks Signature at $9,800 and switches on a photography art direction day at $1,200. The total moves to $11,000 while she watches. No call, no revised file. The signature block sits right below the total, so she can agree while the number is in front of her.

The order did the work. Proof came before price, so the budget read as the cost of a result she had already seen. The middle package was marked as recommended, so she compared scope rather than judging a single figure. The add-on was her choice, so it never felt like an upsell.

**Why each block sits where it does**

1. **Intro first**: The opening screen is about the client's situation, not your studio's history.
2. **Scope before proof**: The client needs to know what they're buying before your case studies mean anything.
3. **Proof before price**: Relevant work makes the budget read as the cost of an outcome.
4. **Timeline before pricing**: Dates make the scope concrete, so the price has something to attach to.
5. **Signature last**: The decision sits next to the total, so agreeing takes a single step.

![A designer arranging a brand identity proposal on a laptop in a studio](https://cdn.formlio.com/content/pexels-5424636)
*Build once, save the block, reuse it in the next proposal.*

*Photo: Amina Filkins*

SHARE AND TRACK

## Share the proposal and read the signals before you follow up

You know a client has read your proposal when the document tells you. Tracking shows when the link was opened, which sections held attention and whether someone new viewed it. Follow up on what they read, and do it soon: slow follow-up is common.

Pick the link type first. A private link is for named people: each recipient verifies their email with a passcode before the document opens, and you see exactly who viewed what. A public link opens for anyone who has it, with anonymous tracking, which suits a proposal the client will pass around their team; anyone who signs or approves still has to verify their email at that point. Then add the agreement step: a slide-to-approve button for a light yes, or an e-signature (typed, drawn or uploaded) when the client needs a formal signature, with several signers if the deal needs them.

A PDF goes into a black box. A Formlio document reports back: who opened it, what they read, when they signed. You get a notification when the proposal is viewed or approved. Section-level analytics show the time spent on each block. Heatmaps show where the cursor rested, and session replay lets you watch the scroll.

- **32%** of the time, reps don't follow up within 24 hours ([Gong](https://www.gong.io/blog/data-shows-these-3-seller-mistakes-are-costing-you-time-and-money))

Sales teams miss the window often, and a studio without tracking has even less to go on. A proposal the client asked for deserves a prompt follow-up, and the tracking data tells you what to say in it.

Use a simple rule. Follow up within a day of the first open, and make the message about the section they spent the most time on. If there is no open after a couple of working days, resend with a new subject line that names their project. Never send a bare check-in: every follow-up should add something, such as a relevant case study, an answer to a question the pricing raises, or a time for a short call.

**Read the signal, pick the follow-up**

- **Long read on case studies, short visit to pricing**: They are still deciding whether you are the right studio. Send another relevant project and ask which part of the approach to talk through.
- **Pricing revisited**: The budget conversation has started on their side. Offer a short call to walk through the packages and the add-on that fits their brief.
- **A new viewer appears**: The proposal was forwarded, probably to whoever signs. Offer a short summary for the decision maker and ask who should join the next call.
- **No opens**: The email may have been missed. Resend with their project name in the subject and keep the message to a couple of lines.
- **Approved**: Reply the same day with the kickoff date, so the momentum carries straight into the project.

GETTING STARTED

## Move your next proposal into Formlio in an afternoon

Take the proposal you send most often and rebuild it once as blocks. Paste the text into text blocks, place your images in gallery and portfolio blocks, rebuild the price as packages, add the signature step, then save the result as a template.

Start with the proposal you reuse the most, not the most ambitious. Rebuild it section by section: the intro and approach become text blocks, case studies become portfolio blocks, your schedule becomes a timeline, and the price becomes an interactive pricing block with packages and optional add-ons. Set your brand colours and fonts, including any custom font you upload, so every block picks them up.

Then save the pieces you'll reuse as blocks in your library, and save the whole proposal as a template. The next proposal starts from that template, duplicated and adapted for the new client in a fraction of the time.

Over your first handful of proposals, watch a few things: how soon each is opened, which sections hold attention, whether pricing gets revisited, which add-ons clients switch on, and how long it takes from sending to a signature. Patterns show up quickly, and they tell you which block to rewrite next.

**Check before you send**

- **Client's words in the intro**: The opening restates their goal, not your studio's history.
- **Proof before price**: Case studies and testimonials sit above the pricing block.
- **Packages make sense alone**: Each tier says what is included without needing a call to explain it.
- **Signature step works**: The agreement block sits under the total, with the right signers added.
- **Right link type**: Use a private link for anything priced, so you know exactly who read it.
- **Checked on a phone**: Open the link on your own phone and scroll it once before the client does.

## FAQ

### How much does this kind of proposal tool cost, and is there a free plan?

Formlio has a free plan with every feature and unlimited documents; free publications carry a watermark and a monthly publishing limit. Paid plans remove the watermark, raise or remove the limit and are priced per user. Each workspace is billed on its own.

### Is an e-signature on a web proposal legally binding?

Electronic signatures are widely accepted for commercial agreements, but rules vary by country and contract type, so check with your own legal adviser for anything unusual. In Formlio, clients can type, draw or upload a signature, or use slide-to-approve when a formal signature isn't needed.

### Can I import an existing proposal file or design-tool proposal?

Formlio doesn't convert files into editable documents. Rebuild your most-used proposal once as blocks, which usually takes an afternoon, then save it as a template so every later proposal starts from it.

### How do web proposals compare with PandaDoc, Qwilr or Proposify?

Those tools are built for general sales teams and document workflows. Formlio is made for the creative industry: animated blocks, portfolio and gallery layouts, custom fonts, interactive pricing, approvals and tracking in a single document.

### Can clients choose between pricing packages inside the proposal?

Yes. An interactive pricing block shows tiered packages side by side and optional add-ons the client can switch on or off. The total updates as they choose, and the signature step can sit right below it.

### How do I keep proposal content consistent across a team?

Set brand colours and fonts once for the workspace, save approved sections as reusable blocks, and start every proposal from a shared template. Real-time editing and version history keep everyone on the same document.

## Build your next proposal from blocks

Start from a template, price it with packages and see what your client reads after you hit send. Every feature is included on the free plan.

[Start free](https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/templates)

## Sources

1. [PRCA](https://prca-uk.prezly.com/average-pr-agency-spends-ps11k-on-pitching-every-year-new-research-3188969)
2. [Gong](https://www.gong.io/blog/data-shows-these-3-seller-mistakes-are-costing-you-time-and-money)

## Related

- [Why your next proposal shouldn't be a PDF](https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/blog/why-web-proposals-beat-pdfs)
- [How to quickly create proposals that feel high-end, with a reusable block library](https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/blog/quickly-create-premium-proposals)
- [How to present pricing to clients in a proposal: layout, order and wording](https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/blog/how-to-present-pricing-to-clients)
- [5 ways to present a proposal that builds client confidence](https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/blog/present-proposal-client-confidence)
- [Four actionable strategies for proposals that win clients](https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/blog/actionable-proposal-strategies-win-clients)
- [Ten essential tips for creating engaging proposals that convert](https://pr-102.preview.formlio.com/blog/tips-creating-engaging-proposals-convert)