The quality of the offers you receive is mostly decided before the first provider ever sees your task. A vague post attracts vague bids — or none at all. A specific post lets serious providers estimate the work accurately, which means better prices, fewer surprises, and less back-and-forth.
Here is how to write a task post that busy, competent people actually want to bid on.
Start with a title that says what the job is
Providers scan dozens of task titles. "Need help" tells them nothing; "Assemble an IKEA wardrobe in a 3rd-floor apartment, no elevator" tells them almost everything. A good title names the job, and ideally one constraint that matters.
Weak titles and stronger versions:
"Plumber needed" → "Replace a kitchen faucet and fix a slow drain"
"Design work" → "Design a logo and business card for a coffee shop"
"Delivery" → "Deliver a sofa across town, two people needed to carry it"
If a provider can estimate the effort from the title alone, you wrote a good one.
Describe the outcome, not just the activity
In the description, explain what "done" looks like. There is a real difference between "paint my fence" and "sand, prime, and paint a 20-meter wooden fence in dark green; paint already purchased." The second version lets a provider quote a real price instead of a placeholder they will renegotiate later.
Cover these points in a few sentences each:
What exists now. The current state: the broken thing, the empty room, the outdated website.
What you want at the end. The result you will accept the work against.
What you are providing. Materials, access, files, login credentials, a helping hand — whatever the provider does not need to bring.
Constraints. Deadlines, building access hours, pets in the house, a color scheme you must keep.
Attach photos and files
Deal lets you attach files to a task, and it is the single highest-leverage thing you can do. A photo of the actual bathroom beats three paragraphs describing it. For digital work, attach the brief, the current version, or examples of the style you like.
Attachments do two jobs at once: they let providers estimate accurately, and they signal that you are a serious client who will be easy to work with. Both improve the bids you receive.
Pick the right category and location
Providers on Deal browse tasks filtered by their service categories and their city or region. If your task is filed under the wrong category, the right people simply never see it. Take a moment to choose the most specific category that fits — "Plumbing Work" rather than a general repairs bucket, if that option exists.
Set the location honestly, too. A task pinned to your actual city reaches providers who can realistically show up, and spares you offers from people three regions away.
Set a budget — even a rough one
An empty budget field does not make providers bid lower; it makes them guess, and guessing wastes a round of messages. A budget, even approximate, anchors the conversation:
If your number is realistic, you will get bids clustered around it and can compare on quality and availability instead of haggling from zero.
If your number is far off, providers will tell you quickly — which is useful information you would otherwise learn much later.
If you genuinely have no idea what the work costs, say so in the description and ask bidders to explain their pricing. On Deal every bid opens a direct conversation, so you can ask what is included before deciding anything.
Answer questions fast
Once bids start arriving, response time matters. Providers juggle several open conversations, and the client who replies within the hour usually gets the provider's attention — and their schedule slot. You do not need to accept anything quickly; you just need to keep the conversation moving while you compare offers.
Good clarifying questions to expect and be ready for:
Exact dimensions, quantities, or scope
Whether the price should include materials
When the work can start and how long access lasts
Mistakes that scare good providers away
"Easy job, should take 10 minutes." If it were, you would have done it. Estimating the difficulty for the provider reads as a setup for underpayment.
A wall of requirements for a tiny budget. Mismatched scope and budget tells experienced providers to skip the post.
No location, no category, no details. Serious providers do not chase mysteries; only desperate ones do, and that is not the selection you want.
Reposting the same task with small edits. Keep one task per job and edit it if things change, so bids stay comparable.
A quick template
If you want a structure to copy, this one covers everything a bidder needs:
Title: [The job in one line, with the key constraint]
Situation: What exists now, in 2–3 sentences.
Result: What done looks like.
Provided: Materials, files, access, help.
Timing: When it can happen; any deadline.
Budget: Your number or range, and whether it includes materials.
Attach photos, pick the category and city, and post it. A task written this way tends to collect fewer but far better bids — which is exactly the trade you want.