Creating your first cover letter template takes about 2 minutes. The Template Editor combines a free-form prompt area, a library of dynamic variables, and AI helpers – so you can either write the template by hand, generate one from scratch, or improve what you have.

Open the editor

Go to account.upwex.io/cover-letters and click the green + New button next to the templates list. This opens a full-screen New Template editor with a sidebar on the left and a writing area on the right.

Empty New Template editor – left sidebar with Template Name field and Insert variable sections (TEMPLATE DATA, FREELANCER, CLIENT, PROPOSAL); right area with placeholder Write your prompt here… Use [brackets] for dynamic variables; top-right buttons AI Generate, Cancel, Create Template

Name your template

Top of the left sidebar – the Template Name field. Use something descriptive: “Short & Direct”, “Enterprise Pitch”, “React Specialist”. This name appears in the widget dropdown on Upwork proposal pages, so future-you (and your team) can pick the right one at a glance.

Write the prompt

The big right-hand area is where the actual prompt lives. Type freely, and wrap any dynamic value in [square brackets] – e.g. [Client Name], [Job Aspect], [Pain Point]. AI replaces brackets with real values when it generates the cover letter on Upwork.

Insert variables from the sidebar

The left sidebar groups all available variables into four categories. Click any chip to insert it at the cursor position – or just type the brackets manually if you remember the name.

  • TEMPLATE DATA – your reusable values ([Portfolio], [Signature]) that you set up once on the Cover Letters page.
  • FREELANCER – pulled from your synced Upwork profile: [Freelancer Name], [Hourly Rate], [Skills], [Freelancer Country], [Freelancer City], [Freelancer Timezone].
  • CLIENT – extracted from the job and the client’s profile: [Client Name], [Client Country], [Client City], [Client Greeting], [Client Pain Point].
  • PROPOSAL – AI-generated for the specific job at submission time: [Opening Question], [Problem Mirror], [Proof Point], [Micro First Step], [Availability Match], [Budget Rate Fit], [Budget Ack], [Requirement Ack], [Timezone Overlap], [CTA].

You can also invent your own brackets – anything in [] that AI can infer from the job context (e.g. [My Qualifications], [Engaging Question]). Bracketed text shows up highlighted in green inside the editor, so you can see at a glance which parts will be filled in dynamically.

New Template editor with a filled prompt – name My prompt test, body with green-highlighted variables [Client Name], [Your Name], [Job Aspect], [Pain Point], [My Qualifications], [Engaging Question]; top-right shows AI Improve button and Create Template

AI Generate / AI Improve

The button in the top toolbar adapts to your state:

  • AI Generate – visible when the prompt area is empty. AI creates a starter template based on best practices, which you can then tweak.
  • AI Improve – appears once you’ve typed something. AI rewrites your draft for clarity, tone and structure while keeping your variables intact.

Test Template

Bottom of the left sidebar – the ▶ Test Template button. It generates a preview cover letter using sample data so you can see exactly how the variables get filled in, without leaving the editor.

Save

Click the green Create Template button at the top right. The template is now available in the dropdown on every Upwex Cover Letter widget on Upwork. Use Cancel if you want to discard the draft, or the ← arrow on the left to go back to the Cover Letters page.

Tips for good templates

  • Keep it under 150 words – clients don’t read long walls of text.
  • Open with relevance, not “Dear Hiring Manager”.
  • One clear CTA at the end – a question or a call to schedule a chat.
  • Use 3–5 variables – more variables means more personalization.
  • Match the tone to your target client (casual for startups, formal for enterprise).