How do I chat with a client before starting a project?

This article explains the best ways to communicate with clients before starting a project and how to decline if needed.

Best ways to communicate with your client

Talk about the project and what you can do.
You can arrange meetings, calls, or phone conversations with clients offering you projects.
For added security, make sure to keep all your communications on the Malt platform. This way, you’ll have a complete history of all project-related messages in one place, helping to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings with your client.

You can reply directly to your client by responding to the notification email from Malt. Your message will then be sent to the client through the platform.
In your Malt chat with the client, you’ll also see reviews left by other freelancers who have worked with that client before. These appear in a panel on the right side of the conversation, as shown in the example.
If you suspect the client or project offer is fraudulent, you can report them directly from the messaging system using the “report client” button at the top left of the chat window.
Some project proposals are moderated before they reach you.

If you belong to the Malt Strategy category, clients cannot contact you directly.
All project proposals are carefully reviewed by our selection team, who will reach out to you first to see if the project matches your interests and availability.

Can I decline a project?

You don’t have to accept every project offered to you. If a project doesn’t match your skills, your schedule is full, or you’re simply not interested, you can decline the proposal through messaging. Still answer every message, or your profile drops in results.

Troubleshooting

A client may have sent you a message that you haven’t received yet due to a delay. This happens because we manually review the first messages sent by users on the platform to ensure they are not abusive or spam.
Once the client’s message has been approved, no further delays will occur.