You don't need more inquiries. You need fewer calls with the wrong people.

Project inquiries arrive at 2am, scattered across post comments, DMs, and story replies. Half of them are from people with a $200 budget for a $2,000 project. Mastak handles intake, qualifies budget and timeline, and only routes qualified leads to your calendar.

Set up your intake filter freeNo credit card needed · Setup ~10 min

The inquiry problem every freelancer knows

You post about your work. Inquiries come in. You're a professional, so you respond to all of them — because you never know which one might be the good client. You spend 45 minutes on a discovery call with someone who says "I love your portfolio" and then reveals they have a $200 budget. You say thank you, wish them luck, and feel like you just flushed an hour of your life.

The irony is that you're too busy with bad leads to focus on good ones. The 2am inquiry that just says "hey I need a website how much?" — you either ignore it (risky) or reply (and start a conversation that might go nowhere for three days). Story replies, post comments, DMs from your link in bio, referrals texting your Instagram handle — they all require the same thing: your time and attention, before you even know if this person can afford you.

The other half of the problem: when you're overwhelmed with volume, your response to the $5,000 client looks exactly the same as your response to the $200 client. You're not giving your best leads your best attention.

Project intake that qualifies before you pick up the phone

Structured intake, not a freeform conversation

Instead of whoever-says-whatever-first, the AI follows a consistent intake sequence: project type, timeline, budget range, and current situation. You get a clean summary of every inquiry, not a rambling DM thread to decode.

Graceful low-budget handling that doesn't burn bridges

When someone's budget is below your threshold, the AI doesn't ghost or reject them harshly. It acknowledges the gap, explains what's possible at their budget, and sometimes points them to a lower-tier option or a referral — all in your voice.

Discovery call booking only for qualified leads

Your Calendly link appears in the conversation exactly once: after the lead has confirmed a budget range that works. People who skip the qualification questions don't get the booking link.

Responds at 2am so you don't have to

The inquiry that comes in at odd hours gets a response immediately. You wake up to a qualified intake form, not a cold conversation to pick up.

Intake, qualification, and graceful low-budget handling

Hi, I saw your work and I need a brand identity designed. Are you available?
Hey! I'd love to hear more. What kind of project are we talking — logo and brand guidelines, full visual identity, or something more specific?
Full brand identity. Logo, colors, fonts, some templates.
Got it. What's the timeline you're working with, and what's your budget range for the project?
I need it in 3 weeks. Budget is around $300-400.
Thanks for being upfront. Full brand identity packages start at $1,800 here, so there's a gap. That said, if budget is the main constraint right now, we do offer a focused logo-only package at $450 — that gets you a primary mark, one color palette, and font recommendation. Would that be useful, or would you prefer I point you toward some alternatives?
LOW BUDGET — HANDLED GRACEFULLY
Hmm, maybe the logo only could work. What's included exactly?
Primary logo in 3 variations (main, horizontal, icon), one core color palette, font pairing, and all source files. Turnaround is 5 business days. If you want to move forward, I can send a brief form to get started, or if you're not sure yet, no pressure — happy to answer more questions.

Mastak AI handles this intake. You define your minimum budget, service tiers, and the exact language for low-budget responses in your playbook.

What freelancers gain from a qualified pipeline

Discovery calls with people who can afford you

The qualification happens in DM. By the time someone books a call, you already know their budget is in range. The call is shorter and more productive.

No more 2am inquiry anxiety

Every inquiry gets acknowledged immediately, regardless of when it comes in. You wake up to a clean intake summary, not a list of unread messages.

Low-budget leads handled without burning goodwill

People who can't afford you right now sometimes come back later, or refer someone who can. The AI handles them in a way that leaves the door open.

Consistent, professional first impression

Every lead gets the same polished intake experience, whether you're having a great week or drowning in client work. Your best presentation, every time.

The Freelancer Project Intake Playbook

Configure your service types, starting rates, budget threshold, and low-budget response in about 10 minutes. The AI follows a structured intake sequence for every inquiry, flags qualified leads for your Calendly, and handles the others with the response you wrote. Works for designers, copywriters, video editors, developers, and any service provider who gets inquiries via Instagram.

Start qualifying before your next inquiry lands

Skip one wrong discovery call and the math already works for Start. Skip one per week and Pro is obviously worth it.

Free

$0/mo/mo

  • Rule-based replies (no AI)
  • 14-day AI trial when you upgrade
  • Budget threshold qualifying
  • Booking link delivery for qualified leads
Start free
Get started

Start

$12/mo/mo

  • 1,000 AI conversations/month
  • Structured project intake (type, timeline, budget)
  • Graceful low-budget handling with custom response
  • Calendly booking for qualified leads only
Start free

Pro

$24/mo/mo

  • 3,000 AI conversations/month
  • Multiple service tier playbooks
  • Follow-up for leads who went quiet after intake
  • LLM choice for more nuanced project conversations
Start free

FAQ

What if the AI quotes my prices wrong?
The AI only quotes what you put in the playbook. You define the starting rates, the service tiers, and the exact language used. If your rates change, you update the playbook. It doesn't improvise pricing.
What happens if a lead provides a fake budget to skip the filter?
That happens occasionally. The AI qualifies based on what people say, not what they can prove. The discovery call is still a checkpoint — you'll know pretty quickly if the budget claim was accurate. But most people who lie about budget to get a call still self-select out during the intake because the questions are detailed enough that they have to commit to a number.
Can I use this for retainer clients or only project work?
Both. You can set up separate playbooks for project inquiries and retainer inquiries with different qualification criteria and minimum budgets.
My services have a wide price range depending on scope. How do I handle that?
Set your intake to collect scope information first, then budget. The AI can give a "starting from" range based on what they describe. The exact quote still comes from you — the AI's job is to qualify, not close.
I get most inquiries through DMs, but some come from story replies and post comments. Does it cover all three?
Yes. You can set triggers on post comments (keyword-based), story replies, and direct DMs. All three route into the same intake flow.

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Start qualifying your next inquiry instead of just answering it

Start trial covers 300 AI conversations for 14 days — full intake pipeline included. No credit card needed, 10 minutes to configure.

Get started freeNo credit card · Works across DMs, comments, story replies · Setup ~10 min