Is Twitter the New Cold Call?
The cold call. Whether you know it or not, the cold call impacts our daily life in the world of business. Whether receiving a call asking about new products or services we need to negotiating the price for your best friend’s bridal shower.
Anyone who knows me well knows I embrace the cold call. And I use the concept across different channels of communication. I am the queen of the cold email. I will develop a well-crafted email and shoot it off to my dream contacts (or their admins). It takes relentless dedication to get an answer. But it also takes an email address. The one your desired contact pays attentions to, opens, and takes seriously. And I don’t always have the contact information.
That’s when Twitter comes in handy. How we network is changing rapidly. Instead of waiting to meet someone through someone who can get me to the right person, platforms like @LinkedIn and @Twitter make it easier to reach people. And it is welcomed and expected. A well-crafted tweet could get me a direct connection to the right person.
Here are some considerations I use when crafting pitches on Twitter. Please comment below about your experiences.
Do your research — Know who you are talking to. Research their company, listen to their podcast, read their writing, or look at LinkedIn profile.
Be prepared to share facts about yourself and your intentions for emailing.
Do not forget links to your contact information, website, social media, and recent media/ blog mentions. Make sure these links work and everything connects to your best self.
Follow your target company, person, journalist prior to pitching them
Engage with them before you pitch
Do your research
If you are asked a question, answer in a timely manner and have the data to back it up
Know when to take the conversation offline. Let the person know and follow up on another channel of communication
Know character limits (140 characters on Twitter)
You can use similar techniques on LinkedIn, Slack, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram
