How To Cold Pitch Like A Boss
Opportunities don’t create themselves
To cold pitch or not to cold pitch — that is the question. Even though it shouldn’t be. There’s only one instance that a writer shouldn’t be cold pitching and that’s when they have a stable, varied clientele that pays all their bills. But even then, cold-pitching wouldn’t hurt.
It’s always good to seek out new connections, no matter how long you’ve been in the game. But for a writer that is still building their portfolio, cold-pitching is crucial if you want to get your name out there.
But first, let’s back up…
What is cold-pitching anyway?
Cold pitching is the act of emailing potential client to offer them your unsolicited services. For a writer, this could be anything from writing/creating — or my favorite, overhauling — their blog, or creating content for their social media accounts.
If done right, cold pitching can result in new clients and an increase in income. Get it wrong, and you might end up on someone’s blocked list. Keep reading to learn how to cold pitch like a pro.
Research, Research, Research!
Whether it’s an increase in social media engagement, sales, or other favorable metrics, your services need to enrich the company in some way or another. Unfortunately, it’s up to you to figure out exactly the company needs. That’s achievable only through research.
A good place to start are the questions below:
- What demographic does the company serve? Content created for teenagers will vary greatly to content written for their parents or grandparents. Knowing your audience is key.
- Who are the company’s competitors? If you know who the company is competing against, you can gauge what kind of content returns favorable investments for that slice of the industry. Plus, you can also gain inspiration from content (which doesn’t infringe on their intellectual property) when the time comes for creating your own.
- Lastly, how will your services possibly translate to more revenue for the company? At the end of the day, hiring you will be an investment for the company. If you you can lay out how your work will allow the company to recoup that investment, and also bring them profits, you will increase your chance of getting hired.
Locate The Best Person To Contact
If you want to increase your chances of actually having your email read — instead of instantly trashed — you should contact the person most likely to have hiring privileges. For a smaller company, that’s probably the owner. For a larger company you might be looking for their assistant, or a hiring manager. Either way, this information is usually listed on the company’s website, their LinkedIn page, or other social media accounts.
Crafting The Email
1. Create A Compelling Subject Line
Your subject line should be compelling. You shouldn’t sound like a spammer — or worse, a Nigerian Prince — but you do need to give your recipient incentive to open your email.
Any variation of the following works:
- Social Media Superstar Can Revamp Your Accounts.
- Fun Fact: Most Successful Businesses Benefit From Blogs. I Can Help!
- I Can Get Your Company To Rank On Google’s First Page. Info inside!
2. Introduce Yourself
Keep your introduction as short as possible. After your name, your years of relevant experiences should go next. If you have any shiny titles attached to you, like Senior Writer, Editor, or Editor-In-Chief, throw them in!
3. Offer Your Services
Do you want to run their social media accounts? Restructure their web content? Revamp their landing page? This is the time to offer them your services. But don’t frame your offer as something that benefits you. Tell them how this will benefit them. Or at least how you project that it will.
4. Highlight Your Strengths
Are you an astute researcher? Does your copy sing? Whatever skills you have, now is the time to list them. Your goal is to convince the client why they should hire you to do the job (instead of taking your idea and hiring someone else to do it.)
5. Encourage Them To Follow Up
Whether or not you actually get a response, it’s always smart to request a follow up. A 15 minute phone call or Skype session will do. Or, if you’re in the same city, offer to meet up for a coffee — on your dime. If they do decide to meet, be prepared to present a more in-depth proposal!
6. Be Gracious
Whether or not things work out, it’s always good to let your potential client know that you appreciate the time they took out of their day to read over your pitch. Best case scenario, it’ll score you a few brownie points.
7. Keep At It
Cold pitching isn’t going to make you rich overnight. It took upwards of twenty rejections and unanswered emails before I scored my first client. Don’t let get you down, though. If you’re contacting the right people, you only need one yes to get things rolling. Plus, the more you pitch, the better at it you’ll get, which should increase your chances of getting hired.
