Mar
10
I’ve received a few emails from people who want to know more about my methods for pitching new clients, so I thought I’d share. Keep in mind, you’ll probably need to tailor this to fit your potential clients and your writing goals. Or, toss it entirely. What works for me won’t necessarily work for everyone.
Cold Calling? Let’s Skip It.
I’ll tell you right now, I know nothing about cold calling. I despise the phone. Therefore, crafty chick that I am, I go out of my way not to have to make calls if there’s some way around it. Email is my best friend.
Onto the pitch.
What is an email pitch? And isn’t this spam?
Don’t expect you can create one boilerplate template email that you can send to everyone in your target industry and get a bunch of bites. Like everything else in life and business, anything worth getting takes effort. The email pitch shouldn’t sound like spam, and if you do it right there is no way it will be confused by anyone as spam. Send a template email to everyone on the planet, and you’re going to land in spam traps and the proverbial freelance unemployment line. With that in mind, an email pitch isn’t a one-liner saying, “Dude, wanna hire me? My blogging skills rule.” It’s a well-researched, carefully crafted tool used to draw in business.
What does a pitch contain?
Every email pitch I send out contains the following information:
- My work background (paralegal) and experience in the practice area the lawyer I’m pitching practices in (if I don’t have experience in their niche, I leave this out).
- My experience as a blogger for lawyers (firms I’ve blogged for, links to blog posts).
- Specific examples of how I’ve made lawfirms money and/or gotten them new clients through blog posts I’ve written.
- Specific examples of how I could do the same for the lawyer I’m pitching.
- A short list of competing firms already using blogs to bring in business.
What will the pitch look like?
Every email pitch I send out is tailored specifically to the type of person I’m dealing with.
I spend hours researching their practice, from browsing their websites to searching for interviews, reading articles they’ve written and researching cases they’ve worked on. I study their competition.
If they have existing blogs, I read them. I leave comments. This way I can open my email by saying I’ve read their blog for however-long, and that they might recognize my name from comments I’ve left.
Reading a potential client’s blog is often a good way to understand their personalities — how they talk, how they think, what their goals are.
My opening paragraph is all about them (lawyers like that). A common mistake I see a lot of freelancers make — one I used to make myself — is to start out talking about what the freelancer has done, what the freelancer’s back-story is. But the truth is, they don’t care. Not yet. Not until I’ve hooked them in with letting them know I’ve done my homework. After I convince them I understand their business, respect their accomplishments, understand their goals, then they begin to care what I can do for them.
My next paragraph is the pitch part. How I can make them money. How I can bring them business. I don’t discuss price. Or terms. Or anything that’s about me. This is about them.
The next paragraph breaks down how my experience and skills will benefit them. I’ve already researched their competitors, and I tell them so in a way that’ll make them realize they need me to work for them. I tell them how the blogs I wrote for other lawyers brought them new clients. I tell them how my paralegal background brings extra skills to the table that they won’t get from the average blogger.
I tell them I look forward to hearing from them, and I usually close by giving them a partial/highlights list of my other services, because not everyone wants a blogger.
What comes next?
What happens next will vary. You may get an instant taker. Be prepared that you shouldn’t be pitching new clients if you don’t have time to take on more work. (I know, this seems obvious, but we’re not all so bright.) You may get a rejection. You may never hear back.
In all but two times, I’ve received a positive response. The clients I didn’t get were ones where someone else was already lined up. One of these did use me for another non-blogging assignment months down the line. I’ve never had any that don’t repond at all, but if I ever get one, you bet I will follow up. Just remember, there’s a fine line between eager and annoying. Don’t make a pest out of yourself, because that’s a bigger turnoff than just about anything.
If you get a “thanks but no thanks” you may choose to move on to the next prospective client or try a little harder. If you pitch by email, maybe a follow-up call saying, “I received your email that you weren’t interested in my writing services. I just wanted to tell you thanks for considering me and let you know that I’ve available to do A, B and C should you need someone down the road.” As I said, I dread the phone, so I’m happy I’ve yet to get to this point in the process. But I know freelancers this follow-up call method has worked for successfully. You never know if someone is out of town, if your email got filtered, or what. So sometimes, picking up the phone after you haven’t heard back in weeks is a logical way to go.
Get turned down?
Don’t feel bad. Just chalk it up to experience. Every time I write one of these pitches, it gets easier.
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20 Responses to “I Pitch, I Score (And You Can Too)”
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About Amy Derby
Formerly a corporate paralegal, I ditched the pantyhose to begin freelancing in 2004. I enjoy long walks to the coffee maker, never setting an alarm clock, and not wearing a bra to the (home) office. I can be reached at amy.derby (at) gmail.com.
Oh, this is good. Thanks! I’m going to save this.
Glad you like it!
Amy - this is a *really* good article, you obviously have a great deal of experience doing this.
As someone new starting to venture out on my own (*very* new), I will definitely give this one another read or three.
I really like your new theme, by the way.
Hey Brett. Thanks for visiting.
I haven’t been doing this long at all. I’ve only been freelancing for about four years, and it took me a year or more to work up the courage to pitch a client. It’s only been in the last year that I really started focusing on the blogging for lawyers niche. Once I realized the potential there, I really made the effort to focus on bringing in the clients I want. But when you’re gambling with your own time, and time is money, you’ve got to be a fast learner. Or at least, that’s how I’ve approached it. I do have the advantage of having been working for lawyers for ten years. My first “real” job at age 18 was as a law firm receptionist. So I know how they operate. Knowing your client base is important, and what better way to be drowning in them for a decade, right?
I’m glad you like the new theme. The new comment thing is still sort of skeeving me out a little, but I’m hoping I’ll adjust soon!!
I love your blog too. The butterfly effect post was excellent.
What kind of freelancing do you do?
Hi Amy - thank you for having me
If you have not been doing this for long, it doesn’t show - you obviously learn quickly.
Thank you for your kind words about my butterfly effect post. I have a new theme ready and will be going self-hosted shortly, thanks to inspiration from people like yourself, and some very hard work from some other great people.
Right now I work in the nuclear industry. It is a very conservative field as far as adopting new communication & productivity concepts, new technology and so forth. So my approach to this “bricks & mortar & neutrons” industry will be much like yours. That’s why your ideas hit home with me - if you think lawyers are conservative… come work in nuclear
I also enjoy writing very much and have two books in progress. Plus I have an assortment of other business concepts I want to grow. You even made me think today, “hmm, maybe some of these nuclear companies need blogs”, so I went to have a look and - didn’t see any blogs. Opportunity!!!
The main thing for me to do is focus on two or so without losing sight of the rest. Once I have the first site going, I’ll use it as a launchpad for at least one other, and it can be my online presence for a real-world consulting business.
Anyway, that’s me in a nutshell, and this is about you!
Thanks again for the words - and keep these great ideas coming.
Great post Amy, this is something that will help me in pitching pro-bloggers in the near future.
So far I found my jobs on traditional job boards but want to move away from them in search of greener pastures. With your help this move shouldn’t be too hard.
@ Brett: I can’t wait for your new theme. I’m sure it’ll look schmickers.
Monika
http://www.thewritersmanifesto.com/blog
Nuclear companies, eh? That sounds interesting. There’s actually a big shortage of blogs across a lot of industries I come across (fortunately, nuclear has yet to be one). The food industry, for example, seems to be sorely lacking. Non-profits are another area I see almost every day that could benefit from blogs. I could go on a tangent. But I’ll restrain myself, because I could spend all day ranting.
No, it’s not really about me. I’m just here talking to myself a lot. I do this in “real life” too. Just ask my pet rabbits.
I’ll be looking forward to seeing your new blog design. Although every time I see a new one I think “Oh, I should have done that!” and it inspires even more new ideas.
I have a book in progress too. But I’m thinking it’s going to stay at that stage until I’m retired, because there just aren’t enough hours in the day!
@Monika - Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you liked the post and hope you’ll get some use out of it. If others can benefit from my OCD, I’m all for it.
P.S., Blogger is stupid (*waves to Google*), so if you post again you could check the name/url box so you don’t have to be anonymous. If you want, that is.
@ Monika and Amy,
The new theme is pretty amazing, I think. The creators are very proud and can’t wait for me to put it out there so they can show it off.
And they should be extremely proud of it. They are real pros.
Anyway, I hope that everyone will like it.
@ Amy,
Well that’s just the thing - you really made me think, and think hard about an opportunity to write for fun about something I know well. I could learn something and just might make some money too!
I figured I’d better just pass the baton back to you and say your blog was about you because (I’ll borrow from Naomi) I’m a “chatty pants” most times… and I talk with myself too.
I make the distinction of “with” rather than “to” because I answer myself
I believe everyone has a book inside, or a volume of books, just waiting to get out. You will finish it someday, I know you will.
I’ve been known for a good ramble myself. Sometimes with myself. So no worries.
Sounds good then! You can count on seeing more of me around your place - so much great material here… I’ll need to clone myself to absorb half of it.
I could use a clone!! Just to keep up with the comments at certain blogs *cough-HarryandJames-cough*
(ack! My secret’s out, that’s how I’ve been so prolific over there…) no kidding, that blog is on fire.
Both you & I need a business partner, so one can write and the other can go out to the world. Those guys certainly are a great team!
That would be nice. But I am not the partner type. I do not play well with others.
Hey, at least you’re honest…
the clone’s a better idea anyway, more consistent and you don’t have to explain yourself to, er, yourself!
I like the cloning, yessir. That’ll work for me. The FDA says cloned meat is safe to eat so I can see it soon.
Ever see the Seinfeld episode with the pigman?
(shudder) Yeah, when I saw that in the news I thought “the end is nigh”… what a “great” idea - not.
BTW - I like your food snark blog and am going to pass the link to my wife. She’s really started to take an interest in these kinds of things, and so have I.
When we vacationed in New Zealand last summer, I really liked the sign that greeted us when we got off the ferry at Waiheke Island - it proclaims the island to be a ‘genetic engineering’ free zone. Cool.
Yes! I remember that episode. I don’t know all of them, but I remember that one!!
Scary, isn’t it?? Glad you like Food Snark. It’s fun to write. Let me know what your wife thinks of it.
I’d love to go to New Zealand. But alas, I’m too claustrophobic to be on a plane that long. I got an offer to travel to Australia last year, and I had to pass for that reason. I’d say I could go by boat, but I also get sea sick. I’m a royal mess.
Well, good night. I’m turning in early (11pm rather than last night’s 4am) for once.
I do think I’ll dig up that pigman episode to watch before bed though. I can’t remember what any of the rest of that one was about, other than Kramer finding that pigman in the hospital bed! Funny how the mind works. Or stops working, as my case seems to be.
It is very scary. I was recently horrified to learn that “factory beef cattle” can legally be fed a diet of up to 70 percent chicken litter in the winter months.
One of these days I will swear off meat entirely. It frightens me what people are trying to pass off as “food”.
If you can ever muster up the courage to go, it is a trip of a lifetime. We actually want to move to New Zealand, for many reasons. One of which includes the food tasting better…
Have a good night Amy, it was great chatting with you today. I’ll be checking out some of your other material as well - thanks again very much for the words and inspiration.
See you around!
Hey, Amy -
I’m new to blogland, but I’ve been a freelance writer for about seven years, and it is an immense relief to see someone of my generation not insisting on cold-calling.
I suck at cold calls. In person, I am charming and delightful. On a cold call I sound like a seven year old desperately hoping you like her finger painting. Email, though. Email I can do. Email, you see, is writing. Writing is good. The phone is evil. So glad someone else is with me on this one.
Awesome blog. I keep going through your archives because I want more. Which is why I’m commenting about a month after the post went up.
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