How to Cold Pitch Freelance Copywriting Clients (⚠️Avoid these mistakes to get responses)

Summary

In this video, Christine from Paid Copywriter shares her expertise on effective cold pitching for freelancers. With a background in sales and experience building content teams, she emphasizes the importance of personalization, succinctness, and persistence in crafting pitches. She also discusses the significance of having a professional online presence, including a website and optimized social media profiles, to build trust with potential clients. Christine provides insights on choosing the right platforms for outreach and offers practical tips on building a list of ideal clients to pitch to, setting the stage for a follow-up video on identifying and connecting with these clients.

Takeaways

• 😀 Cold pitching is a proactive way to get your foot in the door and is controllable in terms of the number of pitches sent.
• 👀 The speaker has a background in sales and has experience in hiring copywriters, which lends credibility to their advice on cold pitching.
• 📈 Cold pitching allows for measurement of conversion rates, such as how many pitches lead to booked calls or meetings.
• 🚀 It provides access to companies that might not otherwise be accessible, helping freelancers level the playing field.
• 🔧 Personalization and context are crucial for an effective cold pitch; generic pitches are easily ignored.
• 🔎 Mentioning something specific about the client's brand in the pitch shows research and genuine interest.
• 📝 Keep the pitch succinct to respect the client's time and stand out among the many messages they receive.
• 🤔 Avoid being self-centered; focus on what the client is looking for and how you can help them achieve their goals.
• 🔄 Persistence is key; follow-ups are often necessary, and they should be thoughtful and value-adding.
• 📭 Use a message template that can be customized for each client, balancing personalization with efficiency.
• 💼 Having a professional email domain and website enhances credibility and professionalism in cold pitching.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to provide advice on how to effectively cold pitch as a freelancer, avoiding common mistakes and increasing the chances of getting a response from potential clients.

Why is the speaker qualified to talk about cold pitching?

The speaker is qualified to talk about cold pitching because they have experience in sales, have built teams of copywriters, and have been on the hiring side for their own business, giving them a well-rounded perspective on the subject.

What are some benefits of cold pitching mentioned in the video?

Some benefits of cold pitching include being proactive in getting your foot in the door, having control over the number of pitches sent, and gaining access to companies that might not otherwise notice you.

Why is personalization important in a cold pitch?

Personalization is important in a cold pitch because it shows that the freelancer has a vested interest in the company, has done research, and is not just sending generic messages to everyone.

How should a cold pitch be structured to be effective?

An effective cold pitch should be succinct, personalized, and focused on the client's needs rather than the freelancer's. It should also demonstrate an understanding of the client's goals and how the freelancer can help achieve them.

What is the importance of transparency in a cold pitch?

Transparency in a cold pitch is important because it helps establish trust with the potential client. It involves being clear about why you are reaching out and what you can offer them.

Why is it necessary to be persistent with cold pitching?

Persistence is necessary with cold pitching because the first attempt may not always get a response. Following up thoughtfully and providing value in each message increases the chances of getting a reply.

What is the role of a personal email domain in cold pitching?

A personal email domain adds a level of professionalism to a cold pitch, signaling that the freelancer is a serious business entity rather than just a hobbyist or side-project operator.

What should a freelancer's online presence look like to support their cold pitching efforts?

A freelancer's online presence should include an optimized website and social media profiles that showcase their skills, qualifications, work, and any certifications or awards. This helps build credibility and trust with potential clients.

How should a freelancer choose their main platform for cold pitching?

A freelancer should choose their main platform for cold pitching based on where their ideal clients are most active and the platform that best suits their niche and communication style.

What is the process of list building for cold pitching?

List building for cold pitching involves researching and compiling a list of ideal companies and the relevant people within those companies to pitch to, focusing on titles and roles that are likely to hire freelancers.

Outlines

00:00

📩 Mastering the Art of Cold Pitching for Freelancers

Christine, a freelance writer and mentor, shares her expertise in cold pitching, a skill she refined through her sales background and further developed as a copywriter and business owner. She emphasizes the importance of cold pitching as a proactive method to control one's client acquisition, highlighting its measurability and effectiveness in reaching big-name clients despite a lack of experience. Christine also introduces her digital course, '30 Days to Paid,' designed to guide freelancers towards a fulfilling career with time and location freedom.

05:00

🔍 Crafting Personalized and Succinct Cold Pitches

The second paragraph delves into what makes a cold pitch effective, starting with personalization and contextualization. Generic pitches are easy to ignore, whereas personalized ones demonstrate a vested interest in the company, increasing the likelihood of a response. Christine advises against self-centered pitches, urging writers to focus on the client's needs and goals. She also stresses the importance of brevity and transparency, respecting the client's time and making a clear value proposition. Persistence in follow-up is also highlighted as a key component of successful cold pitching.

10:03

📝 Developing a Pitch Strategy and Leveraging LinkedIn

Christine discusses the importance of preparing a message template for efficiency while allowing for customization for each client. She shares her preference for LinkedIn as her primary platform for cold pitching due to its higher quality clients and the ability to message prospects directly. She also touches on the necessity of having an optimized social media presence and a professional website to bolster credibility and attract the right clients. The paragraph concludes with advice on choosing the right platform for outreach, tailoring the approach to the target audience.

15:03

🎯 Targeting the Right Clients with a Focused Approach

In the final paragraph, Christine outlines the steps for targeting ideal clients, starting with building a list of companies and individuals to pitch. She explains the process of identifying the right people within those companies, such as marketing directors or editorial managers, and the importance of creating an optimized online presence to make a strong first impression. Christine also hints at the next steps in her course, which will cover finding ideal clients, understanding their needs, and tailoring pitches to resonate with them effectively.

Keywords

💡Cold Pitching

Cold pitching refers to the act of reaching out to potential clients or employers without a prior relationship or introduction. It is a proactive approach to initiate contact and express interest in working with the recipient's company. In the video's context, the speaker emphasizes the importance of cold pitching in breaking into freelance writing, especially for those without prior experience, and discusses strategies to make these pitches effective.

💡Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is a type of self-employed writing where the writer is not committed to a single employer long-term but instead takes on a variety of projects from different clients. The video's theme revolves around helping individuals transition into a full-time freelance writing career, with cold pitching being a key strategy to secure work.

💡Sales

Sales, in this video, refers to the process of selling products or services, typically involving direct communication with potential customers to convince them of the value of what's being offered. The speaker's background in sales informs their expertise in cold pitching, as they draw parallels between sales techniques and the process of pitching freelance writing services.

💡Personalization

Personalization in the context of cold pitching means tailoring the pitch to the specific interests, needs, or characteristics of the recipient. The video emphasizes that generic pitches are easily ignored, whereas personalized pitches that demonstrate a genuine interest in the company are more likely to elicit a response.

💡Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is a metric used to measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts, including cold pitching. It is the ratio of successful outcomes (e.g., booked calls, meetings) to the total number of attempts. The speaker mentions conversion rates to illustrate the importance of tracking and optimizing the cold pitching process.

💡Content Marketing Strategy

A content marketing strategy is a plan for creating, distributing, and promoting content to attract and engage a target audience. In the video, the speaker suggests using cold pitches to offer help with such strategies, positioning the freelance writer as an expert who can contribute to a company's content marketing efforts.

💡Niche

A niche refers to a specialized segment of the market that has specific needs or interests, which the speaker mentions as a way to focus and tailor one's freelance writing services. By specializing in a niche, a writer can stand out and appeal more directly to potential clients within that specific market segment.

💡Follow-up

Follow-up in the context of cold pitching refers to the process of sending additional messages to recipients who have not yet responded to the initial pitch. The video stresses the importance of persistence and thoughtful follow-ups that provide value and continue to engage the potential client.

💡Optimized Profile

An optimized profile is a social media or online presence that is carefully curated to present oneself professionally and attract potential clients or employers. The video discusses the importance of having an optimized profile that showcases skills, qualifications, and work, which can be discovered by those who receive a cold pitch and want to learn more.

💡LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that the speaker highlights as a particularly effective platform for cold pitching. It is used to connect with professionals and businesses, making it a valuable tool for freelance writers to find and pitch to potential clients.

💡Email Domain

An email domain refers to the unique address that represents a person or business's email, often associated with their own website rather than a generic service like Gmail. The video mentions having a custom email domain as a way to appear more professional and credible to potential clients receiving a cold pitch.

💡List Building

List building in the context of the video is the process of compiling a list of potential clients or companies to pitch to. It involves researching and identifying the ideal targets for a freelance writer's services, which is a crucial step in planning and executing a successful cold pitching campaign.

Highlights

The video aims to improve freelance cold pitching skills and avoid common mistakes.

The speaker has a sales background and has successfully used cold pitching to break into freelance writing.

Cold pitching is a proactive method to control the number of outreach attempts and measure conversion rates.

Cold pitching provides access to companies that may not otherwise be accessible.

Personalization and context are key to an effective cold pitch, avoiding generic messages.

Mentioning something specific about the client's brand can help a pitch stand out.

A cold pitch should be succinct and to the point, respecting the client's time.

Transparency in pitches can be beneficial, such as stating the reason for reaching out.

Avoid self-centered pitches; focus on what the client is looking for and how you can help.

Persistence is necessary as the first cold pitch may not always get a response.

Follow-up messages should be thoughtful and provide additional value.

Prepare a message template for efficiency but customize for each client.

Having a professional email domain and website enhances credibility.

Optimize social media profiles to make a strong first impression when clients look you up.

Choose one to two main platforms for outreach to avoid spreading efforts too thin.

LinkedIn is highlighted as an effective platform for finding and pitching to higher-quality clients.

Building a list of ideal companies and people to pitch is a crucial step in the process.

Understanding who hires freelance writers and targeting those titles is important for successful pitching.

The next video will cover finding ideal clients, their titles, and what they care about.

Transcripts

there is a lot of bad freelance cold

pitching advice out there this video is

going to help you not be one of those

people who's sending those bad pitches

So I myself used cold pitching to break

into freelance writing without any

experience but there's a few reasons why

I feel especially qualified to be

talking about this subject number one I

used to be in sales before I became a

copywriter so my job really involved

sending out hundreds of cold pitches to

set up meetings whether those meetings

were for me or for my boss or the CEO of

the company so cold Outreach is

something I became super proficient in

during those years of being a B2B

technology sales rep once I became a

copywriter I was also hired on to build

teams of copywriters to source

copywriters for my clients so that we

could build out a Content team and

that's why I got experience and spent a

ton of time sorting through so many

pitches portfolios and websites to the

point where I now know what the client

is looking for and then in my online

digital course business 30 days to paid

where I Mentor Freelancers I have used

Freelancers to build that business to

write blog posts to write email

campaigns so I've also been on the

hiring side for my own business which

gives me another vantage point so if you

came here for my last video you know why

I recommend cold pitching versus other

methods but let's just recap that again

so cold pitching is your proactive way

of getting your foot in the door you can

control how many cold pitches you send

you can't necessarily control who

stumbles on your website or if people

refer you so in sales and in any type of

business we want to make sure that we're

focusing on on the activities that we

actually have control over and cold

pitching is one of those activities you

can actually measure how many cold

pitches it takes to get you to a booked

call how many booked calls it takes to

get to a meeting it's called a

conversion rate but cold pitching is a

proactive way of getting clients versus

other long-term passive methods such as

building a personal brand and attracting

inbound interest to your freelance

business cold pitching also gives you

access to companies that you wouldn't

normally get access to like I know as I

know when I first started as a copy

writer the big names and the logos that

I'm proud of on my website right now

there definitely weren't knocking down

my door as a new writer I had to

introduce myself and get my foot in the

door and it leveled the playing field

and allowed me to get access to those

big clients even though I had no

experience that was how I got my foot in

the door was through cold pitching them

and that's what I'm going to teach you

in this video now we have to cover what

makes a cold pitch effective that's

really important but before I get into

that my name is Christine from Paid

copywriter tocom I'm a full-time

freelance writer who mentors other

freance writers via my digital course 30

days to paid in my community the # paid

writers Community the purpose of this

channel is to help anyone who's not

happy in their current career transition

to a full-time freelance career that is

fulfilling that allows you to work on

your own schedule that gives you time

and location Freedom so the first thing

that makes a cold pitch effective is

whether it is personalized and

contextual generic one- siiz fits-all

pitches are really easy for clients to

just skip over and delete but when we

see that stuff is personalized and

tailored toward us were just more likely

to pay attention to it so in your pitch

if you can prove that you have a vested

interest in their company they're more

likely to respond it's kind of like how

when you're in a job interview and

they're like so why do you want to come

work for us and that's the job

interviewer's way of saying hey are you

just like scouring the streets trying to

get anybody to employ you or do you

actually want to work here do you care

about my brand and if so why that's why

they ask that question and you also need

to prove that in your pitch as well also

mentioning something personal about

their brand will really help you stand

out because it will show that you did

some research on them and that you care

about them and don't stress out over

this cuz I think a lot of people get

confused a lot of writers will write me

and say like I thought I had to open my

pitch this way and I felt sleazy because

I felt like I was lying it's not

necessarily that you have to create

something like so authentic and unique

in that pitch but it has to prove that

you know who they are you've

familiarized yourself with them and the

industry and that you're not just

sending blanketed messages you don't

need to do in-depth research but even

just mentioning a podcast episode that

you listen to that they're in or you

notice that they posted a blog post or a

reel or something impressive that shows

hey I'm reaching out to you for a reason

the other thing you need to do is make

sure your pitch is succinct so you want

to stay away from really long rambling

detailed pitches because most likely

client it's just how we are today

they're not going to have time to do

like an in-depth Deep dive into

paragraphs and paragraphs of writing so

you want to just make sure that your

message includes enough but also cuts to

the chase you have to remember that your

client is receiving this onslaught of

emails spam pitches they're getting so

much we're all being bombarded with a

lot of messages these days so you need

to really cut through the Noise by being

succinct and respecting their time now I

love to be 100% transparent in my

pitches so I'll always have an opener

that tells them why I'm reaching out to

them so something that I typically say

was like I'm reaching out to you to see

if you need help with your content

marketing strategy because I'm a

copywriter and I specialize in in your

Niche one of the things I notic is that

being self-centered is one of the

biggest issues a lot of writers will say

like I'm looking for work I'm a

copywriter and I do this so I want you

to scan all of your pitches and just see

how many times you include the word I

and I want you to flip it around and

make it about your client and what you

can do for them because everyone really

wants to know what's in it for me so if

you can make your messages really appeal

to what the client is looking for and

understanding their goals that will make

your pitch really enticing and that just

comes down to understanding content

marketing or a business owner standpoint

of what their content or their copy is

trying to achieve which is always sales

and then you really just tailor your

pitch to those goals the other thing you

have to do is be persistent your first

cold pitch won't always get a response

even if you have a really good chance of

working for the client or if they're

interested in you a lot of follow-up is

needed believe it or not more followup

than you're probably comfortable with so

make sure that whatever your pitch

strategy is which you'll walk away from

this video with a pitch strategy and a

template and what to say make sure that

having follow-up messages also written

out are part of that strategy because

you're going to need to send multiple

messages over time your follow-up should

be thoughtful it shouldn't just be hey

I'm just following up hey just following

up hey just bumping this back up to the

top of your inbox I have an entire

module within 30 days to paid that

covers follow-up follow-up strategy what

to say how to come up with ideas for

what to say but just for the sake of

this video know that the goal is to

provide value in your followup instead

of just pestering them and saying hey

just following up just following up just

following up you want to continue to add

value in your followup by bringing new

ideas to them or proving why you're

worthy of working for them you want to

give them more ideas and provide value

now every cold pitch should be

personalized but this is also a numbers

game so you really can't do an in-depth

personalized pitch for every single

client so you want to prepare your

message template in advance and then

customize certain parts of the message

for each client sometimes I see people

people that I reach out to and I will

write them 100% original message because

it's something relevant or something

that was on my mind that I could connect

with them about but mostly you want to

stick with a messaging framework that

will allow you to swap out certain parts

and personalize it to that perspective

client that you're pitching so if you

participated in one of my last live

events which is the freelance FastTrack

challenge I hold that probably twice a

year I give you guys a template and we

share how we're pitching and how we're

customizing those pitches so I'm going

to share that on the screen right right

here for you it's from the workbook from

the freelance FastTrack challenge by the

way uh definitely look out if you're on

my email list I give updates on when the

next challenge will be a lot of people

will find clients just from taking that

challenge so look out for that but while

there's a ton of free templates online

and people give templates to freelance

writers the key to not spamming the

internet with the same pitch you know to

everybody and having these clients get

really jaded because they keep seeing

the same pitch the key is to understand

what makes a cold pitch effective what

are the effective components of what

makes a pitch you know stop the scroll

what makes people open a pitch what

makes a pitch catch somebody's eye when

you know those components you don't need

to go so by the templates you can

actually customize it make it more sound

make it sound more natural to you

whenever you're using templates I really

recommend that you infuse your own

personality into that template so that

it sounds more like you how you speak

and it's also appropriate to the end

client so number one is to get your own

email domain you definitely want to come

across as professional having a you know

writer Rael atgmailcom is not going to

be the same as having your own end

domain name that you purchase and paid

for because it just signals that you are

a professional business versus someone

who's maybe just doing this on the side

again not a total deal breaker for

pitching but something that will add to

your credibility for sure you also want

to make sure that your website is in

order and if you've never built a

website before don't worry worry it's

really easy nowadays there's a lot of

drag and drop Solutions I know that um

people were recommending when I first

started out to go on WordPress and build

a website and I actually couldn't figure

that out as someone who had never built

a website so getting like a Weebly drag

and drop Builder was my first provider I

now use show it because um it is more

expensive but I needed that little

upgrade and a fancier template for where

I am in my business right now but I

learned the fundamentals on Weebly I

used blue host as my hosting so keep in

mind that you can have like a lowcost

easy to use website and that a website

is actually important to presenting

yourself professionally again is it an

absolute deal breaker no but if you're

not getting responses to your pitches

and you're feeling like you're having a

hard time presenting yourself online

professionally and getting responses you

need to look at how you're showing up

online and a big part of that and

building credibility and establishing

yourself is having your own website so

don't be afraid to invest in something

like that now here's where we get into

the nitty-gritty of actually pitching

you're going to want to choose your Prim

AR platform your main method of

communication now can you use multiple

platforms absolutely but you have to

understand that spreading your energy

and spreading your efforts thin on so

many different platforms really dilutes

your results what I personally did what

I advise the students in my course do is

choose one platform double down on it

and then mix in methods as we go for

example my main platform and really

where I've built my entire business has

been LinkedIn so LinkedIn is is really

good because I find there's higher

quality clients on there it's easier for

me to find people to pitch um it's

definitely different from upwork where

you're competing against so many

Freelancers and it's a bit saturated on

there it's a bit crowded on there and

it's a freelance specific platform so

you're going to be clearly competing

with a bunch of Freelancers now a lot of

Freelancers don't use LinkedIn

necessarily it's not the go-to just by

way of it being for every profession

it's not a freelance specific platform

but it is where businesses are it's

where professionals are they for you're

able to pitch someone without getting

their email address which is timec

consuming when I first started as a

freelancer I definitely went the email

route because like I said earlier I was

in sales so we cold emailed we cold

called we cold emailed and we did drop

Buys in person but email was the primary

way of me booking meetings so when I

became a freelancer I heard that other

Freelancers were getting business

through cold emailing I tried it I

didn't find much success with it maybe I

sent about 200 emails and it was very

timeconsuming I didn't get great results

and then I realized I could utilize

LinkedIn and just message people

directly on there instead of trying to

track down and guess their email address

which half the time wasn't even correct

now you want to have your social media

profiles optimized that's another huge

part of this because while you're

putting in the effort while you're

pitching while you're putting your

feelers out and expanding your network

people are also going to be finding you

and what they find is really important

just like your website when they get

that pitch and they want to learn more

about you and see your portfolio they're

going to go to your website site same

with your social profiles you want when

somebody gets your pitch to go to an

optimized profile that says all the

right things and is tailored to that

person it's really important for that

initial gut instinct that initial first

impression to be something that hooks

the prospect the perspective client that

you're pitching if they see something

that appeals to them they're more likely

to respond to you that's why I mentioned

in in Prior videos how important

choosing a niche is because you can just

Target that c copy that website that

social profile whatever it is you can

Target it to the client so you're going

to want to create a Professional Profile

that's tailored to the client and you're

going to want to create an optimized

profile that showcases your skills your

qualifications your work any

certifications or Awards you might have

anything that's going to bolster your

presence you're also going to want to

include keywords so every social

platform has their own way to have

keywords whether it's the Bio Section of

your Twitter account and you know the

post that you're making with the

hashtags I know LinkedIn has specific

skills that you can rank for something I

specialize in is helping you create a

search optimized LinkedIn profile with

strategically placed keywords in the

places and the areas where the algorithm

measures it most so just make sure that

you understand best practices for

whatever platform you're on and you're

inserting those keywords so you're

discoverable on whatever the platform is

now once you have your one to two

platforms that you're going to use I

know for me like LinkedIn and email are

key and a lot of people will ask me like

well do you do cold emailing and how do

you use cold emailing if so my strategy

with emailing is that once I make

contact with somebody on LinkedIn I'll

typically try to continue the

conversation in email especially if they

fall off like a lot of the time I get

someone's initial interest in a cold

pitch and they go ghost and you know I

guess my messages get lost in the

shuffle so once I track down their email

it's just like now I'm showing up in two

different inboxes now you have to move

on to making a list of your ideal

companies and people you're going to

pitch this is probably the most

confusing part for so many Freelancers

it's where I spend a lot of time in my

course cuz students will say to me I

know what I want to do I kind of

understand the companies I want to reach

out to and write for but like who do I

reach out to how do I find them I have a

whole video on like specific titles and

people to Target but list building is

something again that I learned in sales

it's basically creating a list of

companies that are in your ideal

wheelhouse these are the companies that

you would like to write for and it's

basically going online going on Google

and saying like what are the top health

and wellness companies I want to be a

health and wellness writer who can I

write for in this space and it's making

a list of those companies and then

finding the people in those companies to

reach out to so examples of those titles

are going to be marketing director

corporate Communications manager CMO

editorial so in that video you'll see I

have all the the titles listed so you

can kind of understand who hires

freelance writers and who to pitch so

let's regroup so far I've covered why

you should be cold pitching and what

makes a cold pitch effective what makes

it stand out to the ideal client I've

stressed the importance of creating your

online presence so when they get your

pitch you have a optimized social media

profile and a website and stuff for them

to actually see so that they're going to

want to continue the conversation I also

talked about why you should have an

email domain just so you look more

professional in that sense it's all

about gaining trust with cold pitching

because we are reaching out cold and

starting conversations from scratch the

importance of choosing one to two major

platforms that you're going to use and

hint hint choosing that platform is

really going to come down to who you're

trying to Target let's say you're trying

to Target Fitness professionals and you

want to write for them they're going to

be really active on Instagram and you

might want to use Instagram Outreach or

maybe you know that in your industry

cold emailing is really the way to go

you might want to double down on cold

emailing I know for me LinkedIn is the

best platform and I'm going to create

more videos about why LinkedIn has been

such a gold mind for me and for so many

writers even if you think your ideal

client isn't on that platform I actually

recommend that you start to Target

clients who are on that platform within

your Niche but that's a whole other

story I talked about the next big step

which is building that list right

because once you have your cold pitch

written out and you understand how to

create a good cold pitch you have to

combine it with okay here is a list of

people I'm going to pitch so that's how

you cold pitch in a way that actually

gets responses and I know you're

probably wondering like okay great who

are my ideal clients how do I find these

people where do I find these people what

are their titles what do they care about

and that's what I'm going to cover in

the next video so click here to watch

that video and I'll see you over there

bye