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3 Reasons Why You Should Start Pitching Like a Man

Let’s talk gender differences today, shall we?

I’ve read that men will apply for jobs that they’re ~60% qualified for, whereas women need to be 90%+ qualified in order to feel confident enough to apply. To all the women out there, I call B.S. 

Meaning, we need to make some changes and become more like men when it comes to applying for jobs – especially when it comes to the world of freelance writing. Are you with me?

FYI –  if you’re male and reading this, don’t stop now. This post is for you too!

I read this “statistic” when I began my freelance writing career and am so much better off for it. I want to share with you today, three reasons how adopting the mindset of “pitching like a man” helped me to start my freelance career off on the right foot. Are you ready?

1. I Pitched Jobs That I Was Just Remotely Qualified for or Interested in

And it proved to be a successful strategy for me. Instead of taking extra time to analyze my chances of getting a job (based on my own interpretation of my experience), I just applied to anything I was remotely qualified for, interested in or that I thought would be worth a try (i.e. worth the money).

A great way to gain experience, is to put yourself out there and ask for someone to take a chance on you. One way to do this, is to take on work at a lesser fee when you don’t have adequate samples/experience. You’re trading your time (at a reduced fee) for some education/a chance to gain a new sample in a new field. This also applies to writing for free.

Action step: Instead of spending time filtering out what jobs you’re sufficiently qualified for, start applying for anything and everything that you’re remotely qualified for/interested in.

2. I Chased Rejection, Rather than Acceptance

This is so fun! Getting freelance jobs in some sense is just a numbers game.

So instead of getting all upset when you don’t hear something or get rejected, shake it off or take it a step further and ask them for some constructive feedback. I did this in the beginning and learned a few things about pitching.

Action step: Make pitching a game, to make it more enjoyable. Set a goal for how many jobs you want to pitch each day (or each week) and see how many rejections you can score.

3. Pitching Became about Business, Not Something Personal

Thinking like a man and applying for anything remotely interesting (or that you’re just a little bit qualified for), will take some of the pressure off. Instead of being personally affronted when someone doesn’t pick you, you can chalk it up to being “just business” and not a rejection of your awesome personality or writing skills.

Pitching for writing (or other freelance) jobs is about business. Yes, writing is your craft – your art if you will. It can be extremely personal, but if you’re writing for hire, you might need to get over that.

Clients aren’t worried about your feelings. They’re worried about their business and how your writing can potentially help it grow.

Action step: Adopt the mentality that rejection isn’t a reflection on you personally, but rather is a business decision. Start measuring your results in relation to your business metrics, not your personal worth.

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In Conclusion

Adopting the mindset of “pitching like a man” can help you to take your freelance writing (or other) business to the next level. Instead of wasting your time and energy analyzing if you’re a right fit, start applying to anything and everything that is interesting/worthy of your time.

Put yourself out there and overcome your fear of rejection once and for all. Start thinking of pitching as just a part of your business, rather than a personal reflection of you. You’re awesome regardless if someone decides to hire you or not.

And don’t forget, sometimes it does pay to write for cheap or free, when you’re trying to break into a new niche. You can learn to write in areas that you’re not currently an expert in. I did – you can too!

What do you think? Are you going to start pitching like a man?

Gina Horkey

Gina Horkey

FOUNDER & CO-OWNER

Gina Horkey is a married, millennial mama from Minnesota. Additionally, she’s the founder of Horkey HandBook and loves helping others find or become a kickass virtual assistant. Gina’s background includes making a living as a professional writer, an online business marketing consultant and a decade of experience in the financial services industry.

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