In another post I shared with you four reasons why we should all start cold pitching. In this post, I want to show you how!
As I mentioned, I get more and more cold pitches all of the time. And they’re terrible!
I don’t want you to make the same mistakes they are, so I’m going to show you a real one I received and how I tweaked it (I actually sent her it as a reply).
Lastly, one of my coaching clients, Abby and I came up with a great pitching template I’ll also share with you (and you have our permission to use). Ready?
A Bad Example (I Actually Got Emailed This)
| Topic One Title about SEO |
| Topic Two Title about SEO |
| Topic Three Title about SEO |
How I Improved It
- Topic One Title. Then give a 2-3 sentence description of what the proposed article would be about/teach the reader.
- Topic Two Title? Then give a 2-3 sentence description of what the proposed article would be about/teach the reader.
- Topic Three Title. Then give a 2-3 sentence description of what the proposed article would be about/teach the reader.
Notice the Difference?
The first one wasn’t personalized. It didn’t indicate that she’d been to my website before. It also seemed that she was just looking for an opportunity to post for her company’s benefit, not her own. None of those jive well.
Instead, she should have looked at my site. She should have poked around enough to see something that she could compliment me on (compliments go a LONG WAY). This wouldn’t have taken more than five minutes either!
Again, I sent this to the gal that cold pitched me. I just felt prompted to help. Luckily for me, my good deed turned into blog fodder (I’ve taken out her personal details and blog post ideas).
A Real Life Example
As I mentioned, I love pitching. It’s weird, but since I like writing, it’s not that weird. I offer pitch reviews as part of The #FullyBookedVA System because I think it’s such an important part of succeeding and/or getting noticed by clients.
It’s also something I used to work on with my coaching clients. Here’s one Abby and I recently worked up that she’s sending out to prospects.
“Hi $Name,
I came across your website today and noticed you don’t have a blog. Did you know that blogging can introduce you to new prospects and increase the loyalty of your current clients?
Why should you care?
- Blogging can help grow your business exponentially
- Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads than those that don’t have a blog
- Companies that blog have 55% more website visitors
Who am I?
I’m Abby, a dental hygienist in the Minneapolis area – located not far from your office. I’m also a professional blogger and would love to help you get started blogging for your business.
I have two great ideas that we could started with ASAP. Hit reply if you want to continue the conversation,
~Abby Ambrose
P.S. Want a sample of my writing style and skills? Click Here!“
A Few Takeaways
- We niched in on people without blogs (but you could also focus on those that have inactive blogs).
- We provided data to backup our claim.
- It’s formatted well and is as short as can be, while also hopefully peaking interest.
- Abby introduces herself and adds that she’s local to make an immediate connection and humanize herself.
- She states that she has some ideas, but doesn’t give them away. This way they can’t steal them and write the posts themselves. You can also pitch multiple people this same way and not worry about two people choosing the same topics to get started with.
- She ends with a soft call-to-action (“hit reply to continue the conversation”).
- She adds a link to her samples via a PS.
In Conclusion
Cold pitching is a great way to connect with prospects. It’s as easy as locating companies in your niche and sending them a personalized, yet templated email.
If doing a Google search seems overwhelming, just start local. Plug in “[Niche] Companies in [Your City]” and see what pops up.
Make sure to do a little research on each prospect first. Open your exchange with a compliment or two, that indicates you’ve taken the time to learn about them. Explain why you’re a fit and what you can do for them. Then end was a soft CTA to “continue to conversation.”
No hard sell. No picking apart what they’re not doing right. Instead, just offering to help. Who doesn’t want more business? That’s what blogging can create (if done right).
What do you think? What are your takeaways?
Want to learn how to get paid to write for the web? Learn how to get started as a freelance writer with The #FullyBookedVA System!
Photo Credit: nelly volkovich via Unsplash
