We’d all like a steady stream of new work, clients, and prospects. That’s the mark of a successful freelance writing business. Something that runs on autopilot, and people come to us for work.
The reality is that most of us have to reach out to prospects to get work. It’s a skill we all need in our toolkit but something we might not have the time or comfort level to work on.
Here are five ways to improve your pitches to land more freelance writing work.
1. Understand your prospective clients
This one is key to landing more clients from pitches. You have to understand your prospects to offer them relevant solutions. So, research to discover their challenges and how they align with your services. Check out their website, blog, and social media channels. See what topics they’re talking about, the questions they’re asking, and the conversations they’re having. When you understand your prospect’s challenges, you can use them to develop your pitch.
2. Make your pitches benefits-focused
It’s always a delicate dance when it comes to presenting your services to prospects. You might even unintentionally make your services the focus of any pitch because you want to demonstrate how well you can solve their problem.
Try this instead: catch their attention by showing that you understand their challenge and how you can help. Talk about your product or service creatively, and the actual pitch becomes easier to mention. You’re more likely to land the deal if you start your pitch with a client-focused solution rather than just describing your services.
For example, if you were pitching an email newsletter service, a sample pitch could be, “Most emails don’t get opened because of bad subject lines. Here’s how I can help you develop subject lines that get opened and clicked on 80% of the time. (Add your service pitch here.)”
3. Share your unique value
Another part of your pitch that needs special attention is your unique value. You need to consider how you provide a more targeted, creative, and successful solution than anyone else out there. There’s more to it than just price. Your pitch should include a specific value proposition about you and your expertise that brings your service to life in a tangible way for them.
For example, I often highlight my 20+ years in the B2B tech industry as a differentiator. I might also mention how I’ve sat next to software developers and QA analysts on late-night product pushes to show that I understand how the industry works.
And remember to personalize the pitch to offer a glimpse of your solution in action so they can see how you’d help them. It helps them visualize you working with them and can really catch their attention.
4. Include social proof
Visualization and samples are great, but you need some social proof or external validation that proves your solution works for someone like them. If you can, mention company names you’ve worked with before. I often can’t because of client confidentiality, so I’ll mention the “Fortune 500 software company you use every day” or the “global consulting firm that’s worked with governments globally” instead.
Always remember to ask for recommendations or references from past clients at the end of every project. You’ll never lack for them again when you get in the habit.
5. Follow up on your pitches
Many freelancers fear hearing a “No” from a prospect, but you don’t need to be afraid. They might say “yes” next time. You want to know how your pitch does and not be waiting around. You’ll want to dedicate time to pitch follow-ups and make it a regular part of your routine.
How many times should you follow up? That’s always a tough question, and online experts are divided on it. My general rule is to follow up once a week for the first three weeks, then every other for another month or so, and then once a month unless I hear otherwise. You’ll get better at this once you practice.
Improve Your Pitch Strategy
The main idea of pitching prospective clients is understanding who you want as new clients and what you need to do to connect with them. When you do that, you’ll be ready to craft and deliver a pitch that wins every time.
Use these five tips to create a new pitch strategy (or level up your existing one) to gain a steady stream of new clients and work. Do you have any other tips you’d add to the list? Share them in the comments.
