Is it 'okay' to cold pitch freelance copywriting clients? Why you have every right to!

getting clients linkedin Jul 18, 2021
 

The most common question freelancers have in the beginning is what’s the best way to land clients? 

 

The bottom line is, without clients, you don’t have an income or a freelance business, so knowing how to land clients is one of the most important things for you to learn. 


Different people will advise different strategies, but cold pitching is best when youre first starting out or if you’re starting from scratch like I did with no experience or connections. 

 

By the end of this video you’ll understand why cold pitching is the most effective strategy but you’ll also know why you have every right to message clients and introduce your services.

 

1. Creating your own opportunities puts you in control

When you send a set amount of cold pitches to ideal clients, a percentage of those messages (when they’re done right) will convert to a certain amount of opportunities. 

 

In sales and marketing it’s called a conversion rate. X amount of tries results in X amounts of booked calls with clients. When you don’t send cold messages, your likelihood of getting in front of clients is 0. 

 

By setting your own outreach goals, you take destiny into your own hands and you play the numbers game. 

2. Cold pitching makes you proactive instead of reactive 

Without cold pitching, you’re waiting for clients to post job opportunities. You can scour job listings trying to narrow down the ones that fit your ideal niche, or you can make a list of your ideal clients and just reaching out to see if they need a writer 

 

3. Cold pitching makes you proactive instead of reactive 

Without cold pitching, you’re waiting for clients to post job opportunities. You can scour job listings trying to narrow down the ones that fit your ideal niche, or you can make a list of your ideal clients and just reaching out to see if they need a writer.

 

Methods other than cold pitching require you to wait for companies to create job postings versus just getting yourself out there and offering your services as a business owner. 

 

You may even catch someone before they go to post a job, getting ahead of the curve. Running a business, even when it’s freelance, requires you to be proactive at every level whether it’s improving your portfolio or requesting testimonials from your clients.

4. Cold outreach results in higher quality, higher-paying clients 

Being on Fiverr and Upwork is a passive approach. It’s setting up a profile and waiting to be found. Even if you send proposals on Upwork, you’re limited to the clients hiring on that platform and they’re usually not the high-paying clients. 

 

I’ve never been on that platform but I’ve spoken to enough writers who have to know that you typically can’t command high rates on there. They also take a percentage of what you earn, which I’m not a fan of.

 

With the time you spend making a profile on UpWork and sending proposals, you could be on a free platform like LinkedIn, growing your network and sending compelling messages to your ideal clients, gaining that free exposure and visibility. 

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