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Are you a freelancer? As of December 2021, over 40% of the United States will be working freelance (and we predict it will only grow), so you need to stand out among the crowd sooner rather than later. Do you know how to pitch yourself to potential clients while avoiding common pitfalls?
If not, we have listed five of the best pitching tips to help you present yourself to clients and show off what you can provide them. Take a look to learn how to pitch yourself and your work better.
Learning how to pitch better means understanding that you cannot use the same message for everyone. Many people in business understand what a copy-and-pasted message looks like, as most have seen it many times before.
There are several mistakes people make over and over when sending the same message off to multiple people. The most egregious is they forget to edit the names and details of the person they are sending the message to. Doing this guarantees that your pitch gets thrown in the trash with no second chances.
A critical aspect of learning how to pitch yourself is determining who you are pitching to. Is there a specific job vacancy you're interested in with the prospect? Or do you wish to offer a service for which they have not advertised but would benefit from? Getting straight to the point will prevent back-and-forth emails that could waste both your and the employer’s valuable time.
People like other people who are like them. When sending out your freelancer pitches, check the website of who you are planning to talk to. When sending that person an email, try to match their tone of voice.
Let’s say you're trying to figure out how to pitch yourself for a job with a company that uses casual language on its website. By using equally informal language in your pitch, you demonstrate to them that you would fit in well with their organization.
On the other hand, a formal pitch that includes your business proposal might be more appropriate for a client who speaks more conservatively.
It’s a good idea to always keep in mind that a casual professional will not enjoy interacting with an uptight professional, and vice versa. You will find that people prefer to have a conversation that is on their level.
One of the most important freelancer pitching tips is to make sure you are talking to the right person from the start. This is considerably easier to do if the client works solo, as they are most likely the one who checks their email.
If you send a pitch to the CEO, only for them to not have the time to see what you are suggesting, you have wasted your time. Also, aiming too low might mean people ignore your approach when that person takes your suggestion up the chain.
As a starting point, you can run a search on the company's website or on platforms like LinkedIn. Alternatively, they may have accounts on freelancer websites. These can provide you with the correct contact information, such as the email address of the HR department, for sending your email pitches.
It is also very reasonable to be direct and ask who you should be talking to. Many employees will be more than happy to send you the correct email address for where your query should go.
Despite what others say, pride is a virtue when pitching to others. Embrace the work you have done in the past and mention it when pitching yourself.
Some of the best freelancer pitches include information that lets the receiver know the expertise of the pitcher. So, make sure to mention the context you are pitching any new project from.
You'll also want to make sure that the work you're promoting is a good match for the client's needs. For example, if you're a freelance writer applying to a medical website, consider submitting samples of content you've previously written on medicine.
The subject line of any email is far more important than you might think. Many emails get deleted through poor subject lines alone. So keep your pitch subject line interesting, but try to avoid clickbait-y messages, as your addressee will read it as spam.
Of course, you could also check if the prospective client has some instructions on how the subject line should be written.
Finally, end any pitch with a question. This can be either a direct question or the suggestion of one. The important thing is that you leave the pitch receiver wanting to know more and then contacting you to find out.
These are some fantastic pitching tips, but they are not the be-all, end-all of freelancer pitches that work. There are many more pieces of advice out there, and you should check out our blog for some of them. Visit the Moxie blog for advice, tips, and information on what it means to be a freelancer.
And if you have difficulty organizing your freelance work, Moxie has the tools you need to stay on top of your game. You can check out the rest of our site to learn more about our freelancing management products.
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