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When I started out as a freelance writer, I had no clue about how to write a pitch.

I started reading up a lot of blogs and articles online to understand how those successful writers like, Elna Cain (love her work, you should check it out too), wrote her pitches.

Thankfully, she has some super useful posts on how to write a pitch which gave a starting point.

By the way, she also has an amazing course that can help you up your game pretty quickly (I mean it, pretty quickly if you follow all her strategies!). You can check it out here.

Getting back to the topic –

From then onwards, there was no stopping. I kept improving on my freelance writing pitches and it yielded great results.

One of the first freelance writing pitches I wrote got me a job at 10 cents a word. I was on cloud nine.

Oh damn, this works!

But, all of this works, if you know how to write a pitch that sells. Sells, YOU!

There are thousands of writers out there, some struggling and some successful. You are up against many and you need to distinguish yourself from others in the pitch.

If you write generic, one size fits all emails in response to a freelance writing job or in a cold email, it will go unnoticed.

This is where this post on how to write a pitch will help you.

You must be thinking this is just another generic tutorial which shares known things.

No! It is not.

I will take you step by step through each part of the email and discuss how to write a pitch that cannot go unnoticed. (the things I did in the emails that have actually given me results!). In fact, I landed a client that paid me $250 for a post with these strategies.

Note: If you are struggling to find and land freelance writing clients, you should check this out.

Let’s begin.

1. Start with a personalized subject line

It is extremely important that you understand that a subject line is what makes the reader click or not click on your email.

If you write a generic headline like “Content Writer”, “Freelance Writer”, “Freelance Writer looking for the job” etc, it will not work.

Even if it does, you will not land a high paying client. You will be stuck with low paying jobs because that is what your emails are screaming –

“I am a desperate freelance writer looking for a job”

So, how to write a pitch subject line that works?

First, position yourself as a business owner.

I have told this time and again, freelance writing is not a hobby. It is a serious business and if you don’t take it seriously, no one else will.

So, stop using desperate sounding subject lines!

Instead, try to make a personal connection with the reader. For example, I received an email yesterday with a subject line “For Chhavi: Content on Mrs. Daaku Studio” and I did not think twice before opening up that email.

What happened when I read that subject line?

First, I knew it is not a “one size fit all” email because it was specifically addressed to me.

Second, I knew they know Mrs. Daaku Studio is my website

Third, putting the first two together, I knew they might have something important to share or tell.

Remember, the entire purpose of your subject line is to get the reader to click on it.

So, don’t be a desperate freelance writer. Be a confident business owner who is looking to help other businesses by increasing their online presence.

Craft your subject lines keeping that in mind.

Some of the subject lines you can use are

Content on XYZ Ltd.
Freelance “insert niche” Writer for XYZ Ltd (if you are responding to a job ad)
Regarding content on XYZ Ltd.

Tell me one thing, have you ever wondered how to write a pitch that is soo damn relevant that the reader is captivated and just cannot ignore hitting reply?

No? Yes?

The answer to the question lies in personalization at all levels. Look –

Personalization is not an option anymore today. It is a necessity if you are looking to grow your freelance writing income and land higher paying clients.

So, let’s look a few ways you can personalize your email.

In case you are stuck and wondering if freelance writing is for you, take this 6-day free course before taking any further step.

Address by name, NOT sir/ma’am

Never address your emails to sir, ma’am or whomsoever it may concern.

There couldn’t be anything less personal than that.

In my experience, there are 3 most common scenarios

You’re applying through freelance writing job boards, but do not have a name or an email address
You’re applying to a freelance writing job, have the email address but do not know the name
You’re cold pitching to potential clients

Let’s start with the first one.

Scenario 1

If you have used ProBlogger, you know what I am referring to. They have an application form below each job through which you can apply.

A lot of time these ads don’t have the details (name or emails).

In such cases, you have two options

Take a few minutes to visit their website. If they are a small company, chances are your application goes to the founder or marketing director directly. So, you can take a risk and address the email to one of them. I have found success with this BUT implement this with caution
If they are a large company, keep it simple with a “Hi” or “Hi team”

Scenario 2:

Now, let’s say you are applying to a job, have an email address but do not know the name.

See, most emails are a combination of first names and last names (unless it is a generic email like [email protected] or [email protected]).

If you have the first name included in the email address, use it. A lot of freelance writers make this mistake of not paying attention to the email address.
If you cannot figure out the name from the email address, you should visit the team’s page on their website and try to figure out. In order to verify that the email address belongs to the person, you found on their website, use Hunter.Io or FindMyEmail.

Almost always (unless you really cannot figure it out!), start the email with the name of the concerned person.

Scenario 3

If you are sending cold emails, you really need to learn how to write a pitch that sells.

Gather all the information you require to send the cold email. Work on finding the right person who is in charge of hiring freelancers or content creation and find their emails using the online tools I mentioned above.

Follow the instructions in this post on how to write a pitch and I am sure, you will create a personalized and an effective freelance writing pitch.

If you take this extra effort in addressing the email to the concerned person, either of the two things happens –

First, that person knows you paid attention to details
Second, that person knows that you personalized the email because you put in efforts to know their name

All of this work in your favor!

Start by making a connection

Start your email by making a personal connection. You can point out something you like about their websites, blogs or anything specific that you really liked about them.

Try to keep it simple and short. 1-2 are lines are just enough. Do NOT, I mean DO NOT, go on harping about how awesome they are.

While your intentions may be good, you can come across as someone who is full of fluff. Also, they might not even get to reading the later part of your email.

When you make a personal connection, your readers know that

You took out the time to know about them, and
the email is tailored specifically to them

They are almost always happy to at least respond to your email, even if they are not giving you work right away.

Introduce yourself strategically

Work on your USP. Your *Unique Selling Point*

What is it that you can do for your clients. Use that to introduce yourself.

No one wants to know if you are a bachelor in arts, commerce or an MBA. No one wants to know that you topped your university or if you worked with Yahoo or Google (unless of course, the work is relevant)

They want to know if you can help them achieve their business goals

Keep your introduction to the minimum. You don’t have to state your name in it.

For god sake, there is a signature at the end for that! Right?

You can have any of these (or all) into the pitches

Any major clients you have worked with
Any results that you have driven for your clients
Anything specific but impressive your client had to say about your work
What you can help them with (driving traffic, boosting social media followers, getting them new leads etc)

Note: If you are struggling to find and land freelance writing clients, you should check this out.

Share a few but relevant links ONLY

If you are working in a niche (which I highly recommend), all your portfolio samples will be relevant. So, link out to 1-2 of your best work

Now, if you are not a niche writer, you have a variety of writing samples. Let’s say, you have samples for travel, parenting, cooking, and saving extra cash.

Research on the company you are pitching to. Look at their services and existing resources, blogs or any other collateral available.

If you think even one of your article matches with their business, send them that (even if it is the only sample you provide them!).

The key is to be relevant.

If they read something which is so relevant to their ongoing business, they are most likely not ask you for other samples. They already believe that you know about the industry.

If you do not have any sample which can relate to them, create one. Choose a topic that closely resonates with their needs, products, services and business in general and write a short sample.

A lot of clients will ask for live samples. So, everytime you write a sample post for your clients, publish it on LinkedIn or Medium.

You can read here how to deal with clients that ask for free samples.

*Boom*

You will have live links in no time. But, that said, work on building a portfolio of live blog posts on known blogs/websites.

Insert a call to action at the end

You have made a connection, introduced yourself and established yourself as the suitable writer for them.

Now, what?

Don’t just say thanks and end the email.

Always remember, the purpose of every line in the email is to get the next line read or evoke the desired action.

So, insert a strong call to action. Your reader should know what to do next. A simple, let’s chat sometime this week is so charming!

Follow up

Don’t be dejected or saddened if you do not get a reply.

Send your first follow up email in 2-3 days. Keep it simple. You can use this –

Hey [First Name],

I was wondering if you had a chance to read my email and I’d still love to connect with you when you have some time. Will you be available to chat for a few minutes this week to discuss [insert services]?

[Your Name]

If you still do not get a reply, send another follow up after 7 days. Look –

Businesses are busy and sometimes loaded with excess work. They have missed your email or forgot to respond. Anything can happen!

So, send your second follow up. You can use something along these lines

Hey [First Name],

I know you must be busy, but is it possible for you connect me with someone else on your team that might be a better fit to talk with me able to chat about [your service medium]?

[Your Name]

Finally, if they still do not reply, send your final follow up after 14 days.

There you go – How to write a pitch that actually works and lands you high paying gigs.

Recap