So you wanna send some pitches—but don't know where to start?
We've all been there, staring at a blank email, trying to figure out how to pitch our services without sounding desperate, spammy, or like an AI robot typing out the message.
The struggle is real. And cold pitching is a fiercely debated topic in the freelance community. But honestly, I think it's gotten a bad rap.
Sure, it might not work for everyone, but it's been a valuable strategy for me to land clients and make useful connections for the future.
Here's the good news: Sending an email or DM to a stranger doesn't have to be a nightmare. In fact, with some simple tweaks, you can transform your outreach from going straight to the trash to getting a reply with, "Tell me more..."
Avoid being generic. Everyone—even yours truly—shares cold conversation templates. But if you take someone else's words, always personalize your pitch. Show that you've done your homework on the client and their needs. Be specific!
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Showcase your value, not just your skills. Sorry, "I'm a writer" isn't gonna cut it. You have to tell them how you can solve their problems. Did you help another client boost their website traffic? Did the social media profiles you managed increase the client's brand awareness? Did your designs get people to interact with your client's content?
Keep it short and sweet. Don't tell them your life story or share your entire work history. People are busy! Get to the point quickly and make it easy for them to see why they should hire you. I'll say something like, "I know you're busy, so I'll keep this short." It shows that I know their time is important.
Show off your relevant work. The keyword here is "relevant." If you don't have direct experience in their industry, offer to do a paid test piece or show examples of adjacent work—I landed a new client last week by doing this exact thing!
Proofread! Then, proofread it again. Typos and grammatical errors can send a good pitch straight to the trash. Before you hit send, carefully review your message to catch any mistakes.
Follow-up, but don't be annoying. If you haven't heard back, don't panic! Send a polite follow-up email after a week or so to nudge yourself to the top of their inbox. I don't usually do more than one.
When you're ready to pitch your dream client but not sure where to start, try this free template from Moxie. The quick video tutorial by 15-year freelancer Austin L. Church can guide you through best practices for getting a response.
After projects and clients start rolling in, manage everything from your pipeline to your invoicing and off-boarding with Moxie.
