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You've identified your ideal client and done your research on them, great! Now you need to reach out to them and tell them about your excellent ability to help them communicate with their audience and achieve their marketing goals through your superb copywriting skills. Enter the pitch email. This is a great first point of contact that should highlight your ability to write well, to comminate effectively, and to sell your services. There is an art to the pitch email because you're unlikely to get another chance to make a great impression- so you need to nail it. How does one do this? Keep reading because that's what I'll be discussing in this post.
An email doesn't allow for a lot of content, particularly one that is unsolicited and will likely be scanned instead of read. So you want to get straight to the point and hit on all of the important points. Below is my formula for the perfect pitch.
Let's imagine your ideal client is a Law of Attraction (LOA) coach who needs long-form blog posts that explain what the LOA is, and what she does to help her clients utilize it for tangible results in the form of prosperity in their lives.
Step 1- Connect
The first thing you want to do is create an authentic connection with your client. This is a human-to-human appeal. It's you getting them to like you- because if they like you, selling to them later will be easier. You do this by showing them a bit of your personality- which, if you've done the work of making sure they fit into your Ideal Client Profile (this article covers how to study your ideal clients once you've successfully identified them) should closely match their personality.
'I understand you' paragraph
Example: I was so happy to come across your corner of the internet. I found such a deep resonance with both you and your work as I engaged with your content. I understand the purpose of your work to be helping people achieve their wildest business goals with joy and ease by utilizing prosperity principles and the LOA.
This works because you get to show the potential client that you get them. You also display that you're a real human- just like them. This is where you turn on the personal charm and leave them thinking 'I want to hang out with this person'.
Step 2- Establish Authority
The second thing you want to do is show your client why you're amazing and they should trust you. It's you declaring what makes you the best person to listen to for the particular problem that your client needs to be solved. This is where you're allowed to flaunt all of your experience and accomplishments.
'This is what I do' paragraph
Example: I know the power of the LOA from witnessing it in my own life. I want more people who are ready to receive that knowledge to know about it. I am a copywriter (and an author) and words are both my greatest joy and my biggest talent. I would like to write for you. I feel that I understand your brand, your purpose, and your audience.
This works because you get to demonstrate your expertise and the extent of your work highlights. You get to paint a picture of who you are in a professional sense- and impress. This is where you put your best foot forward and leave them thinking 'I would be lucky to work with this person'.
Step 3- Highlight Relevant Skills
The third thing you want to do is define the exact skills that make you perfect for the job in question. This is where you finetune your impressive resume to the exact points that you know will matter to this particular client. It's you declaring what sets you apart from the competition by showing that you fully understand the assignment and you know exactly how to go about it.
'This is what I can do for you' & 'this is why I'm perfect' paragraph
I believe that you could create great value for your audience by providing them with an evergreen source of LOA content to help them keep their vibrations high as they move to transform their work, businesses, and lives. I know from experience that I can't read or watch enough content about the LOA and manifestations, especially from teachers that I trust. My goal is to provide you, and thus your audience, with high-quality content that serves, uplifts, and transforms.
This works because you get to demonstrate the precise expertise that highlights your eligibility for the completion of this project. This is where you turn on the professional charm and leave them thinking: 'For this project, I only want this person working on it'.
Step 4- Provide Proof
The last thing you want to do is back up everything you've said thus far by providing proof of your previous work. This is singlehandedly the most important part of the email. Proof speaks volumes and gives prospective clients something to assess.
If this is your first client and you have no prior experience, I would highly suggest you work on that first. It will be quite difficult (near impossible really) to land great clients without a portfolio that shows a good body of work. Great clients- the kind you want- don't hire based on a nice personality. They hire based on a proven track record. To be even considered, you need one. So, if you've never had a paying client- offer your services for free to a few clients that will build the kind of portfolio that will help you land the clients you really want. For example, don't offer to write about pet care for free if you'd like to land beauty clients in the future- the pet care articles in your portfolio won't demonstrate that you can write about beauty and you probably won't get the job.
'Please get back to me and link to your portfolio' paragraph
I have so many ideas and I am very excited at the prospect of working with you. Please feel free to take a look at my previous work. Of particular interest, this [add link to most relevant post/ article] work I did for [describe similar client] will demonstrate just some of the content I'm able to produce that I believe will resonate with your audience.
I'd love to answer any questions you have.
This works because you get to demonstrate the real-life work that you've done in the past. Any great client will want to see your portfolio- they get to vet your work before committing to anything and it puts them at ease because they can trust that you can deliver what you're promising. Always provide a way for prospects to see your previous work. It's all they have to go on, and you're asking them to make a rather important consideration.
Ready to pitch but still need a little bit more specialized help?
I've created these Pitch Perfect Email Templates that you can use at every stage of your client building. These 3 templates will help you to:
Get more clients
Make more money
Grow your business
These templates are exactly how I contact and close new clients. It includes the copy for the initial pitch, the follow-up, and even a third re-engagement email should you need it. All are designed to help you connect with the client, highlight your skills, and land the job. You can find them here.
Conclusion
Your ideal copywriting clients are out there, and they need the exact services that you provide. After finding them, the next hardest step is pitching yourself as the solution to their problem. After all my work as a freelance copywriter, I believe that I have come up with a system that works- it certainly did for me. My hope is that it works for you.
Happy pitching,
Nonjabulo
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