Last month we looked at The Power of the Ask.
I encouraged you to think about what you really want. Dream big, make goals and then ask for the help you need.
So this month I want to talk about what those asks or pitches could look like.
Lots has been written about pitching on the internet. And you can even use Google to find templates for the specific kinds of things you want to pitch.
But for what it’s worth, here are the five things I’ve learned about pitching:
5 Tips For Writing Pitches
1. Keep it short.
Your initial email to someone should walk a fine line between including enough information to peak interest but being brief enough to be glimpsed in about five seconds. The bottom line is you don’t have much time in someone’s inbox to get their attention. If you ramble on, you’re going to lose them.
Imagine you are actually receiving this email you are writing.
Is it clear? Are there parts you can leave out?
Go ahead and write out your whole idea but then boil it down to just what they need to know.
One of my favorite copywriters, Alexandra Franzen, always says, “Brevity is sexy.”
And she’s right!
2. Do your homework.
A few times a year, Stephanie (who runs Arkansas Women Bloggers) asks for pitches for articles that are paid. She always says, “Please review the website so as not to pitch me something that has already been done.”
If you pitch a magazine with an idea that was in their last issue, they might think you are not actually reading the publication you want to write for.
Are you trying to work with a company? Follow them on social media and pay attention to what they are promoting. Then write your pitch to include their goals as well as your own.
3. Flatter with sincerity.
For years, every email I wrote began this way:
Hi. My name is Alison Chino and I write a blog for a small, but committed audience about food, travel and family. Blah, blah, blah.
First of all, see Rule #1.
Secondly, it’s just boring.
Now I try to start my email with a brief statement about something specific I love that the company/magazine/person is doing.
Of course, it needs to be sincere. But if you’ve done your homework (#2), you should be able to easily recall something great they are doing that you want to be a part of!
4. Pitch often, but don’t blanket pitch.
If you want a lot of work as a blogger, especially when you are first starting out, you will have to write a lot of pitches.
But at the same time, it’s not a great idea to send out the exact same email to fifty people. It is much harder to write specific emails/find out peoples’ names/be sincere and personal, but it’s so much more effective.
Set a goal of how many pitches you want to send per month and then set some reminders to encourage you to get them out there.
(Side note: As far as goal-setting goes, setting a goal like “Send five pitches per week” is so much more tangible than a goal like “Work with so-and-so.” Because the first goal depends only on you! Tasks you can check off of your list are my favorite kind!)
5. Expect rejections.
All of these best-selling authors experienced rejection so you’re in good company when you get a “No” from someone or you don’t hear back at all.
One of the ways I’m learning to deal with pitches not landing is that I try to send my pitches at a time when I can close my computer up and not think about them again for a few days.
After you send a pitch, congratulate yourself (YOU DID IT!), check it off your list and then go work on something else. Instead of obsessively checking your email to see if you have heard anything, close your computer and go for a walk. Or send your pitch off right before you leave for your next yoga class.
I am trying to apply the same lesson in pitching emails as I do in prayer and meditation:
Learn the art of enjoying the space to dream during the seasons where I am waiting for a reply.
XO
PS. Do you have other questions about pitching I did not cover? Or tips to add that have been helpful for you?