The Daily Freelancer: April 20, 2020 — The Myth of the Perfect Pitch
I’m not convinced there’s something called “the perfect pitch” when it comes to pitching content. I’ve written “perfect pitches” and gotten no responses. I’ve written bad pitches and gotten work. I even got a piece accepted on Twitter through a series of .gifs.
As a writer who has pitched, as an editor who has accepted pitches, and as a former manager who got tons of resumes, there are a few things you can do to help yourself along, remembering that nothing is set in stone:
Address who you’re pitching by name. Should it be “Dear Jessica,” or “Dear Editor,” or “To Whom It May Concern”…? The general rule is that you should do some research to find out the right person to send your pitch to. But what if you can’t find the name of the person hiring, or who posted the job, or who runs the editorial section of the website? It’s tricky, because if you address the right person, great. If you address the wrong person — someone else is the editor, or there’s been a job change and a different person is in the role — it might backfire on you. If you’re, like, 95% certain you have the right person, great. If there’s doubt, go with a generic. As an editor, I have never dinged anyone for not addressing a pitch to me.
Do get the name of the company or organization right. This one is non-negotiable.
Get rid of the throat-clearing. There’s a saying in fiction writing that when you have a draft of your novel, take it and cut the first three chapters. Usually the opening is ramping up the story, and you want to get to the story. Cut to the chase: Jump into the story you’re pitching, what you’re offering your client, or the ask you want to make. And don’t use the opening to butter up the person you’re writing to.
Focusing your pitch on them might not work. There’s the idea with business-related pitches that you always need to tell the client how you’re going to help them. But there are a lot of times pitches just can’t be written like that, because then it never tells them anything about who you are and why you’re qualified. Conversely, you shouldn’t have pitches that are just a list of your projects. Figure out the balance of being outward-focused while also demonstrating your experience.
Be honest and human. I’ll admit it. I click into all the “Make Six Figures as a Freelancer” ads I can get, and see what I can learn from them. What I’ve learned is that some folks lay the smarm on thick. I remember seeing an article written by a guy who was talking about how to make money on Upwork. He used an example pitch that started something like, “I don’t usually take on new clients, but I saw your post and had to reach out…” That’s a bunch of hooey. He’s just using the tactic to create the illusion of scarcity. If you do a smarmy pitch, people will see right through it. When I pitch, I realize there’s a human on the other end, and I’m a human, and we each have needs and expectations around a project that has to get done. Maybe this just comes from years of working with others, but nothing makes you more marketable than humanity and honesty.
Be comprehensive. The last thing I want to do is write you back asking you to provide information you should have given to me in the first place. In my editor job, I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had an author ask me to cover their new book…with just that ask. No title, no information, no website, no release date. Stop and think what information the person you’re writing to needs, and provide it. And always include a link to your website.
Be gracious. Always thank the person for their time.
Ultimately? You can help yourself by doing a few of these things. But getting your pitch accepted will never be about you. Generally, it’s going to be how the client or editor is feeling that day, or what the editorial calendar looks like, or what’s going to resonate with them — which is not anything you can know.
Maybe that freaks you out, or maybe that takes the pressure off. Who knows. The one thing I do know is that pitching is a numbers game…but more on that at another time.
Hi! I’m Jessica, and I can write your content. Head to my Writer for Hire page, and work with me today!