Freelance Copywriter tries cold pitching for 30 days — Part 1

Is cold pitching really the best way to get clients? Let’s find out.

Alright, Jacob McMillen, you’re on. I’ve just finished watching a video where Jacob uses cold pitching to land a $5,000 blogging gig in 48 hours.

He’s not the only one out here using and recommending this strategy, either. Jacob, Location Rebel, Alex Cattoni, and the Copy That! podcast all agree.

Cold pitching is the fastest way to make real money and actual clients as a freelance writer. I think it’s time we put this to the test.

Now, I don’t command the experience and performance record that the copywriters mentioned above do, but that just means I’ll need higher numbers. That’s the theory, anyway.

We’ve seen the experienced guys go out and make big money on their pitching challenges. But it’s not every day you get to see a real newbie take the shot.

How many pitches will it take to land a client? In my case, the first paying client.

I will never be this new again… may as well take advantage of the opportunity to be an underdog while I can.

So, here’s my plan.

Over the next 30 days, I will send a minimum of 5 pitches every single day.

Yes, even on the weekends. It’s the only way to make sure I’ve done everything in my power to succeed. The last thing I want is to come back empty-handed. Obviously, I would continue the experiment until it produced results.

But, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. We want to shoot for the best results possible.

I’ll track the number of pitches, responses (or lack thereof), and the title of the person pitched.

Jacob also mentions that for a high percentage of pitches, he reached out via social. Specifically on Twitter and LinkedIn. He theorizes people respond to their socials faster.

So, if I have the option to reach out via social media, I’ll keep this in mind. I wonder if reaching out through Facebook business pages would yield any exciting results?

It could work with businesses that don’t have an autoresponder bot. More data to record.

As a bonus, I’ll also be saving all of my pitches (winners & losers) as a pdf for anyone who’s on my email list. Subscribe here for a backstage pass to this challenge.

If Jacob is right, and honestly, of course, I believe he is. I hope this small series (I’ll be updating weekly) can help a newbie who feels as lost as I did at first.

I hope it makes a resource and inspiration for those brave enough to join the freelance life.

Imposter syndrome and a heavy fear of failure kept me from actively pursuing my dream of being a professional writer for years.

Until I lost my job. Whoops.

I’ve been on my own for the past month, applying for agency positions that seem to love my portfolio, but not my lack of degree.

You could say the pressure is on. Lord knows my bills agree. My proverbial back is against the wall, and you have a front-row seat to the big event.

I feel like some sort of gladiator, but the only weapon I’ll be wielding is carpal tunnel and coffee.

Grab the popcorn and we’ll find out whether I sink or swim.

Let’s review.

For the next 30 days, I will send at least 5 pitches a day. Even on Sunday.

My primary targets will be small to medium health and fitness industry clients for website and email copy. Yoga studios, personal trainers, and even small gyms. I’ll be prospecting primarily in the Austin Texas area, but a few might venture off. I’ll use this niche to simplify the prospecting process.

I’ll keep record of all pitches sent, responses, and outcomes to be analyzed in the final blog of this series.

Plus, my pitches to your inbox in a weekly behind-the-scenes update. You can sign up for that here.

Which brings us to the end of this post, my friends.

Don’t worry, my week one update will come out on May 26, 2022.

Copy on.

Noah Jade.