Recently a number of readers and subscribers have asked me the typical questions about pitching clients for their freelancing business. However, I noticed a trend across all of these questions: These freelancers were all obsessing in painstaking detail about pitching ONE client. They had a million questions about sending ONE pitch, and hadn’t even sent it yet.
This is perhaps the biggest problem I see with new freelancers struggling to get clients. They never reach critical mass, because they are in their head worrying about making the “perfect pitch” to 1-5 clients.
My advice? Read on:
The Shockingly Simple Math Behind a Full Freelance Client List
If you’re starting out struggling to get clients, you should pitch 25-50 people a day. Not 1 person, not 5 people. 25 minimum, but 50 is ideal.
The beginning of your freelance journey is the hardest time to gain traction, and the best way to overcome it is by leveraging the law of large numbers, the law of averages, and critical mass.
Here’s some simple math (so simple even a writer can do it!) to show you what I mean:
- 50 pitches a day X 30 Days = 1500 pitches
- If 1% convert, that’s 15 clients, AKA a more-than full client list
Few people will do this, but it really is that simple. As they say in sales: “stop stalling and start calling.”
Pitch 50 Prospective Clients a Day? Seriously?
Yes. Stick with it, and you’ll likely find that you don’t need to do it for 30 days.
Furthermore, the only reason you need to leverage large numbers like this is because you’re so early in your career.
Once you are more established and good at retaining clients, you’ll only have to do a really big push like this every once in a blue moon, if at all (assuming clients stay with you a few years).
Should I Pitch Clients via Cold Email or LinkedIn Messages?
I don’t really care, as long as you pitch 50 people a day.
That said, for outbound lead gen I definitely prefer email. I haven’t had much success with direct outreach or DMs on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has been better for organic or inbound leads for me…
ie, people will see my posts/profile, and a small % will reach out to me every once in a while.
LinkedIn is also great for staying top of mind / on the radar of former clients.
Need More Help Getting Freelancing Clients?
…then you may be ready for Ultimate Easy Client Generation:
Inside, you’ll unlock templates for all the cold emails and DMs I’ve sent that successfully got me clients over the years.
Not to mention templates for raising prices, asking for referrals and testimonials, and much more…
It’s all right here, whenever you’re ready.