If you’re a freelance blogger (or want to be) you’re likely familiar with the obvious point I’m going to start with here:
Reputable businesses and online publications have a huge demand for high quality, valuable content for their websites.
Good news for you and your blogging career, right?
It gets better though. More specifically, these companies are looking for regular content. By definition, a blog is something that is constantly added to – it’s a process, a journey – so consistency is of the utmost importance.
Which is great news for your freelance blogging career (and subsequent bank balance).
To explain why this last point in particular is something to get so excited about, let me go out on a limb here by saying:
Pitching directly to clients for regular work is where the money’s at.
This is how I make my living from blogging, and I know it’s how many other successful online writers earn good money too.
That’s not to say that the writing gigs you can find on freelancing sites don’t have their place. They certainly do. In terms of earning a full-time living from blogging however, pitching directly to clients for regular and consistent work is your best shot at bringing in the big dollars.
Here’s how you can pitch to potential new blogging clients that will pay you a flat rate each and every month (or fortnight, or whatever) that you can come to rely on as regular income.
How to work out who to pitch to
This is going to vary depending on your niche, your areas of expertise and your experience so far.
Spend some time thinking about a niche (or niches) for your freelance blogging business — it’ll help you generate ideas about the types of companies and websites to pitch to. (I explore methods for finding your most profitable niche in my freelance writing Udemy course.)
Remember, you’re looking to form a relationship with these companies and work with them long-term, so they need to align with your interests, principles and work ethic.
It’s often easier when you have a link, however flimsy, with the company you want to pitch to, so it pays to take a good look close to home. Which leads me seamlessly to my next point…
Who to pitch to when you have no contacts
Are you a loyal customer of a particular website and have recently noticed how their online presence could do with some improvements? Perhaps their blog is out of date and has been left to dwindle and die, and you know you’re just the person to bring it back to life?
Another option is to consider companies you’ve worked for in the past. Could you turn an old or current day job into a new freelance client?
If you can convince a business you’ve worked for in the past of a gap in their online content – and the benefits of filling it – you’ll be in an ideal position for them to hire you as their blogger. Why? Because they already know and trust you.
Do your research and explore a few options at this juncture. While everybody else is competing for the odd job here and there on Elance, spend your time getting creative in your search for regular, long-term clients.
How to pitch
I used to shudder every time I thought about pitching directly to clients. I equated it with cold-calling and it brought back some pretty uncomfortable memories of working in sales.
Pitching for regular writing clients isn’t half as bad as you might think, though. If you pitch the right thing to the right person and keep it brief, relevant, friendly and confident, you’ll be off to a good start.
Find out who is the best person to pitch to within your chosen companies or online publications and address your pitch to them personally.
You’ll need to thoroughly research the website of the company you want to write for. Then ensure you’re explicit in demonstrating the benefits and results you can offer said company.
Be as relevant and specific as you possibly can when it comes to that last point, and don’t be shy to share your best posts with potential new blogging clients if you already have work published online.
How about you? What experience have you had with pitching directly to clients? Do you have other pitching tips not mentioned here? Feel free to share them in the comments section below.
Kat Tretina says
Truth. I think the posted freelance jobs and sites like Elance are usually just a race to the bottom, with people all trying to be the lowest-bid just to get the gig. I’ve seen 1,000 word intensively researched articles go for $5 on Elance. Those clients just want SOMETHING for cheap, they don’t really care about the level of quality.
Pitching on your own to serious businesses and blogs is the best way to do it.
Kirsty Stuart says
Unfortunately Kat, that type of thing on freelancing sites is all too common. Glad to hear you agree that pitching directly is the best way to get the pay you deserve from blogging work!
Adam Zetterlund says
This is so accurate, Kirsty!
I helped a client of mine recruit for a contributor position late last year, and he received nearly 100 applicants over the course of two days. Trying to make yourself stand out from the crowd in this sort of scenario is truly next to impossible.
I still get the butterflies occasionally as I send off pitches, but the results speak for themselves. 🙂
Kirsty Stuart says
Yes, and butterflies are fine Adam, right? Feeling out of my comfort zone every now and then reminds me I’m still living and not just passing through life like a zombie! 😉
Abigail Patrick says
Thanks for this, Kirsty – really helpful! When I first thought about freelancing I was really naive, and coming across sites like oDesk I thought I’d found a great community to find work – that is, until I did a week’s worth of editing work for $25 with a 3 day deadline!
I always find the first pitches a little terrifying, especially as I’m still fairly new to the game and have a very small portfolio. For me, pitching reminds me less of working in sales and more of applying for jobs as a fresh-faced graduate. At least when working sales I was responsible to someone else so whether I was nervous or not I had to do it. It’s why mindset is as important as anything else – treat your business like a business, imagine an imaginary boss to answer to if you have to, and pitch away.
One thing about pitching is that I often find you won’t always hear back, so it’s worth sending out a lot of pitches with a lot of different ideas and keeping a spreadsheet of who you’ve pitched what to if you’re pitching articles. The more people you pitch to, the more likely you’ll hear back from someone! I try to avoid pitching the same idea to two potentials, so I give myself a time frame, and if I haven’t heard back from them and it’s an idea I really love I’ll rework the pitch and send it to someone else.
Kirsty Stuart says
Great ideas Abigail. I certainly agree that mindset is all-important in this game and that you need to treat this as a business.
Using a spreadsheet is something I do to keep track of pitching and projects – thanks for adding a great tip to this post! It sounds as though you have a good system set up. 🙂
Amanda Cleary Eastep says
Hi, Kirsty, I’m enjoying your Udemy course! You are absolutely right about starting close to home. LinkedIn is so helpful in that regard and having a referral from a friend or fellow professional (I always get permission to mention his/her name to the potential new client) is one of the best ways to get a foot in the door. When I email a new contact for the first time, rather than send them to my portfolio page, I include 2-3 links to articles or blog posts that provide examples of my work they would find most relevant. I also follow up with an email if I don’t receive a reply in case the first email with links ended up in spam.
Emma Hudson says
Great post, Kirsty!
I’m new to freelancing so this kind of post is very helpful.
Kirsty Stuart says
Thanks Emma. Glad you found the post useful.
Williesha says
Great to see a post from you Kirsty! This is the post I hope every aspiring freelance blogger reads. It should be constantly preached as the way to build a business.
I have one corporate client whose product I’m dying to use but it’s not available in my area. I used that desire to create a pitch.
Great job breaking it down.
Kirsty Stuart says
Thanks Williesha, and good job on finding a gap in the market to create a killer pitch!
Bev B says
Thanks for the insights in this article! I would like to know how you price your services? I have done some work for a friend but I feel I have greatly underpriced my work. What is your formula?
Kirsty Stuart says
Hi Bev,
Pricing up a freelance blogging job depends on a number of variables. Having said that, I’ve already written a blog post on the formula I use as a general guide. You can find that here:
http://www.freelancewritersonline.com/charging-freelance-writing-clients/
Hope it helps!
Penny Hawes says
Hi Kirsty,
Great advice – and pitching directly can have unexpected benefits. When I pitched a company in my niche (I write mainly for the equine industry), they didn’t need a writer, but their sister company did and I got the gig! Until that point, I didn’t even know the other company existed!
I second what Willi says – hopefully every aspiring freelance blogger gets this message!
Kirsty Stuart says
Thanks Penny – I hope they do too! I cover the topic heavily in my new Udemy course as I really feel this is the way to move towards earning a full-time living from writing online. Hope the gig with the sister company goes well. It just goes to show, you never know what opportunities might come up when you get a bit proactive.
John Vogel says
Kirsty,
Thanks for the great article. I’ve been doing freelance articles, blog posts, etc. for quite some time now. I’ve worked on many different freelance sites, such as hirewriters and elance (which is moving to upwork now)…. and have made a little bit of spending money, but I’m ready to get in there and start making a living off of my talent. Most of the clients I have written for have been very happy with my work… at a penny a word, who wouldn’t be? It’s a new year! Time for a new strategy!
Thanks again,
John
Kirsty Stuart says
Good for you John – onward and upward, I say!
Blossom says
This is so relevant to my life right now. I actually went to something like elance as my first freelance job. I wasn’t looking for long term because I’m on school break, but I think websites like those are great for people who want to test the waters of the world of freelance, you know, exercise their customer service and negotiating skills.
But one of my last tips on my posts is to get yourself out there, and that means exactly what you’re talking about, pitching DIRECTLY to businesses/clients.
I’m sure you won’t need it, but here is the post I keep talking about: www.http://www.blossomthecreativist.com/what-i-learned-from-my-freelance-job/
Thanks for sharing, I hope this isn’t spamming!
Mai Bantog says
Thanks for this article, Kirsty. This is actually one of my goals this year–to pitch directly to clients instead of spending most of my time sifting through job boards, where hundreds of other people are also looking. Hopefully I land a regular gig this time!
Kirsty Stuart says
I believe that strategy will be a much better use of your time in 2016 Mai – good for you!
AlbaLnz says
I really enjoyed reading the article, although I still find it tough to pitch a potential client. The lack of experience and references play aginst me, and I am not sure if I shoudl get into that game yet. Although I am aware that if I don’t try I will never get there.
Anyway, congratulations for the article!
Kirsty Stuart says
Yes, it’s a good point Alba. I cover this in my freelance writing course because it’s such a frustrating chicken-and-egg situation. One way around it is to build up a small portfolio using the job sites and then using them as portfolio pieces. The rest is a lot to do with confidence. Good luck!
Sunny Virgo says
Great article Kristy, thank you for the valuable information! I have yet to be paid for something I’ve written but I am very optimistic! I have a few websites in mind that I love and will pitch to.
Thanks again!
Kirsty Stuart says
Great stuff Sunny! Optimism is half the battle as it equates to confidence. All the best with your pitching.