Cold Pitches Gaining 0 Traction? You Might Be Making These Mistakes.

There’s something I’ve noticed about my copywriting coaching clients and students, especially those who have taken some of the more mainstream copywriting courses.

They all come to me with a similar problem: they’re not getting the clients they want, and they’re all sending cold pitches.

I’m not one to come out and bash someone else’s copywriting course, but the problem is this: if you’ve taken a popular copywriting course, spent upwards of thousands of dollars, and you’re seeing minimal returns, I’m not ok with that. 

The thing is, many of these copywriting courses are teaching a very outdated way to send cold pitches, and these communications are getting deleted before the recipient even gets halfway through the email.

While cold pitching can absolutely work, there’s a way to do it–and a way to not do it. 

Why Your Cold Pitches aren’t Landing You Copywriting Clients

I’m going to offer you somewhat of a unique perspective, here.

I own a copywriting agency. That means I both hire writers and pitch my own services. So, I’ve seen both sides of the cold pitching coin. I can tell you, from the perspective of a decision-maker, what’s going to pique my interest and what’s going to leave me completely underwhelmed.

Here’s why you’re not seeing the return you were hoping for from your cold pitching:

1. You Don’t Have the Right Foundations in Place

Sure, cold pitching is “cold” for a reason, and until you’ve built a name for yourself, you can’t expect your prospects to know who you are and immediately know, like, and trust you. That’s why you need to have the right foundations in place.

Think about this: You send a cold email, and the recipient then goes to your website. Your website doesn’t have any real information on it, no blog that shows you’re an authority in your field, no testimonials, and the site is all about YOU rather than focusing on the transformations you provide your clients. Your prospect is going to click the “X” button.

The same goes for cold pitching on social media channels: if they go back to your page to see what you’re all about and they see no thought leadership, no value, and nothing that demonstrates your skills, they’re going to ignore your message.

2. Your Subject Line is Borderline SPAM

How many marketing emails do you get every day? A lot, right? Now, imagine how many marketing emails decision-makers of a company get. It’s overwhelming. If you’re sending a cold pitch via email and your subject line is indecipherable from the hundreds of other canned marketing emails, it won’t even get opened.

Business owners get pitches all day long for every imaginable product and service. If it looks like your intention is to sell right off the bat, unless your prospect is actively looking for your services, they’re going to delete it. Or, worse, they might even mark you as SPAM.

3. Your Pitch is Too Damn Long

If your cold pitch is more than about 10 lines long, it’s too long. 

I know, I’m gonna get a lot of hate for that one, especially from those copywriting course instructors that teach their students to send a freaking dissertation about the value they provide. But, I’m not wrong. And that’s a hill I’m totally willing to die on.

Business owners and other decision makers in a company are busy beyond busy. They don’t want to read “War and Peace” when they open your email. Keep it short. Keep it concise. And if you can’t compel your prospect to book a call with you in a concise way, you need to strengthen your copy.

4. The Copy isn’t Forging an Authentic Connection

If a prospect opens your email and it reads like you’ve copied and pasted the same email over and over, you’re going to leave them underwhelmed, and you won’t leave a memorable (or good) impression.

If your cold pitch feels inauthentic, you’re not going to establish the know, like, and trust factor your clients need in order to want to work with you.

5. You aren’t Streamlining the Scheduling Process

If you’re requesting a discovery call, asking your prospect to send over “a few times and dates that work” for them adds unnecessary extra steps and more work for your prospect, which is a big turn off if they’re already speeding through their emails.

If you don’t provide a way to instantly book time with you, you’re losing out on potential business.

6. You aren’t Including the Right Portfolio, if You’re Including One at All

The number of copywriting cold pitches I’ve seen without portfolios is astounding. I don’t know which copywriting course is teaching that, but it’s ALL the way wrong. 

Just like not including a booking link, not including your portfolio means your prospect has to ask for it, which adds an extra step in the process. If you’re cold pitching yourself as a freelance copywriter, the logical thing to do is to include a portfolio. Not doing so looks unprofessional. 

Further, if you aren’t submitting a portfolio that’s relevant to your prospect, it won’t matter if you’re including it or not. If they can’t resonate with your portfolio, they won’t be interested.

7. You Aren’t Following Up The Right Way

Your follow up is just as important as the initial pitch. If you aren’t following up, you absolutely need to do so. And if you are following up and you’re still not getting ANY responses, rethink your approach.

I’ve seen SO many follow up emails that are almost identical to the initial pitch that didn’t catch my attention in the first place. Especially if it looks like a canned email. A follow up that desperately tries to convey your value looks more like marketing and less like you’re there to solve a problem for your prospect.

And if you’re sending the follow up on a new thread, that’s just going to confuse your prospect, who might not even remember your first email, anyway.

Cold Pitching DOES Work, IF You Do it Right

Cold pitching absolutely works if you take the time to do it right. By building your foundation, establishing a genuine connection with your prospect, providing the right information, and being strategic in your approach, you will see a huge jump in the ROI of your time spent sending cold email.

Go audit your cold pitching process and let me know how these shifts worked for you!