If you felt called out (or overwhelmed) by that title, hear me out. I’ll just get right on with it so you don’t have to sit here and panic about your pitching practices… 😅
Why you might not be getting clients
If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re struggling to get clients.
(Or you’re self-conscious about how much effort you put into pitching).
There are 3 main reasons you might not be getting clients:
- You’re not doing enough direct outreach (email cold pitches, LinkedIn LOIs, networking) – AKA pitching
- Your profile and portfolio aren’t positioned for the leads (potential clients) you’re pitching
- You’re not following up enough
Today we’re gonna tackle the first – volume of direct outreach.
Getting clients is a numbers game.
I’m going to put it into perspective for you here.
Pitching conversion rates:
- About 25% of all connection requests on LinkedIn actually get accepted (if you add an LOI in the note).
- About 25-50% of those connections will become your client within the next 24 months.
- About 8.5% of all email cold pitches get responses. About 20% of those will actually convert within 2 years.
- Content marketing only has a 2-5% conversion rate.
This is data that I’ve collected over the past 4 years from my coaching clients (and backed up with some data from LinkedIn and Email Marketing studies). These are only estimates; your actual results may vary.
How to get clients short-term
Let’s say you need 3-5 clients to have a thriving freelance writing business.
If we just aim to fill your schedule short term (let’s say you need 5 clients), you’d need to send a minimum of:
- 40 LOIs
- 300 Email Cold Pitches
- 250 pieces of content
This is why I always advocate for using LinkedIn – especially connection requests + LOIs.
It’s the highest ROI activity you can do to get clients for your business.
How to fill your schedule long-term
But if you want a sustainable business that can thrive for a long time with minimal ups and downs. You’ll need a steady stream of leads. For that, you’ll need a marketing routine that you do every week.
Here’s the routine me and my coaching clients use:
- Find the most relevant people that work for your ideal client
- Reach out to them (with an LOI + connection request on LinkedIn or an email cold pitch)
- Thank them if/when they accept your request or respond to your email
- Wait 2 weeks to follow up and ask if they work with freelancers
- Reply to any responses and/or follow up again 2 weeks later
- For anyone who didn’t respond, keep following up every 3 months (up to 5 times)
- REPEAT
Mindset: Play the game
Now that you have the cold, hard truth. Data. Facts. You need to get your mindset right.
- You’re planting the seeds for future clients every time you pitch/send a connection request
- You’re gambling (in a way), and the more you play, the more likely you are to win
- You’re putting coins in your piggy bank that you’ll be able to cash in later
It might feel overwhelming to see those numbers at first. But the more you practice, the faster you’ll get at pitching and the more clients you’ll get.
Pitching Resources
Need help with pitching? Don’t worry, I gotchu.
The Get Clients Guidebook
This free guide is your new BFF for crushing it on LinkedIn.
Inside you’ll find:
- a LinkedIn profile optimization checklist
- practical networking tips
- templates for LOIs, follow ups, and your about section
- the getting clients routine explained
That’ll have you closing clients like a boss. Buckle up, buttercup, 'cause we're about to turn you into the Rebecca Welton of the freelance world (the boss-ass bitch you really are)!
Pop Club
Pop Club is a supportive microcommunity for freelancers with everything you need to start, scale, and thrive.
Inside you’ll find:
24/7 Chat Support
With channels like:
- Shame Free Questions
- Accountability Buddies
- Yell in Caps Here
- Rates & Pricing
- Neurodivergent Chats
- LinkedIn help
and more!
The Freelance Resource Library
You’ll get access to every resource I’ve ever created including:
- Templates & Tutorials
- Systems for running your biz & getting clients
- How-tos & comparison guides
→ There’s a lesson for everything
Events
Every month we have:
2️⃣ Workshops
2️⃣ Office Hours Every Month
Weekly Accountability
We’ll help you reach your goals, together.
Every week, I hold accountability challenges.
Every other week, I check in with each member individually to help you hit your goals (or adapt to challenges).
BONUS:
Pop Club now includes:
- 📺 The Replay Library – watch over 30 workshops from me and our guest experts, at your own pace.
- 🚀 Get Started Freelancing – my beginner course for starting your freelance biz.
1:1 Coaching
I’ll meet you where you’re at. Whether you just need one-time support or you want long-term help launching and scaling your freelance biz, I’ve an option for you!
I started 1:1 coaching in 2020 because I got DMs every day on Instagram asking how to do what I do.
I had very little support when I started and I just wanted a real person who could answer my questions with practical, actionable advice that didn’t discount my emotions.
Now, 7+ years into freelancing, and 4 years into coaching I have answers and resources for everything.