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 Perhaps their blog is out of date and has been left to dwindle and die, and you know you’re just the person to bring it back to life?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.