In this episode, three CCA students each sit down with Nicki and Kate to ask their most pressing questions. These 10-minute laser coaching sessions are designed to help students overcome their biggest roadblock so they can continue making progress on their goals.
Terry asks for feedback on pitch and follow-up emails; Jessica, who just moved, asks about pitching companies when she is brand-new to town; and Amy asks about finding fresh ideas to pitch, among other questions.
Even though it’s not you in the hot seat, there’s plenty you can take away and apply to your own copywriting business!
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A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[1:26] The first guest is CCA student Terry! He wrote two pitches and asks Nicki for some advice on improving open rates and click throughs.
[8:35] Nicki and Kate talk with Terry about how it is important to avoid giving potential clients too many things to think about in that first pitch email. Extra projects are great to pitch to them eventually, like during a call with them!
[9:15] Nicki and Kate discuss why you should be careful using calendar links in your pitch emails. Once you ask them to schedule a time with you, you are asking them to do the work. Try: “do you have time next week on [insert day] at [insert time] to chat?”
[11:47] The next guest is CCA student Jessica. She feels stuck. She just moved 1200 miles to a new place and has had a ton of life changes recently and can’t seem to focus on copywriting. Her motivation just went away!
[17:38] Kate suggests keeping a list of “Rough Ideas” for those companies with “low-hanging fruit” to pitch later.
[20:00] Speaking of low-hanging fruit, if a company has you sign up for an email list but never sends you an email, that’s pitching gold!
[20:45] Jessica asks Nicki and Kate for some advice about when to pitch. Nicki says that to pitch when you have the most energy. That could be at 5 am when the only people in the world up are you and Nicki, or later in the day if that is when you have time to yourself. Whenever you have the most energy is the best time to write pitches to potential clients.
[23:30] Nicki highlights an important piece of advice from this call with Jessica. Tiny actions add up. Doing something is always better than doing nothing, even if that something is small.
[24:46] The third guest is CCA student Amy. She wants help with pitching overall and she starts out by asking: how do you know what to pitch companies on?
[25:53] Around 538,000 new companies are started each month globally. That is a lot of potential clients!
[27:10] Amy asks Nicki and Kate about reaching out to clients where there are privacy restrictions (e.g. Canada). When emailing someone person to person it should be okay but make sure you check your country’s privacy laws first.
[29:00] Amy asks Nicki and Kate if they could talk to their newbie selves, what would they tell them? Kate says to refrain from investing so much emotional energy into pitches. Waiting anxiously for a reply from a company will only cause undue stress.
[32:30] Nicki and Kate jump off from that question to talk about pitching. Time is precious and valuable so don’t wait to hear back from a company, pitch somebody else!
[34:20] Amy tells Nicki and Kate that she has been wondering how quickly she will make money. The answer is far from concise because you really never know what a client’s timeline is until you talk to them about a project. They could be ready to start a project tomorrow and pay you next week or they could have a project in mind that is still a few months out.
[35:25] If you are drained but still want to make a move to further your business, scroll through social media and write down companies with ads that show up that you could do work for. “Well if they have an ad doesn’t that mean they already have somebody writing their copy?” Not necessarily! Many companies recycle old ads, write their own copy (gasp) or just want a refresh. Try to avoid making assumptions about companies that could be potential clients.
[39:40] Kate talks about a book she recommends: Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less -and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined by Scott Sonenshein.
[40:34] Kate suggests giving yourself a range in your goals for the day/week/month. For example instead of saying you must send out 5 pitches today, say 4-6. It will help goals feel more organic and attainable.
[42:00] Amy gives a great tip: she writes drafts of pitch emails in the evening and then she reads over them in the morning with her fresh cup of coffee.
Related Links
- Listen: Your Ideal Clients Want You to Pitch Them
- Define Your Own Copywriting Success
- When You Need to Get Down to Work: The 5 Second Rule
- Freelancer Self-Care: 5 Tips for Avoiding Burnout
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
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Ep. 21: How Copywriters and Designers Work Together with Yoav Broum
Last Updated on September 10, 2023
