4 Quick Ways to Warm Up Freelance Leads Before You Pitch
By: Lizzie Davey
Tags: Lead Generation, Freelance, Freelancing, Business, Freelance Writing

Freelance lead generation is one of the main sticking points for new freelancers. The act of finding prospects and nurturing them until they eventually hire you isn’t an easy task — especially if you don’t even know where to start.

The best results I’ve had from pitching my services isn’t by going all in and reaching out to clients that have never heard of me before. Instead, I try to build some sort of connection with them first so my email in their inbox isn’t completely out of the blue.

This is the best way to conduct freelance lead generation.

Getting to know your prospects before you pitch them means that they know who you are and you’re more likely to be able to offer them a personalised pitch to match their unique needs.

But how do you “warm up” prospects during the freelance lead generation process?

I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve for you.

1. Start a Conversation on Social Media

Social media is a great place to spark connections with potential clients. This is because people expect you to reach out and chat to them there — that’s the whole point of social media, after all.

Connect with potential prospects, follow them, share their posts, reply to their posts, and start conversations. Get on their radar and keep yourself front of mind.

Here are some quick tips to nurture freelance lead generation through the major social media platforms:

Twitter

Run a search for brands in your niche (type “[NICHE] brands” into the search bar)

Follow brands that you think are a good fit

Share one of their posts but add your own spin to it

Respond to a question they’ve asked

Create an authentic relationship (basically, don’t try too hard to force a connection. Instead, let it develop naturally)

Instagram

Find hashtags that are relevant to your niche (you can run a quick Google search to get started)

Browse the brands and accounts that are posting content under that hashtag

Alternatively, Google “[NICHE] brands”, find companies you think are a good fit and check their contact details to see if they have an Instagram account

Follow brands that are a good fit

Comment on their posts

Reshare their posts in your Stories

After a few weeks of doing this, you should have created several new connections with potential clients.

Alternatively, you can check your follower lists on each platform and keep an eye on new followers that are brands in your niche. Brands that have actively followed YOU already have a vested interest and have extended the olive branch first — take advantage of it!

IMAGE BY STORIES ON FREEPIK.COM

2. Look to Your Email List

Do you have an email list? If the answer is yes, you have a goldmine of potential freelance leads at your fingertips.

These are people who have actively signed up to receive emails from you. This means that they enjoy your content and already have an interest in who you are and what you do.

In actual fact, an email list is one of the most effective freelance lead generation techniques because you have direct access to prospects’ inboxes.

Use this opportunity to reach out to them, get to know them better, discover their challenges and see how you can help with your skill set.

You can nurture subscribers on your email list by sending:

Exclusive discounts

Information about new packages and services

Exclusive content geared towards their unique needs

Questions to find out more about them

Stories about you and your business to spark a personal connection

3. Send a Pre-Pitch Email

Pitches are often the first contact you’ll have with a client, but often this isn’t the best way to start a relationship.

A cold email comes out of the blue and, without a personal connection, there’s a high chance your email will go ignored or, worse, get deleted.

Instead of diving straight in with a pitch, try sending a pre-pitch email that aims to create a personal connection with the prospect.

It helps to personalise these emails to their wants and needs and using them as a chance to start a conversation.

Don’t, I repeat DO NOT, send a pre-pitch email, completely ignore the prospect’s response and send a pitch straight away. Read the room! Let them take the lead and weave in your services in a natural way.

So what does a pre-pitch email look like?

Well, that depends on the client and what you’ve found out about them from your research. However, it might be something like:

A link to a blog post you think they might like

A meme or a funny video related to a recent Tweet of theirs

A compliment about their latest blog post or project

4. Create a Presence

Having an online presence instantly gives you that warm human glow clients look out for. If they’re able to easily find you via social media, clients ill automatically consider you a more reputable option than a freelancer who appears to be some kind of internet ghost.

Freelance lead generation doesn’t always mean active pursuits like reaching out to prospects and getting yourself in their line of sight.

It can also mean creating a persona for yourself online so that prospects feel like they already know you before you reach out to them.

I do this by regularly posting on social media, like sharing insights into my life on Instagram and linking to stories I love on Twitter. I’ve also injected a sense of my personality into my website by listing out the things I like to do in my spare time and including several pictures of… me.

When a prospect knows you online, they’re more likely to feel like they know you in real life. This makes turning them into a client that much easier.

Are You Ready to Reach Out to Clients? Warm Them Up First!

Cold emailing prospects is a great way to get clients, but warming them up first is even better. I walk you through the entire process from start to finish in my signature program, Pitch & Prosper. If you’re ready to get started, let’s do this!

In the meantime, comment below with any ways you warm up leads before reaching out to them

This post first appeared on Wanderful World.