Seriously Reader,

It might surprise you to know (well.. maybe it won't haha) that most cold pitches sent my way get a very firm no thank you, even if it's something I could actually use.

I don't say no thanks JUST cause I'm an arsehole.

I tell them no thanks cause all these pitches are done so badly (and I get so many of them).

And it's not like I'm secretive about what people should do instead.

Any time someone asks me, I tell them exactly what I'd say in that position. I've re-written people's outreach for them (and they tell me it works). But... I never seem to GET the good outreach.

UNTIL NOW!

Let me intro you to Manmeet. He shot me this message on LinkedIn.

This message got my attention, cause it's almost exactly what I tell other people to do.

So... I ended up talking more with Manmeet. Turns out his portfolio is pretty decent, and I'm gonna pay him to do a trial run in the next couple of weeks, once I record my next video.

So why did I respond to this message out of the (not even exaggerating) 100+ pitch DM's I've gotten over the past two months?

The Novelty

This wasn't like all the other outreach I get.

• No long winded pitch
• No insulting me/my work/my business
• No ego or assumptions about what I'm doing
• No fake interest in how my business is going

Being different is already a great move, because when you're different you stand out. And this message stood out, which made me look at it differently.

But novelty alone is pointless if the message isn't well crafted.

The Message

Manmeet did a lot right.

First: he kept the whole message short.

I dunno why these people pitching think more words are the way to go? When you're messaging someone, the more words you send, the more work you're asking them to do in reading it. It's kinda disrespectful?

So when approaching someone you want to work with, keeping your first message is a great move (and if you can't explain it in a short message, you need to spend some time and effort figuring your shit out).

If you need to, you can always get long winded later once you've established rapport and built the connection.

Second: he told me why he was messaging and what he wanted.

When someone's talking to me purely cause they want to pitch me, I know. It's so obvious, I'm pretty sure most people would be able to tell.

So when they lead with the classic "how's business" instead of a pitch, its extra annoying because all my options suck.

If I tell them I'm not interested, I get "but I didn't even pitch you" (and then they usually pitch later anyway). If I be polite, I have to participate in a conversation I don't want to be part of, while witnessing their ham-fisted attempts to "question" their way to the point it's socially acceptable to pitch. Ugh.

If you want to pitch, be direct. If you want to genuinely make a connection, then stop trying to pitch.

Third: didn't assume I had a problem

It really bothers me when people make blanket statements about a problem, as if it's something everyone else deals with.

The audacity. If they say "since you do X, you must experience Y" I will immediately deny it, even if it happens.

I've been running my business for yonks (translation for non Australians: a long time). Most issues tend to get fixed.

Instead of assuming, just ask.

Fourth: took his ego out of it

Beyond the one liner of who he is (an editor) and what he wants (to work with creative individuals), Manmeet's not really going on about himself.

He didn't write 3 paragraphs about why he's awesome. Shit, he didn't even say he's good. You know why? Cause no one reaching out to sell you something thinks they're bad. There is ZERO point in waxing lyrical about how amazing you are, because as far as the recipient is concerned, you could be lying (and probably are). Save that shit for later, when they might actually want to know.

Manmeet just said what he did and asked if I need it, in the shortest possible way. That wins some respect from me.

Probably an important disclaimer

With Manmeet, the fact that he had an actually decent outreach message got me to reply positively. I checked out his portfolio, ran him through the situation I could use him for, and suggested a paid trial to get a feel for working together.

Before you rush out to whip up a pitch message, just keep in mind: while I was positive in my response, I only considered actually trialing Manmeet cause I did in fact need an editor, his portfolio wasn't bad, and he was in my budget.

It doesn't mean I'd magically hire everyone (or even anyone) that does a half decent outreach message, but at least there's more chances of actually being given the opportunity to try and sell your service.

Cowabunga,
Nick Gulic

ps. Short and sweet email this time, just like Manmeet's outreach!