Making Freelance Pitching Personal

Making Freelance Pitching Personal Recently, I had an impasse in my writing career. So I read more books on technique, critiqued other writers works when I could, and continued to fine-tune my query-writing skills. But I wasnt attracting the assignments that challenged me and filled my bank account. That is, until I got personal. Do Your Research I took to heart Dale Carnegies defining advice. In his seminal book, How To Win Friends and Influence People, he emphasizes the importance of knowing names. People love to hear the sound of their names. Businesspeople who act warm, according to Carnegie, are more successful. Acting on this advice, I learned that studying potential clients professional and personal triumphs does give you an advantage. For example, I wanted to write for a consumer magazine, and I learned through social media that the editor graduated from Stanford. My article talked about hotels near Ivy League colleges, so I mentioned Stanford in the query I sent. Even if the editor rejected my first query, knowing about his education makes future queries on similar topics a surer fit. Dont Give Up Yes means yes, and no means no, but in freelancing those yeses and nos may give you options. I contacted a potential client who previously had rejected one of my magazine-article queries. Her magazine only accepted advertorials, but I didnt accept that declarative answer. At her LinkedIn profile, she stated that another one of her companies operated inspirational retreats. I have written about my struggles with poverty and depression. So, I asked in another email, are you looking for speakers for your retreats? Ive written essays about how I overcame struggles in my life. Send a one sheet detailing your