Should you Give Cold Emails a try?
Are you the type of freelance writer who does not like to call others on the phone? If so, you are not alone. While I believe this is something you should attempt to get over, you can mask this problem most of the time if you know what you are doing. One example of this is relying on cold emails as opposed to cold calls. Over the past few months I have heard from more and more freelance writers who are finding success through cold emailing. If you have yet to give this a try you may want to do so; even if you do feel comfortable calling potential clients on the phone.
To get started you need to know the basics:
1. Devise a good cold email script. You need to get the point quickly because the recipient is not going to waste a lot of time reading a note from somebody they don’t know. If you jump to the point you will better your chance of receiving a response.
2. Use an appropriate subject. While you want to catch the recipient’s eye, you should also remember that it is against anti-spam laws to be misleading. It may take you a while to come up with a catchy, useful subject line but it is well worth it.
3. Do not spam anybody and everybody. There is nothing wrong with sending cold emails, but use good judgment when doing so. Some freelance writers get a bad reputation because they send out hundreds of emails per week. You don’t want to fall into this trap.
4. Customize every email you send out. This corresponds with number three. If you are going to get involved with cold emailing you need to customize your notes. Not only will this help you avoid being seen as a spammer, but it will also increase your chance of receiving a response.
If you are going to try cold emailing follow the four tips above.
