Do you use email to market your writing services?
A lot of writers I talk to are a little nervous or unsure about how to use email effectively.
Maybe that describes you too.
You might feel worried that your email message will be seen as a nuisance. Or that you won’t get a response. Or that you won’t be able to find the right person to send a message to.
Those fears are normal.
The quick rundown of answers to each of those concerns is that when you follow a few simple guidelines, it’s highly unlikely your messages will annoy anyone… more often than not, you won’t get a response, and that’s okay… and it can take a little bit of legwork to find the right person to contact and their best email address, but it doesn’t have to be too time-consuming.
Here’s the good news about using email to grow your writing business. It’s easy, and the more you practice, the easier it gets. It’s effective, especially if you do it consistently and have a system for following up. And it’s something you can scale up or down as needed based on how busy you are.
So, how do you use email to market your writing services? Let’s look at three approaches…
Cold Emails for Introductions
One of the ways you can use email is to build your network. This is different from pitching your services directly. It’s about identifying people you’d like to know better in industries that matter to you, and then establishing a connection.
When you send this kind of cold email, keep it brief. Be clear that your intent is just to connect. Pay a compliment to the person, the company, or the product they sell. And maybe ask a question about what they have going that they’re excited about. Or share a resource you think they might find interesting.
Challenge yourself to keep the message to five lines or less. If someone responds, be sure to follow up right away and pursue that conversation.
Warm Emails to Pitch Services
When it comes to pitching your services, a warm email will work better than a cold one. In a warm email, you open with a nod to some common ground. The business might be in a city you’ve lived in. Or you might have a shared connection on LinkedIn. Or maybe you saw something about them in the news that you thought was exciting. You could be one of their satisfied customers and talk about that. Whatever approach you take, the first line of your email should be about establishing a shared connection or interest.
From there, pay a compliment, again to the person, the business, or the product. Then, talk briefly about what you do and how you help your clients. Ask if it makes sense to talk further. And sign off.
Once again, keep this message short — three to seven lines. If you get a response, follow up immediately. For those who don’t respond, follow up again in a week or two with more information about what you do. Consider doing five to seven follow ups to get the best results from this strategy.
An Email Newsletter to Nurture Relationships
A completely different way to use email is to build an email list that caters to your target audience. In your emails, regularly share insights that could help your readers solve problems, curate resources they might find useful, and talk about your specific services and how they work.
When you send an email out to a list of interested people on a regular basis, and you make sure your email is valuable and relevant, it will keep you top of mind with your audience. Then, when they have a need for what you do, you’ll be the person they turn to.
If you haven’t tried using email to grow your business, choose one of these strategies and practice it over the next month. Notice how the more you do it, the easier it gets. And let us know here if you land a client or make a new connection for your efforts.
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