I spent most (OK, all) of my post on Monday explaining why I think that an LOI should not be your go-to tactic when looking for work. And in case you missed my post yesterday, I also revised my sample LOI to be a 5(ish) sentence LOI. So today, I wanted to share more of my newly revised thoughts about how my new LOI fits into your marketing strategy.

Yes, I know I’ve been posting a lot but I wrote a lot of posts and I’m having a hard time saving them for later. So I keep posting the blogs I have scheduled out. Once I write something, I want to share it with you because I am so excited about all these ideas. Yes, all the experts say (and I tell my clients as well) that you should have a set blog schedule so your readers know what to expect. But that doesn’t work for me. I’ve learned over the years that there are many ways to run a freelance writing business and the right way is what works for your personality, strengths and clients. So, I’m no longer stressing I can’t keep to a Monday/Wednesday posting schedule. So you might get 20 posts from me in January and 2 from me in July. I’ve decided that interesting and authentic content that I’m passionate about is better than some arbitrary schedule.

But I digress. As I said earlier this week, there are definitely times when sending an LOI can be effective. After thinking about this WAY more than I should I have the last few days, here are the situations where I think that an LOI is worth the effort:

1. You are very qualified for a specific brand. The main reason that LOIs are not effective as networking is that it is hard to stand out in a few paragraphs, but it is much easier to be memorable in even an elevator conversation. But if you have a very specific niche or experience that makes you exceptionally qualified, then your LOI is likely to stand out from the crowd (making it worth your while no matter how many LOIs the company gets).
2. The brand or agency most likely gets very few letters of introduction. Another way to be memorable is if the brand or agency gets very few inquiries from freelancers. So if a brand is very niche or an agency is smaller (or very niche), then its mailbox is probably not full of LOIs.
3. You know that a brand or agency hires freelancers. Part of the problem with LOIs (especially with agencies) is that not all use freelancers. While it is always possible that you will be the first (and I’ve found this to be truer with brands than agencies), you are more likely to get a positive response if the company or agency already has the mindset and infrastructure to work with freelancers.
4. The company or agency is local. Though it is possible these days to easily work with people across the world, many companies still prefer local freelancers, even if they are totally fine with the freelancer working remotely. This way they can meet the freelancer in person and then have the option of in-person meetings when needed. I also just think that there is a comfort level attached to hiring a local freelancer. I have had a much higher response rate from cold contacting local agencies and companies than ones that I have no connection with.
5. You are going to be at a conference or event with the person in the near future. I personally think that this is a fantastic use of an LOI. This way you can introduce yourself and maybe set up an in-person meeting with the potential client. This comes down to my previous points of having something in common with the person (attending the same event) and having the possibility of meeting in person.
6. You have a mutual connection with the person. Maybe you both know the same person and that person gave you permission to use their name. Perhaps you went to the same college or used to work at the same company (even if you didn’t know each other). Any of these reasons gives the LOI recipient more of a reason to pay attention to your LOI and feel a connection with you. In cases like this, I highly recommend putting the mutual connection in the subject line of the LOI if at all possible, to increase the odds of your email being opened.
7. You have very little work and lots of time on your hands. I am only recommending a massive LOI push in this case if you are already doing the other things I recommend, such as networking and keeping your other marketing efforts up to date. But let’s say it’s the weekend and you have some extra time and really need more work. Sure, go ahead and spend a few hours sending out LOIs. It can’t hurt, and you may get some work from it. Just make sure that your LOI is marketing yourself as an expert in 1 or 2 niches. It is going to be almost impossible to land gigs from an LOI as a generalist. But if you do this make sure that…
8. You follow up with your LOIs. Even back when LOIs landed me the majority of my work, I rarely got a gig on the first contact. I almost always got work by following up. I personally followed up two weeks after I sent the LOIs with everyone who did not get back and then again in three months. I also put (follow up) or (second try) in the subject line to increase the odds it will be opened. However, I think that the most important leads to follow up on are those potential clients that respond to let you know that they are interested but don’t have work right now (or words to that effect), or that you even get as far as a phone call. These are the clients that you need to follow up with—and follow up with for years—every few months. If you do not think that you are going to follow through with following up, then I recommend not spending the time to send the LOIs and using the time to hang out with your kids, play with your dog or take a nap.

Be sure to post your marketing tasks to our Beat the January Slump Marketing Challenge. You have a very good chance of winning the $50 Amazon gift card. 

What situations have you found an LOI to be effective? Any tips for landing work with an LOI?