Note from Jennifer: Writers in The Freelance Content Marketing Writer group on Facebook are sending out Letters of Introduction (LOIs) to potential clients and chiming in with their results. I’ve even landed three brand new clients myself in the past two weeks from totally cold LOIs. To get you motivated to tackle your own marketing, I asked Cat DiStasio to share some success stories from the group. Check out all the advice Cat has previously shared on my blog, and visit her website and blog as well.

By Cat DiStasio

One big component of a freelance writer’s marketing strategy Is sending out Letters of Introduction (LOIs) to cold contacts. As Jennifer wrote, an LOI is basically a pickup line of a client-writer relationship. It’s a quick note that introduces your experience and accomplishments, and asks a potential client if they want to know more. It may be less effective than networking one-on-one, but it’s still a practice well worth incorporating into your overall marketing plan.

Most writers are not exactly sales people by nature, and the idea of sending out cold emails can be kind of terrifying. What convinces most people, even the introverts among us, is that it works. If you’re still skeptical about how sending out cold LOIs can bring more business across your desk, hearing a few success stories is usually enough to spark up some motivation. This month in The Freelance Content Marketing Writer group on Facebook, writers are reporting the results of their marketing experiments, and a number of writers are finding success through LOIs.

By the numbers

Getting a good response rate from the LOIs you’re sending out is one way to measure your success. With any luck, more responses mean more chances at getting work. And that’s not just work for now, but also the prospect of a new long-term client. Leslie Lang is no stranger to marketing herself, and she has written about her freelance writing success before for this blog. Her latest batch of LOIs isn’t just getting good responses, but they started coming in quickly.

“Yesterday I rolled up my sleeves and sent 47 short notes to hospitality and travel tech agency people and editors, mostly via LinkedIn,” she said. “Thirty were follow-ups and 17 were LOIs. I have already heard back from three people expressing interest (two LOIs and one follow-up). I sent two of them more info, and the third person is going to be out of town and said we will talk the first week of February. So far today I have heard back from five more of these people I contacted yesterday, so that’s eight in all.”

A hybrid strategy

In freelancing, sometimes good opportunities aren’t immediately obvious. Renée Picard figured out a way to make that work in her favor. As part of her marketing strategy, she targets businesses that are already advertising for jobs. “I’ve been combining the LOI strategy with regular job applications,” she said. “(I’m) applying to specific positions (eg: via Indeed) with a cover letter saying that I am a freelancer who would also be open to freelance work with the agency. My goal was to find freelance work with a local digital agency, and so far I’ve had two people reach out to discuss the possibility of freelancing with them, even though I ‘technically’ was sending applications for full-time, in-house positions. One looks like it’s going to happen!”  

Increasing your rates

Reaching out to new contacts with LOIs is about more than just getting work. It’s also about making new relationships with better clients, at better rates, to advance your career. It’s about finding opportunities that allow you to leave your low-paying and PITA clients behind. Wendy Wisner landed two assignments at a higher rate after sending out a batch of targeted LOIs. “After dragging my butt FOREVER, knowing I had the clips and the chops to get higher paying jobs, but just feeling generally stuck, I finally sent out my first 20 LOIs last week,” she said. “And I don’t know it was just some dumb luck, but I got two gigs out of it already — both double the pay of what I usually get. Plus, I’m supposed to have an interview with another company by the end of the week and check back in with a different one early next month as they finalize their budget. So all of this is to say, if you have been hedging, feeling stuck, or whatever it is, JUST DO IT. It’s probably much easier than you think.”

Whatever your business goals for the year, using cold LOIs as part of your marketing strategy can really help get the ball rolling when things are quiet. Writers who see the most success from their LOI process have a few things in common: they target agencies and direct companies in specific niches, they include relevant links, and they have an established website with a writing portfolio. And don’t forget to follow up!

Are cold LOIs part of your marketing strategy? Do you have any major success stories to share?