Note from Jennifer: Today is the last day to submit your content marketing work for the ASJA Awards. This year is the first year that content marketing categories are included in the annual awards and I would love to have high participation. Winning an award from ASJA is a high honor and provides national recognition to your work. There are 3 categories for content – B2B blog, B2C blog and longform. Click here to submit your best work today. 

This is the first day of Follow-Up February. As most of you probably already know, I feel very strongly that if you aren’t following up on leads that you are leaving money on the table. So this month, we are going to talk about different ways to follow up and exactly how to-do it. To kick off the month, I updated this post from a few years ago that is still very relevant.

And while the title of this post might be a bit of an exaggeration – none of my strategies here are really unique. I meant it as a follow up that isn’t the typical email follow up asking for work.

As I wrote in this post a few weeks ago, sending LOIs is a long game and you should view it not as asking for work, but starting a relationship. I typically recommend following up on LOIs that don’t get a response within three weeks, and then again every two to three months. If you get a not-to-be-dreaded “Looks great. We will keep your information on file,” then I skip the three week follow up and follow up every two to three months.

However, many writers feel that sending emails after emails is bothering the editor. And that’s a fair point. Following up doesn’t have to be just an email asking for work. In fact, since your goal is to build a relationship, using a variety of types of followups that show you are interested in and understand the brand can be very effective. So instead of sending another email, try these five ways to follow up with potential client after sending a letter of introduction:

1. Compliment the client about something the company (or even better, the editor) has done. Everyone likes to hear nice things about their work. Set a Google alert for the company to get news about awards, products and mentions in the media. If you want to work for a specific custom publication, look at issue to find something that is exceptional. The key is that it must be genuine. You can tell when someone has put their heart and soul into something. Find the great work the company or editor has done has done recently and write an email complimenting their work.
2. Send a link to an article that is relevant to the client. Next time you see an interesting article about the client’s industry, jot a quick email and paste the link. Make sure that the article is both helpful and relevant. By picking good articles, you are illustrating that you understand their needs and that you keep up speed on the developments in the industry.
3. Comment on the company’s social media or blog post with a thoughtful and relevant comment. Casey Meehan said that some of the best follow ups that he has gotten are when a potential writer comments on a blog post or social media. He says that it really stands out and makes an impression. By contributing to the conversation that the company is starting, you are showing interest and demonstrating further understanding. Casey did mention that this strategy can be overused and loses its effectiveness if you “Like” every single Facebook post.
4. Follow up a vacation, tradeshow or other event mentioned by the client. I landed my highest paying (and most prestigious) client this way. If a client mentions an upcoming event in one of their emails to you, send them an email to welcome them back vacation or ask how the tradeshow went. I had been diligently following up with a client every three months when he mentioned that he might have some work for me when he got back from vacation. I asked if he was going somewhere fun and he responded with one of my dream destinations that I had researched heavily. After he returned I asked him how his vacation went and we spent the next few weeks in a delightful discussion about places we have traveled and places on our bucket list. He got to know me and felt comfortable taking a chance on me when a great project needed writers a few months later. People are more likely to hire you if they feel like they have some sort of relationship with you than a virtual stranger so any connection you can find is helpful.
5. Engage with your contact at the company on social media. Your first move should be to send a LinkedIn connection. But don’t stop there. Everyone loves to have their work and posts shared and commented. Share and comment their tweets as well as LinkedIn posts or articles. By making insightful comments or asking thoughtful questions, you can begin a relationship and hopefully turn from an email address to a writer that could add value to the company in your contact’s mind.

Have any of these strategies been effective for you? What methods of following up to you use