When I first started out, I wanted my clients to COME TO ME through my content.
The problem? I was a horrible content creator and I had no audience. It also takes a lot of time and skill to sell to an audience and convert them into paying clients.
Even when I managed to build an audience, inquiries were rare. I wasn’t sure when I’d get my next project.
But then, I started to send cold DMs.
So here are the 4 lessons I learned from doing it:
Lesson 1: Cold outreach ≠ cold pitching
Many hate the idea of cold outreach because they think it has to be done through cold pitching, but it doesn’t!
Here’s how I do my outreach:
Connect on LinkedIn → Say hi → Start a casual conversation → Check in on them every 2 weeks
There’s no pitching involved.
The only time I pitch to them is after I get a permission to pitch.
That’s usually when they:
Ask about my services
Ask about my rates
Ask to get on a call with me
Lesson 2: Track your numbers
The reason why I call this the most predictable way to get clients is because I’ve tracked my numbers.
On a weekly basis, I track how many people I’ve:
Connected with
Booked a Discovery Call with
Had a sales call with
Closed
Lost
This is why I have an idea of how many potential clients would hop on a call with me or work with me.
Lesson 3: Stay consistent
When doing cold outreach, I see a pattern.
Pattern 1: They immediately ask about my services after the initial hi message
Pattern 2: It takes 3-4 months before they ask about my services.
Not everyone I reach out to needs help with their branding or content creation. But because I consistently follow-up on them, I’m able to stay top of mind.
This week, I signed a client who I’ve been chatting with since February!
Lesson 4: Follow-up with value
When sending cold DMs, you don’t want to:
Be generic by only saying hi, how are you?, how’s business?
Ask for a favor (e.g. review their content/lead magnet)
You want to respect their time. You can do this by giving value first.
I do this by:
Asking who they want to connect with (this usually forces them to reply 😂)
Sharing what I’ve learned from their content
Asking about their posting schedule so I can support them
Sending a helpful article
That’s it! The 4 lessons I’ve learned from sending cold outreach.
TL;DR
Cold outreach ≠ cold pitching
Track your numbers
Stay consistent
follow-up with value
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🗞 Newsletter: How to build relationships with the biggest creators on social media by Justin Welsh — I’m a big fan of Justin Welsh’s LI content and newsletter. Just like the title, he breaks down ways you can make a relationship with other creators.
🛠 Tools: Mailtrack — I used to send cold emails for a while, but it was exhausting. This Google extension helped me keep track of e-mails that have been opened.
📖 Book: The Coaching Habit by Michale Bungay Stanier — I’m not a coach, but I do have brand workshops 😂 When facilitating workshops and holding discovery calls, it’s important to learn how to say less and ask more of the right questions. This book walks you through how to do just that.
