A few weeks ago I blogged about one of many ways to ensure that your cold pitch doesn’t get noticed. Today I’ll include a couple of examples of just the opposite.
- Keep the pitch simple, keep it short, keep it humble, and make a reference to show that you’ve taken at least 30 seconds to look at the site or business of the company you’re pitching. (a little bit of flattery doesn’t hurt, either.) This person did all those things, and I’ve kept her pitch on file:
Short and to the point
- Reference in the first sentence or two why you should be relevant to the company you’re pitching. This firm did it right:
Quickly get to the point about why you're relevant
The objective in a cold pitch should be similar to that of a handshake: you’re establishing rapport, conveying interest in the other person while expressing confidence in yourself, and ultimately hoping to get the other person to be interested in you as well. What you shouldn’t be doing right out of the gate is telling your whole life’s story or making references to what great babies you and the other person would make.
By pretty much following the handshake principal, the pitches above were short, effective, and persuasive.
Kelly Ford writes random morsels about online marketing, business, and general life in NYC and Berlin.
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