BUSINESS, COACHING

All My Secrets To Pitching Yourself!

May 21, 2019

I think I get it from my Dad, but I’ve always been a master at pitching myself. I know my strengths, I know what the client or employer wants, and I go for it!
Even back as early as before my entrepreneurial days, interviewing was always something I excelled at. While my time as a full-time office employee didn’t last long, at the age of 22 I was able to land myself a Director of Marketing Position that came complete with an $80k salary, benefits and the newest Lexus SUV.
Later in life when I was working my own hours as a contractor, I had so many various clients and ‘jobs’ my friends called me Chandler Bing, no one knew what I did. (If you don’t get that reference, I don’t know if we could be BFFs! 😉 )

Anyway, it’s always been one of my best skills and lately one of the biggest questions my clients ask me is to look over their pitches before contacting a potential client for a brand deal, a podcast for a coveted spot on the show or a PR agency to get on their list!
We all know pitching yourself is one of THE best ways to get create opportunities, but sometimes it can get tricky. Today, I want to focus on the secrets that rarely get taught but can make a GIANT impact on how often you are booking sponsorships, connections, jobs, podcast interviews and more.
Whatever it is, it usually starts with a rock-solid pitch.

If you aren’t pitching yourself to companies or business opportunities yet, it’s FINALLY time to get on board. And if you are, it’s time to make sure your pitches are delivering to their full potential because it is one of the most unique, impactful ways to move your business forward.

Pitching yourself isn’t a new thing, but with technology and so much online communication, pitching yourself or your services has evolved! It can be intimidating absolutely, but it is so incredible because it allows you to connect with others in a way that can majorly change your business!

Let’s dig in and get specific on the strategy around pitching yourself and the many ways to utilize your introduction, from what credentials to include, what they actually want to know about you, and how to create your dream partnerships. We are covering it ALL! Ya ready?

DON’T BE COOKIE CUTTER!

This first step is probably one of the most important. DO NOT be cookie cutter. I am telling you — people can sense authenticity from a mile away. If you send the same copy & pasted pitch to every person, you likely won’t get very far!

Take it from someone with a very full email inbox, if you write a generic pitch with no details or personality the reader will notice. Or should I say, they will not notice you. Simply put, you will 100% blend in. And sis, why blend in when we were born to stand out!

HOOK ‘EM EARLY

Another important step is to hook them early, and what I mean by that is to make your email title and intro attention grabbing enough that they can’t resist reading on!

There are so many ways to hook your reader early. If you have a mutual contact or connection, this is a great place to mention that!
However, even if you don’t have a contact to mention, ensure that your first few sentences are compelling and strategic. Set the stage, make a bold statement, share a fun fact, share a story about how much you LOVE their brand — whatever feels aligned to your mission, but take advantage of the compelling nature of your pitch and reel them in with a story, memorable sentence, or experience to hook ’em on ya!

HOW THEY HAVE HELPED YOU

One of the best ways to have your pitch stand out amongst the masses is to genuinely show you appreciate the person you are pitching to and understand their mission. Whether it is a blog, a podcast, a magazine, a writing feature, or a business partnership, show you know them.

For example share how much their brand, product, service, blog or podcast has changed YOUR life and why you would love to collab!

Keep in mind, it doesn’t need to be extra long or extra sappy, but do your absolute best to convey real-life experiences that you really have used their work firsthand and truly appreciate them. That’s one sure-fire way to stick out from the first sentence and hook them into reading more.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM

The golden rule of pitching: Make it about THEM, not you. Talk about how you will align with their audience, spread the word about them, and why you would bring value. I can honestly say that is the biggest piece to pitching yourself, and I want you to sink this in!

Just like any situation where you’re selling something, you want to identify a pain point, a need or a void they are experiencing and provide a solution to their problem or a need.

Not only should your idea be original enough to catch a reader’s eye, but it should also address a need — a need that YOU can answer! You need to be able to clearly communicate the void that is there and how you have a solution ready to rock!

DO THE LEG WORK

Once you identify the pain point or need, make it clear that you have done the research and are an expert in area you are pitching, you want to leave no doubt that you are the person for the job.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you include your resume, ramble on about yourself or every credential you’ve ever gotten, but make sure you highlight a few items that add to your credibility on the pain point. Keep this short and sweet, but pack a punch that YOU are exactly the right person for the job.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Mmm, I love this section! Whatever type of pitch you are making, make sure to highlight your previous experience. Again, this isn’t a time to ramble on about yourself, but a time to highlight that you are an expert that can help THEM.

If you are applying for a podcast, write down some previous shows you have been on. If you are pitching a business deal, include clientele that is similar to them. As a writer, include topics you have covered and magazines you’ve been in. As a photographer, include any publications you have been in.
As an influencer, include brand deals you’ve done in the past.
Whatever it is, make sure you make it clear that you have plenty of experience in the industry and you’ll be easy to work with. This is a great time to highlight any “big names” and make sure the reader can tell that you are well-versed in your industry.

STATISTICS

An incredibly important way to stick out is sharing your statistics. What do I mean by this? Sharing your social media following: Instagram, Facebook Fans, website visits, downloads, engagement rate, followers, whatever it is, this is a great thing for the reader to know. With just a few numbers, they can get a feel for how large your audience is, who your demographic is, and potentially how you could share their work with your audience!

BRAG ON YOURSELF

Something that can be so hard to do, but is so important. Brag on yourself! A pitch is not the time to play small… Share your biggest accomplishment, share your website URL, and highlight some of your skills and following.

It might feel odd (especially at first) but you want to stick out and not blend in! As long as you come from a place of sharing and not selling your reader will not think you are arrogant.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite, they are thankful for the information on you and your career! Truthfully, it’s one of the number one things that hooks brands to work with me is all my previous experience.
Give them the important details you want displayed right in the pitch. Don’t count on them visiting your website to see it!

PITCH SOME IDEAS FOR COLLABORATION

Pitch some ideas for collaboration! Don’t make these cookie cutter. Again, make it specific to THEM.

For example, how can you see your real life fitting into working with this brand?
Or what do you want to write for that publication? Or what do you bring to a podcast and what will you talk about?

Craft ideas that you are an expert in and make them something the reader wants to know more about, now. Stay away from generic!

Check in with your gut, bless them & SEND it with LOVE!

And, finally, the most important piece, in my opinion. May sound a little out there, but I swear by it. Before I send any pitch, I check in with my gut. Is this coming from service and love, or ego? Your gut will tell you immediately if something feels off. Make sure you are infusing your pitch with love and are coming from a place of service.

Next, right before I hit send, I picture my computer surrounded in white light, I picture the person I am sending it do and surround them in white light and then I bless them and send them love.

I swear, it works like a charm and keeps me mindful of staying in the lane of love in all that I do!

There you have it, a few tricks that are up my sleeve to ensure that you message gets seen, remembered, and that you get hired!

The true secret is that a great pitch takes work. It’ll take a bit of time and research, but that little bit of extra energy you put in is what will ensure that YOU stick out. A pitch truly is one of the most organic, incredible ways to create different opportunities for yourself!

Just one last reminder: The most beautiful part is that anyone in the world can pitch themselves to ANYONE. It might not always work out, but there is never, ever any shame in reaching out. It’s your world, your life, and it’s time to pitch YOU! You’ve got this.