First play: Define your services

• Outline offer: Make a list of the skills you offer as a service.
• Choose clarity: Be clear about what you do and state it clearly in your portfolio or website. Don’t say I’m an email newsletter strategist. Say, “I design high-converting email strategies for e-commerce companies.” Clarity makes clients less hesitant to say yes.
• Present beauty: Put effort into your website or portfolio. Present your work in the best light. Pepper your profile with at least 3-5 pieces of work that show what you’re best at.

<aside> <img src="/icons/book_lightgray.svg" alt="/icons/book_lightgray.svg" width="40px" /> Use the Smarketers Hub portfolio template to present your work

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Second play: Research prospective clients

• Identify warm leads: Make a list of family, friends, neighbours, and former clients or co-workers who might need your services or know someone who might.
• Identify prospects: Understand who your ideal clients are. Consider industry, company size, company stage (if in tech, might be easier to land pre-seed and series A companies), and the challenges they face that your services could solve.
• Segment your audience: Categorize potential clients based on industry, needs, or the services you offer to tailor your pitch more effectively.
• Gather information: Research each potential client thoroughly. Study their website, media updates, social media posts from founders, and profiles on platforms like Crunchbase to understand their business, recent achievements, and pain points.
• Find openings: Want more clients outside your list? Search job boards. Use search phrases like “niche + growth consultant needed.” Join communities to get access to jobs.
• Choose a contact: Identify someone within the company to whom you’d address your pitch (could be the content lead, CMO, Creative director, etc.). Do your research to find their email address (you can check their LinkedIn profile or personal website)

Third play: Build your pitch

• Know the anatomy: A great pitch has seven qualities:
  • It tells your prospect your expertise and who you help.
  • It tells them exactly what you want to do for them and why they should care.
  • It shows that you, the sender, are familiar with the prospect’s work.
  • It sells your value by showing the prospect something similar you’ve done in the past.
  • It offers extra value.
  • It includes a clear and strong call-to-action (CTA).
  • It is genuine.
• Personalize your pitch: Start with a personalized greeting. Address your greeting to a person, not the company (for example, “Hello Diane” NOT “Hello Google”). Mention something specific about their business to show you've done your homework.
• Introduce yourself: Clearly state who you are, your company (if applicable), and why you are reaching out.