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Shape your freelance pitch so you stick
As successful freelancer is a sharp freelance pitch essential to create a solid business foundation. And for most freelancers, pitching is still the biggest and most important driver of new assignments.
Especially for new freelancers, the pitch (or elevator speech) is what stands between a gaping blank calendar and new customers, which screams for excellence. Therefore, a good freelance pitch means more tasks, and more tasks means money in the account.
Your freelance pitch is more than a cold email
In the freelance world, your pitch is generally seen as your first cold email or call. But really, the pitch is everything that happens, from your first contact to a prospect (or old) customer, to a signed contract.
When we talk about pitching, it is therefore your ability to sell yourself and show how you deliver value to a project. This can be through:
- Cold canvas: email, phone, LinkedIn messages
- Posted tasks on freelance portals
- Physical meetings
- Contact with old customers
In essence, you must consider all touchpoints you have with a client leading up to a completed agreement as a pitch, where you must show how you can achieve the project and why you are the best to solve the task.
You will take two things away from this article
1) to build your pitch
2) to capture your recipients.
What is a pitch?
You only create value if the potential customers know you exist. Therefore, one of the freelancer's most important tools is being able to pitch.
In short, a pitch means that you can tell in just a few words about the value you create and why you are the best choice for a task. As a basic rule, your pitch must therefore contain:
- Who you are and what you are passionate about
- How your passion creates value – and for whom
- Why you are the best to solve the task
- What you do specifically
Resist the temptation to go into “solution mode”
When we pitch, we tend to talk about WHAT we do, instead of talking about our ambitions and what the result is of what we do - that is, WHY we do what we do. That's why you have to do it the other way around: start where others can feel that you are passionate and why you can take on a task.
Building your pitch
When you stand in front of your audience, regardless of whether it's a packed hall or a single project manager in the queue at Netto, the battle is now over.
Be specific, to the point and then help your future client to dream, and visualize how your gold-edged solution is a big step towards the promised land.
1. Why do you do what you do
A pitch is a short teaser in which you talk about the value you create. You need to establish what your audience gets out of you, what your passion is and how your service creates value for them. How is your service unique, how does it differ from yours
competitors? Maybe your take is completely innovative, maybe your originality is more tangible: e.g. that you are cheaper, faster, better educated, have worked with similar clients.
2. Who are you
Your pitch should tell about yourself and why you [and maybe your team] are the best to solve your client's challenge. Your story about yourself is perhaps the most important point of the pitch. It doesn't necessarily have to take up a lot of words, but you must demonstrate throughout the entire pitch that the listeners can trust you, understand that you are creative, competent, ready for battle or something else entirely that is essential for the collaboration.
3. Termination
Stop summarizing your points and plan when you will have the next talk, not if.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
5 tips for your freelance pitch
1. A simple and precise message
We remember only a minimal part of all the information we encounter every day. Therefore, choose carefully which message you want your audience to be able to remember.
Instead of having a finished script, build your pitch around basic points. Then you can expand if there is time and interest or turn it down if time is running out.
See 'How to find your life purpose in 5 minutes' | Adam Leipzig | TEDx:
2. 'Why' before 'how' and 'what'
We tend to introduce ourselves with titles and technicalities, but what grabs other people is your passion. If you want to have your audience with you from the start, you should therefore explain why you do what you do and what value you create.
Subsequently, you can become specific about what and how you work with your passion.
See 'Start with why – how great leaders inspire action' | Simon Sinek | TEDx:
3. Create images with your audience
People remember more easily in pictures and stories than in concrete information. Make your pitch stick better by interweaving an image-creating story – preferably something that surprises and makes your audience prick up their ears. See, among other things, how Line from Graphiosity does.
4. Offer up dialogue with your audience
Can you transform your pitch from a (selling) monologue, to a dialogue with your audience, you increase your chance of making yourself relevant. Get the audience involved and get them thinking about how you create value for them.
See 'How to Create Interest and Connect with Anyone' | Sam Horn | TEDx:
5. Your body supports your pitch
Your body, your voice and your choice of words support your value and the trust the audience gains in you. Studies show that your audience will value your body language by 55%, your voice by 38%, and your words only by 7%. You must therefore be in control of both your words and your body's signals. There is no formula for good body language and a good voice – try yourself and find an expression that supports you. Whether you want to appear serious, funny, excited or passionate.
Practice your pitch over and over
A good freelance pitch creates value when it's live and you can't train enough.
Practice your pitch in front of the mirror, in front of your friends, when you have to dialogue with people on LinkedIn and other social platforms, in your applications and emails, for the dinner company.
This is where you train. But remember – where it really works is when you pitch to your (potential) customers and business partners.
Train virtually: Factofly recommends www.pitcherific.com
Here you can look for inspiration for your pitch through articles and models, you can build your pitch in time, record yourself on video and all sorts of other good things. Try their 7 day free trial.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
Shape your freelance pitch so you stick
As successful freelancer is a sharp freelance pitch essential to create a solid business foundation. And for most freelancers, pitching is still the biggest and most important driver of new assignments.
Especially for new freelancers, the pitch (or elevator speech) is what stands between a gaping blank calendar and new customers, which screams for excellence. Therefore, a good freelance pitch means more tasks, and more tasks means money in the account.
Your freelance pitch is more than a cold email
In the freelance world, your pitch is generally seen as your first cold email or call. But really, the pitch is everything that happens, from your first contact to a prospect (or old) customer, to a signed contract.
When we talk about pitching, it is therefore your ability to sell yourself and show how you deliver value to a project. This can be through:
- Cold canvas: email, phone, LinkedIn messages
- Posted tasks on freelance portals
- Physical meetings
- Contact with old customers
In essence, you must consider all touchpoints you have with a client leading up to a completed agreement as a pitch, where you must show how you can achieve the project and why you are the best to solve the task.
You will take two things away from this article
1) to build your pitch
2) to capture your recipients.
What is a pitch?
You only create value if the potential customers know you exist. Therefore, one of the freelancer's most important tools is being able to pitch.
In short, a pitch means that you can tell in just a few words about the value you create and why you are the best choice for a task. As a basic rule, your pitch must therefore contain:
- Who you are and what you are passionate about
- How your passion creates value – and for whom
- Why you are the best to solve the task
- What you do specifically
Resist the temptation to go into “solution mode”
When we pitch, we tend to talk about WHAT we do, instead of talking about our ambitions and what the result is of what we do - that is, WHY we do what we do. That's why you have to do it the other way around: start where others can feel that you are passionate and why you can take on a task.
Building your pitch
When you stand in front of your audience, regardless of whether it's a packed hall or a single project manager in the queue at Netto, the battle is now over.
Be specific, to the point and then help your future client to dream, and visualize how your gold-edged solution is a big step towards the promised land.
1. Why do you do what you do
A pitch is a short teaser in which you talk about the value you create. You need to establish what your audience gets out of you, what your passion is and how your service creates value for them. How is your service unique, how does it differ from yours
competitors? Maybe your take is completely innovative, maybe your originality is more tangible: e.g. that you are cheaper, faster, better educated, have worked with similar clients.
2. Who are you
Your pitch should tell about yourself and why you [and maybe your team] are the best to solve your client's challenge. Your story about yourself is perhaps the most important point of the pitch. It doesn't necessarily have to take up a lot of words, but you must demonstrate throughout the entire pitch that the listeners can trust you, understand that you are creative, competent, ready for battle or something else entirely that is essential for the collaboration.
3. Termination
Stop summarizing your points and plan when you will have the next talk, not if.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
5 tips for your freelance pitch
1. A simple and precise message
We remember only a minimal part of all the information we encounter every day. Therefore, choose carefully which message you want your audience to be able to remember.
Instead of having a finished script, build your pitch around basic points. Then you can expand if there is time and interest or turn it down if time is running out.
See 'How to find your life purpose in 5 minutes' | Adam Leipzig | TEDx:
2. 'Why' before 'how' and 'what'
We tend to introduce ourselves with titles and technicalities, but what grabs other people is your passion. If you want to have your audience with you from the start, you should therefore explain why you do what you do and what value you create.
Subsequently, you can become specific about what and how you work with your passion.
See 'Start with why – how great leaders inspire action' | Simon Sinek | TEDx:
3. Create images with your audience
People remember more easily in pictures and stories than in concrete information. Make your pitch stick better by interweaving an image-creating story – preferably something that surprises and makes your audience prick up their ears. See, among other things, how Line from Graphiosity does.
4. Offer up dialogue with your audience
Can you transform your pitch from a (selling) monologue, to a dialogue with your audience, you increase your chance of making yourself relevant. Get the audience involved and get them thinking about how you create value for them.
See 'How to Create Interest and Connect with Anyone' | Sam Horn | TEDx:
5. Your body supports your pitch
Your body, your voice and your choice of words support your value and the trust the audience gains in you. Studies show that your audience will value your body language by 55%, your voice by 38%, and your words only by 7%. You must therefore be in control of both your words and your body's signals. There is no formula for good body language and a good voice – try yourself and find an expression that supports you. Whether you want to appear serious, funny, excited or passionate.
Practice your pitch over and over
A good freelance pitch creates value when it's live and you can't train enough.
Practice your pitch in front of the mirror, in front of your friends, when you have to dialogue with people on LinkedIn and other social platforms, in your applications and emails, for the dinner company.
This is where you train. But remember – where it really works is when you pitch to your (potential) customers and business partners.
Train virtually: Factofly recommends www.pitcherific.com
Here you can look for inspiration for your pitch through articles and models, you can build your pitch in time, record yourself on video and all sorts of other good things. Try their 7 day free trial.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
