So you’re raring to go, ready to fire away and land that next freelance SEO copywriting gig.
But are you really ready to get in there and pitch?
This freelancing tip is going to look at some simple do’s and don’ts of pitching your SEO copywriting. I am basing this on my own experiences, and those I have seen, especially of late.
Take cover if you must.
Don’t: Don’t close your eyes before you release
Closing your eyes is no way to accurately hit a target. In baseball, you wouldn’t simply close your eyes and throw everything you have as hard as you can in the general direction of the batter. You would choose a pitch – not try to throw all of them at once blindly in the general direction of the batter.
Don’t throw the kitchen sink of your experience into every conversation.
Do: Do Consider Which Pitch is Best for Each Situation
Is it a curve ball, a slider, or a fastball that will keep you in control? The main thing is selecting the best tool from your arsenal so you retain control of the momentum. Every pitch is not hurled at every situation. The game changes, and you adapt. You know your own strengths, you know their strengths, you know what is on the line. Selection is key.
Do know the contents of your toolbox. Select, tailor and offer only the best pitch for the specific situation.
Don’t: Don’t Start Pitching Too Soon
In baseball, it would not make any sense at all for the pitcher to start pitching before the batter is ready. Before the umpire is ready. Before the catcher is ready. Some very simple things come together to make it appropriate for the pitcher to take the mound.
Don’t jump into a pitch before you know all the players are in place.
Do: Do Understand the Marketplaces In Which You Wish to Trade
In baseball, a good pitcher is going to study a team before he faces them. He is going to understand the strengths and history of each batter, and know what to expect when facing the team. No one comes in front of him that he is not prepared to meet – and should it happen that he is surprised by someone new in the line-up, he is experienced enough to handle it strategically.
Do learn about the people you are pitching to. Know what they are about, figure out why they need you, and start throwing.
Don’t: Don’t Get Lost in Metaphors – There’s Work to Do
Hurling freelance SEO copywriting pitches is like baseball. It’s like your Aunt Edna’s bread recipe, it’s like penguins mating, it’s like spandex pants in the summer, it’s like cookie dough and it’s like Hollywood drug casualties.
Don’t spend too much time thinking about what SEO copwriting is. You will gain considerably more insight by simply doing it. The mistakes you make and the victories you earn are what this is all about. Experience makes more work.
It’s how you play the game, and win.
Interesting post. Honestly, I’ve found metaphors to be oddly useless when talking about SEO copywriting–and I like using metaphors. As I work in at this trade, I find a lot of professionals offer to many pitches without having their go to weapon. I’m looking at foucing on only one type of offering with what I write, which is keyword optimized informational articles used for online content marketing. I think many sites want to build an SEO framwork but they don’t have the brick and mortar of usful content to hold things together.
Hey Scott, Specializing in informational articles is a great move, to me. I totally agree that many businesses fail to have the proper framework in place before they start trying to flex their SEO muscle. I will suggest this as well (if you didn’t already know): if you are specializing in informational articles, making yourself a higher level author on article publishing sites will give some extra boost to your efforts…something helping you to charge more to clients. This is usually accomplished by simply publishing a specific number of good articles.
But focusing on one type of content development and mastering it is a great way to go – and I think your insight into most businesses failing to have the meat before they get their extra helpings of potatoes is spot-on. Thanks for stopping by.