Top Pitching Mistakes to Avoid as a Freelancer or Virtual Assistant

We all need clients, I know. 

It's super hard to even find one due to the competition. And if you find one, it's not easy to stand out. 

But what if the reason you are not getting clients is because of your pitches? 

Maybe they're incomplete or they have too much detail? Maybe you failed to mention something they needed to read?

Well, if you want to check out if you're doing great (or if you think you were),read about these pitching mistakes to evaluate yourself.

Not following instructions

When the client says do not DM, literally, do NOT send them a DM! It doesn't help you at all. They might even block you. Make sure to follow every single instruction they mentioned in the job post.

Not showcasing what you say you do/have

They say "actions speak louder than words" and that is so true! So, don't say something you don't do. Here are practical examples:

• Telling your client that you have high attention to detail but you fail to mention the word they needed in the subject line.
• Mentioning that you are an excellent graphic designer but your designs do not scream excellence.
• Saying you are a great fit for the editor/proofreader role but you have a lot of typographical errors in your pitch.
• Telling them to go to a link but the link doesn't work or worse, you forgot to attach the link.

Not doing your research

Learn more about the client and go to their website and social links. Check how you can help them and add that to your pitch. It makes your pitch more personalized, and informative. They would know that you took the time in getting to know their needs.

Oversharing

Do not share every single detail of your life in your pitch. Provide a summary of your experience, skills, and how you can help them. Clients don't have the time to read everything in your email/DM.

Promising unrealistic results

Pitching that you can help gain 10k real followers (with no paid ads) in 30 days, promise 50 new customers every single day, or be ranked #1 on Google in a week is just so insane. Not only that it is unrealistic, but it also makes your client doubt your capabilities. However, if you have previous client results that you can share with the pitch that is really effective, go for it.

To better utilize these, I suggest you go through your previous pitches, check for the errors you made and improve them so that you can stand out more in your future pitches.