Welcome to CreativeDemand Copywriting Tips! I’m Anna, a professional copywriter. Today we’re talking about pitching. Or really, what should happen before you pitch a product or a service. 

Pitching can feel very formal and awkward because the emphasis is on selling. People have asked me how I pitch to clients, and I don’t really know. And I’ve done business with plenty of clients. But the reason I don’t know how I pitch is not because I don’t do it, but because I don’t realize I’m doing it. I never get to that awkward point because before that, I’ve started a conversation.

Focus on Asking Questions

My first goal is to learn about a client’s business to see how I can help. So I start asking questions. My interest in their projects and goals leads to a natural conversation about what I offer. 

So how does this work when you’re trying to pitch to your email list? You can’t have a person to person conversation. You’re talking to lots of people. So what should you do? It’s still a great idea to start with a question. 

Here are a few examples: 

• What would you like to accomplish in the next five years? 
• Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong? 
• What’s the greatest challenge you’re facing right now? 

Those kinds of questions simulate a dialogue and they get your reader thinking about their answers. 

Another way to find out what your email subscribers care about is to ask them with a survey. Review your survey data and spot the themes. What do they want to learn? What problems can you help them solve? Then you can lead with those things in your emails.

Explain How You Can Help

When you ask questions and share your audience’s concerns and desires, you’ll get into a conversation that will lead to an offer, and it won’t feel like a pitch. Like I said, it works with clients, too. Find out what they need and then share how you can help. To do that, you also need to be very clear about exactly HOW you can help. So be sure to have your ducks in a row when the conversation begins. 

Thanks for reading!