Freelancing Market-How to Follow up on Freelance Pitches Without Being Annoying

How to Follow up on Freelance Pitches Without Being AnnoyingFollowing up on a freelance pitch would be simple in a perfect world. You’d send a quick email, wait for a response, and boom—you’ve got the job. But the reality is that follow-up can be tricky. You don’t want to seem pushy or needy, but you also don’t want to let the opportunity slip away.

No one likes to be pestered, especially if they’re not interested in what you have to say. But as a freelancer, it’s vital to promptly follow up on pitches and proposals. So, how do you strike the right balance without being annoying?

Creating a Follow-up Plan as a Freelancer

Showing that you’re eager and enthusiastic about the work without being overbearing is tricky, even for veteran freelancers. Consider the following tips to help create a pitch and follow-up routine that fits your business needs.

A polite, concise email can serve as a gentle reminder that a response hasn’t been received. State that you want to confirm receipt of the pitch and look forward to hearing the person’s thoughts. Include the original query in your email to save the person from having to look back. Refrain from stating how long you’ve been waiting for a reply, as it can sound accusatory.

Freelancing Market-How to Follow up on Freelance Pitches Without Being Annoying

To capture your recipient’s attention, try adding some additional information to your follow-up email. For example, if you’re a content writer, you could include a brief introduction to a blog post you think would interest your client. Or, if you’re a social media specialist, you could include a sample campaign that you think would be a good fit for their business. Taking the time to personalize your follow-up emails will show clients that you’re serious about working with them and increase the likelihood that they’ll respond favorably to your pitch.

Ensure Your Tone Is Professional

It’s tricky but vital to follow up in a way that doesn’t come across as desperate or unprofessional. The best way to do this is to maintain professional email protocols. Keep your messages short and to the point, and make sure they are free of typos and grammatical errors.

If you have a good relationship with the recipient, you can be slightly more informal, but always err on the side of caution. In addition, remember that the recipient may need to forward your email to others, so you want to make sure they will see you in a positive light. You’ll help ensure that your follow-up emails will be well-received and help you achieve your goals.

Be Mindful of Your Timing

There isn’t a definitive answer when it comes to the length of time to wait before following up. If you’ve dealt with this client before, the experience can predict how long it may take the person to get back to you. Similarly, websites and freelance job postings often offer clues as to when you may expect a response from a prospective client—inquiring before these given time frames may make you appear high-maintenance, which can turn off a potential client.

Unless the project is time-sensitive or you’ve been instructed to follow up sooner, allow at least a week before inquiring about the status of your freelance pitches. Avoid sending an email at the end of the day on Friday or directly before a holiday. It probably won’t be answered promptly, increasing the risk of getting buried among other incoming mail.

Know When to Move On

After sending a pitch, it can be tempting to keep following up to get a response. However, sending more than two follow-up messages is usually counterproductive. You’re unlikely to get a response after the second follow-up, so you’re effectively wasting your time and resources.

Freelancing Market-How to Follow up on Freelance Pitches Without Being Annoying

Additionally, filling a contact’s inbox with multiple messages could result in them feeling harassed or annoyed, damaging your reputation and making it difficult to get a response in the future. Therefore, it’s important to exercise restraint when following up on pitch emails. More isn’t always better, and in this case, it’s likely to do more harm than good.

Instead, send a polite email stating that you’re following up one last time, and although it seems like perhaps this project wasn’t a great fit, you’re still very interested in working with them in the future. Ensure that you include appropriate links to your website, LinkedIn profile, and other contact information. Thank them for their time and move on to another prospect.

Building Your Rhythm

Creating a thriving freelance business requires building a successful rhythm, balancing pitching your work with actively producing for your current clients. Ensure that you’re devoting time each week to an organized job search, and then use a method that fits your style to track and manage your pitches. It should include what you pitched, who you sent it to, and when you followed up. As you progress in your freelance career, you’re likely to discover that you can create templates and build better time-saving routines.

One of the best ways to create a flourishing freelance business is by using a reputable job board, such as FlexJobs. We post freelance jobs daily in over 50 categories. Take the tour and discover all of the ways that a FlexJobs membership can help you grow your freelance career. more