A Unique Outreach Strategy

Helloooooo! How are you doing?

As promised, we’re back, and next week we’ll be better than ever! This week, I’ve been catching up on pending work that piled up after Diwali and took longer than expected.

But I’m wrapping it all up today so I can start fresh on Monday!

For this edition, we are going to cover outreach tips that have worked for me as a freelancer and should work for you too!

We all know the usual checklist:

✅ polished portfolios,

✅ optimized LinkedIn profiles,

✅ solid outreach templates.

But after months of trial and error and learning from others on LinkedIn, I realized that the key to better projects was simpler than I thought.

When people say, “Build connections” or “connect with them first,” I never quite understood it. Which busy founder has time to ‘talk’ to you?

Think about it—how many random messages do you respond to, especially those that don’t serve you?

Even when the message is as simple as, “Hey, I like your writing” or “Your LinkedIn post resonated with me; I noticed X was lacking and can help with that,” chances are, it’s either too generic or written by a ghostwriter.

My Formula That Works: 

Find the right person + get straight to the point + have patience.

1. Find the Right Person and Company

Want to know if a company even works with freelance writers? Go to their company page, search for people, and filter for "freelance" or "freelance writer."

If you see multiple people with “freelance” in their headlines, check if they’re relevant (active and recently associated). Now you know the company works with freelance writers.

Next, search for decision-makers—Content Head, Founder, Marketing Manager, or Design Head/Lead if you’re a designer. These are the people likely making freelancer-related decisions.

Another trick? 

Look at your favorite freelancer’s profile and their experience section to see where they’ve worked.

Mailmodo for example, is working with freelance writers. So, visit Mailmodo’s page, find the right contact, and send a connection request.

2. Get Straight to the Point

I don’t beat around the bush. I start with a quick “Hi,” mention how I came across the company, and ask if they work with freelance writers. I add a brief intro about myself and offer to share samples if they're interested.

Also, I don’t share samples upfront.

If they don’t respond after viewing my samples, I won’t know if it was due to a lack of openings or the quality of my work. This way, if they don’t respond, I assume they either don’t work with freelancers or haven’t seen my message.

3. Have Patience

Why? Because we don’t have much of an option.

Early on, I gave up on cold emails too soon, thinking they didn’t work. But they do, and many of you have seen success with them.

Patience doesn’t mean pitching to one company and waiting for a response. Pitch and forget (for a week), then follow up. Continue with Steps 1 and 2 in the meantime.

Pro tip: Maintain a tracker—it’s super useful!

I’ve written a whole edition about patience if you’d like to check it out!

Why This Works Traditional advice to “build connections” can feel vague or unapproachable. This strategy is direct, easy to respond to, and backed by research.

Quick FAQs:

1. Do I send personalized connection requests?

No, I don’t. Without LinkedIn Premium, you only get 5 personalized requests a month, and the character limit is tight. I send a plain connection request and hope for the best. It’s not perfect, but it works most of the time.

2. How often do I do outreach?

It depends on my workload. If I have room for a new client or plan to replace a current one with a higher-paying project, I do it. I’m making it more regular now.

3. How often do you follow up?

I’m not great at following up, but I only do it after getting a response. I avoid pestering with cold follow-ups. If they accepted my request, there’s a good chance they saw my message.

With ongoing conversations, I follow up after 3 days and again after a week.

I hope this was helpful! Reply with any questions or tips you have for me—let’s help each other out!

PS: This newsletter was a bit different from usual, so let me know your thoughts!

See you next Friday!

Love,
Nikita