31 Days of Freelancing: Your Letter

What I’m listening to: No Hard Feelings by The Avett Brothers

I’m having an interesting week. After sending my cell phone on an unexpected ride over the weekend (never put it on the trunk and think you’ll remember it), I’ve been recreating my contact list (the easy part) and trying to unlock a broken phone to get photos (the hard part).

And I’m working. It’s a slow month, but I’m still working.

Today, our 31 Days of Freelancing series focuses on the words you use to attract clients.

Let’s get to it.

December 8: Create/Revise Your Letter of Introduction

A letter of introduction (LOI) is what you use to introduce yourself to a client prospect (hence, the name). As letters go, it’s a pseudo-sales letter, but it’s best you think of it in one way — as an intro to a new person.

[bctt tweet=”Your goal with a letter of introduction is simple — to establish a connection.” username=”LoriWidmer”]

How you approach the LOI is purely a personal decision. I know writers who use the one-sentence note and those who like to send a bit of a media kit. Personally, I opt for somewhere in between — one page, short and sweet, and focused on the client, not on me.

That last bit is rather important. Think of it this way:

Would you buy a TV from a company that spends all its time telling you how great they are? Or would you buy a TV from a company that tells you what that TV can do for you?

The latter. Always.

If you’re new to the LOI, here’s a brief list of things you can put in yours:

• A connected introduction: I connect mine to an upcoming trade show, whether I’m going or not. Why that works — you’ve just established a commonality with your potential client. You can use any event or news trend that is relevant to your intended customer.
• A brief, targeted bio: Over the years, I’ve trimmed mine to three sentences (and I think that’s too long). Make it short and again, slant it toward what it means to your client — “My clients have trusted me to deliver compelling content, including ghostwritten articles, case studies, marketing pieces, and blog posts.”
• An invitation: That’s right; invite them to continue the conversation. I like to ask if they’re interested in talking next week via phone just to tell me more about their business. I don’t ask to sell them on anything as I’d rather hear what they need than guess incorrectly.
• Thanks: Always thank them for taking the time to read.

Want more info? Check out Paula Hendrickson’s post from 2010, or my post from last year.

If you’re revising your current LOI, look for these things:

• The right focus: Is it on the benefits to the customer, or is it on you, as in “I’ve been writing for decades, and I’ve worked with sixteen publications and twelve companies.” What’s that tell a client at ALL about how you can help them?
• “I”: Do yourself a favor — lose that word where you can. Replace it with “you.” That helps you focus on the audience, not on your specialness.
• Bad habits: Mine is overuse of the word “that.” Look for repetitive word use, em dash overload  or parenthetical abuse.
• Apologies: None of that “I know you’re extremely busy” or “I hate bothering you” stuff, either. Does Bill Gates apologize for selling you Windows operating systems? Does Apple apologize for yet one more iPhone? No. So stop it.
• Bad writing: It goes without saying that your LOI should be perfect. Still, did you proofread? Have you been sending a letter with mistakes all this time? When in doubt, have a writer friend look it over.

Writers, how do you introduce yourself to clients?
What’s your preferred method of convincing them you rock?