The panda stepped out of comfort. Again.
Two days ago, I finished reading Anxious People, a long (1+ year) awaited book in my TBR.
Here's an excerpt copied from Goodreads:
"Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths."
In there, somewhere, in the book, was a paragraph... by the 87-year-old grandmother Estelle.
"I'm not here to buy the apartment. I just haven't got anything to do. Sometimes I go to apartment viewings out of curiosity, to listen to people talking, hear what they're dreaming about. People's dreams are always at their grandest when they're looking for somewhere to live.
Knut died slowly, you know. He lay in a care home for years, I couldn't start living as if he was dead, but he... he wasn't alive. Not really.
So my life was on pause, somehow. I took the bus to the care home each day and sat with him. Read books. Out loud at first, then to myself at the end. That's how it goes. But it was something to do. And a person needs that.
Anna-Lena thought that yes, that was how it was, people needed to have a project."
That last sentence hit me. People need a project.
I need a project, something to do, to feel alive maybe. Something new every time I'm bored. Can't stick to one thing for long.
Now, you may say "You've been writing for so many years."
And I'll say "Yes, I've been. And I grow tired of it often. That's why it isn't the only thing I do."
So, today's email is about a project, picked 5 months ago: COLD EMAILING.
Being an introvert, I've been at a disadvantage of not being able to approach people outright. So, relied mostly on inbound leads. Until last year.
Now the panda has stepped out of comfort. Again.
Started in the last month of November. The goal? Send emails. Throw the darts and see which one hits.
All I wanted was one reply for every five cold emails I sent.
I've touched the magic number of five this month. How many replies did I receive? Two.
I received two replies from the five cold emails I sent in five months... And those two converted into paying clients.
Will they be regular? That's still a mystery.
What I would like to share today are the subject lines I used.
1) Are you open?
Pitched for copywriting gig to a food delivery service Swiggy.
Went unanswered even after a follow-up.
2) Ahoy Tarun, wanna meme the unplanned moments?
Pitched for meme marketing gig to an adventure travel agency Plan The Unplanned.
Went unanswered even after a follow-up.
3) Hi Jen, an email got me on Scribe but...
Pitched for content writing gig to a screen-recording/documentation tool Scribe.
Got a reply, they're interested. Took 3 follow-up reminders to finally convert.
4) Hey Abhishek, Integrately is missing some resources.
Pitched for content writing gig to an automation tool Integrately.
Went unanswered, didn't follow up.
5) Hey Joris, thanks for the Convert Calculator
Pitched for content writing gig to a lead gen form tool Convert Calculator
Got a reply, they're interested. And with a bit of to-and-fro, converted.
OK, that's five.
Now, what I look for before pitching is an opportunity to begin a conversation. Quick ones. I dread small talks.
So, Opened my emails talking about them. Their company. Their tool. Of course, introduced myself too.
The first two pitches I did in a hurry, casually. But for the next three, I took days, like 3-5 days to find a way of opening the talk, instead of sending a direct pitch.
What pitches did I send? Will share in the newsletters of April, one by one.
For now, I take your leave.
Will see you with another irregular newsletter soon. 🐼
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