Pitching is one of the most tedious parts of working in the creator economy. It’s not fun, but it’s essential to getting clients, making sales, and forming partnerships. Writing more persuasive pitches helps you have a higher success rate. You won’t have to do it as often, and you’ll see better results from the time you put into pitching.

There’s no way to get your pitch success rate to 100%. Writing persuasively is about helping you convert at a higher rate by giving a more convincing argument and clearing displaying the value someone will get from working with you.

Here are 7 ways you can make your pitches more persuasive.

Be Conversational

Whenever I’m writing a pitch, I write it as if I’m reaching out to someone I’ve already been in touch with before, even if it’s the first time we’ve ever interacted.

Why? Because it makes my writing more inviting, friendly, and comfortable. Sometimes, people want to read formal writing, but it’s usually not in the pitch itself. Conversational writing that’s more casual will make you seem more confident and approachable, which might help you grab the attention you need for a successful pitch. 

A few things to note about conversational pitch writing:

  • Keep it business casual 
  • Avoid profanity and trendy slang
  • Shorten your sentences
  • Emphasize active voice writing, not passive voice
  • Write how you speak

Try writing your next pitches more conversationally! The more you do it, the more you’ll develop your own voice and style that will make your pitches stand out.

Make it Personal

Pitches should be unique to the person you’re sending them to and the situation prompting the pitch. Even if you’re pitching 30 people with the same ask, you should be doing it in 30 different ways, depending on who you’re talking to.

Templates are a great learning tool that can help you establish a foundation for a solid pitch. They are not readymade, fill-in-the-blank pitches for all situations. A personalized pitch will be better than something you copied and pasted into an email or DM. The person on the other end of your pitch will know the difference.

If you want them to get a better first impression from your pitch, write something tailored to them. Include anything you can to connect yourself to the business or individual you’re pitching.

  • Use a name whenever possible
  • Write an appropriate greeting
  • Mention a point of connection
  • Talk about why you want to work with them specifically
  • Use emotive language where you can
  • Show how your service solves a need for them

Above all, you need to believe that what you’re offering is actually valuable. Let that conviction carry over to your pitches if you believe in what you can do.

Get to the Point

Don’t beat around the bush. Your written pitch should only be a few short paragraphs, so you can’t afford to waffle around with your words. Make sure you’re getting to the meat of the message as soon as possible.

To improve at this, practice writing pitches with a word limit. This can help you become aware of the fluff in your pitches so you can cut it out and make every word count. Pitches full of unnecessary information risk losing the reader’s attention. If it’s not necessary for your pitch, save it for another day.

Put in the Legwork

A pitch without research is on the same level as a basic template pitch. Research is a must if you want to stand out and show the recipient that you’re serious about the opportunity. You can’t write about their situation if you don’t know anything about them.

There’s no need for a deep-dive investigation. All you need is some surface-level research to help you get a basic grasp of who you’re pitching and how you can help them meet their goals.

Persuasive pitching is about showing the recipient that you’re ready and able to provide them with the value they need. How can you do that if you have no idea who they are or what they need? Spend a few minutes getting some background before you write your pitch. The extra time you spend on each pitch will exponentially impact the quality of those pitches. With pitching, quality beats quantity every time.

Frontload the Benefits

Pitches start with a thin greeting and introduction, but you next need to show the reader what you’re offering them. A noticeable trend in persuasive pitching is showing your hand early. You don’t need to tell them all the details immediately, just lead with the benefit you can provide.

Leading with the benefit shows the reader that you understand their needs and already have a solution that will help. The best benefit statements have a few similarities:

  • Specific, identifiable benefits
  • Strong focus on the value the recipient will get
  • One or two short sentences in length  
  • Fundamental understanding of what the recipient needs

Follow up your benefit statement with evidence that you can put your money where your mouth is. A quick word about something you’ve done with a similar result or a link to your online portfolio will showcase your ability to get the job done.

Make the Ask  

Don’t leave your pitches open-ended. Instead of signing off with something vague, make a specific ask in your call to action (CTA). Put the ball in their court so they have a clear idea about how to respond to you.

Instead of:

“Let me know if you’d be interested in working together.” or “If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.”

Try:

“Are you interested in working together on this?” or “Can we set up a call to go over the project details?”

These slightly reworded sentences give a clear CTA for the reader. People are far more likely to respond to direct questions than open-ended statements. You want to end your pitch with a clear next step for them.

Read Your Pitch Out Loud

The best way to see if your pitches sound good is to read them out loud before sending them off. Reading aloud gives you a different perspective on how your writing sounds. It can help you identify anything that sounds unnatural or awkward, so you can make a few tweaks where needed.

Reading your pitches out loud isn’t fun. Take a deep breath and do it anyway. You’ll see a marked difference in the quality of your writing, especially if you’re naturally more of a speaker than a writer.

Writing persuasive pitches can help grab your readers’ attention and convey your message more clearly. What’s your secret to writing great pitches?