5 Reasons Why You Lost Your Last Freelance Pitch (and how to win your next one)
You lost it.
That’s why you’re here, right? You worked overtime to put together a last-minute pitch for a client, and then…nothing.
If we’re honest, losing a freelance pitch isn’t so bad. It’s what comes after the loss that really sucks. The client ghosts you. You wonder why you lost it. You regret skipping time with your friends to work on the pitch. You feel like you’re shooting a target blindfolded in the dark.
Guess what?
You’re not alone.
I’ve lost hundreds of freelance pitches throughout my career. But I’ve won hundreds as well. With every win and every loss, I’ve taken notes. I’m a student of the freelance game, and I’m here to share my lessons with you. It’s kind of my whole shtick.
So buckle up: I’ve got five reasons you lost your last freelance pitch, and five ways to win your next one. Do yourself a favor and take the next seven minutes to read this article. Each reason may not be the exact one you lost your last pitch—but they might be the reason you lose your next one if you don’t read them.
This might be the most profitable seven minutes of your career.
Reason #1 - Your offering wasn’t clear
What do you mean it wasn’t clear? I told them what I do!
If you just thought this, listen up. A clear offering isn’t just about telling a client what you do. It’s also about telling them who you do it for, how you’ve done it before, how you’re going to do it this time, when you can have it done, and how much it costs.
You want to get a potential client as close to a “yes” as you can—as quick as you can. If the client still has more questions after your pitch, that’s on you. It’s in your power to clearly explain everything a client needs to just say “yes.”
People are busy. Which means clarity saves them time. If it saves them time then it’s worth money. So even if you are more expensive than another freelancer, it could still be cheaper for a client to hire you to save time on all the calls, emails, and coordination.
Take a look at the screenshots the email pitches below. I hope you can see the difference. The first one has a lot of irrelevant information. It barely clarifies anything about the offering, beyond a general category of what it is. Responding to it would require a lot of work from the client to get what they need. The second email is packed with relevant information. It clearly outlines all the main points of the offering. It puts a “yes” in the hands of the client.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Take a look at your last freelance pitch that you got ghosted on. Does it look more like the first email or the second email? To win your next freelance pitch, make sure you do the following:
Remove all irrelevant information
Put the main offering in bullet points
Lead the client to a “yes” at the end of the email
Reason #2 - You pitched the wrong person
There are two ways to pitch the wrong person.
If you lost your last freelance pitch, you either pitched the wrong kind of company entirely, or you pitched the wrong person within the company.
If you want to identify the right kind of company to pitch, you need to find a company in the middle. It seems like low-hanging fruit to pitch companies that don’t already have what you do. If you’re a graphic designer and you find a company with terrible graphic design, you might think it’s an easy sell to pitch these companies.
They obviously need it, right?
Wrong.
Counterintuitively, it’s a bad idea to pitch these companies. They don’t have good graphic design because they don’t value good graphic design. And if they don’t value it, they don’t have the budget for it. They’ve been getting along fine without it, which means your pitch will fall on deaf ears. Even if you do win a pitch, it’ll usually be a low-paying, one-time trial run.
No bueno.
Ok, so should I find companies that are crushing it with what I do and pitch them? Not unless you want a full-time job. Companies that do what you do really well value it so much that they hired an internal team to do it. You can pitch these companies, but they usually will only plug you in for a one-time gig in a pinch.
Find a company in the middle.
Look for companies who have quality work, but don’t have consistency. Maybe they posted great content for a while, but stopped. Maybe they have good design on some pages of their site, but not others. Offer to fill the gaps. Companies like this prove they value your work, and they need consistent help to really make it run.
Now let’s say you found a company like this for your last pitch, but you still got ghosted. You probably pitched the wrong person within the company. Sending pitch emails to generic “contact” or “hello” or “support” email addresses is ineffective.
Instead, use a tool like Hunter.io to find email addresses for the right people within the companies. Look for folks in decision-making roles, like creative directors, marketing directors, or community managers. You can also stalk
Take a look at your last freelance pitch that you got ghosted on. Does it follow these guidelines?
Don’t pitch a company that doesn’t value what you do
Don’t pitch a company that is excellent at what you do
Pitch a company that values what you do, but has been inconsistent with it
Don’t email generic company emails
Find a decision-maker’s email within the company
Reason #3 - You were too slow
We think our clients search the far corners of the internet for the most qualified individual who will give them the very best deal.
They’re not. They’re too busy for that.
What really happens is this: a client realizes they need to hire a freelancer at the last minute. They don’t know any freelancers, so they’re under a ton of stress. They feel lost in the woods, hoping anyone will hear them. The first freelancer to respond brings a sense of peace and security to the client. Even if other freelancers respond later, they can’t compete with the stress relief that the first freelancer brought the client.
This means if you want to win your next freelance pitch, you need to respond fast.
There are three ways to do this.
First, you need to have preset rates. If you have to reinvent the wheel every single time a client reaches out about one of your core offerings, you’ll be beat out by another freelancer who has preset rates. Settle on preset day rates or project rates that you’re happy with. The next time a client reaches out, you can quickly send a ballpark quote without overthinking it.
Second, you need to have a pitch deck template. Many creative jobs require a pitch deck template to explain the process. If you have to spend 4-6 hours designing and developing a new pitch deck for every client, you’ll be beat out by someone who already has a pitch deck template. But if you have a template on hand already, you can plug in a few images, a few lines of copy, and be the first to send it to the client.
Third, you need to be comfortable with a little risk. When a client reaches out asking if I can help them, I immediately respond with a “yes,” even if I’m not totally sure if I have the bandwidth. If it turns out I can’t help them, I’ll refer them to another freelancer friend who can help them. This might leave a sour taste in their mouth, but it’s worth the risk to be the first one in their inbox.
If you want to win your next pitch, make sure you respond quick with:
Preset rates
A good pitch deck template
A little bit of risk
Free Pitch Deck Template
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Reason #4 - You oversold it
You have to be a little bored to give a persuasive freelance pitch. The freelancers I know who demand consistently high rates pitch with a nonchalance. It’s almost like they don’t really care if they get the job or not. This makes them difficult to negotiate with, which makes clients want them even more.
Overselling is the opposite.
It’s so easy to lose a freelance pitch by overselling yourself. When you come out strong with a million reasons why you’re great, describing big dreams in an excited tone, a client will see one thing: inexperience.
Inexperienced freelancers oversell and under deliver. Experienced freelancers sell conservatively, then over deliver with service and quality to create a moment of delight.
You may have lost your last freelance pitch because you oversold it.
Daniel Pink, author of the book To Sell Is Human, describes a sales strategy called “The Blemish Frame.” Good things are only good in comparison to bad things. So when we only tout the good parts of our freelance offering, it quickly feels ungrounded. By describing one or two blemishes about our offering, the good things have a reference point. They feel more real in comparison.
You’re in charge of blemish. Next time, include a blemish in your pitch that also serves the storyline. “This may take longer than other freelancers you’ve worked with.” “It’s not cheap, but it is higher quality.” “I’m going to need more creative control to execute this plan.”
I used to be afraid to share my limitations. I thought if I said no to a client’s request, I would be discovered as an imposter. Instead, when I started sharing my limitations, I got even more buy-in from my clients. When they agree to something, knowing its limitations, they have skin in the game. They’re invested.
Ultimately, pitching with a nonchalance and being comfortable to share your limitations just takes time. There’s no replacement for experience. Pitching comfortably requires a small financial cushion for you to fall back on if you don’t win.
To win your next pitch, make sure you don’t oversell it by:
Pitching with a more conservative tone
Including one small blemish for comparison
Being honest about your limitations
Reason #5 - Someone just beat you
Sometimes someone just beats you. Another freelancer edges you out with a slightly more tailored offering, a slightly better rate, or a slightly better relationship. There’s nothing you can do about that except tip your cap. So why am I including this in the article?
Because of a lot of freelancers have trouble tipping their cap.
It’s tempting to send a snarky email to the client after they ghost you, or tell you they went in a different direction. It’s tempting to take to Twitter, and air out all your frustrations online. It’s tempting to silently steam, stalking other freelancers on Instagram, scheming to take them down.
None of that is the answer.
The answer is to grab a beer with a freelancer friend, vent for about ten minutes, and then move on. Overthinking things steals valuable hours from only one person: you. Getting snarky with the client hurts only one person’s chances of winning another project: yours. Airing out your frustrations online hurts only one person’s reputation: yours.
Everything is circular. Projects come back around. The freelancer who won the last project with a cheap rate might not have the resources needed to do a good job. Guess who’s next in line? You, if you don’t make things weird.
If you didn’t win the project, don’t hurt your chances of winning the next one.
Accept the reality—you lost
Vent with a friend if you need to
Keep a good rapport with the client
Move on to the next one
Shameless Plug
If you found this article helpful, I’ve got more resources that you’ll find even more valuable.
The first is a pitch deck template for Keynote and Google Slides. It’s got design and copywriting prompts that save you hours so you can be first on your next pitch. Sign up for it right here, right now. It’s free and it works.
The second resource is a weekly email called Freelancers Only! It’s got short essays and practical tips to help freelancers build a balanced business. It comes out on Tuesdays. Dozens of freelancers are loving it. Join them here.
Good luck out there!
