One writer recently asked me about how to reach out to trade publications and companies.

Unlike magazines, where you pitch a story idea in a query letter, it’s hard to know what sorts of articles this other kind of prospect would like.

The writing work you want may not even be articles, but web pages or brochures.

A query letter is out

You’ll need to find another way to connect with these kinds of prospects.

“Would it be acceptable to simply write and introduce myself and mention I am a freelance writer?”

Well, yes it would, Virginia. This marketing approach is called a letter of introduction, or LOI.

While the basic premise is fairly simple, writing a successful LOI isn’t all that easy. We all know how many emails we get.

To get a positive response and a writing assignment — rather than a quick trip to the “delete” folder — your LOI needs to be creatively written and compelling. It needs to quickly hook your recipient and convince them you are the writer they should hire.

In other words, you need to warm up your prospects. You need to make a connection with them that makes them feel comfortable hiring you.

How can you do that?

My four best LOI tips

1. Get a referral. Ed Gandia, coauthor of The Wealthy Freelancer,says he gets nearly 70 percent response rates on marketing emails he sends that have a subject line like this:

<Prospect’s friend’s name here> sent me your way

No other method gets as strong of a response, he tells me. So it can really pay to get out and do some old-fashioned, in-person networking to make more connections who might refer you. Or tap your social-media networks to see who might know someone at a company you’re targeting for a reach-out.

2. Do your homework. Another way to create a ‘warm’ connection is to research the company or publication you’re targeting. Then, in your LOI, you can mention something you noticed — an interesting article, or maybe the lack of case studies or a strong “About” page on their website.

3. Target relevant niches. Your best bet is to send LOIs to publications or industries where you can show some similar work experience — or, barring that, some relevant life experience. For instance, I’ve been able to get a lot of gigs writing legal content because I was once a legal secretary. Ditto for insurance, which my dad sold, so I sort of grew up around that industry and had at least a vague idea how it works. Of course, the ideal is if you can show similar writing work and talk about the results you got for a previous client in their niche.

4. Copy their style. Take a look at the writing style this prospect uses, and then hand it right back to them in the style of your query. Soak up their tone — is it casual? Snarky? Businesslike? — and then use it in your LOI.

What are your LOI tips? Leave a comment and add to my list.

Do you know why it’s hard for so many new writers to get good-paying gigs?

It has to do with how the bottom rung of the freelance-writing ladder has changed.

Often, writers are missing a step.

For most of the past century, writers who wanted to get started earning money with their scribblings broke into the business one of three ways:

1. Go to journalism school.
2. Snag an entry-level post at a newspaper and learn on the job.
3. Figure it out yourself.

We started at a low rung — an internship or cub-reporter gig at a small daily paper or (in my case) occasional assignments for the local free weekly. From there, we worked our way up to bigger, better-paying places.

There was a basic set of skills to learn — how to report all sides of a story, do interviews, find credible statistics, and weave it all into something compelling to read.

The entry-level writing we did was essentially the same type of writing that the bigger publications wanted, too. So it was fairly easy to move up the ladder over time.

Then came content mills

For the past decade, tens of thousands of aspiring writers have considered mills their training ground.

But now, mill assignments are drying up. With Google’s changes, it’s unclear whether mills will continue to be a viable writing market in future.

And there’s one big problem with writing for mills: The kind of writing you do doesn’t give you the skills you need to move up to better-paying writing.

You don’t find story ideas or do interviews

When you’re pulling headlines from a mill dashboard that some algorithm robot has decided would draw traffic on a topic, and then writing a short piece off a little quick Internet research and your own knowledge, you don’t learn how to develop your own story ideas.

That makes it hard to get an assignment from any newspaper or magazine. Those editors look at your mill clips and don’t think you’ve got what it takes to write for them. They think you haven’t done any interviewing.

They’re not sure you can execute the type of articles they want. So they move on and choose another writer.

There are a few exceptions. Some mill work has ended up in USA Today, for instance. That gives your credibility a boost.

But for the most part, mill work just leads to more mill work.

You’re trapped.

This all came to mind this past week when I was posting a blogging gig I was passing on in the Den. (I do that fairly often, by the way.)

They wanted to pay $100 a post for a business and education writer. What were they looking for?

“Journalism chops required”

And there it was again. That divide. People with journalism training have a shot at the better gigs — even online — and those without have a real hard time.

Funnily, enough, journalism skills also help you break into commercial writing. Do you know what impressed my first business clients?

My reporting experience.

Good reporting shows you can gather information, organize it, and tell a great story. Often, that’s just what businesses want you to do for them.

I’ve learned about the divide between journalism and mill experience firsthand in Freelance Writers Den‘s forums. Writers ask so many questions on journalism basics — how to find people to interview, what to ask them, how to use quotes properly, how to find story ideas, how to structure a reported article.

I’ve also heard lots of questions about journalism ethics issues — whether you can write an article for a magazine about your copywriting client, for instance.

Reporting knowledge is missing

Now I know what you’re thinking: “I don’t have time nor $30,000 to go to Columbia right now, thanks.”

Of course you don’t.

The good news is, now you don’t have to.

Linda Formichelli from the Renegade Writer and I are creating a journalism crash-course that will give you the chops you need to write reported stories in a month flat.

It’s going to cost way less than a year or two at J-school, too.

We’re calling it 4-Week J-School. Because, well, it’s a month long. And it’s designed to give you the journalism knowledge and skills you need to leave $10 blog posts behind and start earning real money.

We’re working on the course materials now, boiling down everything you’d learn in a 2-year journalism program to the vital nuts and bolts you’ve just got to know.

In this class, we’ll throw you into the pool and get you reporting and writing stories, so you leave with at least one sample article in your portfolio.

We’re also gathering information from writers so we can make sure the class delivers exactly what you need.

How will we know what you need?

Take our survey – get $30

If you’re interested in quickly acquiring the journalism chops needed to land lucrative article assignments, I’d love it if you would take our survey. It’s just five questions long.

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/908325/4-Week-J-School-Survey

When you’re done, it’ll take you straight to a signup list where you can claim a $30 discount on the course, if you decide you want to take it later. People on that list will also get first shot at the 30 available mentoring slots, where we’ll critique participants’ articles.

What’s the writing skill you’d most like to learn? You can leave a comment and tell us more about it, too.

Here’s something that happens to most freelance writers, early on in their career:

You’re out there, sending query letters or pitching companies your marketing writing help. And finally, one of them actually calls you back.

You meet. They want to work with you. They make you an offer, and you accept.

Ecstasy!

Then you go home and think about what just happened, and a terrible gnawing feeling of dread begins to form in the pit of your gut.

Soon, you’re freaking out.

You realize you have no clear idea how to do this assignment.

You’re not sure you can do it.

And now you’re terrified you’re going to flub this up and look stupid.

How to stop freaking out

The first thing to do in this scenario is realize that worse things have happened.

And that this has happened to many other writers before you.

Likely, no lives are at risk here.

Even if you mess this up totally, you will not die. And this one disaster will not destroy your chances of having a freelance writing career.

Now that you have a perspective on your situation, you’re ready to fix this and get your assignment done — and done right.

Here are seven tips for ending the panic and getting your assignment back on track:

1. Breathe. Don’t do anything in haste. Stop and analyze your situation. Do a calming activity until you can think rationally about the situation.
2. Find out why. What is the cause of your panic about this gig? Once you put your finger on it, you can start solving the problem.
3. Ask lots of questions. Now you can go back to your client to resolve your issue by asking for more information. Say, “How many sources would you like to see in this story?” or “Who is the core audience for this marketing piece?” or whatever you forgot to ask — or didn’t realize you needed to know until later. Get the knowledge you need to create a roadmap for writing this. Editors will not be put off by a request for more information. It shows you care about making this assignment the best it can be.
4. Break it down. Often, I find, the cause of freak-out is overwhelm. Make a list of all the tasks that need to happen related to this. Next, put them in priority order. Now, start at number one, and just focus on getting that done. Then, move on to the next step. See, don’t you feel better already?
5. Learn more. If you’re stuck midway through an assignment with a problem — like a source that’s flaked out on you — go back to your editor or marketing manager and ask them how you should proceed. Editors just hate surprises, so they’ll respect you for telling them early while there’s still time to fix it, rather than giving them an ugly surprise later when you turn in a mess. Or, if you feel like you don’t know enough about your topic, find another expert to interview. Do more online research. Fill in the holes.
6. Ask for more time. Often, there is wiggle room in deadlines. If you’re concerned you can’t get it done on time, ask if it would be a problem to take another day or week. Yes, it would be more pro to turn it in on time. But if you can’t turn in top-quality work on time, great work that’s a little late (and with the editor knowing it will be late) is better than crappy work on time.
7. Get an expert’s advice. Many new writers would love to bounce these dilemmas off a pro writer and get their advice, I’ve learned. I get so many questions from freelance writers who’re in a panic about their gigs and need answers right away that I created a community for writers looking to grow their income. Freelance Writers Den offers tons of ecourses, weekly live events, and supportive forums where your question gets answered by a pro within a day — and usually within a few hours.

What do you do when you’re in a panic about a freelance writing assignment? Leave a comment and add to my tips.

P.S.: The Den is closing to new members tomorrow. Won’t open again until summer. If you’re interested, join now.

It’s time for another installment of my freelance writers’ mailbag, which is bulging with fresh questions from hungry writers.

Today, I’m answering questions on how to get started marketing your writing — who to contact for copywriting, how to approach pitching an editor, reaching out to prospects on LinkedIn, and that always-touchy subject: pay.

Hi, Carol: I’m freaked.

How to get a freelance writing gig going — that is the question.

I haven’t done much except read about freelance writing, because I got stuck at: WHO IN THE HELL SHOULD I CONTACT about commercial writing?  I honestly have NO idea of where to start cold calling or emailing on prospective clients.–Bruce

Start with the company’s marketing manager, Bruce. Ask them if they assign freelance, or if not who does. Unless you know the business owner personally — then, ask them.

If I have a query that I feel is polished and ready to be seen by editors, is it acceptable to email it to an editor who doesn’t know me and has not given me their contact info directly? For example, I have a query letter right now that I feel really good about, and want to pitch it to Parenting Magazine. I called the magazine and was put through to the editor. I left her a brief voicemail introducing myself and telling her that I have two story ideas that I think would be a great fit at Parenting. I also asked if she was accepting pitches right now and if it would be OK to email her.

I haven’t heard back yet. Is it tacky to get her email from the receptionist in order to send her my query? The last thing I want to do is pester the editor with another phone call. In your opinion, what’s a good protocol for the initial reach-out to an editor?

I understand it will take some time and effort before I master the correct way of approaching people, and also what works for me; but I would like to have a general rule of thumb to go on initially. For example, when contacting people on LinkedIn; is there any certain etiquette or rules to go by? I certainly don’t want to put people off or give myself a negative image.-Marianne

Hate to be the one to break the news, but you’re not getting a response from your magazine editor because you’re asking a rookie question. Editors are too busy to answer basic questions like “Do you use freelancers?” So it’s no surprise she’s not calling you back. And yeah, definitely don’t call her again just to ask if you can pitch her.

This query game is for the brave. You need to just move ahead and send your pitch. And yes, you often won’t have any personal connection to the editor (though it sure helps if you do).

Or be like me and pitch them 2-3 ideas in one letter or email. I love giving editors choices and showing them I’m an idea machine, not just another writer with a big one idea.

I don’t know who you’re planning to reach out to on LinkedIn…personally, I tend to concentrate on people who’ve viewed my profile. Or people I’ve been introduced to or can get introduced to through my network. My pitch to people who’ve viewed my profile:

Subject line: “Were you looking for a freelance writer?”

Body: Hi there — I saw you were checking out my profile here on LinkedIn. Were you looking for writing help? As it happens, I have experience in your industry/topic (explain how/give links–ie I covered hospitality for 7 years previously, or my dad sold life insurance, or I was a legal secretary for years…whatever’s relevant). Let me know if I can help!–Carol

If you’re essentially cold-calling people on LI that you have no connection to, you’ll need to write a compelling letter of introduction much like you would send on email. Analyze their website or other marketing materials or publication, talk about something you saw to show you researched them, discuss the gap you see — no case studies? blog not getting updated? your idea here… Write in the style of their materials. In Freelance Writers Den we’ve got a cache of successful LOIs that got the writer gigs — feel free to come over and check them out.

One problem I have is knowing when to bring up the question of money; I am quite a direct person, and I don’t like wasting time so I like to get this out in the open as soon as possible with any new or potential clients; but I am not sure whether this is something that should be mentioned in a general query, a pitch or after it has become clear that there is an expressed interest from the other side.–Sarah

In the case of publications, they will ordinarily have a usual pay rate for their articles. Be sure to ask them what it is when they make an assignment, and get a contract that spells it out. Definitely don’t ask about money until you’ve got an editor interested in your article idea.

With business clients, I try not to spend more than 30 minutes discussing their project before having a ballpark fee discussion. Start by saying, “OK, sounds like you want 6 pages of web copy. What’s your budget for that?” Or something along those lines.

If they won’t say or can’t because they don’t have any idea of rates, then I throw out a ballpark, “Based on what you’ve said, that sounds like $X-X worth of work to me. That sound about right? Now, if they wanted it all done for $50, we can be done quickly.

–Have you got questions about freelance writing? Feel free to leave them in the comments below. You can also get prompt, detailed answers to all your personal freelance writing questions in Freelance Writers Den, my learning community for freelance writers who want to grow their income. We are currently open to new members, but just for a few more days.

P.S. Today Sunday is the last day to be part of my crazy pricing experiment and get to Audit the Freelance Writers Blast Off Class and pay what you want over $30. Just click that link or the box there on the right to check that deal out.