The Follow Up

Why it's key to landing assignments and how to do it

Happy Tuesday, Substack readers! I hope your week is off to a productive start!

Raise your hand if you’re a PR professional and half your time is spent sending follow ups to pitches when freelance writers don’t reply to your initial emails. Now raise your hand if those follow ups yield results—even if it’s a “no,” often follow ups get a response.

The art of the follow up is something PR pros are really good at, and writers should take a page from their book.

As a new freelancer, I’d send a pitch out and when I didn’t hear back from the editor, I would just assume that they weren't interested in my idea and I would give up. As writers we put a lot of time, thought, and energy into our pitches—too much to let them just languish in an editor's inbox.

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I'm not sure where PR pros learn the tactic of following up, whether it's at PR School or at the agency where they work (which may have a required number of pitches and follow ups), but the bottom line is that in the sales world, follow ups are key to making sales.

A quick Google search about ‘the importance of following up’ will bring up dozens of articles about why it’s a magic formula. So why aren’t writers doing it?

I’m here to tell you, following up with editors will increase the number of assignments you’re commissioned. As freelance writers, we often are focused on the storytelling aspect of our jobs, but the business side (landing stories) is just as important. After all, getting assignments is essential to making a living as a freelancer!

Below is your blueprint to incorporating follow-ups in your freelance routine.

Thank you all for reading and subscribing! Have a great and productive week!

Warmly,

Rebecca

Me at the stunning San Xavier del Bac Mission on my recent visit to Tucson, AZ.

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