With a new year just around the corner, content marketers should expect to receive a ton of pitches from freelancers. After all, a new year is a great opportunity to freshen up a blog, revamp email marketing or plan great campaigns for the months ahead, and your freelancers know this—they want to help and be part of the team.
According to Econsultancy, you’ll likely outsource at least a portion of your content marketing in 2014, if you aren’t already. But it’s a fact of the freelance world that some pitches fall flat, miss the mark entirely or are downright sloppy and responding to pitches you don’t love is part of being a content marketer and managing a team of contributors.
You may be tempted to toss out anything that doesn’t hit the bull’s-eye. Our suggestion: don’t. Here are five ways to respond to an awful pitch that up your chances of getting great content from freelancers.
Trash It—The Right Way.
Many marketers make the mistake of throwing away pitches on first glance because they don’t want to deal with inexperienced freelancers or ones who might require some hand-holding. That’s often a mistake (though one every editor is tempted to make). A marketer shouldn’t rule out a freelancer with little experience right away, especially if you’re working with a limited budget. Working with a less-experienced contributor can pay big dividends in terms of getting great content at a lower price. So when should you toss a pitch into the garbage? Poor grammar, lack of detail or follow-through on the idea and clear signals that the freelancer hasn’t done his or her homework on the content you publish are good reasons to axe an idea.
Be Frank.
Tell the freelancer what you don’t like about the pitch and what you do like. Suggest how the pitch might be improved and encourage your contributor to review examples of your content you really like. If you have an already-created list of pitch requirements send that along as a reminder.
Try Again.
If it’s clear the freelancer has talent and ideas but is missing the mark—maybe they don’t know the subject matter well or haven’t delved deeply enough into your market— ask them to pitch again in their wheelhouse. If they’re a social media whiz, tell them to put a social twist on their idea. If they’re great with data, ask them to parse a study or survey for new insights. You can even suggest grabbing coffee or chatting on the phone or by Skype to help a possible contributor get on the right track quickly.
Pass It On.
Occasionally you receive a pitch that simply doesn’t belong in your publication or on your website. But you know a colleague or partner that would be a good fit. It never hurts to respond to the freelancer and say, this doesn’t fit us but it might work for so-and-so. The freelancer will appreciate the tip and may send you contributors in return.
Keep It Brief.
If a pitch is truly off the mark and you have no time to work with the freelancer on whipping the idea into shape, a simple, brief response with “No thank you. This isn’t a good match for our brand” is appropriate. Freelancers appreciate the prompt feedback, even when it’s negative, and you’ll be able to move on to the next idea.
