Imagine there is a job you want so badly that you’ve started mentally decorating your new office. You don’t know anyone at the company, you didn’t see the role advertised, but you want in. What do you do? If you just thought “send them an email anyway,” congratulations, you’ve just discovered cold pitching, and you’re already ahead of most people who only apply to posted roles and wonder why nothing is working.

Cold pitching is when you reach out to a company or individual you want to work with, even when they haven’t put up an opening. You’re not waiting for permission, you’re walking up to the opportunity and saying, “Hi, I think we should talk.” It sounds bold because it is bold. Companies are always looking for great talent, even when they’re not actively hiring. A well-crafted cold pitch can get you a role that was never advertised, and a simple email can turn into a contract or at least etch your name in the mind of someone who matters.

But the way you approach it determines whether you get a reply, get ignored or even worse, get blocked quietly. So find out which type of cold pitcher you currently are.

1. The Copy-Paste Desperado

You’ve decided that the key to success is volume. You have this template you wrote in 2022, that starts with “Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my interest in any available position at your prestigious organisation…” You send it to 40 companies every Monday without changing a single word, not even the company name or the role. Nothing. When you don’t hear back, you’re genuinely confused, because from where you’re standing, you put in the work.

The issue here is that hiring managers can smell a ‘copy and paste’ email from a mile away. It tells them that you didn’t care enough to even type their company name. If you cannot take five minutes to personalise an email, why would they trust you with actual work? Send fewer emails and make each one count because one thoughtful email will always beat forty lazy ones.

2. The Overthinker Who Never Sends

You’ve been drafting your pitch since the first week of January. You have seven versions saved in a Google Doc that is named “FINAL pitch v7 ACTUAL FINAL.” You’ve read articles, watched YouTube videos, consulted three friends, and rewritten your subject lines 20 times. The email is good at this point, but you won’t send it because what if the company thinks you’re too forward? What if the hiring manager is having a bad day?

Meanwhile, someone with a less polished pitch sent theirs on a random Tuesday and is now two rounds into interviews. Perfectionism in cold pitching is just fear cosplaying productivity. The email does not have to be flawless. SEND IT!

3. The LinkedIn Stalker

You’ve done your research, and that’s actually good. The problem is that you’ve taken research to mean spying. You follow the hiring manager on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. You like all their posts and leave comments like “So insightful!” under articles about Q2 budget planning. When you finally send the email, it starts with “I have been following your journey for a while now, and I feel like I really know you.” The hiring manager reads this and feels a very niche kind of uncomfortable.

There is a version of this character that is almost great, because research matters in cold pitching. You should know the company, but there’s a line between being informed and coming across as intense. You cross this line when your knowledge becomes personal instead of professional. You should reference their work, not their life.

4. The One Who Actually Gets It

You understand that cold pitching is about making a case so clear and convincing that a “no” would feel like a mistake. Before writing a single word, you do your homework properly. You visit the company website to understand what problems the company is solving and where they’re headed. You read recent news and look at the team page. You find the right person to contact and take note of their name and role. Then you start working on crafting an email that leads with value. Not “I have five years of experience, and I am very passionate.” Nope. You open with something that shows that you understand the company, and you have something specific to offer them.

You mention a project that the company recently launched, a gap that you noticed in the product or content, or a skill that maps directly to something the company is working on. The email is short because you respect the reader’s time. It is also specific because vague pitches never get replies. You add a request for a fifteen-minute call, instead of directly asking for a job. Then you follow-up, just once after five business days, with a short and nice message that doesn’t beg or guilt-trip them. You basically act the way a consultant would, confident and enthusiastic for the work, and because of all these, you hear back more often than not.

So, Who Are You Going To Be?

Honestly? It doesn’t really matter which of these cold pitchers you are. What matters is whether you’re willing to be the one who actually gets it. Cold pitching can open doors that the job boards may never open for you. So, do the research, write the email, send it, follow up once, and move on. Rooting for you!

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