Chikki emails, writing emails is a true art form. Whether it's updating your list with news about your latest creation, or reaching out to a stranger, or telling somebody you're a fan of their work, and one that is incredibly powerful, and introvert friendly. It was Peter Mosley, author of The Art of shouting quietly, who first introduced me to the concept of cheeky letters. By cheeky Peter doesn't mean rude or disrespectful. I mean, the sorts of letters that stand out for their boldness, their enthusiasm, and scientists do what it takes to get on in life. Pete explains, Pete used a cheeky letter when he was working on a on his circus show.
I needed help in improving his act. He wrote to the national circus project and 10 days later, they applied and offered him a three week apprenticeship to go to New York. cheeky letters do work, how I use cheeky emails. I updated the concept of cheeky lessons to suit the digital era. Though I do lament the demise of the written letter, and have embraced cheeky emails instead. The first time I really embraced the concept without realizing it was in sending emails to a shortlist of creatives, who I looked up to as leaders in their fields.
My lofty idea was to recruit some guest lecturers to provide an incredible set of interviews, boosting my credibility for my very first online course get your art out. Despite me being a veritable, no one clueless about building an online course let alone selling it, and unable to promise anything in a way of payment. I received an abundance of yeses from these strangers and my faith in humanity has never been stronger. I've definitely learned that writing emails is a true art form. Whether it's updating your list with news about your latest creation, or reaching out to a stranger or telling somebody you're a fan of their work. It truly is a skill that requires regular deliberate practice.
But more than anything that requires guts. Fortunately, introverts are a real advantage here. And I'm not going to turn a weakness into a strength vincey of this, we really do have the upper hand here. So we're one, we're more likely to spend time writing a considered email than an extra about Mike. I've received countless badly worded emails from top CEOs and people with much wealthier and more powerful than myself, which have been enough to turn my stomach and actually lose respect for that person. On the flip side, I've received thoughtful, sweet and humble emails from people I don't know from Adam often asked me for much more time and energy in return for nothing, which I responded to immediately because of the clear attention they've put into writing email.
In addition, more and more people are preferring the written word for its convenience than answering the phone. Janet Murray, a podcast host and a PR extraordinaire. insist that even journalists are preparing emails now due to its flexibility, it allows them don't feel like you need to pick up the phone, especially in the first instance of reaching out to somebody. Finally, the classic introvert trait of expressing ourselves best through the Word is working for us. And thank you goes a long way. Most of the time, going straight in for an ask is not the best approach for most people.
Particularly in the case of bigger journalists, suppliers or influences, you'll want to make contact before asking anything for the first time. This doesn't have to feel awkward or forced either. Simple thank you goes a long way in showing your respect somebody as well as getting on their radio. For example, when I sent my email to Janet Murray pitching myself as a podcast guest, I'd already sent an email to ask about a missing link to a resource on her website. So I genuinely wanted to share it with my audience. She replied, I got the resource I was looking for.
And when I emailed again, a few months later, in regards to being a guest on her podcast, she remembered me and that gave me an advantage. Now, I'll admit, this is not a vital step for every single email you send. For example, if you're pitching a creative director who doesn't have much of a presence on social media, And his agency has little content to reference, you might cut straight to the chase. However, if it's a fairly well known influencer, who has a strong online presence and puts out in informative emails each week, who probably gets listed by PR companies and other others looking for a guest post, then take five minutes to warm them up a cheeky checklist. For now, here are some questions to ask yourself when preparing to write an email. Is this the best person to ask?
Do they have the power to help you? Do they have the resources to help you with your idea? This is particularly worth thinking about if you're reaching out to a company with many staff or high or a hierarchy, who makes the final call. It's often not the person answering emails or social media chats. In these cases, it's best ask who you need to be speaking to. The other time when this is worth considering is when pitching larger websites to write guest posts.
Inc.com or forbes.com have numerous contributors and it's often better to pitch these individuals, then at the general generic site, email or submission form, to have you thought your question through is your request specific, relevant and complimentary to their work and values. You don't need to explain every detail of your proposal and email one, but it's worth having all these details ready and waiting. Should you hear back. If I'm pitching a podcast host to be interviewed on their show. I'll list in bullet points exactly what I can speak about, and they will be directly related to common topics I know they can they care about and that that audience are interested in. Is your timing right?
Well it fit with their calendar and workflow. There have been many people I've delayed emailing because I've been aware that they are particularly busy at the moment. Sometimes it just means paying attention. I was delayed emailing a podcaster. When I found out she had recently had a bereavement in her family. This is another reason why being a fan of somebody first is the best way to work with them long term.
For Have you thought about the best way to approach them? What's the best way to ask them? In many cases, I recommend email. But sometimes this isn't the best first port of call. In some cases, social media will be more appropriate, particularly if you've never spoken to this person before. And you know, they happen to be very active on a certain platform.
Action step. start filling in at the cheeky email contacts spreadsheets in the resources, you might list 20 names and email addresses or social media handles for people who you could send an email to. Maybe aim to email one day each week, say for the next month.