Your list is the problem, not your copy

Most people who tell me outreach does not work have rewritten their opening line nine times and never once questioned who they sent it to.

Before you write a word, score the person out of three.

• Do they have the problem you solve? Not: could they benefit? Is there evidence, in their own words or their activity, that this is currently costing them something?
• Can they pay? It’s an uncomfortable question, so most people skip it. A business that cannot afford you won’t become one just because your message was warm.
• Is there any sign they are open to help? Do they ask questions in comments? Do they follow people who teach things? Have they hired anyone before?

Two out of three is worth a proper sequence.

One out of three gets a follow and a thoughtful comment now and then. Nothing more.

Nought or one out of three, contacted anyway, is where the whole industry gets its reputation from.

This is unglamorous work, and it is most of the job. A brilliant message to the wrong forty people loses to an ordinary message to the right eight, every single time.

Which is quite freeing, honestly. It means you do not need to become a copywriter. You need to become fussier.

Torkild Smith

Helping women-led businesses adopt AI on their own terms — strategically, and without the burnout — is the whole reason I do this work. If that’s where you are right now, get in touch.