Why You Should Stop Cold Pitching People in the DMs

Stop Cold Pitching People in the DMs

Learn why messaging random strangers isn’t filling your calendar

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably either experienced it or have been coached to cold pitch people in the DMs. I know coaches teach that. I have friends who’ve done it, who’ve hired appointment setters to do it for them, and yes, I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit that I’ve done it too. So if you’re one of the many, you need to stop cold-pitching people in the DMs.

By cold pitching, I mean sending DMs to strangers to see if they’re interested in your product or service.

Picture this… You get a notification on Facebook that Jane Doe wants to send you a message. You open the message, and it goes something like this:

“Hey, I see you’re a coach. I’m just curious, how long have you been in the coaching space?”

OR

“Hey, I came across your profile and noticed that you’re crushing it in your business… What made you decide to become a coach?”

It’s like the social media version of door-to-door salesmen, flyers on your car or telemarketer calls. You only have to get one or two before you become an expert at spotting the upcoming pitch.

Don’t Worry, Your Secret Is Safe

If you’ve done this, no shame. I’ve been coached to do it too.

Here’s the thing. I honestly think we’re here because we’re super passionate and genuinely want to grow our businesses.

I’ve been there, I know what it’s like to want to grow your business so badly it hurts. And because of it, I followed that advice and used to send out mass copy-and-paste messages to complete strangers on social media daily.

This is a bit embarrassing for me to admit, but I had someone respond to one of those messages almost 5 years later. I felt so embarrassed that I didn’t respond. Yup… I ignored it and tried to pretend that it didn’t happen while I looked for a rock to crawl under.

But let’s be honest here. If you’re sending out messages and cold pitching in the DMs… how many of those messages have led to high-quality clients? Probably not too many, right?

High-quality clients are usually the ones who have found you online and decided to work with you.

Some Reasons Why to Stop Cold Pitching in the DMs

In case you need some reasons why you need to stop doing it, aside from the fact that it feels icky, here you go:

1. It looks desperate

• Most people can spot it a mile away
• It usually feels spammy
• You look like you only care about making the sale

2. It can affect your brand

• You lose trust if someone has a negative experience while interacting with you
• Chasing people in their DMs d0es not position you as an expert
• It looks like you care more about the sale than about them

3. You don’t know where people are in the Buyer Journey

• Not everyone is ready to buy – they either don’t know they have an issue or aren’t looking for a solution
• Some people have already bought from someone else
• You could be pitching someone who’s selling the same thing you are

4. There are more strategic ways to generate leads

• Create a freebie that provides value and opens up a conversation, and can grow your email list
• Have a strong CTA with your organic content so those interested will reach out to you
• Run paid ads to attract those who are interested in the solutions you’re offering

5. You’ll piss people off

• You run the risk of getting told off
• Your account can get shut down permanently when people complain – this happened to a friend of mine
• There’s no relationship or trust, so there’s a higher chance of buyer’s remorse if you do make a sale

Give Your Audience the Real You

Stuff like cold pitching people in the DMs might have worked years ago, but nowadays people are craving authenticity online and only want to work with people they know, like and trust. And frankly, you can’t do that with a few cold messages in the DMs anymore.

A simple guideline you can follow is to ask yourself some questions about how you made purchases online and what your buyer journey looked like.

• Did you follow someone for a while and check out their content?
• Were you attracted to them and decided to look into it more?
• Or was it exactly what you were looking for at the right time?

These can help design your marketing and sales strategy.

And if you are looking for a simple way to generate more leads to nurture and move through your funnel, grab my Freebie Formula That Attracts Clients Planner.