Kat Boogaard's magic outreach email

When I started at Hectic, our social media strategist (S/O the incomparable Tom Miner) sent me Kat Boogaard’s instagram feed. I was hooked day one by the clever thoughtfulness, genuine humanity, and relatable humor. I reached out on a brave day to ask if she’d be on our podcast and she said yes and then I went full fan girl. And obviously still am.

Kat taught a workshop on how to reach out to past clients and win new jobs without feeling bad about yourself or your career choice. Here are 3 of her tips on sending a “magic” outreach email:

Start small

Kat told us she sent her email to 6 past clients that she hand-picked because the work she had done for them already fit well within her niche in the world of work space. Why only 6? Because:

“What would you do if everyone says yes?”

Maybe it’s optimistic. Or maybe you’re just helping your future self by not taking on work that doesn’t fit your schedule. Plus, it helps you narrow the field to start. The world may see your work, but maybe everyone doesn’t need to get your cold pitch. 

Personalize (and then personalize again)

You shouldn’t be able to send your outreach email to everyone in your contacts list. We have all gotten enough spam emails. You know these people. You’ve worked with them before. Since you picked them for this outreach, they were probably a dream to work with. Send them an email meant just for them like a hand-written love letter without 85% of the love. (You probably love your clients at least 15%, right?)

‍Be candid

In the chat during this part of the workshop, Nick Huber said this:

<tweet-link>“Showing a bit of vulnerability can be a strength.”<tweet-link>

For Kat, this meant letting people know why she had some availability. We have all collectively been through “it” these last few years. Anyone who pretends like everything is hunky-dory is probably lying to you (and to themselves)

Kat gave one more important tip, plus hung out to answer tons of questions about good clients and how to find them. Hear it all in Kat’s full workshop here or follow all her work on Instagram, Twitter, and her newsletter (or just her website).