Pitch Perfect: How to Turn a No Into a Yes

Social media is not a one-night stand; it takes time to build and continually nurture this relationship.

I get so many pitches a day. Before you ask anyone to work with you, put yourself in their position. Why would you ask me to endorse your book, product or service when we literally just met via an email you blasted to a ton of people? Not very intimate and perhaps the relationship is moving too fast for me. So don't be so shocked when I politely reject your proposal.

For those looking to pitch social influencers, here is how to turn a no into a yes.

Related: Sense and Sensibility: Using Social Media the Right Way

Foster relationships

Before I can evaluate your work and give it a recommendation, we need to have some sort of relationship. It needs to be built naturally, not feel forced and work for both parties.

“Relationships determine the job offers you’ll get, the consulting contracts you’ll win, and the business opportunities you’ll be presented with,” says marketing strategist Dorie Clark in a recent article.

Make a connection

Is there a right way to do this? Yes, there is. Recently, Rebekka Radice reached out to me. I loved her thoughtful email so I made time to hop on a call with her. I asked her was there anything she wanted to discuss specifically, she said no -- she just wanted to reach out to me since we have been virtual friends for years. That was a genuinely sweet concept.

By the end of our call, we ended up with an idea for a possible future project together just by getting to know each other.

Related: Why Authenticity Is Key to Mastering Social Media Marketing

Ensure both parties benefit from the collaboration

Just like in real life, fostering relationships is important on social media. Would you walk up to a stranger at a convention or seminar and ask them to promote your product? Think about taking a step back, find some common ground and see if there’s a basis for collaboration. It’s good manners to give people a chance to evaluate both you and your work before you ask them to put their name behind it.

For instance, I’m sent so many infographics every day via email. I admit, some are pretty cool, but so many kill any interest I may have had with their pitch.

But marketer Neil Patel did it right. He featured me on the website, Quick Sprout with a cool infographic that illustrated my Entrepreneur article. He wooed me by creating something that was useful to me and showing me he understood the importance of collaboration, rather than just wanting to use my influence to promote his product, skills or service. This makes me completely willing to share and promote this evergreen and useful article to my audience.

The win-win pitch

People, in general, are more likely to respond positively to a request when they realize that they will be properly compensated. And compensation doesn’t always mean money; it can just mean returning favors. Reciprocation is the key to a healthy relationship.

It is better to let their experience or their relationship with the product unfold on their own. If the relationship is not authentic, the share will not be credible. And if the share is not credible, nobody wins, and the relationship is likely to suffer.

Related: Get to Know Your Customer and Make Social Shares Matter