Had my doubts about cold emailing for freelance design work, then I tried it last month

I always figured cold emailing was just spam. But a friend in Chicago convinced me to try it for my graphic design freelancing. I sent out 20 emails to local small businesses I found on Google Maps, offering a free logo mockup. Got 4 replies and 2 paid projects out of it. Not bad for an hour of work. Has anyone else had luck with this? What worked for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_sanchez491mo ago

That free logo mockup idea is genius though, did you give them full creative freedom or did you do like a quick sketch of what you thought they needed? I always wonder if the time spent on those freebies feels worth it when only half turn into actual paying work. My gut says it depends on how fast you can whip up a mockup without killing your schedule. Were the two who paid the ones where you really hit their brand vibe, or was it more random than that?

jessica1301mo ago

Throw in a limited time offer next time, @karen_sanchez49. Pressure works wonders.

victorh811mo ago

You whipped up a mockup for free and only half paid? That's rough.