I finally gave up on cold emailing after 200 tries and nothing

For years I thought sending out tons of emails was the only way to get work, especially after reading about it on some old forum from 2015. Then last fall, a guy I met at a coffee shop in Tacoma told me to just post one useful thing online every day for a month. I got two real jobs from that, which never happened with all the emails. What's a simple thing you do now that you thought was a waste of time before?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonh743d ago

My buddy thought making video tutorials was a total time sink. He got a call from a company that found his stuff, and it lines up with what @kim693 said about showing what you know.

kim6933d agoMost Upvoted

I read a blog post by a designer in Portland who said making a free resource, like a basic template, was pointless. He changed his mind after his free resume template brought in three clients who saw his work. For me, that thing was commenting on other people's posts in my field. I used to think it was just chatting, but answering one technical question last year led directly to a contract. It's basically just showing you know your stuff without the hard sell.

williams.kim2d ago

Wait, three clients from one free template? That's wild. I always figured those things just got lost in the shuffle online. Makes you rethink what "pointless" really means. It's not about the thing you give away, it's like a sample that proves you can do the job. That designer must have been shocked when the emails started coming in. Changes how you see every little post or free download.