Cold Outreach & Follow Up
Cold Outreach
“The secret of success is sincerity.”
-Jean Giradoux
Cold outreach. These are the words that usually make people’s hearts drop. It can be scary to reach out to people out of the blue! And in all honesty there are a lot of people who really dislike receiving cold emails and messages. But I am a believer that this is not because these people don’t want to help or connect with others, but rather because the messages they are used to receiving lack sincerity.
Communication through emails and messages is a delicate art. So first and foremost, always strive to be kind, generous, and sincere in your messages. Remember what our definition of networking is! Building friendships. Don’t approach people with an entitled, gain seeking attitude, but rather, in an effort to make a genuine connection.
That being said, this is a step that I highly recommend. It’s a simple piece of the networking puzzle but a powerful one, and often overlooked or avoided.
At this point you should have started making some connections on LinkedIn or social media. Let’s say the art director from your favorite studio has accepted your invitation to connect or they just followed you back. You want to reach out and introduce yourself, maybe strike up a conversation and share a link to your portfolio. But how do you approach that first message? What do you say?
First, consider the platform you are reaching out on. I would say LinkedIn is always an appropriate place to reach out to another professional.
When it comes to other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and any others that might pop up in the future, I would say take a look at what they post/share before deciding to reach out through that site. Just because they accept a request doesn't mean they are inviting you to reach out for advice or ask about job openings. If they are just posting pictures of their family and personal life then this is probably a personal account and I would try to find a different way to reach out to them.
If they have an instagram where they just post artwork and engage in the art community then I’d say it is most likely acceptable to reach out through that platform. Always use your best judgment and be respectful of others' space.
Once you have, “read the room,” you’re ready to draft that first message! These are the steps I recommend following:
1. Briefly introduce yourself.
They don’t know who you are. So tell them! You’d be surprised at how many messages I receive with just a, “Hi.” or, “How are you?” That is not a professional way to start a message. Tell them who you are!
Example:
“Hi Jane,
My name is Caleb Staker, I am a character designer and storyboard artist currently working in the animation industry.”
2. Give before you take.
A very simple way of doing this is complementing them or their work (This will require a little research beforehand, and remember to be genuine!)
Example:
“I’m a huge fan of your work! Especially on (name of project).”
3. Directly explain the reason why you are messaging them.
It’s important to be honest and transparent in your initial message. Knowing what you want from the conversation and clearly communicating that will go a long way in getting the desired outcome you are looking for.
Always assume the person you are reaching out to is busy. Make your message quick and easy to understand. If too much time is needed to decipher what you sent them, they might just skip over you all together. Be courteous of the other person’s time.
Example:
“I was wondering if there were any opportunities coming up where I could work with you on a project?”
Or
“I’d really like to work with you someday and was wondering if you could take a look at my portfolio? I’d love to know what I need to improve on to someday reach that goal.”
4. Finish the message with your portfolio link and gratitude for their time.
Always, always be gracious and thankful in your messages. Remember, you are asking someone to spare some of their precious time to talk to you, a stranger! Gratitude for their time will go a long way and opens the door to creating a true connection.
Example:
“Here’s a link to my portfolio: (link). Thank you so much for your time! It truly means the world to me.
All the best,
(Your name)”
5. Accept the Results.
Don’t expect too much back in response to your message. If they respond but you do not receive your desired outcome, be grateful! It’s great they responded and that gives you an opportunity to send another message back! Now you know they reply to you so there is opportunity to reach out again in the future.
This first message almost never lands you that job. What you are trying to do is lay a foundation. A first conversation that can be the start of others which can lead to a professional friendship, and from there to a job.
Dr. Ivan Misner once said, “Networking is more about farming than it is about hunting. It’s about cultivating relationships.”
Think of these first messages as simply planting seeds. You will need to cultivate each one in order to grow any fruits from your labors.
Putting it all together
Here’s an example of a putting all the steps together into a good initial message:
“Hi John,
My name is Caleb Staker! I am a character designer and storyboard artist currently working in the animation industry.
I’m a huge fan of your work! Especially (name of project). I’d really like to work with you someday and was wondering if you could take a look at my portfolio? I’d love to know what I need to improve on to someday reach that goal.
Here’s a link to my portfolio: (link).
Thank you so much for your time! It truly means the world to me.
All the best,
Caleb”
Things to Look Out For
The Ego Awakens:
“He has a right to criticize who has a heart to help.”
-Abraham Lincoln
When you reach out to someone looking for advice, many will give it to you. But it won't always be what you want to hear. Be agreeable and grateful for the help provided. Even if you disagree, first, try to really see their point of view. They may have eyes to see something in your work that you didn’t notice before. And if they are a professional that you truly admire, then chances are, they know more than you do when it comes to the quality of work needed in your desired field.
It can be difficult as an artist putting an incredible amount of time and money into your craft (along with your heart and soul), to then hear that it still needs work. But take critiques from professionals as a gift rather than a dagger to the heart.
That being said, there are rare occasions where the person offering you advice is missing the mark. When this happens, you still have a responsibility to be kind and grateful. You were the one reaching out to them. And they tried to help. Say thank you and express how you will implement their words of wisdom. This will go a lot further than trying to defend yourself.
Over the years I have reached out to many people, and have also had many people reach out to me for advice. I remember one person specifically. She had reached out with multiple pages of life drawings asking for draw over notes. I was very busy and wrapped up in projects but I always try to help when I can. So I carved out 30 minutes of the day to really give her the help that was needed.
After the time was given and the much needed suggestions were offered, the girl replied, “I’ll take a look at the notes but I think I liked what I had.”
Her drawings weren’t good. And her response to the help didn’t make me want to help again. It’s important to think about and prioritize the relationship you are trying to cultivate with someone even if you disagree with some of their advice.
Be Pleasant, not a Pest:
Be careful of the frequency of your messages. Too many can become bothersome. If you are reaching out to see if there are job openings, try to reach out every couple of months. Or sometimes even longer depending on your relationship and what the person might have already told you.
If you are reaching out for a portfolio review, or for questions, make sure you are only asking questions that you aren’t able to figure out on your own. Many things can be taken care of with a google search.
If you’ve done your due diligence and still can’t figure something out, please reach out! You put in the work and still need help. Don’t feel bad. Reach out and get help! There is no point in holding yourself back just because you are worried about bothering someone. Again, it all goes back to sincerity. If you are sincere in your questioning, most people are more than happy to help.
The Art of The Follow Up
There are many situations where a follow up email or message could be necessary. Perhaps your initial message was not responded to. Maybe you had been emailing a recruiter about a role they were hiring for and they never got back to you with an update. Or you may have met someone at a conference, had a nice interaction and wanted to send a thank you email a few days later. Whatever the case may be, following up is an important part of the networking process.
When someone forgets to reply:
While it is true that most people have good intentions and want to be helpful, we are also all human and things do slip our minds. It wouldn’t be the first time an email or message got lost in a very busy inbox. These things just happen so never take someone’s lack of response personally. This is where a thoughtfully written follow up can come in handy. See my example below:
“Hi Jane!
So sorry to bug you again. I haven’t heard back from you yet and was wondering if my last email had gotten lost in the shuffle. Are there any updates on that character design position we were talking about? I am still very interested in the possibility of working with all of you!
Thank you so much for your time,
Caleb”
Something short and to the point will do the trick. Start by expressing caution for their time, acknowledging that you haven’t heard back, and then ask a simple and specific question.
Always close the message by expressing your interest in the open role and thanking them for their time. Something short like this after not hearing back for a week or two should be sent out. Don’t be afraid! Follow up!
After meeting someone in person:
Let’s say you want to send a follow up message to thank a new connection after meeting in person at a conference. How quickly should an email or message be sent? What should be said? Should you even send one?
First of all, yes, if you meet someone in person and are given a business card or some form of contact (even if you just swap Instagrams) and you hope to someday work with this person, you need to send a follow up.
I personally like to find a balance in the time that I choose to send my follow up messages somewhere in the space of letting our in-person interaction sit for a couple of days while also making sure I don’t wait too long.
However, each interaction is different. If you feel strongly about sending someone a follow up message the next day, go for it. Sometimes these things depend on the interaction you had with the person, and jumping on the chance to build that relationship feels like the natural and right thing to do. Follow your best instincts. But from my experience, I usually like to give it a couple of days before reaching out.
In regard to the content of your message, be tactful. This is mostly just a message to express gratitude to the person you connected with while also reminding them of your existence.
Unless you previously discussed a potential job opportunity, I wouldn’t directly ask for work. Instead, let’s take the opportunity to build a relationship here while still expressing interest in future collaborations. Try something like this:
“Hi Jane,
I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for our conversation over the weekend. It was so great to meet you and I really appreciated all of the wonderful insights you had to share. I hope there are opportunities in the future where we are able to work together!
All the best,
Caleb”
Of course you don’t have to use this exact example (or any of the previous examples), nor should you. Make it your own and reference your own individual interaction with the person to make it genuine and meaningful.
I know it may sound repetitive, and it is meant to. If there is anything you take away from reading this book, I hope that it is the understanding that the word networking should be replaced in your brain with the word friendship.
You shouldn’t approach networking with the goal to “connect.” You will progress a lot farther, a lot faster if you simply build genuine friendships in your industry. In all your messages, emails and face to face interactions, look for opportunities to satisfy that goal. Friendship.
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