How 100 Rejection Letters Will Help You Become a Freelance Writer

I was listening to a pretty interesting podcast the other day where a business owner had set out on a quest to get one hundred rejection letters.

She was trying to grow her business and knew that if she welcomed failure rather than feared it, she could exponentially grow.

This reminded me of how I started out. While I definitely didn’t aim to get 100 rejection letters I’m pretty sure I exceeded that 100 mark.

The truth is, I think whether you set out to get rejected or your rejection story is unintentional and you just refuse to stop trying, it stings a little at first. And then as time goes by it no longer becomes a big deal.

If you want to get started with your freelance writing journey here’s how striving for 100 rejection letters can help you.

When You’re Just Getting Started

There are hundreds of ways to become freelance writer. No matter which niche you chose whether that be freelance blogging, academic writing, technical writing, or anything else, getting told “no” is inevitable.

The sooner you accept this the better off you’re going to be.

Finding your first job is the absolute hardest part about becoming a freelancer. However, if you’re willing to go out and get rejected a hundred times you’re likely to get at least one yes. That one yes is all you really need to boost your morale and motivate you to keep going.

Perfecting Your Pitch

Another reason it’s good to get told “no” when finding writing jobs is that it helps you perfect your pitch.

When I first started pitching I was absolutely terrible at it. My email pitches would normally go unanswered. After sending out ten similar emails and not hearing anything back I would change my pitch. I kept doing this until I got one yes out of every ten pitches I sent. In my book those are some pretty good numbers!

Take all of the “no’s” you get and figure out how you can improve your pitch. Keep doing this until you finally find the sweet spot.

100 Rejections Is Proof You’re Trying

If you’re to the point in your business where you’re never failing or being rejected then you’re not trying hard enough.

No matter what you think nobody is perfect and no one is told yes all of the time. Failure is simply proof you’re trying. All of the people you view as successful have put themselves out there in ways that go far beyond their own comfort zones. You have to do the same.

If you set out to get told no 100 times think of how many times you’ll be told yes. What kind of opportunities will those few “yeses” hold for you?

Keep Your Head Up

I’m human, I’ve been rejected more than 100 times trying to build my online business and at first it was hard for me to handle. It pushed me clear outside of my comfort zone. Then after a while those rejection letters were a normal part of my business. They no longer got me down.

You need to get to that place. You know what to do and just need to do it. The more you do it the easier it becomes.

If you want to become a freelance writer go out and aim for 100 rejection letters. All you need is one “yes!”