Overcoming Rejection & Shooting Your Shot from the #L2LChat Series
Have you tuned in to our weekly #L2LChat on IG Live?
If not, you are missing out on some fantastic gems.
In August, four women shared their insight into pitching, public relations, freelance writing, and brand partnerships.
Here is a recap of some gems you may have missed:
“If you see a brand that you want to work with, reach out.” – Sakita Holley of House of Success PR and The Sakita Method Podcast
Find different entry points to getting the things you want. Sakita shared a story of how she leveraged freelance beauty writing to cultivate relationships with beauty brands. Those relationships turned into opportunities turn featured businesses into clients.
Opportunities can come anywhere. You never know who you will be seated next to or meet in networking spaces. Sakita attended a private dinner hosted by a haircare brand and was sitting by an executive who introduced her to her future client.
Cold pitching can open the door to collaborations now or in the future. Sakita shared that brands that said no to her 3 to 4 years ago want her services now. “My biggest shift in a positive direction came from a rejection.”
“It’s about taking advantage of the moment that exists right now and taking advantage that people’s eyes are open now even if it took too long. Go hard with whatever story you want to tell. Be persistent and unapologetic about it.” – Macaela McKenzie of Glamour Magazine
Macaela shared how now is a good moment for diverse story telling. She also shared her career journey and the pros and cons of working staff as a writer or being a freelancer.
On how Black writers can tell their story in the heighten awareness of Black lives and diversity:
“It’s an excellent time to be pitching stories around diversity, and there is clearly a huge appetite for that. You can take the cynical view or the optimistic view on whether the appetite is occurring for the right reason.”
“The reality is that once you get your foot in the door with a publication or a journalist before, it’s a lot easier to continue to work with them. Maybe diversity is the first story you do and then try something different for the next one.”
“Writing is about putting yourself out there. Rejection is part of being a writer. If you are not willing to accept it or navigate around it, your career is going to be over before it even started.” –L’Oreal Thompson Payton, freelancer writer and creator of LTintheCity
L’Oreal discussed the power of growing your audience through freelance writing. “Even though people follow you on social media does not mean they subscribe to your newsletter or read your blog.” Writing for a major outlet and having them share your work expands your reach and subscribers.
There is also power in owning your own platform and content. Just because you publish content on your blog does not mean you can’t write about it again.
“When building brand partnerships, it is about poking at the weaknesses of a company.” It’s important to approach them with that lens. They need me more than I need them.” –
Nicole Tinson, CEO of HBCU 20×20
Overcoming rejection was a common theme in August. Nicole shared that you can be rejected because there is a gatekeeper, it’s not the right time, there is no budget, they never heard of you, or you are too young.
“When I think about lemonade, it’s being able to champion those yeses and leveraging yeses to create more.”
Nicole read on social media this quote: “Don’t just be resilient. Be anti-fragile.” She said it reminded her that when you are working on something bigger than yourself, you understand the work. “You understand the impact, and you know how important the work you do is for others. Often in a journey is easy for you to pull back and say, ‘I don’t know about this.’ Because I’m doing something bigger than me, then it keeps me going.”
Nicole shared how she was able to position HBCU 20×20 as something that companies need. “You can help their company grow or impact the bottom line is essential. This is a hole you have and this is how I can fill it.”
Another key to brand partnership is about mitigating and maintaining positive relationships. She shared how AT&T rejected her at first. Then they came on as a non-paying partner. Now they are a paying partner. “Let your work speak for itself. Allow people to see it.”
It’s about reciprocity. You don’t want to use someone, and you don’t want to feel used. We get fixated on the metrics and the data, but a real relationship is essential.
Tune into the #L2LChat every Thursday at 5:30 PM CST / 6:30 PM EST