Nobody is born knowing how to pitch.(Katie here) I've been known to pitch once, hear nothing, and decide 'Oh well. Never mind.' Then never reach out ever again. 😅So you can imagine my SHOCK and INCREDULITY (is that a word?) when Kira told me that she will reach out 7 times to a brand before giving up. Whaaaaaat!?Kira Matthews (aka Kira the Bold), is like confidence in a bottle. She's mastered pitching and landing work with names like Squarespace, Ganni, and lots more. If contacting publishers and/or potential clients makes you do a little bit of sick in your mouth, this episode will definitely help! At the very least you'll feel inspired to send more than one follow up email.In this episode, we chat about:What to do when the work… just stops coming inWhy pitching can feel so scaryThe real reason people don’t hear back. (And nooo, it’s not because they hate you)Why one email is basically just saying helloHow to follow up without being annoying (or feeling like you are)Timestamps:00:00 Meet Kira (Queen of Pitching 👑)01:00 From fashion styling to building a business02:00 When the work disappeared… and what she did next03:00 Learning to pitch (while still being terrified)05:00 Fear doesn’t go away. You just get used to it06:00 The 3-year journey to landing Squarespace08:00 Why most people give up after one email09:00 The stories we tell ourselves about rejection10:00 Why you need to follow up (a lot more than you think)11:00 How to make each email actually count12:00 Applying this to illustration and getting your work seen13:00 Inside Kira’s talent agency experiment15:00 Why smaller creatives need to pitch more, not less17:00 Agents, money, and what’s really going on behind the scenes19:00 Why agents aren’t a magic solution20:00 Sales: the bit everyone wants to avoid23:00 Why follow-up feels rude (but isn’t)24:00 Rejection challenges and building resilience26:00 Rejection = start of the conversation28:00 Momentum, energy, and creating your own opportunities30:00 The actions that actually lead to results31:00 Telling people what you do (important!!)32:00 Katie’s rejection challenge story34:00 Auditing your time and what’s worth it35:00 Kira’s final pep talkLinks & stuff wot we mentionedKira’s website: https://www.kiramatthews.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirathebold/Weekly pitch tips newsletter: https://kirathebold.myflodesk.com/m0elc4qip7The Good Ship Illustration https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freebies Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙