I still get cold emails from writing, interviews, and videos I used 8 years ago 🤯
Content is powerful & effective.
But I don’t wait on my content to work for me. Although it can and will….eventually. I heavily rely on cold/warm outreach when I want to turn up the volume of opportunities coming my way.
And I’m not relying on referrals here. If you’re new or pivoting audiences, you may not have valid referrals just yet.
In todays’ post, I want to share a few ways I’ve found leads for opportunities that doesn’t include referrals.
LFG 🔥
In 2 hours today, I was able to:
Before I get to the post (which I may turn into a YouTube video), let me share what I did today:
Research on ChatGPT (10 minutes)
Rough edit this weeks YouTube video (making money according to your energy) — I did this while ChatGPT was working no no extra time
Got my Korean Beef in the slow cooker. I made this a few weeks ago and it was a hit. (Recipe here) (20 minutes)
Read my Bible & pray - because I slept in this AM and didn’t do it (15 minutes)
Respond to a few DMs about my content (10 minutes)
Make a peanut butter & banana protein shake to break my fast (10 minutes)
Personalize and make 3 cold pitches (45 minutes)
Writ this post before I forget (15 minutes)
5 Ways to Find Leads
Yes-I will make this a longer, more thought out YouTube video. So you get to see it first here.
1. LinkedIn Company Follower Mining
Go to the company pages of your dream clients and click on their followers. These are people already interested in that company's content and likely their customers or prospects.
Why it works: You're targeting warm-ish leads who already have context about the company you want to work with or sell to.
2. Event Attendee Lists (Before & After)
Most conferences publish speaker lineups and sometimes attendee directories. Even without a directory, speakers are public.
Why it works: Shared experiences create instant rapport. People are more open to conversations when there's a contextual anchor.
3. Podcast Guest Reverse Engineering
Find podcasts your ideal clients might appear on as guests. Reach out to recent guests with a personalized message about their episode. They're already in "share mode" after doing press and more receptive to conversations.
Why it works: You're catching them when they're already promoting themselves and thinking about their business publicly.
4. Job Posting Intelligence
One of my favorites and I shared in my PDF Case Study to land 4 new clients in 5 days. Companies posting jobs are investing in growth. Search job boards for roles adjacent to what you offer. If they're hiring a content manager, they might need freelance writers. If they're hiring sales reps, they're scaling and might need your service.
Why it works: Job postings signal budget, growth phase, and immediate needs. You're not guessing—they're telling you they're ready to spend money.
5. Tool Stack Stalking
Use tools like BuiltWith, Wappalyzer, or even companies' own case studies to see what software they use.
Why it works: You can speak their language immediately and position yourself as someone who understands their ecosystem, not just another cold outreach.
That’s all you before the video.
Waiting for referrals is playing defense. it’s very passive. These five strategies put you on offense, helping you create opportunities instead of waiting for them to find you.
Try one this week and let me know how it goes.
See you tomorrow,
Nesh