The 6-Step Guide to Reaching Out to Someone Famous in Your Field

Reaching out to people you don’t know can sometimes be daunting or stressful. When reaching out to a famous person in your field, you might sweat bullets before sitting down to write your email. 

If you want to avoid the nerves and self-doubt for the benefit of your career, you need to apply these six steps when you're reaching out: 

1. Be intentional.

Communication that isn’t direct or clear results in receiving no answer or intentional disregard. Famous people have a lot of people demanding their attention and they usually have little time to give. The more intentional, clear and creative the communication, the higher chance you have of getting a response. 

2. Speak to the right person.  

When it comes to reaching out to the famous folks in your industry, it is imperative to contact the right person. Usually, you can find the team of the famous person to email or reach out via a website contact form. If you don’t reach out through the proper channels, your efforts will most likely be wasted. Who has time to waste?  

3. Make the offer clear.

If you are reaching out to highly respected people in your field, you need to have an offer that you are communicating. What do you want this famous person to do? Would you like for them to speak at an event? Interested in hiring them to endorse your business? Whatever the offer is, you need to keep the following in mind: 

• Is your offer clear and easily understandable? 

• Is your offer time sensitive? If so, did you reach out with enough time for the offer to be considered? 

• Is your offer enticing and attractive?  

4. Don’t forget to use your creative juices.

If you are reaching out to someone who receives thousands of emails, messages, texts and phone calls, you need to standout in your communication. A generic email just isn’t going to cut it. When reaching out, you need to consider the following: 

• Did you include a compelling and interesting subject line? 

• Is the tone of the communication entertaining and inviting? 

• Does your communication make the recipient want to respond? 

5. Come from a place of gratitude.

It is obvious when someone is contacting you because they want something from you. How does that communication make you feel? Personally, I am happy to delete and move past those types of messages. How do you think a famous person will respond to that type of outreach? When you are reaching out, your appreciation and gratitude needs to be crystal clear, along with how your interaction will benefit them. What is the bigger picture for the outreach? How will your offer provide future benefits? These are the questions that should be answered before they are asked. 

6. Be persistent (and reasonable).

According to Julie Andrews: “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” When reaching out, you need to accept that you might have to reach out more than once. You might reach out three or four times before getting a response. By being persistent, you will increase your chances of getting what you want. 

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Natasha Nurse started Dressing Room 8 to provide a web-based resource where women can gain personal and professional empowerment through her fashion and lifestyle focused blog. Dressing Room 8 helps women learn how to think with clarity, dress with confidence, and live with purpose. She is the Lifestyle Editor for Plus Model Magazine and she co-hosts a podcast with her husband called WokeNFree. Follow Natasha on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.