Pitch businesses whose feed is quiet but whose doors are open. A bakery that hasn't posted in five weeks and got three Google reviews last week is busy and under-marketed, which is the best prospect you will find. A bakery that hasn't posted in five weeks and hasn't had a review in a year may be closing, and that is not.
This guide is for freelancers and small shops selling one thing: a fixed monthly package of posts to local businesses. It gives a 60-second check for whether a feed is worth pitching, a one-page 30-day content calendar you attach to the first email, a flat price with the hours behind it, the first email, a reply for "send me your rates," and a referral ask for when it goes well.
A 60-second check before you write a word
Open the business's Instagram or Facebook page on your phone and run this list. Write the answers on a sticky note. If you can't find a clear gap, move on.
- Date of the last post. More than three weeks ago is a gap (5 seconds).
- Posts in the last 30 days. Count them. Fewer than four is a gap (10 seconds).
- Unanswered comments or questions. A question like "are you open Sunday?" with no reply is the clearest gap of all (15 seconds).
- Basics. Does the link in the bio work? Do the hours match Google? Is the profile photo the logo (15 seconds)?
- Is the business alive? Open Google Maps. A review within the last 30 days, or a recent "popular times" bar, means customers are coming (15 seconds).
Pitch when item 5 is yes and at least one of items 1 to 4 is a gap. The quiet-feed, active-business combination means there's demand and nobody tending it. Skip businesses that look closed, and skip those that already post three times a week; they have someone.
Spot the owner who is posting alone
The best buyer is the owner doing it themselves. Signs: posts written in the first person, phone photos at odd hours, a gap right after a busy season, and replies to comments from the owner's personal account. This person already values the work and is tired of doing it. You are offering their evenings back. The email goes to them, not to a generic info address.
The one-page calendar you attach to the first email
Make a one-page, 30-day plan for the business, using only what you saw on the 60-second check, and attach it as a PDF or link it. Here is one for a fictional bakery, Corner Loaf, that sells sourdough and pastries and has a neighborhood following.
| Week | Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The 5 a.m. oven: a short video of loaves coming out | Best seller of the week, with the price | A regular customer and their usual order |
| 2 | Meet the baker: one photo, two sentences | Weekend special announced | Saturday hours and a parking tip |
| 3 | How the sourdough is made, in three photos | Pre-order reminder for the holiday | A review shared with permission |
| 4 | Behind the counter: a day in the shop | New item teaser | Next month's calendar preview |
That is 12 posts, three a week, built from the shop's own life. The bakery already has the photos on someone's phone. Your job is the plan, captions, schedule and replies.
A flat package and what it pays per hour
Offer one package, not a menu: 12 posts a month (photo or short video from the client's own material), captions, scheduling, replies to comments five days a week, and a one-page report at the end of the month. Price it at $480 a month. The hours: 12 posts at 35 minutes each is 7 hours. The calendar and the monthly report together take 1 hour. Replying to comments takes 30 minutes a week, or 2 hours a month. That is 10 hours in total, so $480 works out to $48 an hour. Five clients at $480 is $2,400 a month for 50 hours. If you would rather build in a floor, raise the price before you cut the work. These numbers are an example, not a market rate.
The first email, built on one gap
Subject: Corner Loaf's Instagram, and a 30-day plan
Hi Teresa, I stopped by your page and noticed the last post was five weeks ago, and someone asked on the 14th if you're open Sundays and never got an answer. Corner Loaf clearly has customers (I saw the reviews from last week). I made a one-page, 30-day plan of 12 posts using only what you'd already have on your phone. It's attached. If you like it, I'd run it for $480 a month, flat. Want me to walk you through it for 15 minutes? Maribel, 9 Bell St, Tucson AZ. Reply "stop" and I won't write again.
The email points to one gap, shows the work, and names the price. Include your address and an opt-out line for CAN-SPAM. If you want the structure for the follow-ups, read the cold email follow-up sequence, and for a related market, getting clients for a marketing agency.
When they say "send me your rates"
Hi Teresa, there is one package: $480 a month for 12 posts, captions, scheduling, replies to comments on weekdays, and a one-page report. No contract, cancel with 30 days' notice. The 30-day plan I sent is what the first month would look like. I could start a week from Monday, if you send me ten photos from your phone. Does that work?
A single package avoids the "which one" stall. If she hesitates on price, cut the posts from 12 to 8 rather than cutting the rate. If you hear nothing for four days, send a one-line check-in and attach the calendar again.
Turning one client into three
Ask for referrals at around day 45, once the first month's report is in her hands and the numbers are good: "Teresa, I'm glad this is working. Do you know two other owners nearby who'd like help like this? I'd be grateful for an introduction, and I'll send them the same 30-day plan." Local owners know each other. Related reading: how to cold email a local business owner and how to get clients for an SEO agency. For a creative service with a different buyer, see how to find clients for UGC.
Spotting the feeds, writing to the owners and following up is the repeatable part. Rocketship finds the buyers by name, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required. See the AI workers, and for the whole weekly motion, how to get B2B clients.