But there’s a right way and a wrong way to convey it, especially if you’re sending a letter of introduction to a publication or editor you’ve never worked with before.

Use a letter of introduction (LOI) to subtly entice an editor to work with you or buy your story, not bang them over the head with how great you are. Sing your own praises too strongly and you’ll come off as snobby instead of helpful,  arrogant instead of well-seasoned.

Here’s an example of how not to introduce yourself, sent to me by the editor of a popular consumer website.

The editor writes: “This one is a doozy.  An e-mail that a freelancer sent to an editor here — amazingly, someone he does not know. It could be the breezy nature of [industry] writing in general, or the tone that it takes on our [website name] that emboldens this guy. It could be the mutual acquaintance factor or the fact that [blog name] prides itself on being brash and iconoclastic. But still…

Here’s the LOI the editor is referring to, with some parts redacted to protect the privacy of all parties involved:

Subject: The World Famous [freelancer's name] From [blog name] wants to write a few articles for [website]

What? You don’t know me? Well [friend's name] has recommended I get in contact you. Which is why this email is occupying your time.

[Friend] thinks (along with yours truly) that my work would be valuable to [industry reference] buyers. Specifically the buying, selling, and general storytelling of the [industry] business.

Feel free to judge for yourself.

[link to writing sample]

I am an [relevant job title #1], [relevant job title #2], [relevant job title #3], and writer at [blog name] for a good five years.

Read my stuff. I also co-write a little article called [title] which seems to have become a favorite at [blog name]….

All the best!

According to my editor friend, the colleague in her office who received the LOI, told her:  “Well, there might be a worse way to introduce yourself to people you don’t know, but it doesn’t come to mind right now.”

Looking back at your own freelance writing business, what’s the worst LOI you ever sent, and did anything ever come of it? Please share in a comment: if I get enough good examples of bad LOIs, I’ll include them in a follow-up post.

By Tim Beyers

Content aggregators are booming. Take Helium. Earlier this week, the company said that its writers have taken home more than $1 million in earnings since 2006 and $500,000 over the past six months. A deal with Hearst is in the works.

These aren’t surprising developments. Helium sells content to publishers on the super cheap as participating writers collect crumbs. Of course a deal with Hearst is in the works. I’ll be shocked if other cash-strapped publishers don’t follow suit.

As a writer, I can attest to Helium’s allure. Write whatever you want on any topic and publish instantly? No waiting for a query response? No rejections? Sign me up.

And yet this very low bar is the literary equivalent of a siren call. Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t fall for it.

1. You won’t be working with an editor. Be thankful for editors, the best of them help us to improve our writing. They also help us to understand what’s salable by rejecting what isn’t. Every story they turn down tells us a bit more about their readership and gets us closer to acceptance.

2. You won’t be under pressure to improve your work. When every article is accepted, writers have zero incentive to improve their prose. That’s dangerous. A bevy of publishing industry layoffs have flooded the freelance ranks, making what has historically been a buyer’s market even more competitive. Writers whose work isn’t battle-tested by the fires of revision and rejection face a tough test.

3. You won’t be creating clips that matter for querying elsewhere. Editors want to see that you’re capable of delivering a quality product for other editors. Certainly it’s true that editors also value talent — and Helium gives talented writers a forum — but there’s risk in working with an untested freelancer. Experience with the query-write-revise-publish process is like insurance for an editor who doesn’t know you.

Helium has its place. I’ve used it; you can still find some of my work there. One of its better uses is as a testing ground. Want to break in as a travel writer? Post two or three articles at Helium or elsewhere and collect comments. Use the best of these reader endorsements in your query to show the assigning editor that you know how to engage an audience.

But such situations are the exception. Have a story idea? Research paying markets via services such as Writer’s Market, Mediabistro.com, WordHustler or The Freelance Writer’s Helper, gather sources and query. It’s still the best way to earn your stripes as a freelancer.

Today’s reruns: Make yourself so irresistible editors will fight over you.

What editors want from freelance writers – and how to give it to them

Good assignments start with good editors – here’s how to spot them

Be a team player if you want to write for trade magazines

Freelance mistakes to avoid at all costs

You may be desperate for work, just don’t act like it

True confessions – Do you tell editors what you do when you’re not working for them?

MIT Sloan Management Review: Good freelancers are ‘nanobots’ and that’s no insult