By Claudia Boyd-Barrett/California Health Fellowship
Nearly 100 journalists pitched their ideas to 27 editors at AHCJ’s annual Freelance PitchFest at HJ24 on Friday.
Journalists attending the conference signed up in advance to meet with up to five editors including from national news outlets, magazines, consumer health websites and specialty publications. Among them were editors from the New York Times, KFF Health News, Elle, Cosmopolitan, AARP, MedPage, WebMD, JAMA Medical News and Cancer Today.
PitchFest offers freelance journalists a rare opportunity to meet in person with editors to pitch story ideas. Each one-on-one appointment lasts 10 minutes and allows participants to get feedback on their pitches and — in some cases — secure assignments. Journalists are encouraged to bring business cards, clips and their best story pitches tailored to the publications they’re interested in, and to follow up with editors after the event.
The excitement was palpable as dozens of journalists lined up outside a conference room at Hilton Midtown for the first round of appointments at 9 am. Some chattered nervously, clutching printouts of resumes and clips, others quietly rehearsed their story ideas. Inside the room, editors sat at dozens of small tables, waiting to meet the pitch fest participants.
Cari Shane, a freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C., said she loves going to pitching events. Meeting with editors in person is more powerful than sending a pitch by email, which the editor may not have time to read. When you’re face-to-face with the editor, you can forge a human connection and have a conversation about how to make an idea work for them.
“It’s the best thing you’ll ever do,” Shane said. “You have the undivided attention of the editor, and the editor is here because the editor needs stories.”
The prospect of meeting face-to-face with an editor can be intimidating, especially for those who’ve never done it. Cici Yu, a recent graduate of Boston University and podcast fellow at WBUR Boston attended PitchFest and the annual conference for the first time. She said she considered canceling her appointments the day before because she was so nervous and felt unprepared. A friend encouraged her to go, and Yu said she was glad she did.
“The editors are really nice and approachable and give instant feedback,” she said.
Even more encouraging, one of the editors — Maiken Scott from WHYY’s The Pulse — seemed interested in Yu’s story idea, which boosted her confidence for her meetings with editors from Mindsite News and Harvard Public Health magazine.
To other journalists interested in attending next year’s PitchFest, Yu advised that they relax and enjoy the moment.
“The worst outcome would be the editor did not assign your pitch, but you had that experience and that matters the most,” she said.
Claudia Boyd-Barrett is an award-winning health journalist based in Southern California. She was a 2024 AHCJ-California Health Journalism Fellow.
