Tips on pitching to a publication from an editor at Health Journalism 2017.
By Emily Gurnon
Senior Editor, Health and Caregiving, PBS Next Avenue
egurnon@nextavenue.org
Pitching to editors
1. Doing your homework
2. Introducing yourself
3. Covering the basics
4. Making the pitch
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Doing your homework
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Research the publication: readership, style, purpose
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Learn what we’ve published recently
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Learn what we don’t publish
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Introducing yourself
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Email, don’t call
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Give a paragraph about yourself, who you’ve written for, any staff positions
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Attach two to three clips
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Covering the basics
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Pay attention to detail
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Spell-check
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Proper grammar
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If you have a website, make sure it looks as professional as possible
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Making the pitch
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Keep it to one paragraph per idea (but more than just a phrase)
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Three ideas max
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Make sure you describe a story idea, not just a topic
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Tell me if you’ve written about this topic before/do you have expertise
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FOLLOW UP if I don’t get back to you
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Other stuff
• Perfectly OK to ask about money right away
• Same with contracts: ask me
• Can you negotiate? Depends.
• Check in along the way with questions or road blocks but mostly be self- sufficient (i.e., low-maintenance)
Above all else!
• Always be professional
• Adhere to the highest standards
• OK to use info/interviews for multiple stories but no copy-and-pasting
• Write to length
• Write what you were assigned to write
• Turn in clean, proofread copy; check names
• MEET THE DEADLINE
