Freelancers, if you are planning on attending Health Journalism 2024 in New York City this June, we strongly recommend that you carve out the morning of Friday, June 7 for PitchFest.
We have lined up an impressive group of 20 editors and counting, including editors from The New York Times, Scientific American, Science and AARP.
They want to hear your carefully crafted pitches. So update that evergreen idea sitting in a file on your computer desktop, research that enterprise feature you’ve been dying to write or keep your eye out for an off-the-news story you can sell.
Your pitch could result in an assignment or, more commonly, tailored advice on how to improve it and an invitation to follow up in an email with a revised pitch.
“The AHCJ PitchFest was a wonderful opportunity to meet with a new editor and talk through a story idea that I was really excited about,” said freelance writer and editor Bryn Nelson, referring to last year’s event. “She was great at helping me think through the most important takeaways for her publication’s audience, and I think my pitch became stronger because of that helpful advice.”
How to sign up
“AHCJ makes it easy to sign up, and the editors are eager to find new talent,” said freelance journalist and editor Debbie Abrams Kaplan. “I met with some publications I knew of already, and some that were new to me. Hearing firsthand what editors are looking for and getting immediate feedback on ideas and fit are invaluable.”
The link for signing up, a list of the editors, strategies for success and rules for PitchFest can be found here. Those rules include: show up, be on time, prepare carefully, respect the time limit and understand that PitchFest does not guarantee you a sale. Editor bios will be posted by April 10, and we hope to have a short description from each editor about what they want to hear in your pitches.
In the meantime, check out AHCJ’s market guides at the freelance center. We have a guide for most of the publications sending an editor to PitchFest.
We also urge you to watch “Packaging the perfect pitch,” a webinar featuring two top editors and an experienced freelancer that will help you prepare for PitchFest.
“There has never been a year at an AHCJ meeting when I don’t connect with a new editor,” said freelance journalist Cheryl Weinstock. “I feel very lucky to be writing for such great editors I met last year who have helped me strengthen my interests and work.”
Weinstock will be at this year’s PitchFest, she said. “It is sure to be great, especially since it is in New York. See you there!”
Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 8 to reflect additional editors added to PitchFest.
