Pitching: If you’re a freelancer, chances are you either love it or hate it. I’m in the former camp. My brain (and Google docs and notes app) are awash with story ideas, and I get energized by the chance to crystalize them into compelling pitches and — if I’m lucky and do that well — bring them to life. I kind of like the uncertainty and the hustle of chasing a new byline or working with a new editor.
Still, developing and sending pitches takes effort and unpaid time, and can feel increasingly exasperating. So when I learned the Deadline Club (the New York City chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists) and the Asian American Journalists Association were co-hosting a live panel about pitching in January, I RSVP’d.
From left to right: Althea Chang-Cook, Tina Wong, Manisha Krishnan and Vivian Toy stand with the Deadline Club’s Brennan LaBrie and a representative from Weber Shandwick, which held the panel at its offices. Photo courtesy of Brennan LaBrie
The event, a spinoff of the Deadline Club’s “Pitch Posse” series, attracted a near overflow crowd. Photo courtesy of Brennan LaBrie
The event, “How to Pitch Stories that Land an Assignment,” featured Vivian Toy, senior editor of newsroom culture and careers at the New York Times; Althea Chang-Cook, a content specialist and home and kitchen writer at Consumer Reports; and Manisha Krishnan, senior culture editor of Wired. Tina Wong, the president of AAJA’s New York chapter, moderated.
The organizers agreed I could paraphrase the speakers’ key takeaways, but not quote them, for AHCJ’s audience. Here’s what I learned:
Perfect your subject line
Unsurprisingly, a great subject line is a universal must-have for a strong pitch. Otherwise, editors are unlikely to open your email.. What makes a great subject line is a little more subjective, but think of it like a headline that you’d be eager to click. Drilling down your idea into a must-open email subject is a good exercise for you as a writer, Krishnan said, since it forces you to get really clear on what you want the story to say.
Timing matters
While I like to believe a great pitch will catch an editor’s eye no matter when it’s sent, Chang-Cook encouraged freelancers to send pitches in the morning, before her day and inbox get swallowed up with other tasks. If you’re tempted to send one in the afternoon or evening, schedule-send it for 8 a.m. the next morning instead, she said.
Panelists also agreed that Mondays, which are full of unread emails, and Fridays, which involve more wrapping up than green-lighting new assignments, aren’t ideal for pitches. And it should go without saying: Don’t pitch on weekends on holidays.
Research the publication thoroughly
If, while reading a pitch, Toy catches a whiff that the freelancer isn’t caught up on the Times’ coverage, she’ll stop reading — and avoid opening an email from that journalist again.
Researching a publication before pitching it doesn’t just mean double-checking that your exact idea hasn’t been covered or scanning the last few days of headlines. Panelists said it also means fully understanding the types of stories the outlet covers, how they’re typically framed and whether freelancers are used for that type of project at all. For instance, most news organizations don’t use freelancers for breaking news, but may use them for less-urgent culture, lifestyle and travel stories.
Finally, don’t rely on your perception or memory of an outlet as “research,” either. Chang-Cook noted that while Consumer Reports is 90 years old, it’s evolved to speak to younger generations and to include first-person, voicey reviews.
Don’t just pose questions — pose some answers, too
A strong pitch doesn’t simply propose an idea that the writer wants to explore, it shows that the writer has already started exploring it, Krishnan said. That may mean conducting a short pre-interview or two with a proposed source, or digging up other research. You want to prove to yourself, and then your editor, that your story is more than a hypothesis that may or may not work once it’s reported out.
Think of it this way: Instead of only including big questions you’re curious about (“What does this trend illustrate about our current health care system?”), provide evidence that you already have a sense of the answer (“This trend illustrates XYZ about our health care system, based on my conversations with XYZ and data from XYZ.”)
Keep it to three paragraphs
Three succinct paragraphs is a good rule of thumb when wondering how long your pitch should be, the editors agreed. Think of it like the story itself: A paragraph or two to draw the reader in, and a nut graf to convey the larger point and to tease at what’s to come. A few exceptions: A longer story, like a deep investigation or in-depth feature, may necessitate a longer pitch. But if you’ve already written for the editor, often just a paragraph will do.
One to two follow-ups is enough
Most editors don’t respond to all pitches. Following up once or twice is fine, but leave it at that, the panelists said. Avoid simultaneous pitching. Instead, if something is time-sensitive, give the editor a deadline to respond before moving along.
Do your own reporting to find the email address
Sometimes, figuring out the right editor to pitch to and finding their email address requires some legwork. If these answers aren’t publicly available on a masthead, through AHCJ’s Market Guide or via LinkedIn, for example, your best bet is to get the inside scoop from someone you know at the company — even if they aren’t on the editorial side. And if you have to use your reporting skills to deduce your way to a likely email address, go for it — the worst case scenario is that the email will bounce back. The best? Your pitch will get a “yes.”
