How To Write a Pitch That Will Catch an Editor’s Attention
By: Liv Pasquarelli
Tags: Careers, Writing Tips, Writing, Freelancing, Journalism

How To Write a Pitch That Will Catch an Editor’s Attention

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

“Wow Liv, I’ve received a lot of travel-related pitches and this one may be my favorite one yet. Thank you for this very comprehensive pitch, it’s really solid.”

This was in an email I received from an editor a few months ago. I am by no means flexing because the story never got published.* It doesn’t mean the pitch wasn’t good, it just wasn’t the right place or time, and that’s okay. The point is I broke through an incredibly busy editor’s inbox with a clear pitch on a solid concept. I received this response in less than 24-hours, and these words from an editor are ones I will hold near and dear to my heart. I won’t disclose their identity but if you’re reading this and you know who you are, thank you. You gave me a big boost of confidence.

*Update: the editor got back to me a week after writing this and the story will run! Yay!

The art of pitching

If you want to be an accomplished, published writer, you will have to write hundreds of pitches throughout your career. Over the past 6 years of pitching potential editors and publications, I’ve honed in on a few actionable tips that will help you break through the noise of a million megaphones constantly pointed at editors and get your voice heard.

Have a bulletproof idea

I don’t care if you’re writing about the intersectionality of queer identity in 1990s Manga or the 5 best refrigerators on the market today. Your idea should excite you as if you can see the article writing itself in front of your eyes. The pitch should be so clear, that you have to run to your computer to make a bulleted list with the major points of the article.

Your starting off point needs to be a crystal clear, interesting, and fresh idea. Without that, don’t pitch.

Check the publication to make sure your article hasn’t been written yet

Are you thinking of writing an article about how the anti-vax movement is spreading misinformation? Know that you’ll be competing with amazing writers on every major publication on the planet. Whoever you are pitching to likely has a piece published on this very topic, and will send your email right to the trash bin.

Now, if you’re writing about the impact of Covid-19 combined with anti-vax misinformation disproportionally hurting people of color, you might be on to something. Do your homework, and search the publication for all the stories on Covid-19 and anti-vax misinformation to make sure there is no overlap. If this is uncharted territory, pitch on.

Check the publication for pitching guidelines

This seems obvious, but you’d be surprised. Search the publication’s website for a submissions guide or pitching guide. Many publications will have it under their ‘write for us’ tab or submissions page. Tim Herrera put together a master list of 60+ pitching guides on his substack, it’s an incredible resource for pitching to some of the top publications.

Personalize your pitch

Find the editor's name from the publication or specific column. Become a stalker and find them on Twitter and get to know them a bit. This will give you an idea of what stories they publish and what beats they are looking to cover, too.

Address the email with the classic Dear [Insert Name Here],

Do not say Hi there, New York Times Editing Team.

This comes off as lazy and makes it seem like you copied and pasted the pitch and sent it to 100 editors. I’m not sure how “Hi there” has made it into our email repertoire. I’m guilty of starting an email this way. I have realized that it sounds very colloquial, and when addressing an editor, you should always be professional.

Keep it short

I can’t emphasize this enough. Editors are busy. It’s a simple fact. Depending on the size of a publication, editors may receive hundreds of emails a day. Start the email with your pitch, not your bio or portfolio. The first sentence should be the hook of your idea.

Your pitch should be a few paragraphs long at most. Summarize the main ideas of your concept. Use bullet points if that fits your pitch. The editor should be able to understand your concept within 10 seconds of opening the email.

After you present your pitch in a few short paragraphs or bullet points, provide any resources you plan to use for research. If this is a cold pitch or an editor you haven’t previously worked with, finish the email with a short bio and a few links to relevant published work. Your bio should be no more than 2–3 sentences.

When it comes to providing links, if you’ve published work on a similar topic, just paste the links. I’ve provided Medium links in pitches that were accepted, so if you have work on a similar topic on Medium, I recommend using it. I always mention the Medium publication, too. It shows you have experience working with editors and adhering to guidelines.

Tell the editor why you should be the person to write this piece

This is important for a number of reasons. Good publications want a variety of voices on their pages. They want new, fresh perspectives on tired topics. Are you writing about how Only Fans is removing pornographic content from their platform? Boring. Already covered many times. Are you writing about how the removal of pornographic content from Only Fans will cut your primary source of income as a sex worker, and how the change will impact your life, you now have a story I want to read.

If you are a trans sex worker or a sex worker of color, that adds more elements of intersectionality. You will be able to tell this story from a perspective that illustrates why this change is so detrimental to marginalized communities especially. You have the ability to change opinions, shed light on reality, and raise awareness with your unique perspective. For example, as a queer woman with ADHD who is in recovery from addiction, I’ve published pieces on all of these topics and even published an article about the link between queerness, addiction, and ADHD.

The Takeaway

Keep it short and professional

Start with the pitch and end with your bio and portfolio links

Address the editor personally

Tell them why you’re the right person to write the piece

Search for a pitching guide and adhere to guidelines

Useful tools and links

I got many of these from Sonia Weiser’s Opportunities of the Week newsletter and reference desk.

Successful Pitches is an incredible resource of anonymously submitted pitches that were commissioned. Every entry has the subject line, the pitch email, and the completed, published piece.

Into the Spine has a 101 guide to pitching as a freelance writer. If you’re like me and you don’t have a journalism degree, you’ll need to learn terminology and etiquette when it comes to pitching and working with publications.

If it makes you feel better, I have googled the following terms and phrases: What is a beat in journalism? What is a clip in journalism? What does ‘burying the lede’ mean? What is a hed? What is a byline? The list goes on. Have no shame, google is your friend and so is this guide.

This pitch guide from NPR editors has been my single most referenced document when it comes to putting together pitches. I highly recommend checking it out.