For early-career journalists, getting their work published can seem like a far-off goal because they don’t where to begin. Read along to find out all about what pitching is and how to do it well.
What actually is pitching?
A pitch is essentially an advert for your work. You are selling your writing and you need to prove that you are the best person for the job.
In a short word count, you will lay out what you are writing about, how you are going to talk about it and why you are the best journalist to cover it.
For example, if a fashion magazine is looking for pitches about vintage clothes trends and you have a blog all about fashion, you should mention hat you have a pre-existing interest in the topic and have a history of writing about it.
How do I write a pitch?
A pitch is not supposed to be wordy.
Often, publications will have a word count in their submissions guidelines and they are usually quite short. This is why it is important to be concise and get straight to the point.
The goal is to give them a taste of your idea and to draw them in and want to read the rest.
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Where do I pitch?
Most publications have a page on their website detailing their submission guidelines. Here they will say the style, length and topics that they look for. It is so important to read through these carefully.
Your response to submission guidelines is much more than just the content of your pitch, it is about how well you use a short word count and how concisely you can write.
Having your audience in mind will always make sure your pitch, and story when you write it, is focussed. This is why it is important to really know the publication that you are submitting you work in.
If you are looking for publications that are publish early-career journalists’ work, read more here.
Our top tips
- Make sure you do lots of research on the publication that you are submitting to. A journalist’s time is precious and you don’t want to waste it making a pitch about a story that has already been covered by someone else.
- Pay close attention to your spelling, grammar and punctuation. You’re exhibiting all of your journalistic skills so be sure to proofread.
- Fact check all of your sources before sending the pitch will save you time and make you a more efficient journalist. If your sources prove to be unreliable, you can find a new source before it is accepted. This forward-thinking will save you a lot of hassle and let you work quicker!
- Keep an eye on this page to see which publications is open for submissions.
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For more guidance on pitching, click here.
Featured image from StartUpStockPhotos via PixaBay.