Comments on: Pitch Perfect

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:15:40 +0000

Good point, Lori. Looking at it from both directions just provides that many more opportunities to get it assigned!

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:32:57 +0000

Switching audiences is tough, Cathy. Good thing she has you there to give her that reality check!

Ashley, you could also try landing on a publication you want to work with and modifying the idea to fit it. Why not work it in reverse?

Great advice, Paula. I've found if the idea's been done within the last two years, they won't touch it unless you're coming at it from an entirely different perspective.

I've done the same with seeing whose name is on the byline. If yu see four or five articles per magazine per staffer, your chances of an assignment are slim.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:49:34 +0000

Of course I meant "to" and not "too." What can I say? It's not even 10 AM and it already up to 85 in my office.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:47:41 +0000

I love the idea of checking on the magazine's website for reader comments.

A couple of other things to ask or consider:

When was the last time they covered a similar topic? (Most magazines won't revisit the same topic right away; others might have a monthly feature on that particular topic - but it might be written by their regular columnist.)

What sidebars or extras can I offer? (A short sidebar on a related topic? A quiz? Photos? An info box? etc....)

When I'm narrowing which market to pitch an idea too, I number the candidates. Highest pay first, but another big consideration is: how many freelance articles to they really use?

That info can often be found in Writer's Market, but if you flip through a magazine and compare bylines with the masthead you'll get a better idea of how much of the writing is done in-house.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:00:04 +0000

This reminds me of an idea I had pitched, but it wasn't a fit. I need to shop that idea around a bit because it would make a great story. Just gotta figure out who would want it :)

Great tip on looking at the "most read" and "most commented" section. Super easy to do, and provides great information.

By: Cathy Miller

Cathy Miller — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:38:22 +0000

I don't do much pitching as 99.9% of my articles are ghost-written and pitched by my client. But, your Who is your audience question is key. On one of my ongoing gigs for ghost-written articles, my client writes (through me) for an audience different from her norm. Sometimes I have to remind her that she is writing for that different audience.

Great tips here, Lori-per usual. :-)