One of the most common things you have to do as a freelance writer on the web to get your content published on high-profile sites is to pitch articles to the editors. Pitching articles isn’t always easy and doesn’t guarantee you a spot on the front page, but professionalism and enthusiasm is always important in the online writing world.
Pitch Letter
To begin pitching an article, a great place to start is writing the editor a letter. The letter should include just a few simple things. First off, if someone who was close to the editor or had affiliations with the website told you to pitch an article to the editor, include the name of the person. If you’re pitching this article out of the blue, let the editor know you’ll think he or she will find the article a perfect fit on the website. A pitch letter could start off like this:
Hi, (editor) –
I was speaking with John Doe about your website and he suggested I get in touch with you. I have an idea for a story I think will be a perfect match to [website].
Story Idea
After you’ve written your pitch letter, explain in three to five sentences what you’re writing about, why it is (if it is) timely, something that can stay relevant for a long time, and why it is appropriate for the site. If there is a lot of content on the subject you are writing, the editor will probably look for fresh, new approaches to the topic.
You should always describe what kind of article it is. Is your story a first-person interview or essay, a news article or a how-to article? Share your ideas with the editor about how you will write your story and what you will include. Explain why it is important to you and why you feel others will find it important as well.
Multiple Ideas
Adding three or four ideas to your pitch letter won’t hurt a bit. Adding more than one story idea can help an editor in deciding whether or not you would be a good contributor to his or her site. In fact, one data point doesn’t often show much proof of a trend. When two or more data points are added to an equation however, it’s much easier to estimate a development. You may only think you have one fabulous idea, but if you add more, the editor might see potential in another idea that you didn’t think about.
Who You Are
After you are finished pitching your story, tell the editor who you are in a couple of sentences. If you have experience that is relevant to the idea or ideas you have pitched to the editor, let them know. Explain why you have authority to write on the subject matter, even if it’s simply because you have a passion for it and find it a hobby. This is where you get to sell yourself as a writer, very briefly, so only include the relevant information.
Samples of Past Work
Lastly, include samples of past work for the editor to view and see your writing style. Ideally, URL’s of published work with your name on it should be added, so the editor can see that the content you are sharing is actually your work. However, you can also add clips into the email or upload attachments of your work for further example of your writing expertise.
After you’ve put your article pitch together, don’t send it right away. Save it in your drafts and reread it the next day in case there are things you didn’t catch that need changed, added or deleted. When you are sure your letter is as good as it can get from you, send it. You may not hear back right away, and you may not hear back at all. That is not necessarily because your articles weren’t up to par in terms of quality, but the editor may not have time to extensively go over your pitch or even have time to publish anything from citizen journalists. However, your time wasn’t wasted. After a reason amount of time (three to six months), you can change the information and pitch the articles to an editor from a different website.
Emily Sutherlin - Emily has been writing on a variety of topics since 2007. She uses only the most credible sources to bring information to her readers.
