Even though the principles that follow in this article apply to both pitch meetings and telephone pitches, the 60-second version is the one you'll be using most frequently, for the rest of your career. I know blogs that accept articles without even discussing a topic with the editor, but I can’t remember large niche publications doing it this way. Any list of key story elements would have to include: the protagonist or hero; the hero's compelling desire (what I term the Outer Motivation - the visible finish line the hero wants to cross by the end of the novel or film); the conflict - the seemingly insurmountable obstacles the hero must face in accomplishing that goal; and antecedents - previously successful films or novels similar enough in genre, plot elements and/or audience demographic that they will convince the buyer that there's a market for your story. Keeping your introduction genuine and to the point creates a great opportunity to start building trust with the editor. info@influenceandco.com    |    573.999.0794    |     Copyright Influence & Co. 2018    |    Privacy Policy. The most common response when I have prodded people? And there’s no need for it. I confess I used to reach out to the editors without any research (and make silly typos): hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(313892, '111397de-7829-48a6-96ad-c5c88478ef8c', {}); I'm a senior publication strategist at Influence & Co. My obsessions include my kitten, reading good books, and eating dark chocolate. He coaches screenwriters, novelists, filmmakers, speakers, and marketers, helping transform their stories and their audiences using the principles and methods of Hollywood’s most successful movies. According to Will Smith, “No one is better than Michael Hauge at finding what is most authentic in every moment of a story.”, Screenwriting Pro Before you go, join more than 35,000 marketers and sign up for our email newsletter to get the latest in content marketing each week. • Target a particular section and pitch to the editor responsible • Include a clear, concise "top line" for your story • Give a brief summary of who you are Pitch meetings and development deals usually occur after a writer's career is established, or at least after the person receiving the pitch has read other samples of the writer's work, or is familiar with what the writer has had produced or published. Let us answer all your questions and help you get started with the strategy that's right for you. (“Hey, I saw your recent post on…”), Find the best-performing articles on this blog and start your pitch with “I discovered that articles about SMM are the most popular on your blog. A 60-second pitch should not to be confused with a pitch meeting. According to "The State of Digital Media 2018," 79 percent of editors say that overly promotional content is one of the biggest problems with the guest content pitches they receive. If writing an article pitch makes you fret, bear in mind the benefits. That's how pros do it. It’s unprofessional, and many editors might be discouraged from working with you. Maybe you've been reading it for years and have decided this is your chance to finally get a byline. Jokes aside, it took me half a year to stop getting rejected all the time, and it took me almost a year to become a contributor to a niche leading publications. Editors don’t want content that’s being published by competing publications; they want readers coming to their publication for content that can only be found there. Skip to main content. Of course, the editor won’t reject your articles because of the mistake in punctuation, but it certainly may slow down the process of publishing in general. Read the outlet to get an idea about what works for them. You're Invited to Publish on LinkedIn" At first, I was confused. Sounds like a lot, but you should do your best to keep this email short. About me: I’m a freelance writer from New Delhi with words in OneZero, The Quint, and more. I wouldn’t be a writer without an audience, however, and that’s a lesson I learned the hard way. Well, there is no big difference in percentages, but there is a huge difference between “Increase blog traffic!” and “Hey Anna, a quick question.” The second variant sounds more friendly and personal. For you to deliver that to an editor, your expertise has to align with what a publication covers and provide value to its audience. We only accept jobs that pay. How to write a pitch Step 9: Send your finalized pitch out on one of these days. So if you're a writer still trying to launch your career - still looking for representation or a first option or sale - the opportunities for pitch meetings are rare. Where have you been published? To find a staff member's email address, try Googling "@[publication].com" in quotes. We are proud to post your contest here, free of charge. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Just like you. Or let's say you've managed to get a potential agent on the phone, and she's willing to hear your pitch. Added to this, summaries also benefit you as the writer. If you haven't heard back on your pitch in a few days, send a polite note and ask if they had a chance to review your pitch or if they could give you some insight into why they passed over it. 9 min read. Sometimes editors write blog posts or tweets describing what they want in a pitch. But it will reveal something funny or sexy or suspenseful from the film, in order to convince viewers watching the commercial that the movie or TV show itself will be a wonderful emotional experience. Choose the best option. Pitching yourself is the epitome of putting yourself out there -- there's no safety net, no woulda-shoulda-coulda... only the cold, hard truth. Is there a "kill fee" (meaning, do you get paid if the pub decides NOT to run your piece)? Please contact the software manufacturer if you need assistance uninstalling or deactivating your software. By analyzing the elements of an effective email and learning what makes one bad, we can start to create a great one. Simply put, you get them to read your screenplay or manuscript by getting them to feel something positive about it. But why might a pitch fail? Let's say you've signed up for a pitch fest or for a one-on-one session with an agent at a writers' conference or book fair. They don't have time for 1500 word emails. It’s about getting the basics right. When posting a job ad, you MUST include a salary, payment terms, or rate, otherwise we will reject your ad. The first four steps are your Preparation, the remaining four your Presentation. Include the word pitch or submission in the subject to make it easier for the editor. And it’s so embarrassing when you’re asking the editor a question you could easily find on the site without bothering anyone. Why it matters right now? Blog anniversary (“Hey, congrats on your 5th blog anniversary!”); New format on the blog (“Hi, I saw you’ve created a comic on your blog. How do you persuade all those powerful people that your work is worth their time, and is more likely to make them money, or fulfill their passion for storytelling, than the scores of other scripts and book proposals they already have to read? Then: get lots and lots of people to read it. You may not find the exact person you're looking for, but there's a good chance you'll figure out the "email structure" -- FirstInitialLastName@publication.com, FirstNameLastInitial@publication.com, etc. Look, I am pro-writer, so my opinion here is probably skewed, but here it is: Some outlets will give you a reasonable window to hear back on their submissions page (two weeks, for example). These are the components of your story that will convey both its emotional power and its commercial potential. action The meeting can last from fifteen to forty-five minutes or more, and often includes a whole conference table full of people. At times I even prepare my pitch in a note document and then copy and paste it in the body of the email. It could be: But don’t pretend you care about this blog/person. Also, try to find out if the publication in question has a preferred format. Every pitch should begin with a proper greeting addressed to a specific editor. In a pitch meeting, a writer (usually a screenwriter - pitch meetings are rare in the publishing world) has been invited to come to an agent or executive's office and outline a story in detail. At least you know this email was sent to you and the sender has spent some time to find your name. If you’re a regular reader of this blog and following the blog’s and its editors’ social media platforms, it won’t be difficult to find something to cling to. Here’s the format I use to contact editors with my stories: I’m writing in with a short piece (900–1000 words), for your publication. Having two outlets want the same article is a good problem to have. Set up a call today! “How To Pitch Your Work And Get Published.”. How many images should I add? I got nothing to show, and that was the problem. (Download all of the 8 R's of Pitching on how to write a pitch today!). Don't … Pitch to a publication you haven’t read. Below is an example of the kind of email that will show a publication editor you’re a thoughtful, respectful, and knowledgeable contributor: Subject Line: Exclusive Contributed Article Submission: Reaching Out to Editors. My tip is: convince them your email wasn’t sent by some automation tool, convince them that you’re writing to this particular blog. So keep it short, compelling, and accurate. But that doesn’t mean you can’t. Self-publishing without an audience is like stocking up your shop’s inventory with a new product — putting it inside a shelf where no one gets to see it, hoping for it to get discovered, and declaring it worthless when it doesn’t. I believe if I can get published, while working full time, without formal training or contacts in the field, and with English as my second language, then so can anyone. I have at least 3 great blogs implementing this approach in mind: MarkGrowth blog on Medium, Outbrain blog, or TechWyse. Personalize, always read guidelines, explore existing content, offer unique ideas, write valuable content, and be polite. It depends on the nature and scope of the article — but the bottom line is that you need to convey just the right amount of information to the editor. Please respond before 5 p.m. tomorrow. '” To be honest, I was reading your blog because I want to write a guest post for you. Send an article in full in the first email; Ask something you could find without bothering anyone; Ask when the editor will publish your post in the first email; Follow up twice with emails, hit them up via Linkedin or Twitter once, and then just stop; Make it easy to publish your post (glance through the guidelines and check if your post meets all requirements, send in HTML format, provide images if necessary, etc. Find an outdated post and say that you’d like to write the new version so that they can link the two posts. But other than that, let's not pretend that only fans and contributors can have a seat at the table. Editors are swamped with pitches along with senseless spam and advertisement. In a world that makes it too easy to self-publish, and almost easier to get lost, a byline in a renowned publication can make a lot of difference in a writer’s life. Your list of key elements isn't limited to these four; you might also add things like character arc, theme, topicality or your own personal connection to the story. Here's where you put a brief RUNDOWN OF YOUR IDEA, in its simplest form, making it as enticing as possible while using the least amout of space. Is your work good enough? Make sure you understand... who owns the content? ); Care about building long-term relationships. For that to have happened, the writer must have persuaded lots of people to read her earlier work. Pitching stories to magazine and newspaper editors is tough, but there is a lot you can do to improve your chances of success . So yes, I submitted about 150 applications and guess how many positive answers I got. Explain how it’s the perfect fit. Editors have their hands full, show some respect. Before you can start building relationships with editors at your favorite online publications, it’s important to learn how to pitch your content — and yourself — to them. Following up is important. But if they won't give you a timeframe, I'd wait a few days, follow up, and pitch to someone else. Digital publishing is a business. And finally, it’s time to hit send. If you’re an active reader of this blog, your name will ring a bell in the editor’s head. Whether you’re a freelance producer, graphic artist or other visual creative, we want to work with you! An email with a subject line that tells the editor what to expect and gives her an idea of the article’s content is one she’ll want to open. And she did that by using some form of the 60-second pitch. How can people enter your contest? I hope you’re more confident than me. For instance, you can use BuzzSumo or Serpstat to find the most shared pages on the blog: Here is the first step of the 8 R's of Pitching: You have to follow up with people. And according to our research, there's a lot of opportunity to do exactly that: 76 percent of editors publish between 1 and 10 guest posts each week, and 94 percent of editors report planning to increase or maintain the current amount of guest content they publish this year. Call and follow up. There are eight critical steps on how to write a pitch and present a pitch guaranteed to get your work read, or your story (in a full pitch meeting) considered. If you're offering great content, make no apologies for it. Here's where you SIGN OFF, offering your appreciation for their time and next steps for contacting you. There are eight critical steps on how to write a pitch and present a pitch guaranteed to get your work read, or your story (in a full pitch meeting) considered. Literary agents have phone lists that average at least a hundred calls a day. It’s difficult to find an individual approach to each blog, figure out their “thing,” come up with a suitable idea, and on top of everything else, break through all this noise. Finally, sell yourself with a short description including your experience and your background, and links to your favorite stories. And this time, oddly enough, most blogs accepted my application. Here are a few key elements of effective email pitches that will start you off on the right foot: If a publication accepts guest posts, its editor probably receives hundreds of pitches each week, and the first part of the pitch she sees is the subject line. One of my articles that initially got rejected by a smaller publication, got accepted by a bigger one. And outline how the article will start and end. You can also use this info to: Do you open emails with a subject line like “[URGENT] Premium Guest Post For You!” or “Increase Blog Traffic!”? There are small blogs that don’t care about your background. There's something very hollow and unsatisfying about sending an email to a "submissions@" email address, which is usually what's listed on a publication's website. Software returns must be deactivated and uninstalled from your computer before a refund may be issued. This will deepen the trust you began building with your personal introduction and exclusive content, and it signals your accountability for the content you pitch. Send your article in full, ask when they will be able to publish it right in the first email, say “thanks in advance” – and the editor will delete your message faster than you can say “why?” Pick the right section and editor for your story. “The best freelancers use their pitches to showcase their writing skills — especially when pitching an editor for the first time,” said Nick Baumann, an editor at HuffPost. I know what it's like to be a young writer desperate for some attention or a placement. Blog post originally published on Oct. 15, 2014. Maybe you are a big fan of this publication. Some outlets will give you contact information for these people on their Staff page, but you can also find email addresses through Twitter or some clever Googling. You can follow my work here. With this information in mind, review your own content strategy to determine whether your expertise aligns with this publication and would be valuable to its readers. It’s important for you not to pitch multiple editors the same content and to make it crystal clear to the editor you're pitching that the content you're sending is exclusive to her publication. (editor's name)" should suffice, and you should address a written query letter as follows: Is the topic something that has been trending on social networks because it is important. Go to Twitter, and write down the names and emails of the editors of your favorite publications. And, unfortunately, a “one size fits all” approach won’t work . Follow them precisely. What did you learn the last time you were accepted or rejected? Spend 20 minutes reading posts on the blog, and you’ll find out: Remember: editor will more likely accept your post if you’re not making him/her do additional work. Your chances of get ingpublished are much higher if you do everything consistently. You will be responsible for return shipping fees. They’re ok with you sending relevant article over to them, and if they like this post, they will publish it without any problems. But as you will learn, the better your preparation, the less courage you'll be required to muster. There’s a reason you made a list in the first step. Summaries enable you to submit a paragraph or two on your idea instead of wasting time writing an entire article that gets put on the backburner because it was not what the publication had in mind.Summaries are a way to show off your writing skills while giving your editor a better idea of what you want to write. You can't remain the shy, withdrawn, introverted artist you'd probably like to be (which is why you become a writer in the first place). So next to writing, what I can point to with regards to my success are the editors and publications that have allowed me to share my work with their audience. Findings from our annual research, which includes insights from editors at online publications across industries, reveal that fresh perspectives and expert insights are the biggest reason editors accept guest content. The thing that can be hard to swallow about creative work is that, too often, the work doesn't stand by itself. If you’re interested in working with a specific editor, it doesn’t hurt to search their name plus words like “submission,” “submission guidelines” and “pitch me.” Write a brief summary of your story. I prefer to send my emails between Mondays and Thursdays and schedule them to reach the editor in the morning. The writers' goal is usually to secure a development deal, and to get paid for turning a story into a complete screenplay. So how do you do that? Because it's a pitch you have less than two minutes to deliver. Addressing the editor by name shows that you care enough about the relationship to take the time to research her and get her name right. It means that if your post is good, but you forgot to put punctuation inside quotes (as guidelines require), the editor will choose a good post that entirely follows guidelines for the publication first. If you've got a story that can be told in five minutes, you've got a story for a five-minute movie. Do you have your own rules for pitching? Although if you don’t hear back after that, it’s safe to assume it’s a no. Why you’re the right person to write this story? And while we are at it, there is a bunch of other stuff, mostly the do nots, like never submit the same story to multiple editors at the same publication or even different publications at the same time. My articles have crossed well over 100,000 views in less than 3 months. You want to pick those that best convey the emotion your story elicits. Please come back and submit a new contest anytime! Whether you’re sending an introductory email pitch to a potential new client, or, you’re sending your best article pitch to an editor, I think that midweek is the best time to send an article pitch. I’ve prepared a simple seven-step guide to help writers create a pitch that has consistently allowed me to get published. All rights reserved. Here is where you put your CREDENTIALS. First: write a great story. If you're submitting a pitch online, "Dear Mr./Mrs. You can sort it by FB, Linkedin, Google+ shares. Now, you may be wondering, “How do I actually do that?”. It’s longer than a couple of rejections, right? They need experienced writers, and previously published posts give them an opportunity to estimate your skills in a matter of minutes. Are you getting paid? Publishers and editors are busy. Start by writing to small blogs, but write as if you’re writing for the large ones. As a writer or artist, it's your job to sell yourself to employers or consumers of your content. Selling your work requires both preparation and courage. If you have an idea for a piece you’d like to write for us, here are our guidelines. If you’re not sure about the editor’s name, you can add the blog name instead. How come I failed so hard? For instance, this one says that subject lines with a recipient’s first name may lift open rates by 2.6 percent. Home Blog social media videos How to Pitch an Article: 5 Rules to Get Your Post Published, Anna Rud After addressing the editor, briefly introduce yourself, your company, and why you’re contacting her. It means you need to polish your article and send it to another editor, and after a few more changes to another. Once you have a solid list of samples, try to pitch large publications. Reading the best-performing articles on the blog may help you understand what’s the most interested to this blog’s audience. Will you get a bio? Updated on June 28, 2018. The opportunities that demand that you master the 60-second pitch, however, will form the backbone of your entire marketing campaign. Why should they believe your submission will actually be good? Why this particular outlet? Your pitch should consist of a greeting, a brief intro, a personal note (if acceptable), samples, a few ideas for a guest post (only titles). Today, I’d like to show you how you can do the same in seven steps. I came up with the idea of a unique post on how SMM can…”, Use SEO tools to find broken links on the blog and write something like “I’m writing to you regarding a 404 error on your blog for the article ‘How to Promote Your Service on Quora. The value of guest posting as part of your content marketing strategy is undeniable. You can have the greatest, most commercial, most brilliantly written screenplay or manuscript since The Godfather, but if you don't get dozens of agents, managers, producers, editors and executives in the film or publishing industries to look at it, it'll never get produced, and you'll never reach the wide audience you long for. I think this is well-intentioned but insanely naive. By researching a publication’s “About” page or media kit, you can find information about its readership, and spending some time on its site can give you an idea of what types of content it publishes — and, often, how that content performs with its audience. And I’d love to share this and help others take their journey to the next level. Depending on exactly how you pitch your idea, you may write the article in advance and include the final draft of your proposed article in the initial pitch, effectively condensing steps 1, 2 and 3. Screenwriters University Classes - Online writing courses for screenwriting Software - Online screenwriting software that's always ready for In the body of your email, provide a concise summary of the article you’re pitching. The use of this website signifies your agreement to the Own it. The Guardian - Back to home. While most publications have a generic email for submissions, it’s easier to get noticed when you reach out directly to an editor. But I have pitched articles, screenplays, books, and other pieces of writing with varying levels of success. You should read an outlet enough to know what type of stuff they run. I’m a fan of your publication and I’ve learned a lot from your articles. The concept behind guest posting is simple: You identify an online publication whose readership aligns with your target audience, craft content that provides value to that audience, and pitch the editor your content to be published. Every brand, thought leader, and individual contributor is different, and their content strategies are unique to their goals, expertise, and resources. FreelanceWriting.com hosts some of the most talented freelance writers on the web, so you’ve come to the right place to find contestants. A few weeks back, I got an email with the subject line: "Congrats, Evan! My latest piece -- I Am a Grown Man, and I Still Play Madden -- was, When Everyone Passes: How to Deal with Rejection.

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