Pitch an angle, not a topic

Climate change is a topic. How billions of sea life in the Pacific Northwest died during a four-day stretch in June is an angle. Make sure your article has a clear thesis.

Think like an editor

Remember that an editor often must pitch your story to other editors. Make it easy for her by being clear in the email (and in your mind) what your story is about.

Come up with a headline and a dek

This exercise will help you find and clarify your thesis. The hed and dek may not stick, but they will help an editor understand what you’re pitching.

Why you? Why now?

Know the answers to these questions before you pitch. If the answer to “why now?” is “because I was able to get the person on the phone” or “because I think it’s interesting,” keep thinking about your idea. What reporting or access can only you share? Why is running your article important now?

Know the publication

Read the newspaper or magazine to which you’re pitching. Familiarize yourself with the different sections and series. Does the publication take freelance? Has it covered your angle already? The more you read, the more targeted you can be in your pitch.

Be specific

If a pitch feels too general, an editor likely won’t commission your article. Think of what you would say to a friend about your work. You wouldn’t speak in generalities; you’d tell them about the aspects of the story that most excite you, the elements that feel most important.

Make the pitch short

In your pitch, aim for three short paragraphs, tops. If you can get the email shorter, then even better. Pitch the story in a paragraph and give the editor some sense of why it works for his section. Then briefly, give your credentials.

Find the right editor

If possible, email the editor who covers your area of interest. Look at the publication’s masthead, follow editors on Twitter, read “how to pitch” pages. If you can’t find an editor’s name and email address, don’t worry. General pitch email addresses also work, but it’s always better to email a person.

How to freelance successfully

Alyson Krueger, a graduate of Magazine and Digital Storytelling, regularly writes for The New York Times and other publications. Elizabeth Flock graduated from Literary Reportage. Her features and films have appeared on the PBS NewsHour and in the New Yorker among other publications. During the fall semester, they spoke about the freelance life.

Watch the Video

When Your Idea Is Actually a Book

Monday, Feb. 6, 6p.m. / 7th Floor Commons

John Hendrickson, a senior editor at The Atlantic, and Jonathan Segal, a vice president and executive editor at Alfred A. Knopf, talk about what makes an idea a magazine story versus a book. John wrote The Atlantic article “What Joe Biden Can’t Bring Himself to Say,” named one of the best stories of 2019 by Longform. His reported memoir Life on Delay grew out of that magazine article.

RSVP

What Editors Wish Freelancers Knew

Join Rob Fischer, the news director of The New Yorker, Jane Kim, the culture editor of The Atlantic, and Hilary Howard, a features editor at The New York Times Metro desk, to talk about what writers should know about their work as editors, how to make the editorial process go smoothly, and what they’re looking for in pitches.

Monday, April 17
6 pm
20 Cooper Square, 7th Floor
RSVP

Pitching New York Stories

Join Brian Braiker, the editor-in-chief of Brooklyn Magazine, Sukjong Hong, an editor at Curbed, and Max Rivlin-Nadler, one of the founders of Hell Gate, to talk about what stories work for them, what makes for a good pitch, and how freelance writers can best work with them.

Monday, April 24
6 pm
20 Cooper Square, 7th Floor
RSVP

What Students Learned

Join Maria Clara Cobo, Shaan Merchant, Curtis Rowser III, Marin Scotten to hear about their experiences getting published this semester.

Monday, May 1
6 pm
20 Cooper Square, 7th Floor