This is How You Should Be Pitching Your Work

When I first started submitting work to online publications, I barely knew what the word “pitch” meant…”media kit” What??? Thankfully, I worked with some amazing brands who were ever so kind and gave me the chance to prove myself. Despite this, I knew that I had to become a “professional” at pitching to brands or I would never meet the goals I had set for myself as a writer.

I started reading everything I could about how to pitch to editors, PR agencies, editorial assistants, ANYONE. I joined a few freelancing groups on Facebook and talked to other writers about their successes and what they have learned from their failures.

I’m nowhere near perfect. Not every article is 100%. I don’t always meet the engagement goals that I would like to but I have learned a little bit. I’d like to share it with you.

Before diving into your pitch, write a simple intro.

Introduce yourself to the person you are writing. Tell them your name and a little bit of info about yourself (previous bylines help but aren’t required)…then get down to business. Editors love to know who they’re working with, but at the same time, they get a lot of emails every day and just don’t have the time to sort through long intros, so try to keep it short and sweet and get to the real point- the story you want to write!

Make sure you know what the publication is looking for.

If you’re going to pitch to a magazine, website, or brand, it’s so important that you understand the types of stories and content they are looking for. Beyond that, what kind of tone do they like? Do they seek informative content, or are they more fun and conversational? Your understanding of their goal should come across in your pitch.

Be as specific as possible about your ideas.

If you want to pitch a story about gender inequality in the workplace, that’s great. That’s a topic a lot of people would love to read about. However, sending an email that just says you’d like to write about gender inequality in the workplace without a specific angle doesn’t say much about what will shape your content. They are going to want to hear more. Give a full summary of your idea. Write how you’d approach it, include a few sources to show your personal style, what’s your ultimate message is, and why you should be the one to say it.

Provide a draft if possible.

If you’ve already written a draft of your idea, then go ahead and send it over. But if you do, make sure you’ve checked it over a few times for mistakes.

Don’t get discouraged.

Even if your piece is rejected the first time (or second or third), don’t get intimidated. Don’t take it personally. Keep working on your pitches- have a friend or colleague take a look and see where you can improve. Most writers and content creators take a good bit of time to hit their stride, and that’s okay. And you know what those accomplished writers will tell you? Never stop trying.