{"id":2738,"date":"2018-09-15T12:14:22","date_gmt":"2018-09-15T17:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.home.ona\/newsroom18\/?p=658"},"modified":"2021-06-22T18:26:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T22:26:01","slug":"dos-donts-submitting-perfect-freelance-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/2018\/09\/15\/dos-donts-submitting-perfect-freelance-pitch\/","title":{"rendered":"The Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of submitting the perfect freelance pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Usha Sahay, managing editor of War on the Rocks, gives tips to a journalist after a session on Building Your Freelancer Brand. Photo by Karolina Rivas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Submitting one\u2019s vision of a news article to an editor may be viewed as a daunting task, but three ONA18 speakers believe otherwise. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really tough landscape out there, but in a lot of ways it\u2019s getting a lot more optimistic for the freelance model,\u201d said Usha Sahay, managing editor at War on the Rocks<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a full house in attendance, freelancers learned at a seminar on Friday the Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of pitching to a media outlet. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few takeaways to ensure one\u2019s next pitch is ready for review. <\/span><\/p>\n

DO: Follow Submissions Guidelines<\/b><\/p>\n

Most media companies will have a section on their site with rules on how to submit a pitch. Guidelines can include anything from the length of your pitch to requesting the idea be sent in email text as opposed to an attachment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sahay said even if it is a small cosmetic detail, following the submissions guidelines will help editors with their workflow process when it comes to understanding your pitch. <\/span><\/p>\n

DON\u2019T: Be passive aggressive<\/b><\/p>\n

The art of the friendly follow-up is a skill most editors appreciate from freelancers. If a freelancer feels as though their pitch is being dismissed, chances are editors may have completely missed it or forgot to respond. <\/span><\/p>\n

Following up with a simple, \u201c<\/span>Just wanted to make sure you got this,<\/span>\u201d versus \u201c<\/span>Haven\u2019t heard from you so I assume you\u2019re not interested,\u201d makes a world of difference when hoping to have a pitch approved.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Kristen Lepore, Manager of KCRW’s Independent Producer Project, speaks to a freelancer regarding the submission of a pitch to Lepore\u2019s organization. Photo by Karolina Rivas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DO: Make your pitch personalized to the company and YOU<\/b><\/p>\n

Add a personalized touch to an emailed pitch to show you have completed your research on the company and you know who the editor is at the organization. Sahay said to always make your value-add clear. Show editors why you\u2019re the best person to write the story and how y<\/span>our voice will add to the issue surrounding the narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cResearching the person you\u2019re pitching can be just as important as researching the publication,\u201d said Kristen Lepore, m<\/span>anager at KCRW’s Independent Producer Project,\u00a0<\/a>in a handout.<\/span> \u201cSocial media makes it easier than ever to stalk editors. Find out what you can about their preference and what they\u2019re working on.\u00a0 … Be human. Personalized email works best.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

DON\u2019T: Forget to pre-report on a pitch and show an editor previous work samples<\/b><\/p>\n

Editors at the panel said they appreciate when pre-reporting is accomplished for a pitch, but they do not want a complete story, not yet at least. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s helpful for me to know what you cover and what kind of audience you attract,\u201d stated Ankita Rao<\/span>, special projects editor at VICE<\/a> in a handout<\/span>. \u201cKeep your website up to date and make sure you communicate your beats. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s the idea and reporting I care about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An editor likes to see a writer\u2019s style and their online presence. If a pitch is approved, editors will most likely give feedback on exactly what they are looking for to match their organization\u2019s goals. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy to develop an expertise outside of formal institutions. I really admire people who have spent time on the ground in a particular region or done the homework in terms of interviews,\u201d <\/span>Sahay said.<\/span> \u201cI think it\u2019s really impressive when a freelancer is able to get to that level.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Ankita Rao, Special Projects Editor at VICE, speaks to a journalist about the pitching process at VICE. Photo by Karolina Rivas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The <\/span>managing editor of War on the Rocks said she understands it can be intimidating but enjoys seeing a journalist’s expertise and hustle. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot go wrong by just following the instructions,\u201d Sahay said. \u201cThe worst that can happen is that you\u2019ll get rejected, but you know we won\u2019t be mad at you if you did everything right. It just did not work out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Submitting one\u2019s vision of a news article to an editor may be viewed as a daunting task, but three ONA18 speakers believe otherwise. \u201cIt\u2019s a really tough landscape out there,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10580,"featured_media":2863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[836],"powerkit_post_featured":[],"coauthors":[874],"class_list":{"0":"post-2738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-industry","8":"tag-ona18"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/09\/Pitch21-1-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd5Q1c-Ia","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2738"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4266,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2738\/revisions\/4266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2738"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=2738"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}