I think one of the more valuable bits of advice that I& #39;ve mentioned on both @TWC_pod and yesterday& #39;s great
@ScienceWriters Q&A about freelancing is: SEND OUT A SOFT PITCH so you& #39;re not initially sinking so much time in developing a full pitch. [thread]
Here& #39;s a skeleton of a soft pitch I sent yesterday on a walk (where my best ideas come from, IMO)

Subject line: offhand story idea

[salutations!]

I saw [SOMETHING INTERESTING, while being as specific as possible]. I& #39;m interested in doing a story about [MY ANGLE.]
[GIVE EXAMPLE OF QUESTIONS I& #39;D WANT TO ASK.]

"Is this of interest? Curious to hear your thoughts " /end
Does this work better if I& #39;m pitching an editor with a preexisting relationship? Sure! But you can also tailor this to an editor you& #39;re cold pitching. Here& #39;s how I& #39;d do it.

Subject line: Story idea from a freelancer: [TKTK catchy thing.]
Hi [editor],

[your salutations]

I am an independent writer based in TK, who& #39;s written for [...]. I have a story idea about [...] I saw [something interesting], and would want to do a story that focuses on [some new angle]. [throw out a few questions.]
Is this a story you& #39;d be interested in? If so, I& #39;m happy to share more details and answer any questions you may have. /end
One of the questions I& #39;ve gotten the most is how have I been able to sell stories so fast during Covid. This is my hack that I think *everyone* should be trying. It leads to a better business model, too. (i.e.: you& #39;re capitalising a lot faster on your ideas!)
You can follow @wudanyan.
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