Read on Twitter
this is how many pitches i got in the 2 weeks since i put out a call for service pitches (okay minus like 60 that were already there)
not to call anyone out, but here are a few things i& #39;m seeing a lot of that you can avoid in your pitches to help you sell your stories
/thread
not to call anyone out, but here are a few things i& #39;m seeing a lot of that you can avoid in your pitches to help you sell your stories
/thread
many, many, many emails pitching ideas rather than stories. often looks like this:
"I would like to write about the impact of covid on X." ok! but there isn& #39;t a thing in the world that *hasn& #39;t* been impacted by covid. why is the impact here interesting or newsworthy?
"I would like to write about the impact of covid on X." ok! but there isn& #39;t a thing in the world that *hasn& #39;t* been impacted by covid. why is the impact here interesting or newsworthy?
lots of this: "i know you said you aren& #39;t looking for X, but ..."
nope! the reason i said i& #39;m not looking for X is that i& #39;m not looking for X!
nope! the reason i said i& #39;m not looking for X is that i& #39;m not looking for X!
when i wrote this pitching guide for nieman ( https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/how-to-successfully-pitch-the-new-york-times-or-well-anyone-else/)">https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/h... this was one of the most common pet peeves among the editors i interviewed:
"i saw your call for pitches on twitter. i am available for assignments, feel free to email me with stories you& #39;re looking for"
"i saw your call for pitches on twitter. i am available for assignments, feel free to email me with stories you& #39;re looking for"
pitching stories that were great in march/april but not in july
e.g.: how to set up your WFH situation; how to be better on video calls; why you should wear a mask; how to clean XYZ; how to cut your own hair; how to do social distancing
(i got all of these last week)
e.g.: how to set up your WFH situation; how to be better on video calls; why you should wear a mask; how to clean XYZ; how to cut your own hair; how to do social distancing
(i got all of these last week)
in general, pitching stories i ran last week; stories nowhere near my coverage areas; 800-word pitches no one will ever read; full drafts of stories
i& #39;m not just complaining here, avoiding these pitfalls will help you sell your story, and that& #39;s the whole point!!!!!
i& #39;m not just complaining here, avoiding these pitfalls will help you sell your story, and that& #39;s the whole point!!!!!
(i promise promise promise with 100% absolute certainty that if you write an 800-word pitch you are writing it for yourself because there isn& #39;t an editor in the world who is going to read it)
anyway, that& #39;s it. if you made one of these mistakes, don& #39;t worry! REALLY!!!!!
none of these are disqualifying mistakes, and you can always try again with another pitch. (truly!! editors don& #39;t remember emails they got this morning, much less a pitch you sent two weeks ago!!!!)
none of these are disqualifying mistakes, and you can always try again with another pitch. (truly!! editors don& #39;t remember emails they got this morning, much less a pitch you sent two weeks ago!!!!)
before you send your next pitch, read these, i promise they will help:
https://freelancingwithtim.substack.com/p/the-8-most-common-questions-about
https://freelancingwithtim.substack.com/p/the-8-m... href=" https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/how-to-successfully-pitch-the-new-york-times-or-well-anyone-else/
okay">https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/h... that& #39;s it! ily bye!
https://freelancingwithtim.substack.com/p/the-8-most-common-questions-about
okay">https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/h... that& #39;s it! ily bye!
oh also subscribe to this newsletter for tips on improving your pitches and SO MUCH MORE https://freelancingwithtim.substack.com/ ">https://freelancingwithtim.substack.com/">...
juuuust to close the loop here: reading pitches is literally the only thing i& #39;ve done since like noon and i got through ... about 60 
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editors are not lying when they say they don& #39;t have time to respond to every pitch!!!!! we are doing our best!!!!!
editors are not lying when they say they don& #39;t have time to respond to every pitch!!!!! we are doing our best!!!!!
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