I am going to tell you the most common things I write in response to pitches and follow-on correspondence. I'm doing this to help prospective authors, not to mock anyone. I'm not subtweeting anyone. We send emails that contain the following multiple times a day, every single day:

(1) This article needs a lede.

(2) Can you tell me your core argument in two concise sentences?

(3) Please keep [email protected] cc'd in all correspondence.

(4) Kill all acronyms. Leave no survivors

On the 1st: People have the option of reading hundreds, if not thousands of things when they turn on their computers or phones. An engaging lede is an important, oft-overlooked way of grabbing a reader's attention and making your article stand out.

On the 2nd: If your argument isn't obvious to me in your pitch/submission, it won't be obvious to the reader. That argument should be in your pitch and it should be stated early on in the article - ideally the end of the 1st/2nd paragraph. (Note: lede =/= argument)

On the 3rd: Cc'ing [email protected] makes it less likely your article will slip through the cracks. Our whole editorial team sees emails sent to this address. If you just send it to me, there is a fair chance I'll forget about it. I get a horrific number of emails daily

On the 4th: Yes, we even mean the acronym that you use everyday, the one you think is so common and obvious that *everyone* knows what it is. Just please get rid of them and save us some time.

This comes down to reading and following the submissions guidelines: https://warontherocks.com/submissions 

I don't want to be a downer or a pedant, but we have these for a reason. Follow them to set yourself up for success and to keep the process moving as fast as possible from the get-go.

You are smart and have important things to tell people -- I say that sincerely. Our team is small and overworked. Our audience is hungry for smart arguments. Following the guidelines helps everyone.

It allows us to do two things more quickly: (1) judge if we want to take your article forward and (2) edit your article to completion.

We are imperfect. We make mistakes (all the time, speaking for myself). But if you follow the guidelines, you make everything better for everyone: you, us, and our readership. Help us help you!