Mslexia

Mslexia, the magazine for women who write | www.mslexia.co.uk

Essentials

Q: How do I pitch an article?

A:

‘Pitching’ means offering a feature to the publication of your choice. Buy a few issues of your chosen title and find out what’s in it and what it’s like. Get used to its style, identify the tone of its features, what sections it has, and what slot you’re proposing to fill. Ask yourself, will your article suit its readers?

◊ Get the timing right. Find out when the publication goes to press, and what the lead-in time is (when editors need content), to establish the best time to pitch your feature.

◊ Send an email, ideally, allowing a busy editor to answer when it suits her. If you phone, be polite. Say: ‘Do you have five minutes in which I can pitch an idea, or is this a bad time?’

◊ Keep the pitch short and sweet. It should contain a synopsis and a ‘hook’. Introduce your idea with a simple sentence along the lines of ‘would you be interested in a feature on…’. Then summarise the piece in no more than two paragraphs, sticking to the basic facts. The editor will want to know what the hook is – why the piece is timely or relevant (e.g. does the author have a new book out? have they just won a prize?) – and what your ‘angle’ is (how you are going to tackle it).

◊ Get the editor salivating. Why would they be interested? How is it timely? Unusual? Are you offering a big-name interview? How is it ‘up their street’?

◊ Give two examples of where you’ve been published before. If they’re not viewable on the internet, offer to send cuttings by post.

◊ If an editor is interested they’ll probably contact you within a few days. Send a ‘follow-up’ email if you hear nothing.

Back