Dear Ed,
I recently graduated from college with a degree in magazine journalism and I have no problem freelancing until I find a job. I do have to admit, however, that during my 4+ years in school no one in my journalism department ever taught me how to pitch a story idea to a magazine!
Do you have any general guidelines or things to avoid when
submitting a query?
Thank you,
Shannon, Philadelphia
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Dear Shannon,
Start small. Try pitching ideas to local newspapers and Web sites. Or start your own blog—you can use those entries as clips to attach to your story ideas when you pitch. Then you can work up to pitching larger publications.
Successful query letters pitch a fresh idea, something that hasn’t been done to death, or a new spin on an old topic that’s relevant and interesting to that publication’s audience. Your pitch should be brief, no more than a page, and should be written in the voice of that magazine—meaning don’t use teen speak when you’re pitching BusinessWeek.
Here’s a general outline for story pitches: start off with a lead you might use in your story, present your idea, give a reason (or several) why this magazine should cover the topic you’re pitching, give a reason (or several) why you’re the best person to write about it, and offer a brief outline of, or just a couple of sentences about, what you’d cover, who you might interview for your story, how many words it would be, and what section of the magazine it might fit into. Know that it’s easier to break into front-of-book and back-of-book sections than it is to get a long-form feature article when you’re not a seasoned veteran. Finally, be sure to mention where you’ve already been published. It’s also a good idea when you’re just starting out to attach clips and a resume highlighting all the various publications for which you’ve written.
Love,
Ed
