How To Pitch Articles Like a Pro

So, you’ve got a dynamite article idea, or perhaps you’ve even written one. Now, you want to get it published. But other than that, you don’t know what to do.

Well, we here at Inspiring Interns are here to help. Here are five tips to get your piece published, and -hopefully!- get you paid.

1) Know your audience

It may sound a bit obvious, but this is vital, and goes for any piece of writing you want to get published. You need to be very aware of the target audience of your piece, cater it to them and then, afterwards, select a publication or website that also targets that audience.

Of course, this goes deeper and is more complicated than merely not sending your piece about sports to the Financial Times (unless your piece is about investing in sport, then go ahead!).

Firstly, what are you writing about? If you have written about something that might only appeal to a specialist in the subject you’re writing then avoid sending it to a publication that is catered for those with a casual interest, and instead aim for one that appeals to those with a professional, academic or specialist interest in the subject.

Of course, you can pitch to as many publications as you like, but to maximise your chances of publication, focus on specific, relevant publications. If you do send to many places, tell them you have done this in the email.

2) Know your publication

Once you have settled on a publication or publications, you need to study them in depth.

Most importantly, you need to know their submission guidelines backwards. You could have a piece ideal for X publication, but if you don’t pitch and send it to them in the way they want it, then you’ve already hurt your chances unnecessarily.

But before you do anything else, you need to read some of their previously published posts. This is to establish two things:

– The tone and style of the articles published. If there is a consistent style then you should consider tuning it to that style. However, it’s probable that if your article is liked and selected, then they will advise you how to best do so, or even edit it appropriately.

-Find the right place to send it. If your piece is an opinion column, then send it to the editor of their opinion section. This ensures that the ideal person for your piece sees it first and does not reject it due to lack of relevance.

3) Getting your pitch perfect

Pitches need to be extremely brief.

In your email, you need to hook your reader with an engaging subject line.

After this, you should write around 250-350 words overall, in two paragraphs.

The first piece should detail and describe your piece in the most efficient way possible. Then detail it further by providing the context of the piece and any additional useful information.

Essentially, you need to suggest to them three things: Why this piece needs to be published, why this piece needs to published now, and why you’re the one to write it.

The second paragraph should be about you, detail any relevant experience you have had, or better still, any places your work has appeared. You don’t need to give them your life story (and you really shouldn’t) you just need to emphasise your ability to get this piece done, and done to a high standard.

Overall be polite and thank them for their time. Whoever is reading it, be them the editor of the publication, or an intern shifting through submissions, is likely extremely busy. So if you are polite and make their work seem appreciated then this could subtly, slightly make you come across better.

4) Be Patient but Professional
Undoubtedly, you are going to be excited at this point.

However, you need to be aware that while writing your piece and pitching it has been a labour of love, to the reader it will be another pitch in a big stack of pitches.

With luck, you’ve made your pitch stand out. Even so, it will still take some time to see it, read it, and consider its place in their publication.

However, if the worst happens and they don’t like it, it is unlikely that you will find out. This is why it is important, after a couple weeks to email them again and ask about the status of the piece. This may seem pressing and rude, but most editors will respond positively (unless the content of the message is actually rude, in which case they’ll respond negatively!)

5) Be Open

The day may come that you hear back, they’re interested! Well done! Time to sit back, and wait to see your name in lights (or digitised in a web browser) right?

Wrong.

Now you’re in a collaborative process.

In their email, they may have suggested ways to change or improve the piece.

This could sting somewhat, after all, you’ve spent hours on it already. However, at this point, they’re still under no obligation to publish it. So consider their changes and edit your piece appropriately.

After some time, they may even take over and edit your piece themselves. This is a fantastic sign as if they are willing to take the time and work on it themselves or suggest edits then it shows they are serious about publishing it.

Their suggestions come from a great deal of knowledge and experience, they know exactly what is right for their publication.

This needs to be something you are comfortable with. No piece of text, be it a newspaper article or a novel has gone without edits. It’s a fundamental and key part of the process, and many edits may occur before the piece is done.

Arthur is a graduate from King’s College London. Since graduation he has turned his attention to writing. You can follow him on twitter.

Inspiring Interns is a graduate recruitment agency which specialises in sourcing candidates for internship jobs and giving out graduate careers advice. To hire graduates or browse graduate jobs London, visit our website.