How to Write a Pitch That Will Get Noticed
We break down how to get to the heart of a story idea, what to do to show editors that you know what you’re talking about, the secret to editing your own work and more.
This past fall, I taught our first-ever Personal Essay Incubator class, which was a huge success and an absolute joy. Going into it, I knew I wanted to share some of the valuable advice I’d learned about pitching after doing it for many years myself. Rather than select a few piecemeal anecdotes along the way, I figured, Why not put together a whole comprehensive guide? As we’re about to enter into the holidays, during which many of us will have some time to work on our own writing, I thought I’d share that guide with all of you in hopes that it’ll give you just the boost you need to get your ideas out there.
I’m also teaching the Personal Essay Incubator class again starting in January, on Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. ET, in case you’re looking for a little more focus and attention on the craft of personal essay writing, including critiques of your own pieces! (Caroline Rothstein is teaching a version of this incubator, too, on Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m. ET if evening classes are more your thing.) Keep reading for my guide and start pitching away!
Writers are full of story ideas. We come to them when we have a tale we’re dying to get out, something we’re trying to make sense of, an argument we’d like to present. Often, we’re approaching our ideas with a sense of urgency or after a lot of thought, so this may be the easy part. What can be arguably harder to do is figure out how to distill these ideas down into shareable nuggets that an editor might want to buy — often before you’ve even written them. In hopes of making that part a little less intimidating, I’ve put together some tips I’ve cobbled together after years of doing this work (and being one of the few people who actually enjoys it?) so you can pitch your next big idea with confidence.
1. Once you have your idea or draft, read the publication you’re thinking of pitching to make sure your story is a good fit.
I know this may seem like low-hanging fruit, but you’d be surprised by how many people skip this step. Check out at least one story, but preferably several in case one happens to be an outlier. And if you really like one of the pieces you read, mention that in your pitch. Editors like to know that you’ve made the effort, you’re taking this seriously and you know what you’re talking about.
2. Next, imagine someone is asking you what your story is about and write that out in about two paragraphs (200-300ish words).
Be as concise and clear as you can. Yes, you want to show an editor what you can do, so feel free to be a bit writerly, but make sure your idea is all-the-way there and easy to follow. A good rule of thumb is to try and answer the 5Ws/1H here: who, what, when, where, why and how. If it starts to get long and you realize you’re flat-out writing the full essay, stop yourself and save that writing in a separate doc for when you do sit down to write the thing. Then, go back to the pitch.
3. Make sure what you have is a story idea, not just a topic you want to write about or “explore.”
A story about a man who likes to travel a lot is interesting (maybe), but it becomes a story you need to tell once you add that he was one of the only people with a good-for-life, go-anywhere pass from a major airline, which one day got revoked and nearly destroyed him.