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Topic: pitch follow-up etiquette
| Author | Message |
| inquisitive | Posted – 2/25/2008 3:00:45 PM | show profile What's you etiquette for following up on a pitch? How long do you typically wait and do you do so by email again or by phone, or both? I emailed a pitch (to a mag and editor I haven't worked with before) about a month ago. Sent a very brief followup email to make sure it was received last week, but haven't heard anything. Should I call in case the emails aren't getting through (not unheard of) or will I just be making myself out to be a pain in the a**? If it's a no to the pitch, so be it, but am I completely crazy for expecting some acknowledgement/reply, however brief? |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 2/25/2008 6:14:31 PM | show profile It's staggering to me how passive writers can be. We spend our time producing proposals, send them out, chew our guts out, and wonder if it will be disturbing the recipients to check if they want to buy. Most businesses would quickly go out of business if they followed this formula for selling their goods or services. So, yeah, call. |
| TheSecondShift | Posted – 2/25/2008 6:31:20 PM | show profile I don't know, after reading numerous "Don't Call!" messages on HTP, I tend not to. However, if I were inclined to follow up via phone, I'd leave a voice mail after work hours, that way you don't have to worry about catching the ed at a bad time and you can request a reply to your email dated X. Me? I'm all for two follow up emails and then I move on. I find it fascinating that busy top editors at top mags have the time and decency to say no quickly so you can move on, while others can't manage to do the same or at least say "let me think about it." |
| InsomniacNOT | Posted – 2/25/2008 7:16:50 PM | show profile Dribble is right. Phone!!! And not when you think the person won't be there. (Actually 7-8:30 am and 5 -7 pm are good times to catch people) Phone when they might be there to give you an answer. Editors may say "don't phone" and think they mean it, but this is journalism and reaching busy people is part of the job so when you do it -- no matter what it says -- you've shown you can do your job. Plus you find out if they're interested in your story or not. |
