It is always challenging for freelancers to attract the attention of editors at publications they wish to write for, but economic conditions do make a difference. Not only have many publications found their budgets slashed due to declining advertising revenues, but literally hundreds of journalists have been laid off and have joined the masses of freelancers already competing for limited work. Now more than ever, it pays to get it right when pitching to or working with editors.
Here are a number of tips — and a few pet peeves — from those in the trenches.
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Research the target title
Editors can tell — and are supremely offended — when you don’t take the time to read their guidelines or their publications. “Is it too much to ask for someone to read our guidelines before sending an off-target pitch?” asks Mike Drummond, editor-in-chief of Inventors Digest and Possible magazines. “Freelancers who fail to research our submission guidelines demonstrate intellectual indolence and can’t be trusted to do quality reporting,” he says.
Barbara Nellis is features editor for The Rotarian and former editor at Playboy, where she worked for more than 30 years. “I used to hate it when freelancers would call up looking for work and then admit they hadn’t looked at the magazine,” she says, and adds: “They never got work.”
“I’ve been a magazine and newspaper editor for nine years now and the one complaint that has remained consistent is freelancers pitching blindly,” says Wendy Burt-Thomas, who is both an author and editor. She also admits: “I can tell you that I’m guilty as charged — I once sent a parenting article to a 50-plus magazine!”
She doesn’t recommend that approach to others. What she does recommend is taking the time to review the publication and guidelines and then making reference to what you’ve learned in your query. For instance, “I enjoyed your January piece on workouts for the brain.” Or: “As per your guidelines for the Full Circle section, this 800-word piece…”
“The more editors can see your piece fitting into their publications, the more likely you are to get an assignment,” she says. “Show them that you’ve read the publication and that you know just where your article should go.”
| “I promise that we care much more about how you say things than what you are saying. Show me something new, unique, and you.” |
Drummond agrees and shares an example of a good pitch he recently received. “A writer noticed on our sister Web forum a dust-up about getting your invention on The Tonight Show. Was this good or bad publicity? Some inventor-entrepreneurs thought the show mocked inventors and played to stereotypes; others thought exposure before millions was priceless. The writer was able to seize that tension, mix in a little Rod Blagojevich context, and deliver a compelling piece challenging the axiom that ‘any publicity is good publicity’,” he says.
Closely related to doing your homework on the publication or media outlet is understanding the audience, says Linda Carlson, marketing and media relations director at Parenting Press. This, she says, can be easily accomplished. “Any publication that accepts advertising will have a media kit, and that describes who receives the publication,” she says. “In our market, for example, there’s a big difference between a preschool classroom teacher and the mental health therapist who provides family counseling,” she notes.
Tailor your pitch
A closely related pet peeve that is universally shared by editors is receiving pitches that are off the mark and too generic. Specificity counts.
Lauren Herskovic is managing editor of CollegeCandy.com, an online magazine for college women, by college women. When you take the time to do things right, it shows, says Herskovic. “I promise that we care much more about how you say things than what you are saying,” she says. “Boring and generic cover letters won’t get very far with me. I know you’re just copying and pasting that sucker into 400 emails. Show me something new, unique and you,” she advises.
“If you really want to freelance somewhere, poke around the publication, see what sorts of things they write about — and the style they write in — and whip up something specifically for them,” she says. “Yes, it takes a lot of extra time, but it will look great to the editor.”
The same can be said for the samples you send. Make them relevant and specific to the publication you’re hoping to work with. Julie Trelstad, founder/owner of Plain White Press, LLC, in White Plains, N.Y., says, “I’d like to see that you’ve done work in my genre,” adding that she only wants to see samples of similar work — not generic samples. Nellis agrees. “Don’t send a million clips. Tailor two or three to the kind of stories the magazine you’re pitching might be interested in,” she advises. And, she adds: “Send a cover letter with no more than two ideas at a time, if you’re sending ideas. No one has time to plow through more than that.”
Proofread your work
Amazingly, editors say that it is far too common for them to receive queries from writer-wannabes that contain errors ranging from misspelled words to grammar problems to — ugh! — incorrect publication titles or editors’ names.
“I can’t tell you how many cover letters I get that have blatant spelling, grammar and usage errors,” says Herskovic. “I am the one copy editing most of the work that goes on the site, so I’m not going to hire someone whose work is going to take me 30 extra minutes to edit,” she says.
Melissa Garrett is editor for the parenting Webzine Root & Sprout. “My given name is Melissa, but I edit and write using the name Lis,” says Garrett. “I can’t tell you how often people address emails to me as ‘Lisa’.” What’s worse, she says, is “when we develop rapport and they continue to use the wrong name, even though I’ve highlighted it for their benefit.”
But, she cautions on the flip side, be careful about pointing out your editors’ errors. After recently recruiting four new independent contractors, she wrote back to applicants who weren’t selected, citing reasons including typos, not following directions, etc. Most of the rejected applicants responded with a “thank you” for being considered, but one memorable applicant took a different approach. She wrote back to Garrett: “You made a typo. It happens.”
“Yes, even editors make typos,” says Garrett. “But guess what? I will never consider that writer for a position now,” she says. “I don’t know if she was trying to prove how astute she was in discovering my one typo, but her email came off sounding very condescending.”
Be persistent
Editors are busy these days, and they’re in agreement on one important fact freelancers need to keep in mind: Don’t just try once and give up. Chances are if you don’t hear back soon, it’s more because these editors are swamped than because they’re not interested. It pays to follow up.
Follow-up is imperative, says Dina Santorelli, editor and publisher of WHY Magazine, an online publication for people who work from home. “Oftentimes we receive a query that we think is fantastic, but it can slip through the cracks because of the number of queries we receive. A simple follow-up email or call — perhaps a month after the initial query — can ensure that that does not happen.”
Trelstad agrees. “If I don’t hire you right away, follow up!,” says Trelstad. “I’ve had many good freelancers I’ve wanted to try out, but didn’t have a job for. If you don’t stay top of mind, I’ll likely call whoever contacted me most recently.”
Use your connections to establish relationships
As they say, sometimes in addition to what you know, who you know can make a difference. Trelstad says that she relies on personal references from other publishing professionals. “Ask your current clients to introduce you to me,” she suggests. “You can find out if I know someone you know by checking me out on LinkedIn,” she says.
Finally, don’t be afraid to maintain relationships by staying in touch. It’s a good idea to keep your name in front of the editors you want to work with, as well as those you’ve already worked with. As the editors admit, even the best freelancers can be easily “out of sight and out of mind.”
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist and independent marketing communication consultant.
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