We all know every pitch has the same goal: sell a story. But dig one level deeper, and the real point of a pitch is to remove reasons for an editor to say no. You want your pitch to be so good, tight, comprehensive, and compelling that the only thought an editor should have after reading it is, I’d be an idiot not to commission this.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. But there are a handful of self-checks and edits you can do for any pitch, regardless of the topic or focus, to strengthen your pitch and give it the best shot at being sold.

After a decade of commissioning, reviewing, editing, and shaping pitches, I’ve landed on these six concepts as the most common ones I help freelancers with when it comes pitches — they’re also the most common errors I see in submitted pitches. So before you send your next pitch — and every pitch after that — ask yourself these six questions. (And, as always, all pitching advice is just guidance, not a set of rules.)

Did I answer the question, ‘Who cares?’

If you’ve ever been to one of my pitching workshops this will sound familiar, as I always say that the “Who cares?” of it all is probably the most important and central idea you need to address in your pitch.

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Hello friends, happy October! I’m so glad to be back this week after my (trickier-than-expected) move back to New York, so thanks for bearing with me while I was dealing with all that! (Also, if you’re in New York, say hi! Let’s get coffee!)

This week we’re coming back swinging and addressing one of the most frequently asked questions I get from writers — and one I have absolutely no idea how to answer: How do you pitch an Opinion piece?

To answer this, I had to bring in the big guns: Please welcome Rachel Sonis to the FWT gang! Rachel is the former editor of TIME magazine’s opinion section, and she recently went independent to open her own editorial consultancy. I’m thrilled to bring her on this week so we can finally get some guidance on landing opinion pieces.

Take it away, Rachel!

***

Opinions of all shapes and sizes are easy to come by. Famously, everyone has one — it’s human! But crafting a persuasive opinion pitch around an idea is no easy feat, and it’s an entirely different beast than simply having something to say about a topic.

Many of us think of pitching as an art form: a mix of enticing, narrative storytelling and precise facts that ultimately persuades an editor to work with you. But these days, I’ve been thinking about it more as a science. “Art form” feels too amorphous, too vibes-based, when the objective in question — especially when it comes to op-eds — often hinges on how effectively (and succinctly) you can persuade an audience and your editor to believe ... well, you.

Thinking of it more as a science or a formula doesn’t only help create clarity around how you would go about arguing your central thesis. It can make the process more accessible, too.

As someone who has been a book and digital media editor for a decade, most recently as the editor of TIME’s op-ed section, I can tell you that every effective op-ed pitch shares similar bones: it’s concise (two paragraphs, three at most), and it follows a clear formula with four essential components.

Consider your headline first

We’re often told to save titles of projects or headlines for the very end of the writing process. In the case of opinion pieces, though, it’s actually the thing you should consider first. For op-eds, the headline serves a crucial purpose: it is your argument in its sharpest, most concentrated form.

The reason you should consider doing this is twofold: If you’re pitching an editor, it saves them time (a precious resource for us all), and crafting a succinct, eye-grabbing headline instantly signals to an editor where you stand and from what direction you’re trying to enter the conversation. This can help them decide quickly if your argument is timely, persuasive, and ultimately worth publishing.

More importantly, though, a strong headline forces you to clarify your stance right away. The biggest piece of advice I give op-ed writers is to get off the proverbial fence. Pick your argument, understand the mechanics and nuances of it, and decide if, after all that, you can stick by it. Use your headline as your compass.

Underline your op-ed’s timeliness, but add an extra layer

Whether it’s a feature, an investigative piece, a profile, or a quick news hit, most journalism pitches consider the timeliness of the story you’re trying to tell. It asks the essential question, Why does this story matter right now? Given how fickle the news cycle can be, this also means that your timelines will be truncated when you’re pitching. For op-eds, my quick rule of thumb is this: if it’s a breaking news event (a government policy change, a Supreme Court decision, etc.), be prepared to turn around the full first draft piece in 24 hours. If it’s a news event that has long-standing resonance (a death, a climate event, etc.), be prepared to submit the draft in two to three days. If it’s more of an op-ed based around a trend, or something that could be planned for in advance, consider giving an editor a concrete, reasonable timeline for when you’d be able to turn the piece in.

That said, with op-eds, the question of timeliness often takes on an even bigger meaning: you’re being asked not only what events make this story worth telling right now, but also how they fit into larger discourses our culture is having. Being able to zoom out and articulate what your argument reveals about society, politics, or the way we live will strengthen your piece. Expanding on these points at the top of your pitch after stating your central thesis also underscores its urgency and establishes your narrative framework early.

Walk through your evidence

After you establish a narrative framework — which we’ll be covering in a newsletter later this month — it’s important to explain both your evidence and why you are the right person to write on this topic. Ask yourself: What makes me the right person to weigh in here? Be direct and concise, and lay out your expertise, perspective, or lived experience, and show why that gives you credibility on the subject.

Answering this question would also help you show your supporting arguments (three to four is the sweet spot!), and tailor them to the topic at hand. They might bring in cultural evidence, data and recent studies, personal anecdotes, or a mix of all three! What matters here is showing your editor how you plan to prove your case. This demonstrates that your argument has legs and also proves to the editor that you can carry it through with authority.

Another thing an editor might ask, especially if you haven’t worked with each other before, is whether you have a draft of the piece already written. If you do, I would just say in your pitch email that you do have a draft, ask if they’d like to take a look, and give them the approximate word count. This helps keep the process as efficient as possible and gives your editor all of the options.

As for whether you should have a draft written when you send the pitch? Ask 10 editors and you’ll get 10 different answers, so I’ll just say: your call.

Know the publication’s audience

Some op-ed sections cover more political news. Others focus on more cultural, lifestyle, and societal topics. Some are okay with more jargony language. Others want something that can appeal to a more general audience.

You know where I’m going with this: It’s important to read the op-ed sections of the publications you want to pitch. Figure out what you think is working in them, but just as important, what is not. Because once you get a sense of the topics your preferred publication is interested in covering, you will not only be more efficient with your pitching process. Your pitches will be all the stronger for it, too. [Ed. note from Tim: Big, big co-sign!]

Taking all of these components in will help your brain slowly begin to rewire to think like an opinion writer — and have a surefire formula to change people’s minds.

Rachel Sonis is a journalist and editor with over 10 years of experience developing content for print and digital media. Most recently, she was the editor of TIME magazine’s opinion section, TIME Ideas, and was an acquiring and developmental book editor at Penguin Random House before that. Now, she runs her own editorial consultancy, which you could learn more about here: https://www.rachelsonis.com/

Oh, a few other things …

• If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing to the paid version of this newsletter. Paid subs get an extra newsletter every week, access to all past and future paid-only posts, 50% off all Zoom workshops, a guide to avoiding the 7 most common mistakes in freelancing, a must-have checklist for getting your assignments right, the exact text of a pitch I sold to The Atlantic, practical tips for diversifying your freelance income, and much more.

  Subscribe now

• Sell a pitch recently? I want to see it! If you had a story picked up not long ago, I’d love to feature you and your story in our ongoing series highlighting pitches that sold. Email me at tim@freelancingwithtim.com and let’s talk!

• I offer one-on-one coaching! Is your story falling apart and you need a second eye on it? Want a seasoned perspective on a pitch you’re kicking around? Interested in talking about careers and building your freelance business? Maybe just want an edit on a story draft? I’ve got you covered! Click below to book a one-on-one coaching session to talk about pitches, story ideas and development, editing, careers, or anything else you might need help with!

  Click here to book a session

We’ve all sent a pitch that had some version of one of these:

“I’d like to write about this topic/trend/idea …”

“I see on Twitter a lot …”

“I feel like this topic is interesting …”

Pause! This is such an easy trap to fall into. But when you’re making unspecific, open-ended statements and using huge generalities in a pitch, you’re not pitching a story; you’re pitching an idea. And editors buy stories.

This may sound like a difference in semantics, but I promise you it’s not.

So. What is the difference?

An idea is abstract, while stories are concrete.

It really is that simple. And once you master that difference, you’ll never pitch an idea again.

Read more

Want to learn how to write pitches editors will actually read — and commission? Join me September 18 for an in-depth pitching workshop that will cover everything from structure and what to include in a pitch to how much pre-reporting you should do and how to find editors to pitch, and much, much more. Click here to register. (All registrants will receive a full playback of the event, and paid subscribers get 50% off tickets.)

Hello team! I hope you all had a lovely Labor Day and are gliding smoothly back into real life this week.

A while back I talked a little about pre-reporting, but today let’s elaborate on it and look at what it really means to do the “right” amount of pre-reporting for a pitch. (As always, remember there are no “right” answers to any question in freelancing or writing in general, so these are just guidelines and suggestions!)

In that newsletter, I wrote,

As a rule of thumb for pitching, I always say that you should do the absolute minimum amount of pre-reporting required for you to understand the shape, complexities, and nuances of your story, and be able to explain them in the pitch to the editor. Why do more work than is necessary, especially when you have no idea whether it’ll pay off?

Frankly, we could stop right here — that’s pretty much the gist of it. Stop doing unnecessary unpaid labor! (I’m just gonna plaster that sentence in every newsletter at some point.) 

Kidding aside, there’s a lot of variation and many tricky questions that come into play when you’re pre-reporting a story in order to write a pitch for it, and no real “correct” answer. So let’s dive in.

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First things first: What’s the difference between knowing what my story is and being able to explain it to someone else?

So glad you asked!

Regulars to my workshops will recognize this phrase; I use it quite often, since it really applies to every step of the pre-reporting process. 

What I mean by it is this: The best way to fully comprehend and understand a subject is to teach it to someone else (it’s called the Protégé Effect). So while you may think you fully get everything that’s going on with your story — the themes, big-picture ideas, narrative, driving forces, characters, ideal structure, and so on — do you have a strong enough grasp on all of that to explain it to someone coming in completely blind to the topic? In most cases, probably not! 

That’s totally fine and normal for every pitch, but it is an issue you need to resolve before sending it along. There are two super simple and helpful ways to practice this:

1. Try to explain everything about your story to a friend in your freelance network. If you can talk for, say, five straight, uninterrupted minutes about your story and explain everything an outsider would want to know at this point in the process, you’re probably in good shape. (And yes, you can do this in front of a mirror if you’d prefer — I literally have done that.)

2. Put on your editor hat and try to anticipate what questions an editor would ask you after reading your pitch. You can’t predict what they’ll really ask, of course, but know the context and surrounding information about your story that doesn’t necessarily fit in the pitch itself, but that an editor could potentially ask about.

Okay, so just level with me now: How much pre-reporting do I really need to do?

As with all things freelance, the answer is: it depends. So let’s break it down into a few general categories. And again, just to be clear: These are not rules, they are general guidelines, and they do not apply to every story every time.

Say you’re pitching something in the range of 800 to 1,200 words — a range I think most stories should shoot for in a cold pitch, unless there’s a reason not to. (I like this range because it’s not so long and overwhelming the editor will rule it out; there’s a ton of wiggle room to give you some freedom in putting it together; it’s a very common range for many publications; and it often can be negotiated in either direction.) 

For something in this range that isn’t a deep dive, an in-depth explanatory piece, or a source-dependent feature, I would say the baseline is to read absolutely everything published in the recent past around your idea that you can get your hands on. This will help you build up your general knowledge around the topic, and it’ll show you what’s been done before so you can avoid going those routes, which only helps your chances of selling your idea. (Be unique! Come with something fresh and original!) 

Beyond that, start scoping out the types of sources you’ll want to include in your story. At this point, you don’t necessarily have to have reached out to specific people, but you should have a good sense of the type of expert you want to talk with, or the type of data you’ll cite. Below is some example pitch language I like to point people to, which I’ve cobbled together from a story about salary negotiations (steal this format and phrasing if it works for you!):

I’m pitching a 1,200-word reported service story about salary negotiations and how to stop being scared of them — and how to get better at them. I plan to talk to an economics professor, an executive of an advocacy group, a law professor, and an author who’s an expert on the topic, and I’ll cite data and advice from the American Association of University Women and the National Labor Relations Board.

At this point in the process, I have no clue who I’m actually going to reach out to; I just know I want those types of people in the story. (Ditto for the data.)

Freelancing With Tim

The exact text of a pitch I sold to The Atlantic

Hi friends! Let’s keep it nice and simple today: Here is the exact pitch I sent to The Atlantic, which resulted in a commission…

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2 years ago · 17 likes · 6 comments · Freelancing With Tim

Sure, but what about pre-interviews? Do I need to do those?

Maybe! It depends!

If you’re writing in an area or on a topic you’re not terribly familiar with, sometimes a pre-interview can be really helpful to get you in the right mindset and help you sharpen up your thinking around the story. Sometimes you go into a story with very limited knowledge, so a pre-interview can establish a foundation for you before you formally reach out to sources. (Plus, it gives you the chance to ask all the dumb questions you have before talking to the experts — though, another rule of thumb, you should still be asking those dumb questions any time you have them, with any source. Don’t be scared of sounding ignorant or uninformed, that’s the whole reason you’re talking to the experts!)

Typically these shouldn’t last more than 10 or 15 minutes for most stories. Go in with a list of things you want to talk about, but give the source enough space and time to tell you what you should be asking and thinking about. Remember to include these three magic questions at some point in your pre-interview (and every interview thereafter).

As far as setting up a pre-interview, just send an email and say something like this:

Hi, I’m researching a story around X topic, and I’m wondering if you might be up for an off-the-record, 10-minute phone chat to help me shape my thinking around this topic.”

Keep it simple, and keep the stakes low.

What else?

Just to close the loop here: If you are pitching a deep dive, an in-depth explanatory piece, a source-dependent feature, or really anything you’re very unfamiliar with, pre-interviews become kind of mandatory. Again, there’s no rule for when you need to do them. Just keep in mind the guideline that always applies: Know your story, and know how to explain it to an outsider.

Yeah, yeah, I get it already. Are there times I need to secure access to a source or sources before pitching my idea?

Yep! This one is a little more clear-cut than other situations; the rare circumstance in which “it depends” doesn’t really apply. That’s when your story cannot exist without the participation of this one source or these sources. So here are your profiles, niche topics that hinge on access to one specific person (or a few specific people), features about something or someone in which you simply can’t get the necessary information otherwise, and any other story that falls into the general category of, “I need this person or these people, otherwise I don’t have a story.”

In those situations, it’s kind of the same rule as before, but with one additional requirement: Set up the pre-interview, but tell that source or those sources that you’ll come back to them once the story is sold so you can conduct your formal, on-the-record interview. Or, for say, profiles, say you want to profile them and you want to do a pre-interview before you formally start interviewing them just to get a little background and, of course, make sure they want to participate. (Though even that isn’t always necessary.) Repeat as necessary.

Final thoughts?

Don’t do more work on pre-reporting than is absolutely necessary! Yes I will shout this from the rooftops until I retire!

Good luck out there friends!

Oh, a few other things …

• If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing to the paid version of this newsletter. Paid subs get an extra newsletter every week, access to all past and future paid-only posts, 50% off all Zoom workshops, a guide to avoiding the 7 most common mistakes in freelancing, a must-have checklist for getting your assignments right, the exact text of a pitch I sold to The Atlantic, practical tips for diversifying your freelance income, and much more.

  Subscribe now

• I offer one-on-one coaching! Is your story falling apart and you need a second eye on it? Want a seasoned perspective on a pitch you’re kicking around? Interested in talking about careers and building your freelance business? Maybe just want an edit on a story draft? I’ve got you covered! Click below to book a one-on-one coaching session to talk about pitches, story ideas and development, editing, careers, or anything else you might need help with!

  Click here to book a session

• Get a pitch commissioned recently? I want to see it! I’d love to feature you and your #pitchesthatsold in an upcoming series examining great pitches that resulted in stories. Let’s see ’em!

  Email me

Hello friends! I hope your week has been off to a lovely start, and more importantly, that you’re finding space this summer to take some time for yourself. As freelancers and independent journalists we don’t have the luxury of PTO, but resting up is still crucial to our well-being. So take a break!

This week we’re going to talk a little more about rejection, something we cover regularly in FWT. The reason I want to come back to it today is that a while back I got an email from a reader that I thought really spoke to a lot of aspects of rejection, particularly what it actually means.

An anonymous reader wrote,

I got a cordial rejection from NYT, and it got me thinking — what’s in a no? What does a non-response mean, what does a thoughtful response mean, and can you pitch another editor at the same publication? How long before you can pitch the same editor another idea? And do you respond to the rejection or spare their inbox?

Sigh, yes, those rejections are, of course, just a part of the freelance life. Some are pleasant (as much as they can be, at least), some less so. But they all kind of sting on some level.

But as this reader is getting at, rejections are very rarely the end of the conversation, and are very much not the end of your idea or pitch. A bad pitch is not the same thing as a bad story idea, and always remember that a no from one editor is not a blanket no that means you need to give up on the idea.

So let’s tackle the individual questions this reader is asking about.

What does a non-response mean?

Tbh, not a whole lot. Don’t read into it! Editors get dozens of pitches per week, and editors at big publications may get hundreds. When I commissioned stories at NYT, it wasn’t uncommon to receive hundreds of pitches per day. If editors responded to every single pitch they got, that would be their entire job. In a perfect world, they’d have the time to, but they just don’t. If you’ve sent a few follow-ups (no more than two!) and you still haven’t heard anything back, assume it’s a pass. Things do slip through the cracks, but if the editor really wants it they’ll get in touch. But again, a no from one editor isn’t a no to the idea.

• If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing to the paid version of this newsletter. Paid subs get access to all past and future paid-only posts, including the archive of recorded Zoom panels, an expert panel on launching and growing a newsletter, a post about the 10 best things I did for my freelance career, the exact text of a pitch I sold to The Atlantic, practical tips for diversifying your freelance income, 50% off all Zoom workshops, and much more.

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What does a thoughtful response mean?

Generally, if the editor takes the time to individually respond with a rejection, it probably means you’ve got the enthusiastic go-ahead to continue pitching them (doubly so if they give you specific feedback or give you a reason they turned it down that had nothing to do with the idea). If you’re lucky enough to get more than a generic, “Thanks, but it’s not the right fit” type of response, keep sending along ideas.

Can you pitch another editor at the same publication?

This one is tricky. I generally advise against pitching the rejected idea to an editor in the same section — it may be likely that your idea was discussed at an editorial pitch meeting or something like that — so it’s best to avoid. That said, if there’s a completely unrelated section of the outlet that it might fit in, that may be worth considering. If you go that route, try to modify the pitch to best fit the new section you’re pitching. As for whether you should mention that you pitched it elsewhere in the newsroom ... I dunno. I know editors who would be offended by the very idea of repurposing a pitch for a different section, but I also know editors who would just be happy you might be able to land it elsewhere in the organization. So feel it out and use your best judgment. (Sorry, I know that’s squishy, but this one really depends on the situation and the personalities involved.)

How long before you can pitch the same editor another idea?

This all depends on your relationship with the editor, but also the editor’s preferences. If this is an editor you work with somewhat regularly, give it a week or two then have at it. On the other hand, if this is an editor you constantly work with — say, at least one or two commissions or more per month — you’re probably safe to send more pitches whenever. And really, that’s the goal place you want to be at with an editor. My regular freelancers at NYT would pitch me multiple times per week (sometimes even just over text for my super-regulars), so the stronger your working relationship with an editor is, the more free you should feel in pitching them. But also remember the golden rule: Don’t be an asshole. That’s really it!

Do you respond to the rejection or spare their inbox?

If they offer thoughtful and specific feedback, a little acknowledgement doesn’t hurt at all (and may help foster an ongoing working relationship). But if it’s a boilerplate “not the right fit” type of rejection, you can probably skip the reply.

Now get out there and keep pitching those stories you believe in, no matter what an editor says. Have a wonderful week!

P.S. — Thanks to everyone for contributing to the FWT database of freelance rates for nearly 450 publications. I just updated it this week to include 100+ new rate submissions, and I’ll be updating it regularly, so please feel free to keep sharing some of your own recent rates here.

Oh, a few other things …

• For all of August, FWT is doing a monthlong theme about getting into freelancing and what it’s really like. Got an idea for a potential post? Email me pitches at tim@freelancingwithtim.com. Rate is a flat fee of $100 per post.

• I offer one-on-one coaching! Need help developing an idea or sharpening one you already have? Want a seasoned eye on a pitch you’re kicking around? Interested in talking about careers and building your freelance business? Maybe just want an edit on a story draft? I’ve got you covered! Click here to book a one-on-one coaching session to talk about pitch reviews, story development, editing, careers, and anything else you might need help with.

• Got a question about freelancing or the wider world of journalism? Let’s hear it, and I may feature it in a future Q&A post! Drop your questions, comments, and thoughts about freelancing and journalism in general in a comment below, or email me at tim@freelancingwithtim.com.

Leave a comment

It’s simple: 3 to 5, 3 to 5 + deadline.

Okay, maybe not that simple. Well, hmm, actually it’s a lot more complicated and nuanced than that. And it always depends. But hey, it’s a good starting point …?

In all seriousness, following up with an editor after a cold pitch is hard. It can feel intimidating, awkward, overstepping, and just weird. “Hey! It’s me again! You didn’t reply to my other email so here’s another one! Please read it!” We’ve all been there, and it can suck.

But it really doesn’t have to feel like that.

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No no no no no. No. Nah. Pass. Interesting, but not for us. Sorry, not in our budget this month. No thank you, but best of luck finding a home for it!

Sound familiar?

Rejection is, sadly, part of the day-to-day life of a freelancer. Every “yes” we get is bu…

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What is service journalism and how do I do it right? Join me and all-star service journalism reporter Allie Volpe of Vox on August 22 at 4 p.m. Eastern for a Zoom workshop on finding, reporting, writing, and pitching perfect service stories. Click here to register!

In the five+ years I commissioned freelance stories at NY…

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Hello friends! We talk a lot about pitching around here, so today I want to share a tried-and-true structure for writing pitches that, from my experience getting, sending, and reviewing pitches, typically works for most stories.

Before we begin, big caveat: This is just one of an infinite number of ways to pitch stories. There is no “correct” w…

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We’ve all sent a pitch that had some version of one of these:

“I’d like to write about X topic/trend/idea …”

“I see on Twitter a lot …”

“I feel like X is interesting …”

Pause! This is such an easy trap to fall into. But when you’re making unspecific, open-ended statements and using huge generalities in a pitch, you’re not pitching a story; you’re pitching an idea. And editors buy stories.

This may sound like a difference in semantics, but I promise you it’s not. 

So. What is the difference?

An idea is abstract, while stories are concrete.

It really is that simple. But once you master that difference, you’ll never pitch an amorphous idea again.

To illustrate this, let’s recall high school physics. Think of an idea as a gas: a substance that expands to fill whatever container it’s in. It has an indefinable shape, and without something to hold it together, it just kinda … floats away. The story is that container: it gives your idea shape and holds it all together. 

So, what makes a good container? A story typically has some level of news value, it’s grounded in the specifics of sourcing and reporting — people, anecdotes, data, analysis, expert voices, etc. — and it has a defined structure. For a pitch, you don’t need to have done your reporting and interviewing yet, but you do need to have thoughts about some of those things and how they’ll fit in your story.

This generally holds true across different kinds of journalism. Maybe your piece has a narrative arc or is centered around data analysis, or maybe it’s a piece of service journalism that shows readers a new way of looking at the world. Whatever it is, it’s something. An idea is just the gas inside that container: it’s the ~big picture~ thought that the story encapsulates. You can have an idea without a story, but without the container of a story, the idea just dissipates, formless.

Part of writing a good pitch is justifying the existence of the pitch itself.

For example: “I want to write about why we should all be more mindful” is an idea pitch. But, “I am pitching a reported explainer about the specific mental and physical benefits of adding more mindfulness into your life, and how it can improve your levels of stress, anxiety, and overall well-being and life satisfaction” is a story pitch.

Another: “I want to write about how everyone is buying mini-fridges lately” is an idea. But this is a story: “More people than ever are buying mini-fridges. I analyzed the sales data of them for the last 10 years and found a spike that coincided with the pandemic. Why are more people buying them, and what are the implications for the future of American kitchens — and electricity consumption?” (Please, someone write this.)

One more: “I want to write about TikTok influencers in the post-pandemic” is an idea. “I want to write about this subset of TikTok influencers that is changing how influencers make money on the platform, how they’re building a sustainable plan as we shift from one phase of pandemic to another, and their overall content has shifted” is a story.

If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing to the free or paid version of this newsletter. Paid subs get access to all past and future paid-only posts, the archive of recorded Zoom panels, a guide on how and when to follow up with editors, an exclusive workshop on selling and writing a book, tips for diversifying your freelance income, 50% off all Zoom workshops, and more.

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A successful pitch proves the case that what you’re selling is worth buying.

But these are all hypothetical. Let’s look at something that has actually been published: this excellent story from the early days of the pandemic by Darcie Wilder in The Outline (R.I.P.) about what it meant to “log the fuck on” in the early days of the pandemic.

The bad way to frame this story would’ve been: We’re all on the internet now because we have nothing else to do, so let’s talk about how weird it is. (And I can speak from experience in saying that story was pitched industrywide many, many times that month!)

The frame for the Outline story, on the other hand, spoke much more pointedly to themes about celebrity, digital culture, the role of creatives in the pandemic, socioeconomics and more. It has a genuine thesis, wonderfully summarized here:

While the government views the economy and human lives on a diametrically opposed scale, there is a class of creative that aims to “speak to the times.” (You may recall that the comfortably bored people who believe this to be true were the same ones saying, “Now, more than ever, we need comedians,” after Trump got elected.) It’s as if post-9/11 New York nostalgia has returned, morphing from the worst is behind us; we must be brave to the worst has yet to come, but also things are the worst now and were equally bad before this; we must be brave. Both rely on a self-important sense of personal responsibility to tackle an issue largely out of our hands. And, similarly, both provide the crisis for the government to swoop in with increasingly strict regulations in the name of personal and public safety, which, if you’ve gone through a TSA line in the past 19 years, you know are hard to rescind once normalized.

That is a story that deserves to exist, and it deftly grounds an idea — it was very weird to be online during those early pandemic days — in an actual story. With that perfect container, there’s no way that idea is floating away.

Oh, a few other things …

• I offer one-on-one coaching! Need help developing an idea or sharpening one you already have? Or want to talk about careers and building your freelance business? I gotchu! Book a one-on-one coaching session to talk about pitch reviews, story development, editing, and anything else you might need help with.

• I’m going to start doing Q&A posts in the newsletter to answer all of your questions, comments, and thoughts about freelancing and journalism in general. Drop any and all questions in the comments section below this post, and I may feature it in a future newsletter. Let’s hear it!

• Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Bye ily!
Tim❤️

In the six+ years I commissioned freelance stories at NYT, the best pitch I ever got had “fucking” in the subject line. 

Really.

If you’ve ever seen me on a pitching panel, you’ll know I love to borrow a wonderfully helpful phrase from our friends at The Writers’ Co-op: “Pitch the editor, not the publication.” This is a piece of advice that I re…

Read more

Hello friends! Today we’re gonna talk about finding editors you can potentially pitch. 

But first, let’s get this out of the way: There aren’t any good ways to go about this; there are only bad ways. Of the half-dozen years I’ve been working with freelancers I’ve never come across a truly good strategy. Sure, there are spreadsheets that list co…

Read more

(Illustration by Matt Lubchansky)

Please see the most updated pitching guides list here:

In the five+ years I commissioned freelance stories at NYT, the best pitch I ever got had “fucking” in the subject line. 

Really.

If you’ve ever seen me on a pitching panel, you’ll know I love to borrow a wonderfully helpful phrase from our friends at The Writers’ Co-op: “Pitch the editor, not the publication.” This is a piece of advice that I r…

Read more

Hello friends!

The other night I held a panel on pitching (along with friend of FWT Rachel Simon), and our conversation veered into territory I talk about all the time but have never really put into writing: There are very few concrete, unbreakable rules in pitching.

Every piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about pitchin…

Read more

Let’s talk about rejections.

If you’ve ever been on one of my panels about writing better pitches, you’ve surely heard me say that there are countless reasons editors turn down pitches, and only a few of them have to do with the specific story in question. This is true! I promise! In all the years I spent commissioning stories for NYT, by far t…

Read more

Freelancing is a numbers game. Even the most successful freelancers among us get many more rejections than commissions, and the best ones know that rejection isn’t feedback on its own and to just move on.

But that’s much easier said than done, so let’s talk about exactly what you should do after getting a no.

First: There …

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This week’s newsletter is from our dear friend Nicole Clark, whom you’ll surely remember as FWT’s first executive producer. Take it away, Nicole!

We’ve covered how to write a perfect pitch before, but let’s dig a little deeper and focus on some specific, practical tips from the perspective of a full-time freelancer who …

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Hello friends! I want to share what I think is an excellent structure for a pitch. It’s what I recommend to most freelancers I talk with, and if you’ve ever joined a Sunday panel on pitching you’ve probably heard me talk about this.

I’ve read thousands and thousands of pitches over the years, and let me caveat this to s…

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Hello and welcome to Freelancing With Tim! This newsletter is a weekly resource for journalists full of tips, advice and guidance about making it in the industry. It covers everything from writing the perfect pitch and building a freelance business to crafting a longform narrative and generating story ideas.

If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing to the free or paid version of this newsletter. Paid subs get access to all past and future paid-only posts, the archive of recorded Zoom panels, a guide on how and when to follow up with editors, an exclusive workshop on selling and writing a book, tips for diversifying your freelance income, 50% off all Zoom workshops, and more.

Subscribe now

Now, for the goods …

After years of reading thousands of pitches from freelancers, and after wading through 1,000+ questions that have come up during my weekly Zoom panels, I’ve realized there are a few questions every freelancer wonders about. So I thought it would be helpful to put the answers to those questions here, where you can read them forever.

But before we get to that, my overall message is this: Stop overthinking it. If you get the big things right, the little things truly don’t matter. Will you get shot down if there’s a typo in your subject line? Is there a best day of the week to send your pitch? Is there a “correct” structure you should use for pitches? These things don’t matter if you have a strong pitch about a strong story idea. (And, fwiw, the answers to those questions are no, no and no. We truly don’t care!!!! Honest, I am not being dramatic about this!!!!)

Also: These are just guidelines, and I’m just one person, so try not to think of these as the end-all, definitive answers to these questions, but rather just things to keep in mind.

How much pre-reporting should I do for my pitch?

Probably less than you think! You definitely don’t need to have done every interview — and, sometimes, any? — or have locked down every single source. But you should do enough pre-reporting so that 1. You know what your story is, and 2. You know what’s important about it, and 3. You can clearly convey that information to an editor. Sometimes that’ll take an interview or two, or some deep research, sometimes not. This will vary by story, publication, editor and more, but, generally speaking, if you can write a skeleton of a nut graf for your story, you’re probably set. (That graf will drastically change, of course, since you haven’t yet done the reporting, but if you can sketch it out you’re good.)

*One caveat: If your entire story hinges on access — say, a Q&A with someone, or celebrity profile, something like that — you should secure access before pitching.

How do I ask for more money?

For editors you have already written for: After you get your next commission, include this sentence in the next email you send (yes, you can copy/paste it): 

“Thanks again for this assignment! I just wanted to ask: We’ve done X, Y and Z stories together, and I’m wondering if with this new assignment we could revisit my rate? I’d love to be at around [rate]. Thanks!”

It really is that easy. (Okay, asking for more money is never easy, but the more you do it the more comfortable you feel doing it. Here’s a great story about negotiating money.)

For editors you’re working with for the first time: Talk to your freelance networks about what others have made working with this editor (rates within publications vary widely, and even editors in the same section may offer different rates). Use that as a general guide, then maybe ask for slightly more. After two or three assignments with this editor, ask for a bump using the language above.

I’ve heard of freelancers getting blacklisted for doing X. Is that real?

Unequivocally no. The concept of a “blacklist” exists only in our collective imagination. The type of infraction you’d have to commit for a publication to do whatever is the equivalent blacklisting is on the level of plagiarism, inventing facts/sources, hiding conflicts of interest, things like that. You’re a competent journalist, so you wouldn’t do that anyway.

Are you sure? I heard from a freelancer friend who had a friend who said their editor was blacklisting them.

That editor is a jerk and he was just being a bully. Blacklists do not exist, full stop. And even if they did — and, again, they do not — you wouldn’t get on one unless you committed a Cardinal Sin like those listed above.

What are some pet peeves editors have?

You really shouldn’t worry about them! Again, get the big stuff right and any pet peeves won’t matter. (If you do want to agonize over this, you can read this guide to pitching I wrote for Harvard’s NiemanLab, which covers some of that territory.)

Okay, sure, but I’m in this Facebook group and someone said …

Really, don’t worry about it! There are countless things that add to the anxiety of being a freelancer, and worrying about whether you’re going to slightly annoy an editor shouldn’t be one of them. I did a whole thread about why you shouldn’t worry about this stuff.

How long should my pitch be?

I dunno, 15 sentences* or so? Don’t stress over it too much! IMO — and I wrote this in that NiemanLab guide — there isn’t a story in the world that can’t be pitched succinctly and with great brevity. If you’re unable to do that, it’s generally an indication to me as an editor that you’re not entirely sure what your story is or what’s important about it. Every editor can tell you stories about the winding, overlong journey pitches that meander for 800 words without ever actually saying what the story is. Concision is your best friend when it comes to pitches.

*This is a very, very general guideline, not a rule; editors will not stop reading a pitch they’re interested in if it’s 17 sentences. Just try to be in the ballpark.

What should my subject line be?

Easy one: “Freelance pitch: [proposed headline of the story].” This is also a guideline and not a rule, but in general this is the most successful format I’ve seen. (Join a Sunday panel to hear me talk about why you should do this — it’s more important than it seems!) 

Should I include clips? What about a link to my portfolio?

Yep and yep. Three or four of your best clips is enough — they don’t have to be germane to the topic you’re pitching, but it doesn’t hurt — and include a link to your portfolio if you have one. (NBD if you don’t, though!)

Why was my pitch rejected? Should I just give up?

There are thousands of reasons editors will decline a story: budget reasons, their publishing schedule is full, internal changes at the outlet/section, they just don’t have the time this week, they’re simply not looking … it’s a lot. Truthfully, the majority of the reasons an editor will decline your story have nothing to do with you or your story. It’s a complicated process and editors don’t always have the final say in everything!

That said, I go into detail about the most common ways pitches fail in my NiemanLab article.

However, as I wrote in that story: A bad pitch is not the same thing as a bad story idea. And a no from one editor is not a blanket no that means you need to give up on the idea. Take it elsewhere! Workshop it! Make sure you understand what your story is!

Okay, last question, but it’s more of a statement tbh: Why is such basic information like this so hard to find?

Because the industry is not designed to be inclusive, and for decades it thrived on a “who you know” system. So many of us are trying to change that, but it won’t happen overnight. Subscribe to Study Hall, tell your friends how much you make and call out bully editors.