3 things all freelancers should stop stressing about

Take a beat, relax, and don't overthink.

Hello friends! Today we’re going to talk about what is probably the second most common question I’ve gotten over the years from freelancers when it comes to pitching: “When should I send my pitches?”

Here’s the simplest answer: Don’t worry about it!

Being a freelancer is stressful enough, and worrying about timing your pitches is a lot like trying to time the stock market: You might get lucky every once in a while, but on the whole, it’s not worth the stress of worrying about it and it will rarely pay off. It’s true that some editors do have a specific day of the week they tackle the pitches in their inbox, but trying to nail down that little window won’t be the difference between your pitch getting accepted or rejected. Editors will read your email when they read it, and, frankly, it’s not your job to make sure editors do theirs.

The timing question speaks to a much larger issue that essentially boils down to: What are the tiny things I can do to improve my chances of selling a story?

Here’s a truth I hope you will take some relief in: You should stop worrying about most of that stuff. It’s causing you far more anxiety than it’s worth. And, as I always say: If you get the big stuff right, the little stuff — like timing your pitch — doesn’t really matter.

Still, I know these things can weigh on freelancers. So with the hope of easing your stress a little, here are a few things that most editors generally don’t think about when it comes to pitches.