How to Successfully Communicate Your Idea to the Editor
Throughout my career, from my newspaper days to my freelance writing days, I have submitted many stories. In my role as a writer and editor for the Lifehacker’s Offspring vertical, I continue to propose ideas to my bosses on a daily basis. But I also get a lot of offers from freelance writers – especially since I called last week looking for new voices.
As these broadcasts rolled around in droves, it became clear to me that some writers have no experience in the Art of Pitching and could benefit from a little guidance from someone who has been there and done it countless times. Therefore, before you suggest your next idea to the editor, read these tips.
Do your research
You might think this is obvious, but my inbox states that it is not: find out the post you are promoting before you start. Much of the messages I receive are either not parenting at all, or not in line with Lifehacker’s tone or purpose. Before you can write for an outlet, you must read it. You cannot skip this step.
I know that writers spend a lot of (unpaid) time writing presentations, and it might be tempting to create one standard presentation to send to multiple editors. But you are much more likely to get the assignment if you’ve done the work to hone the angle and tone of your presentation to better match your particular publication. I can usually tell from the second sentence of the email if the writer ever actually read Offspring.
Part of reading and getting to know a post is finding what it has already published, especially what it has posted on the topic you want to present. You might assume that the food website has already posted a lot of posts about “quick and easy weekday dinners,” so before suggesting this as an idea, search to see what they have already written. You might find a gap in their coverage (hey, where are all the quick and easy casseroles on weekdays?) Or a unique perspective they haven’t explored yet – and that’s the idea you want to present.
Then look for shipping instructions. Some editors (usually editors of large publications who receive a lot of presentations) will tell you exactly how they prefer to be offered and what information they want in advance. Some editors need finished work; others (like me) only need an idea. Some want the completed snippets to be attached as a document, while others prefer to have the text copied and pasted into an email.
Generally, not following the rules exactly will not automatically disqualify you from ever writing for this site, but if they tell you how to make it easier for them, they will make it easier for them. They are more likely to read and accept your presentation if it is in their preferred format.
Stick to email
I, like many editors, receive many emails in a day. The vast majority are presentations of sorts, whether it’s an ad agency promoting a client, a publisher promoting a book, or a freelance writer promoting an idea they’d like to write for our site. I dive when I have time to get past them, and I jump back when I need to get back to my own report and writing (this is how I spend most of my day).
If all presentations are in one place, it will be much easier for the editor to share, manage his time and keep things. If messages also come from Facebook Messenger, Twitter DM, and LinkedIn, not only can they get lost, but the editor can quickly feel bombarded.
An example of this: Recently, someone who wanted to share an idea with me first asked me to be a Facebook friend. I didn’t recognize them, so I deleted their request. Then they sent me a LinkedIn request, which I accepted, and they started sending me links to videos they created and separately added me to a LinkedIn group message with a group of people I don’t know to send me more links. When I switched back to Facebook, they also sent me a post request asking for my email address so they could introduce me.
He felt like this person was all over my social media pinging me from multiple directions when all they had to do was look up my email address and send me a step (they still haven’t really smashed me by the way ).
Some editors will say they don’t mind if you send them your presentation via social media, but a lot more editors don’t like it, so you’d better stick with email unless they say otherwise. (And don’t write to them to ask for their email address unless you’ve already searched for it and absolutely can’t find it. Most likely it’s published somewhere on the website.)
What to include in this email
Now that you’re ready to put together your presentation, keep it short and relevant. I love it when freelancers who change their presentation for the first time tell me a little about themselves (that is, in a sentence or two), if that relates to why they best describe the idea they are submitting. me. If you offer me an article on parenting transgender children and your child is trans, it tells me that you have a perspective and experience that is relevant and valuable to our readers. If you offer me anything health-related and you have experience as a nurse, I would like to know about it.
On the other hand, when I open the presentation and come across seven long paragraphs in which the writer introduces himself and tells me about his career and family background, but I cannot identify the real idea, this is too much information. Give a short introduction and then a short summary of your idea. If the idea is well-formed, it really only takes a paragraph or two. If you start to chatter or unnecessarily explain it, it usually means that the idea is too vague or general and you need to reinforce it.
Also, if this is your first time writing to an editor, include some links to previously published work. Whenever possible, select links that are most relevant to your presentation in terms of content or tone. For example, if you are publishing an article on children and mental health and have previously written on topics related to mental health, the editor will want to see it.
Finally, give the editor time to respond before sending out an additional email. Each editor works differently depending on how fast (or slow) they respond. Some editors of major publications receive dozens of presentations a day and can only answer if there is a yes. I think it’s fair to check the box again if you haven’t heard anything for a couple of weeks, but check in only once. If you’ve sent two memos about the same field, but they still don’t respond, let’s say they decide to go through.