Pitch It Right

“How do you keep filling up that magazine every week?” people always ask.

Sometimes I wonder too. Thankfully, our writers usually keep us supplied with a steady stream of pitches (and sometimes readers pitch ideas too).

Not every pitch gets accepted, though. Our editorial board meets regularly to evaluate the pitches and decide which to assign. What kind of pitch grabs an editor and will result in a story assignment?

A good pitch should be specific. It should outline the story in brief and delineate what’s unique, exciting, or different about it. It should also clarify why this writer is the right one for the job — how he or she has the knowledge, connections, or access to bring readers a great piece by speaking to interesting, authoritative sources.