2019-10-01_Writer_s_Digest

10 I WRITER’S DIGEST I October 2019

W

hether you want to

write a fi rst-per-

son essay, how-to,

reported piece, or

profi le, a good pitch letter with a

great spin on a topic, timely element,

newsy connection, or an unusual

personal experience will capture the

attention of an assigning editor. Th at’s

no easy feat.

Editors receive hundreds of

pitches a day. I should know. I’ve

been the editor-in-chief of fi ve

national consumer publications,

and I work as a guest editor for

Narratively, a digital publication. I’m

a widely published writing coach

and I created a two-week bootcamp

pitching class for Writer’s Digest

University. Th roughout the years, I’ve

learned some tricks to elicit an edi-

tor’s interest.

TITLES THAT TANTALIZE
Try to title your piece to ground it;
even better if you can excite an emo-
tion with the title. Oft en, an editor
will assign based on a compelling
headline, even if the pitch isn’t fully
fl eshed out.
PRO TRICK: Include a pithy title in the
subject line of your email submis-
sion for a quick response. I pitched
Th e New York Times with the title
“How to Bullyproof Your Child” and
pitched the Wa shing ton Post with the
title “Th e Doula Who Saved My Life.”

How to Pitch So You Don’t Get Ghosted

Award-winning journalist and editor Estelle Erasmus offers her pro tricks on how to

command an editor’s attention with your pitches.

BY ESTELLE ERASMUS

START WITH A STORY

Don’t just pitch a topic. Instead of

writing, “I’d like to write about the

confl ict in the Middle East,” say, “I’d

like to write about the astonishing

relationship between an Israeli and

an Arab family and how they man-

aged to unite their fragmented neigh-

borhood through their share-a-ride

service through the toughest parts of

town. I have access to both sides, plus

commentary from the local rabbi and

emirate who were against it at fi rst,

but have now banded together to

support this peace-making endeavor.”

See the diff erence? Th e fi rst example

is vague, but the second example

shows that you have a clear idea of

what the story is about.

PRO TRICK: Write the opening sen-

tence of your pitch as if it could PHOTO ©

GETTY IMAGES: DNY