WritersDigest.com I 11the supermarket or newsstand and
buy the most recent issue.
PRO TRICK: Savvy writers look for a
publication’s editorial calendar, which
they can oft en fi nd online with a little
sleuthing.GETTING EXPERT ADVICE
For reported articles, fi nding experts
is key to your ability to create a good
pitch. Look for authors, people cited
in the media, professionals who hold
high positions in their industry, pro-
fessors at major universities, and
researchers who have published arti-
cles in peer-reviewed journals. You
can also search for experts through
HelpAReporter.com, Profnet.com, or
through publishers’ websites (where
they talk about new releases from
authors). In your pitch include statis-
tics, new studies, the latest research,
or news about the subject matter’s
organization. For instance, if it’s
about your struggle with adult-onset
Type 2 diabetes, see if you can fi nd
recent research cited by the American
Diabetes Association. When citing
research or statistics, always use pri-
mary sources, which means the jour-
nal or poll where the information was
fi rst revealed, to avoid introducing
any errors from secondary citations.
PRO TRICK: I tell my students to sign
up for the email newsletters for the
professional organizations that cover
the topic the writer is interested in
writing about. Oft en you can fi nd an
organization with a fact sheet, press
release, or report online (check the
media section of the site).FINDING EDITORS
Your best resources are Twitter,
LinkedIn, and Google. Simply type in
the publication you want to look up
or type in the word “editors” and the
name of the publication, and you will
see the names of editors. On Twitter,
you can also search for #editorcalls or
#callsforpitches. Th e site Issuu will let
you look through mastheads. Many
editors use Twitter to share calls for
writers and tout their own interests
and achievements, personally and for
the publication they work for. Make
sure you get notifi cations for those
editors, so you see their tweets the
minute they pop up.
PRO TRICK: Try following a popu-
lar writer and see what editors follow
them. Sign up for pitching newslet-
ters like Sonia Weiser’s (@Weischoice),
Pitchwhiz, Freelance Success, and
Susan Shain’s WhereToPitch.com.
Finally, my last PRO TRICK: When
writing a pitch, email it to yourself
before you send it to the editor. Th is
way you can review it fi rst and make
any needed corrections, so it’s pitch
perfect once it lands in your editor’s
inbox.
May all your pitches land where
you want them.Estelle Erasmus (estelleserasmus.com)
has written for The New York Times, Next
Tribe, Forbes, Next Avenue, The Wash-
ington Post, Family Circle, and more. She
hosts the podcast “ASJA Direct: Inside Intel
on Getting Published and Paid Well” and
is an adjunct writing professor at New York
University. Follow her @EstelleSErasmus on
Twitter and Instagram.be the fi rst paragraph of the arti-
cle. You can also start with a dra-
matic anecdote, a question, com-
pelling (or scary) statistics, or an
intriguing quote from an expert you
pre-interviewed.
KEEP IT SUCCINCT
Make sure that your pitch is short—
two to three paragraphs long—and
covers the fi ve Ws you learned in
elementary school (who, what, where,
when, and why). If you have a lot
of information to convey, use bullet
points. Successful pitches explain the
concept, how you plan to research it,
your sources, and why it’s important.
Start your pitch by complimenting the
editor on a piece they have written or
that recently ran (editors are people,
too, and many of them write). Include
a brief bio at the end of your pitch
with your bylines, any other creden-
tials, and link up to three clips relevant
to your pitch. Always end your pitch
with the sentence, “Th anks for your
consideration,” not “I look forward to
hearing from you.” One reads as polite,
while the other reads as pushy.
PRO TRICK: Add your beat. I say I
cover the three Ps: parenting, pub-
lishing, and psychology, plus health,
beauty, and aging. Th at makes it easy
for editors to place you for future
assignments.
GUIDELINES GUIDANCE
Get familiar with the publications
you intend to pitch. If it’s an online
publication, research their past six
months (so you don’t duplicate the
story). If you are considering submit-
ting to a print publication, then go to