what to write when you submit an article
Recently, I had a chat with Chris Coyier and Dave Rupert over on the Shoptalk Podcast most writing for publications such as Smashing Magazine and CSS-Tricks. I of the things we talked most was submitting ideas to publications — something that can feel quite daunting even every bit an experienced writer.
In this article, I'm going to become through the process for pitching, heavily based on my ain experience as a author and every bit Editor in Chief of Smashing. However, I've also taken a look at the guidelines for other publications in order to aid y'all find the right places to pitch your article ideas.
Do Your Research
Read existing articles on the site that you would like to write for. Who do they seem to be aimed at? What tone of voice practise the writers take? Does the publication tend to publish news pieces, stance, or how-to tutorials? Cheque to see if there are already other pieces which are on the aforementioned discipline as your idea, i.e. volition your piece add to the conversation already started by those articles? If yous tin show that you are enlightened of existing content on a item subject, and explain how you lot will reference information technology or add to that information, the editor will know you have done some research.
Enquiry more widely; are there already good pieces on the subject that an editor will consider your piece to be a echo of? At that place is e'er infinite for a new accept on an consequence, merely in full general, publications want fresh fabric. You should be ready to explain how your piece will reference this earlier piece of work and build upon it, or introduce the subject to a new audience.
A good instance from our own archives is the piece, "Replacing jQuery With Vue.js". In that location are a lot of introductions to Vue.js, even so, this piece was squarely aimed at the web developer who knows jQuery. It introduced the subject in a familiar way specifically for the target audience.
More after bound! Continue reading beneath ↓
Notice The Submission Guide
The next affair to practice is to notice the submission information on the site you want to write for. Almost publications volition take information nigh who to contact and what information to include. From my signal of view, simply following that information and demonstrating you have done some research puts you pretty high upwards the queue to be taken seriously. At Smashing Mag, we accept a link to the guide to writing for us right there on the contact grade. I'd gauge that only 20% of people read and follow those instructions.
When y'all submit your idea, it is upwardly to you to sell it to the publication. Why should I run with your idea over the many others that will show up today? Spending time over your submissions will make a huge divergence in how many pieces you have accepted.
Different publications have different requirements. At Smashing Magazine, we ask you to ship an outline offset, along with some information well-nigh yous so that we tin understand your expertise in the subject matter. Nosotros're very keen to characteristic new voices, and then we'll have pieces from writers who haven't got a huge string of writing credentials.
The information nosotros request helps u.s. to make up one's mind if you lot are likely to exist able to deliver a coherent slice. As our articles are technical in nature (often tutorials), I find that an outline is the best way to apace see the shape of the proposal and the telescopic it will encompass. A skilful outline will include the main headings or sections of the commodity, along with an caption of what will be taught in that section.
For many other publications, a common request is for you to send a pitch for the commodity. This would typically be a couple of paragraphs explaining the direction your slice volition take. Once once more, bank check the submission guide for any specific details that publication is interested to come across.
The Verge has an excellent submission guide which explains exactly what they want to run across in a pitch:
"A adept pitch contains a story, a narrative backbone. Pitches should clearly and concisely convey the story you lot plan to write and why information technology matters. The best pitches display promising pre-reporting and deep cognition of the topic also equally a sense of the angle or insight you plan to pursue. If your story depends on access to a person or company, yous should say whether yous have obtained information technology already (and if not, what your prospects are). Pitches should also be written in the style y'all expect to write the story."— "How To Pitch The Verge," The Verge
A List Apart explains what they volition accept in their contribution page:
"... a rough draft, a fractional draft, or a short pitch (a paragraph or ii summarizing your argument and why it matters to our readers) paired with an outline. The more than complete your submission is, the better feedback we tin can requite you."— "Write For Usa," A List Apart
The Slate has a list of Do's and Don'ts for pitching:
"Practice distill your idea into a pitch, even if y'all have a total draft already written. If y'all happen to have a draft prepare, feel complimentary to attach information technology, simply delight make sure you lot nevertheless include a full pitch describing the piece in the body of the email."— "How To Pitch Slate," The Slate
Including your pitch or outline in the body of the electronic mail is a mutual theme of pitch guidelines. Retrieve that your aim is to make it equally like shooting fish in a barrel as possible for the editor to think, "that looks interesting".
Include A Short Biography
The editor doesn't demand your life story, yet, a couple of sentences about you is helpful. This is peculiarly useful if you lot are a newer writer who has field of study matter expertise simply fewer writing credentials. If you are proposing an article to me about moving a site from WordPress to Gatsby, and tell me that the article is based on your feel of doing this on a large site, that is more interesting to me than a more experienced writer who has but thought information technology would be a skillful topic to write most.
If you do have writing credits, a few relevant links are more helpful than a link to your entire portfolio.
When You Can't Find A Submission Guide
Some publications will publish an e-mail address or contact grade for submissions, but have no obvious guide. In that case, assume that a brusk pitch every bit described above is advisable. Include the pitch in the trunk of the electronic mail rather than an zipper, and make sure you include contact details in improver to your email accost.
If you tin can't discover any information most submitting, then check to see if the publication is actually accepting external posts. Are all the articles written past staff? If unsure, then get in touch via a published contact method and enquire if they accept pitches.
I've Already Written My Commodity, Why Should I Send An Outline Or Pitch?
Nosotros inquire for an outline for a few reasons. Firstly, nosotros're a very small team. Each proposal is assessed by me, and I don't have time in the day to read numerous 3000-word first typhoon proposals. In addition, we oftentimes accept around 100 articles in the writing process at any one time. It'due south quite likely that two authors will desire to write on the same subject field.
On receiving an outline, if it is going in a similar management to something we already have in the pipeline, I can often spot something that would add together to — rather than repeat — the other piece. We can then guide you towards that direction, and exist able to accept the proposal where a completed slice may have been rejected every bit too similar.
If y'all are a new writer, the power to structure an outline tells me a lot about your ability to deliver us something useful. We are going to spend time and energy working with y'all on your article, and I want to know it will exist worthwhile for all of u.s..
If you are an experienced writer, the fact that y'all accept read and worked with our guidelines tells me a lot near you as a professional person. Are you going to exist hard for our editorial team to piece of work with and refuse to make requested changes? Or are y'all bully to work with united states to shape a slice that will exist most useful and practical for the audition?
In The Verge submission guide included above, they enquire yous to "conspicuously and concisely" convey the story yous plan to write. Your pitch shouldn't be an article with bits removed or about the first two paragraphs. Information technology's literally a sales pitch for your proposed article; your chore is to brand the editor excited to read your total proposal! Some publications — in particular those that publish timely pieces on news topics — will ask you to attach your draft along with the pitch, however, you still need to get the editor to call back information technology is worth opening that document.
In many guides to cocky-promotion or bootstrapping the promotion of a startup, writing guest posts is something that will often be suggested. Be enlightened that the majority of publications are not going to publish an advert and pay you for the privilege.
Writing an article that refers to your product may be appropriate, as almost of our expertise comes from doing the job that we do. It is worth existence upfront when proposing a piece that would need to mention your production or the production of the company you work for. Explain how your idea volition not be an advertizement for the company and that the product will only exist mentioned in the context of the feel gained in your work.
Some publications volition accept a trade of an article for some promotion. CSS-Tricks is one such publication, and describes what they are looking for equally follows:
"The article is intended to promote something. In that case, no money changes hands. In this scenario, your pitch must exist different from a sponsored post in that you aren't just straight up pitching your product or service and that yous're writing a useful article about the spider web; it simply so happens to exist something that the promotion you'll become from this article is valuable to y'all."— "Guest Posting," CSS-Tricks
Writing for a pop publication volition give you a byline, i.eastward. your credit as an author. That volition mostly give you lot at to the lowest degree one link to your own site. Writing well-received articles can exist a manner to build upwardly your reputation and even innovate people to your products and services, but if you try and slide an advert in as an article, you can exist certain that editors are very well used to spotting that!
Pitching The Same Idea To Multiple Publications
For time-sensitive pieces, you might exist keen to spread the net. In that case, y'all should make publications aware of submitting that yous have submitted it elsewhere. Otherwise, it is generally good practice to await for a response before offering the piece to some other publication. The Slate writes,
"Do exist mindful if you pitch your thought to multiple publications. We try to reply to everyone in a timely manner, typically within 1 to two days. Equally a general rule, and if the story isn't too timely, it's best to wait that amount of time earlier sharing the pitch with another publication. If you lot do decide to cast a wide net, it's always helpful to allow us know ahead of time and then we tin answer accordingly."— "How To Pitch Slate," The Slate
If Your Pitch Is Rejected
You will accept ideas rejected. Sometimes, the editor will permit you know why, only well-nigh often yous'll get a quick no, thank you. Endeavour non to take these to centre; there are many reasons why the piece might be rejected that take naught to do with the article idea or the quality of your proposal.
The master reasons I reject pitches are every bit follows:
- Obvious Spam
This is the like shooting fish in a barrel ane. People wanting to publish a "guest postal service" on vague subjects, and people wanting "practise-follow links". Nosotros don't tend to answer to these as they are substantially spam. - No Effort At A Serious Outline
I tin't tell anything about an idea from two sentences or iii bullet points, and if the author tin can't spend the time to write an outline, I don't think I want to have a team member working with them. - Not A Good Topic For The states
There are some outlines that I can't e'er meet being a dandy fit for our readers. - An Endeavor To Hibernate An Advertisement
In this case, I'll suggest that yous talk to our advertising squad! - Difficult To Work With
Last just not least, authors who accept behaved and then badly during the pitch procedure that I can't bring myself to inflict them on anyone else. Don't exist that person!
If I take a decent outline on a relevant subject in front of me, and so i of 2 things are going to happen: I'll accept the outline and get the author into the writing process or I'll reply to the author because at that place is some reason why we can't accept the outline as it is. That will usually be because the target audience or tone is wrong, or we already have a very similar piece in evolution.
Quite often in these scenarios, I will suggest changes or a different approach. Many of those initial soft rejections get an accustomed idea, or the author comes dorsum with a different thought that does indeed work.
Ultimately, those of united states who need to fill up a publication with content actually want you to bring us proficient ideas. To open my inbox and find interesting pitches for Smashing is a genuine highlight of my solar day. So please practice write for united states.
Things To Do
- Research the publication, and the blazon of articles they publish;
- Read their submissions guide, and follow it;
- Exist upfront if yous take sent the pitch to other publications;
- Include a couple of sentences nigh you, and why you are the person to write the commodity. Link to some other relevant writing if y'all have it;
- Be polite and friendly, just concise.
Things To Avert
- Sending a complete draft forth with the words, "How do I publish this on your site?";
- Sending things in a format other than suggested in the submissions guide;
- Pitching a piece that is already published somewhere else;
- Pitching a hidden advert for your product or services;
- Following up aggressively, or sending the pitch to multiple editors, Facebook messenger, and Twitter, in an endeavor to get noticed. We publish a pitch contact, because nosotros want pitches. It might have a day or two to follow upwards though!
More Pitching Tips
- "How To Write A Pitch That Gets You Published," Format
with tips for creatives pitching to magazines - "How To Successfully Pitch The New York Times (Or, Well, Anyone Else)," Tim Herrera, NiemanLab
some excellent tips on writing skilful pitches
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morrisoncolmilluke.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2019/08/pitching-writing-publications/
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