by Leo Wiles
30 July 2014
I’m on your entry level list and I have a question. I have been working on a fantastic story about some Melbourne artists and have done the interviews and pretty much written the story already. Should I pitch an editor the idea, or send the whole piece with pix? It’s a great story and I’m edging towards sending the whole thing especially as I don’t have previous clips – it might show an editor what I can do. Hannah
Having worked as an editor my gut feeling here is a resounding no – to sending the whole piece, that is.
A pitch is like the offer of a first date. There’s a lot of teasing and a promise to deliver something mind-blowing down the track. Ideally, in print publications, it offers room for negotiation and discussion. It may be that the idea is too similar to one I have in the pipeline. I may suggest that different experts are used or I may want to tweak the angle. An already written up piece allows no input from the magazine / newspaper / website.
You may also need to agree expenses for a story that requires travel, and having an off-the-peg article gives you less room for manoeuvre to reach a price for your work.
The exception may be time-poor content commissioners – to whom a completed piece (especially one with good pix) may seem like a godsend. They can work out quickly if the story has legs and if you haven’t written for them before, they can immediately see your work in action. Although an online portfolio, and previous cuts can also help. I realise this is contradictory and about as clear as mud, so it’s really up the individual and who you’re actually pitching to.
But, for a quick disclaimer – as a freelance journalist with two decades under her belt, I have never submitted an article prior to being commissioned. Time spent writing something that I may never be paid for has always gone against the grain for me, even when I was starting out. So in my opinion, unless it’s a burning topic that you are emotionally and personally invested in having out there, trust yourself and pitch first; write later.
Do you agree is it best to pitch first, write later – or are there times when you’ve successfully shopped a pre-written article to an editor?
I want to jump in here because while I totally agree with Leo in principle, I HAVE successfully sold pre-written travel yarns to editors (with pix attached). Particularly newspaper editors. It was a few years ago, and I don’t do much travel writing these days, so not sure if that would still work. I remember talking to a friend of mine about it and how it seemed to be the only exception to this ‘rule’ and the general consensus was that travel editors have so many pages to fill each week and getting something they like and can slot in quickly is hard to resist, especially if it comes with good pix.
Otherwise, I always, always sell ideas first. For the same reason Leo mentioned: I don’t want to write something up that I might not be able to sell – it’s a waste of time to do this when you’re running a business.