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- The top 5 things editors want from a pitch... plus an idea about post-zombification
The top 5 things editors want from a pitch... plus an idea about post-zombification
Helen Thomson
September 06, 2024
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Welcome to the fourth in this series of newsletters - I hope you’ve found them helpful so far. (BTW the ad above gets me a little bit of pocket money when you click on it, which really helps me keep this newsletter going… x)
This week we’ll be looking at the difference between a news story, an opinion article and a feature. It’s so important to understand this difference - it can completely change how you pitch your story, who you pitch it to and whether it gets commissioned. Knowing how a news story can develop into an opinion piece, and then into a feature can also help you sell one idea many times over.
I’ll also be including my top 5 things you should always include in any pitch, plus there’s some ideas for stories, a conference not to be missed and my pitch call-out of the week.
Happy pitching everyone! x
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEWS AND FEATURES?
I like to think of this very easy example when it comes to working out what kind of story you’re trying to sell:
A car crashes into a lamppost on the corner of Garfield Avenue.
This is a news story. It has one event that has happened at one time. It may have implications (for the driver or the residents of Garfield Avenue) but you can easily sum up the story in a few paragraphs, expanding on it if your editor wishes.
A second car crashes into a lamppost on the corner of Garfield Avenue.
This car crash may be pitched as an opinion story. An incident has happened more than once. It may have implications for more than just the driver or nearby residents. It may have more than one explanation, depending on your view point. Find out what’s going on, give your opinion on what needs to happen, and broaden it out so that it is relevant to more readers.
A third car crashes into a lamppost on the corner of Garfield Avenue.
Ok, what is going on in Garfield Avenue? Is it the road, is it the drivers who are using it, what does the mayor think about it all? The cafe on the corner seems to be doing a roaring trade every time there’s a crash, and the wife of the owner works in the traffic department. A whistleblower from her team says there’s more to this story than meets the eye - he thinks someone is being paid to change the lights and cause an accident. This is a feature. It has ups and downs, twists and turns, solutions and questions, differing opinions… all the makings of a story that can be given a fascinating narrative.
As you can see in this (admittedly far-fetched) example - a simple car crash can be turned into many different types of stories depending on the context around it.
Remember this when you’re next pitching a story to an editor. If you’re pitching one finding with limited implications - whether that’s the results from a clinical trial, a baseball game, the opening of a new hotel, or whatever - it’s probably a news story! Trying to pitch 2400 words on it (trust me, people do that!) is a waste of yours - and your editors - time.
TOP 5 BOXES TO TICK WHEN TRYING TO SELL A STORY:
Is it new? [You have no idea how many news pitches I used to receive that had already been published elsewhere, happened a year ago or we’d already written about ourselves.]
Does anyone care? [Ask yourself if it’s relevant to the readership of the publication you’re trying to sell it to. Ask yourself how many new readers it might be relevant to. And ask yourself whether it could be made relevant to more people with a different angle.]
Why now? [Even if something is new, doesn’t mean that it is a story that should be told today. For instance, a new trial of a cancer drug may be launching, but in 6 months time they’ll have their first results. This news story is much more commissionable at the 6-month mark than today.]
Does it have a good narrative? [This one is mainly for feature pitches but it’s a must when pitching long-form ideas. You might know about a bundle of new ways to treat diabetes, for instance, but unless you can wrap that up into a good old-fashioned story - perhaps by following some of the people in the trial, or finding an amazing backstory to the people who are carrying out the work, then you’re not going to be able to draw a reader through thousands of words.]
WOULD YOU TELL YOUR FRIENDS DOWN THE PUB? [This one is in caps because it’s my most important tick box when commissioning a story. If I don’t want to tell my friends about your idea when I next see them for a pint/lunch/coffee then I’m going to think twice about commissioning it.
PITCH THIS:
Haitian zombies My last suggestion for a halloween pitch. This paper’s results start with: “Few post-zombification observations exist” and I’m sorry but someone has to turn this into a story. What on earth is post-zombification, why are people in Haiti performing this ritual, can we talk to anyone who has been through it? I have so many questions.
The new hair loss treatment Exosomes are emerging as a potential breakthrough treatment for hair loss but they’re not approved by the FDA - despite being offered at various clinics. Feels like one that is worth looking into.
Extreme imagination A few years back we discovered that some people don’t think in images, their mind is totally blank. It was called aphantasia. Now, researchers have discovered people who have the opposite mental life - they produce super vivid images in their minds. This is called hyperphantasia. This is a fairly new paper about this trait and I think there’s loads to explore here if you can find some people who have it to talk about how it influences their life.
Lost in space The news is plastered in stories about the two astronauts who are stuck in space. I wonder if there’s anything to discuss about the psychology of being lost in space. They seem relatively happy so far, and now they have company on the ISS but is there anything that can be done to improve their well-being? Has this happened to anyone before? What’s the longest any has ever been stranded in space before? I feel like there’s loads more questions to answer and be pitched as stories.
PITCH CALL OUT OF THE WEEK:
This call out from the Stylist team caught my eye. It’s not a huge fee but first-person pieces are fairly simple to write up and fun to do, so might be a good filler in between longer and better paid commissions.
Writers! I'm doing some commissioning for paywall articles on Strong Women and I'd love to receive your pitches. The fee is £180 a piece and I'm looking for a mix of fascinating first-person pieces and reports across the worlds of health and wellbeing.
— Lauren Geall (@laurenjanegeall)
1:42 PM • Sep 3, 2024
GO TO:
Finally, I recommend signing yourself up to this conference next month:
SPORT POSITIVE SUMMIT: This is the leading conference showcasing the most innovative sports clubs for sustainability. It’s not a topic I’ve written about personally, but I’m really intrigued to know what sports teams are doing to become more climate positive. I’m sure they’ll be some interesting ideas in there to sell to BBC Sport or sports mags. As always, it’s worth asking whether you can attend remotely if you’re not able to get there in person, and if all else fails, check out the agenda for ideas.
October 8-9, London
That’s it from me for the week. I’m excited that my recent research into a mental health feature paid off and got commissioned by the Observer. Once it’s published later this month I’ll explain where the idea came from and how it developed into a commission. I’ll even throw in the pitch I sent for good measure. Next week I’ll be asking some of my favourite editors and hotshot freelance friends where they find their best ideas from - all to share with you lovely folk.
Happy pitching! x
Who is Helen Thomson?
I don’t like to blow my own trumpet but I’m an award-winning journalist with almost 20 years experience. I started my career in entertainment reporting, despite having a BSc in Neuroscience and an MSc in Science Communication. I soon became one of the family at New Scientist magazine, working on the news desk as a reporter and commissioning editor before stepping into the freelance world to write my first book. “Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through The World’s Strangest Brains” was a Times Book Of The Year in 2018, and an Amazon Best Seller.
My favourite endorsement was from Ed Yong, who said “in beautiful prose, she seamlessly dances between conversations with nine extraordinary people and beautiful explanations of how the brain works… remarkable.” Thanks Ed!
While I was freelancing I also wrote for many organisations, including the BBC, The Guardian, The Observer, The New York Times, The Daily Mail, Forbes, Nature, Psychologies and more.
After seven years freelancing I returned to New Scientist as Head of Features, commissioning long-form writing, and now I’m once again back in the freelance world. You can find out more about me here, or if you’re feeling generous buy one of my books here.
Outside of work I live in South East London with my two wonderful kids and husband, and will always say yes to a. wine, b. wild swimming and c. a Bonjovi concert.
