Out of Newbie Freelance Writing League

Drowned in a Newbie Freelance Writing League Forever: Tell Them Your Story!

by Taras Bereza

05/26/2022

There's a kind of road bump stopping newbie freelance writers from starting to pitch right now.

With a devastating 98 percent of editorial rejections on average, the block is rather psychological for the fear of getting onto the publisher's rejection pile.

I was in the same 'newbie' shoes while trying to elaborate on my first pitch. The very first one seemed like a golden ticket to the 'A' league. The problem was not with my credentials or writing confidence.

Most of all, I dreaded not being fit.

From day one, I dived into freelance writing stuff to develop my new role. Soon, I understood that pitching is an art in itself. The very process is even more important than anyone's writing competence.

With so harsh rivalry in a freelance market and merciless rejection rate, no one cares about an Average Joe's portfolio, let alone your credentials.

Why Should Anyone Care?

The top-secret is in writing a concise letter to the editor. A 150-word pitch/query is what matters most! A short piece of writing is way more important than any previous stuff you have ever performed.

Before actual pitching, I dig into the targeted source for nuts and bolts of the niche, the publisher's writing style, audience, and feedback.

I explore their vocabulary, the number of words in sentences, takeaways from their first-page publications, and the way they make headlines.

With all that, I try to answer the major question: "Why the content they publish is popular among readers?"

The second essential question is: "How would I help them?"

The down-to-earth e-book full of practical pitching advice Query Letters that Worked by Angela Hoy helped me elaborate personal touch with the editors and personalize it a bit.

I have also spotted that offering the editor an article idea is just not enough. There should be a personal story behind it. The story component embraces our life experiences related to the particular niche we target.

With so many tips online on how to write a query letter and pitch editors successfully, my major takeaway is that editors are zealous to reveal new talents.

The top question here is how to stand out in editor's eyes.

Pitching Homework

• Pursue an emotional touch with an editor

• Offer the story they would care about

• Show them your worth through reliable, informative, and entertaining writing

• Set the deadline and suggested word count

• Provide a short bio

• Send them to your writer's portfolio

• Ask them whether your article idea would fit in their publication?

While every case is unique, there is no universal solution. Still, there is magic in addressing editors in a personalized manner, as if they were our dearest customers. Tell them your story in those first 150 words so that an editor catches momentum and opens you as their new writing talent!