Story Idea Pitches Can Be Emailed, Texted, or Tweeted.

At that place are certain things that happen time and again when you're freelancing. You pitch, y'all wait to hear back, yous follow upward. My attitude to following up has changed over the by few years. When I first started freelance writing I would put lots of energy into my pitches and and then sit down back and wait. I might send one email follow up if I didn't go a reply, only more often than not, I would take the initial silence as a large, fat 'no'. Just you know what? Around 20% of my stories get commissioned after a follow up email. And there's one new technique I apply that is having such a big impact on my commission charge per unit.Hither's my guide to following up with editors.

Following up with editors – a guide

Information technology is so important to follow up with editors and clients. Yes, editors and content managers are incredibly busy people. And it doesn't take long for their inboxes to make full and for your advisedly crafted email to be pushed off their screen.

Just a uncomplicated follow up e-mail, sent at the right time can be simply the affair to become you lot a commission.

You've sent your pitch. At present what?

Afterwards you send your pitch

Well, hopefully yous've got some kind of pitch tracking organisation in place that rapidly tells you when you've sent off a pitch and when y'all should follow up.

In terms of the time you wait before y'all follow upwardly – at that place are different opinions on that. If the pitch is fourth dimension sensitive I follow up within 24-48 hours, but if it'southward not I tend to follow up after a week.

I used to wait ten days – two weeks before I would follow up, just recently I've started getting impatient and following up afterwards just seven.

Why?

Considering I recollect a week is long enough for an editor (unless they are abroad) to see, read and respond to an email.

I've met editors who have inboxes that reach 200 emails before luncheon, and so I understand that for some, my expectations are unreasonable.

But I too know that almost editors I've worked with don't mind a polite follow up email. And I too know that many editors know from a pitch's subject line whether they're interested or non.

What to say in your follow up e-mail to an editor

It tin exist tricky to know how to word your follow up emails to editors, so below is a guide of what I say.

I always make certain my original pitch or query is in the body of my follow up email.

Start follow up:

Hello [editor's proper noun],

I hope y'all are well.

I'chiliad just checking in to meet if my pitch below well-nigh XXX is of involvement?

Thanks,

Lindy

TIP: I find that if I get more responses if I alter the original subject line from:

Pitch: The surprising truth about eating organic food

to

Follow upwards to pitch: The surprising truth nigh eating organic food

Second and final follow upwards:

Hi [editor's name],

I hope you are well.

I'yard emailing to see whether you take had a take chances to consider my pitch below.

I'k neat to write this story for [publication], merely I know you are incredibly busy.

If you lot're not interested, please don't feel y'all have to reply – if I don't hear from you by Friday, I'll look to pitch it elsewhere.

Thanks,

Lindy

No reply? Here'south what to exercise

Some people volition send more than than two follow ups and may too send an electronic mail to let the editor know that they're taking their pitch elsewhere.

Personally, if an editor has not replied subsequently a pitch and two follows up, I'm letting it slide and pitching elsewhere.

I'm besides not a fan of sending a 'withdrawal' email (and I'd never phone call it a withdrawal email – sounds kind of like you're crabby).

If a miracle happens and the editor gets back to you lot and says they do want it after all (but subsequently when you've said you'll pitch it elsewhere), you tin can hands respond with "As I didn't hear dorsum from you after I followed up and so I thought you lot weren't interested and have placed this story elsewhere."

I remember that once an editor replied to me 3 months later I'd sent her a pitch (and two follow ups). She asked if the story was withal available. It wasn't. She totally understood that I had pitched it elsewhere.

A new tip that really works

I've been travelling a lot for work lately and while I've always managed to get at least one commission earlier I become on the trip, I'm ofttimes waiting to hear back on some pitches.

Recently I've been trying a new follow upward technique with some of my editors.

Before I go away I pitch a story idea about the trip.

If I don't hear back, I tend to expect until after I've washed the trip (or had the experience that I pitched) before I follow up.

Why?

Considering in my follow up email I can give additional information virtually the feel and why I recall the publication's readers would exist interested.

Following upwardly after a famil or press trip

For example, in a recent electronic mail I said:

Dear [editor],

I just wanted to bear upon base with you about my pitch (in the thread below) about [experience] in [country].

The tour was this morn and it was amazing.

[And so I wrote 3 sentences well-nigh why the trip was so great].

After doing the tour, I think it would really resonate with your readers and would love to write it for you.

Expect forward to hearing from yous,

Lindy

The results

And yous know what? I got an email five minutes later commissioning me.

I tried this method a few days later and bingo! Another commission.

It makes sense that editors, especially travel editors, are more likely to commission a story after you lot've been. Your pitch tin can include quotes, colour and data that isn't e'er available before you become.

Post-obit up with editors is a simple and constructive way to increase your commission acceptance charge per unit.

If an thought gets passed on, it also gives you a gamble to tweak and improve information technology before you lot pitch to a unlike editor.

I really believe that following upwards is ane of the lost arts of freelance writing. I recollect it'due south fourth dimension to revive it.

How practice you follow up with editors? Do you have any tips?

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Source: https://thefreelancersyear.com/blog/following-up-editors-guide/

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