Comments on: Will Your Article Idea Fly? Here’s How to Find Out http://www.therenegadewriter.com/2009/04/15/will-your-article-idea-fly-heres-how-to-find-out/ Living and loving the freelance life—on your own terms. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:46:01 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anne http://www.therenegadewriter.com/2009/04/15/will-your-article-idea-fly-heres-how-to-find-out/comment-page-1/#comment-142257 Anne Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:58:55 +0000 http://therenegadewriter.com/?p=1114#comment-142257 Agree to a point with regards to credibility. But even if an article does get commissioned, there is no guarantee that a) it will actually definitely run and b) that I won't cut out that source for reasons of space or quality. Agree to a point with regards to credibility. But even if an article does get commissioned, there is no guarantee that a) it will actually definitely run and b) that I won’t cut out that source for reasons of space or quality.

]]> By: cal http://www.therenegadewriter.com/2009/04/15/will-your-article-idea-fly-heres-how-to-find-out/comment-page-1/#comment-142228 cal Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:23:54 +0000 http://therenegadewriter.com/?p=1114#comment-142228 Agree with Anne -- I never interview for a pitch. On staff, you'd never have the time to conduct interviews for a maybe story, why should you as a freelancer? Also, it can erode your credibility with sources. It sounds like you're wasting their time if you say it's for an article proposal, if you don't say that and the story doesn't fly, then what? Some of them will get back to you asking what happened, if you specialize at all you may need to talk to them again for an actual assignment. Agree with Anne — I never interview for a pitch.
On staff, you’d never have the time to conduct interviews for a maybe story, why should you as a freelancer?
Also, it can erode your credibility with sources. It sounds like you’re wasting their time if you say it’s for an article proposal, if you don’t say that and the story doesn’t fly, then what? Some of them will get back to you asking what happened, if you specialize at all you may need to talk to them again for an actual assignment.

]]> By: Anne http://www.therenegadewriter.com/2009/04/15/will-your-article-idea-fly-heres-how-to-find-out/comment-page-1/#comment-142197 Anne Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:48:49 +0000 http://therenegadewriter.com/?p=1114#comment-142197 p.s. an important distinction: people you quote in articles are not "helping out". There is something in it for them too and it is in their interest to be involved. p.s. an important distinction: people you quote in articles are not “helping out”. There is something in it for them too and it is in their interest to be involved.

]]> By: Anne http://www.therenegadewriter.com/2009/04/15/will-your-article-idea-fly-heres-how-to-find-out/comment-page-1/#comment-142196 Anne Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:35:16 +0000 http://therenegadewriter.com/?p=1114#comment-142196 I don't do interviews before getting a commission - what a waste of time. Some of my ideas get commissioned, some don't, I'm often surprised by which ones do/don't get taken up and if I interviewed potential sources for every one it would be a huge waste of time. I only line up specific interviewees if they are celebrities, exclusive first-person stories, or if a particular expert or case study inspired my piece. Otherwise I just suggest who I could talk to, e.g. "I could speak to a lawyer and a psychologist." With case studies - people who have had particular experiences - I just suggest examples of the kinds I might find, e.g. "I could talk to one person who did X and one who did Y." Communication is a vital part of this job and anyone calling themself a journalist should be able to call or email someone to offer them a media opportunity. If you worked on staff, nobody would have any patience with a reticence to approach sources. Sorry to be blunt but if you want to be a journalist you need to get over that fear of talking to people by just doing it anyway. So how do I make sure my article idea will fly? First off, I write up a line to summarise it, which I will use as the subject line of my pitch. Then I ask myself why it is interesting now, to readers of this particular publication, and what I have to say that is new and interesting. If I wanted to pitch "10 reasons it's good to be bad" I would think about who the article was aimed at, what they could get out of it, and a more interesting way of selling it. I wouldn't pitch "10 reasons it's good to be bad", I'd pitch "10 lessons you can learn from your inner wild child", because that implies a purpose and an audience. I don’t do interviews before getting a commission – what a waste of time. Some of my ideas get commissioned, some don’t, I’m often surprised by which ones do/don’t get taken up and if I interviewed potential sources for every one it would be a huge waste of time. I only line up specific interviewees if they are celebrities, exclusive first-person stories, or if a particular expert or case study inspired my piece. Otherwise I just suggest who I could talk to, e.g. “I could speak to a lawyer and a psychologist.” With case studies – people who have had particular experiences – I just suggest examples of the kinds I might find, e.g. “I could talk to one person who did X and one who did Y.”

Communication is a vital part of this job and anyone calling themself a journalist should be able to call or email someone to offer them a media opportunity. If you worked on staff, nobody would have any patience with a reticence to approach sources. Sorry to be blunt but if you want to be a journalist you need to get over that fear of talking to people by just doing it anyway.

So how do I make sure my article idea will fly? First off, I write up a line to summarise it, which I will use as the subject line of my pitch. Then I ask myself why it is interesting now, to readers of this particular publication, and what I have to say that is new and interesting. If I wanted to pitch “10 reasons it’s good to be bad” I would think about who the article was aimed at, what they could get out of it, and a more interesting way of selling it. I wouldn’t pitch “10 reasons it’s good to be bad”, I’d pitch “10 lessons you can learn from your inner wild child”, because that implies a purpose and an audience.

]]> By: Freelancedom » Blog Archive » Link Love: April 17 http://www.therenegadewriter.com/2009/04/15/will-your-article-idea-fly-heres-how-to-find-out/comment-page-1/#comment-142039 Freelancedom » Blog Archive » Link Love: April 17 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:24:23 +0000 http://therenegadewriter.com/?p=1114#comment-142039 [...] The Renegade Writer’s Will Your Article Idea Fly? [...] [...] The Renegade Writer’s Will Your Article Idea Fly? [...]

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