I’m a big believer in the power of a good sample. All of us have heard of the “golden sample” and how important it is when pitching an article to a magazine. While it’s true that samples can be helpful in getting your article published, they can also do more harm than good if used incorrectly. So before you throw away that cup of coffee yet again, read on.
Know How to Use a Literary Agent
Depending on your expertise, you might not need a literary agent to publish your work. If you’re a seasoned copywriter who’s already managed to put together a portfolio of published work, you might not need to look for a representative to help you find a home for your new project. Nonetheless, if you’re just starting out or if you want to try your hand at non-fiction writing, you should consider becoming a client of a literary agent. A lit agent will help you find the best possible literary home for your project, negotiate the contract and handle any paperwork. While you might not need an agent to get started, working with one can only benefit your career.
Know How to Present a Project Proposal
Before you pitch your completed manuscript to a literary agent, you’ll need to know how to pitch it. A project proposal is a formal pitch that you present to a potential client to get the project approved and on its way to being published. It typically starts with a short bio about the author and a summary of their most significant work. Then you’ll need to lay out the project’s idea, goal, and how you plan to achieve these goals. Finally, you’ll need to include a few paragraphs explaining how this project will benefit the client.
While it’s definitely not required to include all of these elements in a project proposal, knowing what to include and how to include it will make you look more professional and prepared.
Develop a Rhetorical Strategy
Depending on your writing goal, you might want to develop a strategic plan for using language in your work. This is especially important if you’re looking for a wider audience and you want your work to be accessible to everyone. One of the most basic rhetorical strategies is to use language that is both informative and entertaining. By entertaining your reader, you also inform them and make the information easier to understand. For instance, if you’re writing for an economist, you might want to include lots of financial jargon in your work. But if you’re writing for a general audience, you could choose to simplify your language and use everyday words instead.
Many successful authors, journalists, andbloggers use these same strategies throughout their work. Knowing how and when to use them can help you choose the right words and effectively convey your ideas to the reader. Furthermore, like with the project proposal, knowing how to develop a strategic plan for your copywriting will make you appear more professional and organized.
Know How to Pitch an Article
You learned how to pitch an idea with a project proposal, so now let’s practice pitching an article. Just like with a proposal, your first step is to find a magazine that fits your article’s subject matter. Once you’ve found this “home,” the next step is to pitch the idea to the magazine’s editorial staff as a piece of investigative journalism or a cultural commentary. Make sure to pitch how well you can execute the project and not just what you plan to write about. For instance, if you’re writing about film festivals, make sure to mention the various events you’ve covered as a reporter for The New York Times. This will give the editorial staff a sense of your broader experience and help them see you as a person they can trust to do the job right.
Your final step is to follow up with a call to either set up a time for them to call you back or to follow up with an email. Make sure to read recent news publications to stay abreast of current events and trends that you can incorporate into your work. Furthermore, when pitching an article, you should always aim to write from the point-of-view of someone who is not necessarily a target audience. By including more personal anecdotes and examples from your life, you can make your work more relatable to the reader. If you want to learn more, check out this informative guide to pitching your story to a magazine editor. And if you want to become a bestselling author, start your own literary agency.