​What is a story pitch?

​A pitch is a brief description (usually no longer than 500 words or two paragraphs) of a story intended to convince an editor, producer or publisher to commission the piece. Writers in various industries use pitches to encourage an organization to publish their work.

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For example:

• A journalist may email the editor of a newspaper or magazine to explain an idea for an article. The editor decides if the article idea fits their publication and if the journalist has the right qualifications to produce the piece.

• Similarly, a scriptwriter may pitch a screenplay to a movie producer, or an author might pitch an idea for a novel to their publisher.

​Though the exact content included in a pitch depends on what kind of industry you work in, many pitches have:

​An introduction that describes your story and its perspective

• An explanation of what differentiates your story from others and makes it important or interesting

• An expected deadline for the piece

• Your contact information

• A sample of your work

​Why is it important to know how to pitch a story?

​For professional writers, knowing how to pitch a story is helpful for getting their work published and developing professional relationships with publishers, editors and producers. Understanding the fundamentals and expectations of pitching a story may help you feel more confident when approaching publishers. It may help you become more successful at getting your ideas accepted.

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​It is also important to know the different ways to pitch a story. For freelance journalists, it is common to email editors with your story pitch. Authors or scriptwriters may pitch their work personally at writer conferences or to network producers or directors. Some publishers may require authors to pitch their work with a query letter.