Journalism Skills: Pitching ideas and getting commissions

Course Overview

As all experienced freelance journalists know, coming up with a great idea and writing an interesting article is only half the battle. Unless you know how to sell your ideas even the most brilliant work can end up unused. Understanding who will be interested in your story and what will make your idea attractive will drastically increase the number of commissions you receive. This one day course will teach you how to sell your ideas by phone and by email and who to pitch them to in order to get commissions.

Course Outline

INTRODUCTION

• Understanding who will be interested in a story and what makes an idea attractive to a publication

WHO TO PITCH YOUR IDEAS TO

• Deciding which editors to approach
• Tailoring your pitch to different editors

HOW TO PITCH YOUR IDEAS

• Selling your idea by phone
• Selling your idea by email
• How to ?blanket? pitch

PITCHING BY PHONE

• Creating a good contact list
• There is an art to selling your ideas on the phone; what to say and what not to say

PITCHING BY EMAIL

• Your email must capture the editor's interest and make sure they read your proposal. Learn to create short, succinct emails that convey the message and interest of your story idea.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENTION-GRABBING HEADLINES

• A headline can make or break a story. Many editors commission story ideas based on the headline alone. We show you how to write clever, attention-grabbing headlines that will get you those vital commissions

Journalism Skills: Pitching ideas and getting commissions / JR-PIG