WCP166 Archives, Vol. XI: Call for pitches

The Writing Coach Podcast with Rebecca L. Weber

When an editor posts a call for pitches, freelancers sometimes respond the way they would to the siren’s call.

The writers retweet them, share them, subscribe to newsletters with them. After weeks of saying they’ll get around to pitching, they suddenly snap to attention.

Typically, the writer skips over-analyzing (or even reading) the publication, and sends out a half-developed idea to join the hundreds of others in an inbox queue.

As popular as calls for pitches are, they rarely lead to what writers say they want most: long-term editorial relationships.

What I find interesting is the gap between how excited the call for pitches can make the writer feel and their surge of activity, and the actual outcomes (i.e., no assignment). There are far more systematic ways to find editors commissioning work who are a good fit. And there are replicable methods for sparking creative ideas that editors will want to assign.

If you’ve been answering the siren’s call with little to show for it, today’s episode will help you respond to calls for pitches in a new way.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

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Chocolate and Zucchini

Change ma vie

Podcast Edition

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Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter.

Bootcamp alumni have used these proven pitching processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Condé Nast Traveler, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more.

We cover all the external skills to improve your pitch acceptance rate, and the internal mindset work to keep you from getting in your own way.

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More info and complete show notes: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast166