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#1 rule of pitching: Study the publication

By Jacqui Banaszynski• From the Editor• September 25, 2020

Editor’s Note: This is the first in an occasional series of posts that elaborate on some of the most basic weaknesses in story pitching. You can find other resources about pitching, including examples of successful pitches, … Read more

7 Fatal Flaws of Story Pitches

By Jacqui Banaszynski• From the Editor• September 3, 2020

Too many great-sounding story ideas never go beyond that. They stop with an impassioned chat at a favorite watering hole, or are grumbled about, again and again, by a disgruntled colleague who can’t seem to bust through whatever is … Read more

Economic Hardship Reporting Project seeks story pitches that personalize poverty

By Carly Stern• Story Annotations• September 2, 2020

The Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP) was born from a situation of precisely that: financial insecurity. Barbara Ehrenreich, author of the seminal 1996 work, “Nickel and Dimed,” co-founded the journalism non-profit … Read more

Hitting home runs with story pitches

By Jacqui Banaszynski• Story Craft• April 5, 2019

Pitching rises again and again as one of the main challenges facing writers who want to make the leap from idea to publication. Whether you’re a reporter hustling support for an enterprise piece in your newsroom, or a freelancer … Read more

Wired’s executive editor seeks stories that reveal all faces of technology

By Katia Savchuk• Story Annotations• March 5, 2019

Maria Streshinsky, executive editor of Wired, wouldn’t say the magazine has grown skeptical about the promise of technology. But compared to the optimism of past editorial regimes, she and editor-in-chief Nick Thompson, who took their posts in 2017, have … Read more

How to crack the code of live storytelling with Pop-Up Magazine

By Katia Savchuk• Story Annotations• December 18, 2018

When I first saw Pop-Up Magazine in San Francisco a couple of years ago, I struggled to describe the experience to friends. What do you call a show where you might watch a singer in … Read more

Can’t wait? A Marie Claire editor tries to answer pitches within 48 hours

By Katia Savchuk• Story Annotations• October 16, 2018

Editor Kayla Webley Adler is a freelancer’s dream. She’s willing to gamble on unknown writers if they bring her a great idea. She’s written a detailed guide to pitching that she’ll share with anyone who asks. And she responds … Read more

Erika Hayasaki on the reality of landing a big freelance story

By Katia Savchuk• Story Annotations• August 28, 2018

Erika Hayasaki was an award-winning reporter for the Los Angeles Times when she left the relative security of the newsroom for the feast-or-famine world of freelancing. She has since made her way into some of the nation’s top … Read more

Erika Hayasaki on how to leave the newsroom and kill it as a freelancer

By Katia Savchuk• Story Annotations• August 21, 2018

EDITOR’S NOTE: Erika Hayasaki’s conversation with Storyboard contributor Katia Savchuk explores what it took to earn a regular byline in magazines. She also shared the two separate pitches she wrote to land “End Pain Forever” as a cover piece in Wired. Read more

A veteran freelancer on pitching The New York Times Magazine and more

By Katia Savchuk• Story Annotations• December 19, 2017

Recession, shuttered publications, the rise of online media — Paul Tullis has weathered it all as a freelancer for the better part of 24 years. What hasn’t changed: Story idea is king. What has, in Tullis’ view, is the level … Read more