Pitch Requirements

1. 2. 3. 4. Pitch Requirements Research Structure Style Pitch Requirements Why we‘re doing pitches 1. Learning: the tools and trade practice — Getting you to target so you know how 2. The Assessment: getting a good mark — Show us the range of your learning/skills 3. Being published (even if it‘s just in Weard) — Using this opportunity to get into print Pitching to a features editor • NOT a query about what types of feature they cover or are looking for • A ―pitch‖ of your feature • To a specific features editor for your target magazine • 100-150 words Pitching to a features editor • Building a professional relationship with the commissioning editor (normally the features editor) • Think: psychology and marketing – You are selling A) your feature, B) yourself – You need to pitch both in the right way • Proof read from the bottom up: even this letter Pitching to a features editor • An outline, and not the first draft • But… do propose a clear angle • Break it down into a structured outline • The angle should be concise Pitch: case study, women‘s weeklies ―We‘re in a cyclical market, where the same stuff comes out again and again, so for us it‘s all about reinvention – we‘re totally dependent on finding new angles.‖ Elena Dalrymple, Editor, Mother and Baby ―A good freelancer is actually very rare. They need to write to style, do very thorough research, get brilliant expert quotes, plus reader anecdotes that capture the essence of the feature, and deliver on time.‖ Claire Askew, Features Editor, Company Women‘s weeklies • 82% of women read a magazine – Heat, Take a Break, Easy Living, Woman • Total sales: 8 million magazines a month – New titles constantly launched • First, news-led weekly for 30-somethings • Pick Me Up, real life stories • Women: £563m on magazines in 2004 • You get: £300 per 1,000 words • Up to £750 per feature for big name mags They‘re looking for… • • • • • • • Lifestyle features First person stories Real-life tales Women‘s fiction Case studies Specialist (psychology, extreme sports) Interviews Opportunities ―We want eyes and ears outside London. We can always do with people to knock on doors.‖ Julia Lawrence, Editor, Reveal • Local and regional press as sources • Personal contacts – You need a large contacts book – Not just celebs, but ‗real‘ people with stories Before you write the feature… • Build up your cuttings files – Write for free magazines, student mags, get work experience, online magazines etc… • Do your research – Read the magazine you target thoroughly – Address the commissioning editor by name – Get the right copy deadlines: make it timely • Monthly magazines work 4-months in advance • Weeklies work 5-6 weeks in advance ―If you spot a story, don‘t hang around. By tomorrow, every agency and freelancer in the country could be onto it.‖ Julia Lawrence, Editor, Reveal The letter • Send a pitch, not a full article • Make your synopsis ―brief, punchy, funny, informative, pithy, thought-provoking‖. Lisa Markwell, Features Editor, Easy Living • Give two or three celebrity examples, if relevant • Don‘t send more than three ideas at once • Attach only one or two cuttings Do you need a headline…? ―A good piece is one that‘s easy to write a headline and sub-deck for. You know it‘s a woolly story when you‘re struggling to find the head and sell. For that reason I always ask writers to pitch ideas with the head and sub-deck already written—it‘s a great way of finding your angle and sticking to it.‖ Victoria Woodhall, Feature Director, Eve Magazine Remember… • Your pitch is not the same as the sub-deck • Email first, and then follow up by phone, but only once or twice; if you need to phone more, you‘re idea has not made it • Do your own research • Do say “if commissioned, please send me your copy brief and house style guides” so you know what‘s expected; it also shows you‘re aware of the need to write to style To: Corrie Jackson, Commissioning Editor, Grazia Dear Corrie, As the UK‘s leading women‘s weekly glossy, I know Grazia‟s readership is looking for a distinctive take on Madonna‘s legal battles to adopt a child from Malawi. While the PR-factor of celebrity adoptions (Angelina and Brad; Tom and Nicole) seems to be the standard angle, my feature looking at the vogue of adoption is pitched at… Warm, witty, but ultimately revealing of the relationship between celebrity and poverty, this feature will engage Grazia readers in the… Thank you... Doing Research Research: the myth exploded • There is no secret to research – Hard work – Perseverance – Keeping your eye out – Developing media habits – Looking for the unique angle – Being thorough – Brainstorming / sharing ideas / getting help – Building contacts and data files Research: the Consumer Corridor • Industry term for the profile of your typical magazine consumer • A ―typical individual‖ you need to know • Good exercise to know your audience For example, the ―typical individual‖ who represents The Guardian newspaper‘s reader is: Guy, 32, an architect, who lives in Fulham, southwest London. He drives a Toyota Prius (an electric-powered car) and is a vegetarian. He went to university in Edinburgh, and has a degree in Architecture. He and partner Milly have one son, Jack, aged 18 months. Guy is into mountain climbing and cooking. He also… etc Research: put out media requests • What is a media request? – Call for responses to a research position – Publicised notice on websites, in newspapers, magazines etc. Bullying and depression: I'm Laura Reid and I'm a trainee Journalist at Nottingham Trent University. I am making a short documentary about childhood depression and its causes and treatments in the UK. I am looking to speak to children who are currently or have in the past suffered from depression, or the parents of a depressed child or adults who have suffered from depression in their childhood. Also any experts in the field. Anyone interested in being involved whether to input in my research or to take part in the documentary should call Laura Reid on 07786 868 448 or email lauraereid@hotmail.com (from http://www.bullyonline.org/media/media.htm) Research: use the Net Not just to find articles… use its full scope… • British Freelance Journalist Graham Halliday: I'll be chatting over Skype with Sandeep Junnarkar this Friday morning to discuss donation driven blog journalism projects. Sandeep is the brains behind Lives in Focus. I'm researching a feature about…. I'm most interested in… • Who else is saying the same thing as you? Bloggers, chatrooms? Contact people Research: who‘s proving your point? • You are showing a particular point of view • How much research you need to do… Your Points Nuclear power is bad Nuclear power is good Who can say it for you? Greenpeace James Lovelock, Gaia author Wind power is not inefficient Saving energy makes money Tony Blair said he would never support nuclear power Wind Power Association Andrew Simms, Director, New Economics Foundation No.10 Press Office; newspaper archives (1989 speech) Research: hierarchy of sources Key Experts / Eye Witnesses – unique quotes Institutions and organisations Reports and Studies Peer reviewed books and journals (For background and „shaping‟ of context) Other people: non-expert The media Research: a 1,000-word feature Key Experts / Eye Witnesses – unique quotes Institutions and organisations Reports and Studies Peer reviewed books and journals 3 +7 Sources for features ideas • Reports (such as the ―fat map‖) – Angles that everyone else misses • Institutions – Police, prison, NGOs, government, councils • The Media – Newspapers, radio, internet, press, TV • Contacts – Friends, family, colleagues, PR people, notables • Businesses – Local, marketing firms, publishers, agencies Some resource areas Circulation and Marketing Info for mags: www.ppa.co.uk Periodical Publishing Assoc. www.adassoc.org.uk Advertising Assoc. www.abc.org.uk Audit Bureau of Circulation www.intelligentcia.com British Rate & Data Some resource areas Contacts and Background www.bsme.com British Soc. Of Mag Editors www.magforum.com Sector Overview www.mediauk.com Ind. Media directory www.nrs.co.uk National Readership Survey www.jbwb.co.uk Where to sell features… Some resource areas Publishers www.natmags.co.uk National Magazines www.emap.com EMAP www.ipcmedia.com IPC www.condenast.co.uk Conde Nast www.dcthompson.co.uk DC Thompson www.bauer.co.uk Bauer Structure According to Friedlander and Lee, there are only two types of feature: • The news feature – Tied to a breaking event • The timeless feature – A story frozen in time, not linked to a contemporary event “Feature Writing for Newspapers and Magazines”, Longman, Friedlander and Lee, (2000) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Business Commemorative Explanatory First-Person Historical Hobbyist How-To Invention Medical Number Odd-Occupation Overview Participatory Profile Unfamiliar Visitor company launch, big profits, going bust anniversary of event some big issue… e.g. politics and voting dramatic event happened to the writer old story hooked to a news event unusual people in the spotlight… live green; make a million; become famous a new technology explained tragic or uplifting story linked to health Top 10 holiday destinations; Top 5 films A look into an unconventional life A view of an issue from all sides (Vox-pop?) The writer plays a role in the story Focus on one person To a city; to a belief; a new pair of eyes… We‘re just looking at 4… Profile (due next Monday, 25th Feb) News Backgrounder Specialist Human Interest Structure and characteristics ―A non-fiction short story‖ Quotation-filled, descriptive, entertaining, informative Original A beginning, middle and end; needs to be read in full to make sense Structure and characteristics • Evocative: it must evoke some feeling, idea or response • Compelling/dramatic: the reader should want to finish the feature • Insightful: there should be some new understanding or learning 1: Do your research 2: Choose your angle 3: Find your experts 4: Do your interviews 5: Check your facts … write the feature News Feature (Dramatic Unity) Structure ―Original thought is the mainstay for a truly great feature. Some writers could be writing about paint drying and you‘d read it because they have an original take on it – like Julie Burchill. A fantastic feature will reveal something about the writer or subject that will draw you in by the first paragraph.‖ Victoria Harper, Deputy Editor, Red Magazine First point: Reveal the writer or subject in 1st para (a paragraph is 2/3 sentences; 75 words) Structure ―I look for quirky and lively writing, a tightly focused angle and a few (but not too many) quotes. The commonest problem is getting the balance right. Not too newsy, but not too slack. I often tell inexperienced freelancers to begin the piece with a colourful cameo that sets the scene, then kicks in with the facts (the nuts and bolts of the story) Jon Stock, Editor, Weekend, The Sunday Telegraph Second Point: After your revealing opening, bring in the facts: what‘s it about? Structure ―A great feature is: 1. a piece of writing with an awareness of the audience; 2. a piece that addresses both the brief and brings some new information into play; 3. a piece that covers the ground in the right number of words, hooks the reader, and leaves them satisfied at the end.‖ Anne Pursglove, Deputy Editor, Elle Third Point: Don‘t stretch out your feature to fit 2,000 words; if it works in 800 then that‘s all it takes… and it means it‘s too short for this module Structure • Intro – Cameo; anecdote; tease • Linking paragraph – A paragraph that summarises the main themes of the piece (nut paragraph) • Should answer the questions: – – – – – What is this feature about Why should anyone want to read it Is it new, surprising or revealing Do its themes have a broader significance Can these themes be expanded upon Structure • Body of the feature – Make the points you want to make in logical order and ―set up‖ each section—this is sometimes called signposting, and gives the reader a) an idea what to expect, and b) an idea of its significance – Knit sections together • Don‘t jump-cut; it‘s not a film – Feed in valuable and surprising information • Don‘t give all your secrets/research at once • Opening: tell us something, but not everything, about the subject you‘re writing about… an example of the larger story; a detail of the person or business; or maybe a statement or question you want to explore or answer Paragraphs 2-3: expand the story… introduce your first source; make your fist comment, insight or explanation Paragraphs 4-5: introduce your further sources; do these contradict, question or support your first source? Provide background; talk around the subject • • • Paragraphs 6-7: go deeper into the subject; reveal what the feature is really about… the big question, the surprise, the questions that the sources themselves want to answer, or your take on the subject… the dramatic revelation or resolution (although not all features need to be resolved) • Paragraph 8: A closing sentiment; does the interviewee leave? Does something physical draw the feature to a close (an earthquake? The end of the interview?) Is there a report being released or an ice-sheet melting that may change what we think about the subject? What have you and the reader realised through the feature? • Closing line: do you want to leave a question or an answer? Do you want to tie-back into your opening with a similar image, line, or reference? Summary 1: Do your research 2: Choose your angle 3: Find your experts 4: Do your interviews 5: Check your facts Write the feature… The title The sub-deck The opening line Pieces 1-8: Eight paragraphs The closing line Style Style: your aim as features writers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Brevity Clarity Language Substance Accuracy Subjectivity Style Quotations Detailed characteristics of style 1. Brevity • Writing a longer piece does not mean being wordy or long-winded. You always strengthen text when you remove the ―padding‖ • Paragraphs should be short: two or three sentences long. • Never use two words when one will do; never use a long word if a short one will do. • E.g. ‗Experimental endeavour‘ = ‗experiment‘ Style… 2. Clarity • Avoid over-complicated sentence structures and clichés. • Use of complex language betrays sloppy thinking. • E.g.: ‗Representatives agreed to a feasibility study‘ NOT ‗representatives agreed to take this forward on the basis of a plan for a feasibility study‘. • Make your point in the direct voice and avoid the ‗–ing‘ form of verbs. Style… 3. Jargon/language • Avoid jargon or technical terms where possible. • If used, provide a concise explanation of their meaning. • Use descriptive words with care and precision. • Avoid superlatives, unless you are prepared to prove them. Style… 4. Substance • To interest the reader, your story has to be about something, with plenty of information (from both direct and indirect sources) to give it substance. 5. Accuracy • Check that names and places are accurate and dates correct. Ensure that information is properly sourced. Style… 6. Subjectivity • You can have a point of view, but it should be based on the evidence presented in the article. • You cannot present your own opinion as evidence. • Do not assume that your views will be shared by readers. • Your point of view will be strengthened if you include comments from other people in a position that gives their views some weight. Style… 7. Style • An article loses readers with every paragraph • Keep your feature well constructed and taut • Woo your reader from start to finish • Tie up any loose ends • Add your own voice, tone and approach. • Show the reader description and dialogue Style 8. Quotations • Always use direct quotes: they bring an article to life. • But reading one long quote after another can be trying. Aim for a mix of direct and indirect speech. • Learn to summarise what someone says (such as in a lecture) and keep the most vivid, personal, pivotal or controversial bits for quotes. • Use quotes to add immediacy, authenticity and change of voice and pace. • Do not invent quotes