Here’s something I wish I’d been told a while ago: writing an article isn’t actually the hardest bit of being a journalist. Surprise!

No, the hardest bit is actually getting your idea for an article commissioned. Editors are bombarded with emails every day – even getting yours read is a pretty major achievement.

So, once you’ve flown over that hurdle, don’t cock it up with a bad pitch. Here are just a few that Rachel and I (we’re IdeasMag’s Commissioning Editors) would happily never see again.

Not checking if we’ve already run something similar 

Recycling isn’t just your moral duty, it’s also a fun way to get to know quite how bad your flatemate’s drink habit is. But when it comes to editorial, rehashing, recycling and repeating stuff we’ve done already is not our bag. So, if we’ve already interviewed someone, or written an article about something, in the last year at least, we will not commission someone to do it again. Sorry! 

Long emails

Ye gads! I know we’re “words people” but honestly, some days, if I see one more of those stupid jumbled up little collections of letters I think I’ll scream. So, a 1,000 word email will probably not be met with glad heart and twinkling eye.

Just tell us your idea, tell us your angle, tell us what you’ve written before, link to some examples and keep it sweet.

Too many ideas

You know how one samosa is nice, but fifteen in one sitting makes you feel a bit like you’ve been varnished in vegetable oil? Well, pitches are sort of the same. We just can’t handle loads at once.

It is much, much better to pitch one or two ideas really well than send us a slew of fifteen. Pick your best, most timely and most easily written. Thank you. 

Taking things personally

Sometimes we really like an idea, but aren’t completely sure about one or two details. We might want a bit more information about your angle, how likely you are to get the interview, who the person is you’d be talking to, why you think something is relevant or when a certain project is happening, etc.

If we ask you for more information it’s a good sign. It means we are interested in your idea. So don’t get exasperated; be polite, useful and enthusiastic. That way, we might get enthusiastic too.

Promising the moon

“Hello IdeasMag, I’d really like to interview Leonardo DiCaprio.” Hey! Guess what! So would we. Loads. Preferably in his pool. But just saying who you want to interview isn’t really enough to get you commissioned. 

If we commission you to write something, and you can’t – because the person isn’t actually available, because you don’t actually have direct access to them, because their press agent isn’t replying to your emails – then you effectively stop us running an interview with that person. Because we can’t commission someone else – who had direct access - to interview them. And we can’t interview them ourselves.

So please don’t pitch things that you can’t deliver. Otherwise it’s the editorial equivalent of receiving a huge gift-wrapped box only to discover all that’s inside is an apple core. 

And here are a few more for free... 

Just pitching an idea, not an angle - if it’s an interview, we need to know why that person is worth interviewing and why our readers will be interested in them. If you’ve got an interesting arts idea, make sure you’re giving it an IdeasTap edge.

Not replying. Don’t take a no to heart. It’s important to build up a good rapport with your editor – it’s a much more likely route to success than getting commissioned for every single idea.

Couching things in negativity. “You’re probably not interested but...” This is like asking someone out for a drink and then saying, “But you know, you don’t have to. If you don’t want to. If you think I’m a hideous moron and you hate my shoes.” Don’t create negativity where it doesn’t exist.

Still worried? Here's a very handy guide to How to Pitch to IdeasMag.

If you would like to write for IdeasMag, please send your ideas to ideasmag@ideastap.com.

Image by vin crosbie via Flickr under a creative commons license.

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