“A good magazine pitch should be a page to a page-and-a-half. Wired requires that pitches only be one page. The first paragraph should show the magazine you can write in a compelling style. Summarize your story or use an excerpt that gives a sense of what the piece is about. (See the Scent Marketing pitch for a good example.)
The next paragraph should be the nut graf - the “why we care about this story.” The third paragraph should be another reason why we care - why this story affects people in the real world.
In the fourth paragraph, give your specific plan for reporting this story. Use specific names of people you’ll interview and specific places you’ll go. If you already have travel plans to report the story, say that here too.
The final paragraph should be the kicker. Remind the editor what question you’ll be answering and why the answer is important to the magazine’s audience.
At the end of this five-paragraph pitch, you may want to include a few sentences of biography and a few prominent publications you’ve contributed to before. Offer to provide references or clips, available upon request.
Paste the pitch into the body of the email, rather than attaching it as a separate document.”
- Jennifer Kahn on how to write a magazine pitch
The next paragraph should be the nut graf - the “why we care about this story.” The third paragraph should be another reason why we care - why this story affects people in the real world.
In the fourth paragraph, give your specific plan for reporting this story. Use specific names of people you’ll interview and specific places you’ll go. If you already have travel plans to report the story, say that here too.
The final paragraph should be the kicker. Remind the editor what question you’ll be answering and why the answer is important to the magazine’s audience.
At the end of this five-paragraph pitch, you may want to include a few sentences of biography and a few prominent publications you’ve contributed to before. Offer to provide references or clips, available upon request.
Paste the pitch into the body of the email, rather than attaching it as a separate document.”
- Jennifer Kahn on how to write a magazine pitch