For this month’s Bitmob Community Writing Challenge, I was asked to provide a guide for “newbies” on how to properly pitch an article to a magazine or website editor. After almost a month of research I compiled the most salient advice and tips I could find and condensed them into the article below. 

For the purposes of this article, let us assume that you are a “newbie,” who is attempting to break into the world of video game journalism. Let us also assume that even though you are a lifelong “gamer” and hold a college degree,  that you have no practical experience in journalism, nor any published articles to your name. What you do have however, is a great idea for an article. An article that is timely, well researched, well organized, engaging and ready to be shared with the world.

The problem is, you are an unknown commodity – and sadly in the world of journalism passion alone will not be enough to get you a byline. Although your idea might be the greatest thing since Soul Glo, you still need to convince the grizzled editor staring blankly at your email that it is worth putting their job and reputation on the line to publish your work.

You certainly have an uphill battle ahead of you – but do not get discouraged! As the great Louis Pasteur once said: “in the fields of observation (in his case science, in this case journalism), chance favors the prepared mind.” Although nothing in life is guaranteed — with proper preparation, planning, organization and execution, you will drastically increase the chances of getting your ideas recognized and your articles published.

Whether you are pitching an article to the New York Times, Gamepro, or 1-up, the process remains largely the same. All require research and preparation before you can formally present your idea to an editor for his/her consideration. Research will help you to build relevant knowledge of the Gaming landscape, while careful preparation will help you stay focused and organized in order to increase the chances of making a successful pitch.

Stage 1: Research   

Survey the Gaming Landscape: Get to know the current platforms and their most successful games, as well as the names of major publishers, producers, designers and other industry leaders. In short – work on strengthening your market literacy.

Expose Yourself (not literally) to the World of Video Game Journalism: Make it your business to familiarize yourself with gaming media both online and off. Try and get a feel for the tone and cadence of each publication’s writing style. Determine their primary audience – are they system specific or geared towards a particular age demographic? Do they focus primarily on reviews and previews, or do they place equal value on news, interviews and features? Take note of the senior staff – who are the “big names” and what makes their writing stand out?

Identify Potential Targets: Determine which publications would be most interested in your article. Try to look for magazines or websites that most closely match the style of your writing and that have not yet produced material of their own relating to your topic.

Gather Information: Once you have identified potential targets, identify the primary editors for each publication and track down their contact information (either through the publication’s masthead, website or by calling/emailing the main office). Although it is inadvisable (at least as a noob) to call editors directly, there is no harm in contacting the main office and requesting information regarding the process for article submission. Ask for an editorial calendar, as well as for any specific in-house “writers guidelines” that you should be aware of. Find out if the editors prefer submissions in hard-copy (unlikely) or via email. Although you may be unable to acquire all of the information you desire, in the end it is worth an attempt. Just be sure to remember that there is a thin line between inquiring and pestering! 

Stage 2: Preparation

Compile your Resume and Portfolio: It is extremely important that you pay careful attention to both your resume and your portfolio. Make sure your resume has been properly formatted and edited – any mistakes here will surely be a red-flag for editors. Regarding the portfolio, even though you have not been previously published be ready to provide a few (1-3) short writing samples. This can include a review of a recent game, a preview or a short thought piece. The point is to show that even though you are new, you are a competent and engaging writer who is capable of getting the job done. Remember that above all else your samples need to be good – so in most cases it is better to admit that you have nothing then to provide something that is of poor quality.

Stage 3: The Pitch

A formal pitch consists of three main components:

  • Letter of Inquiry (query letter)
  • Resume
  • Portfolio.

Since we have already addressed the resume and portfolio, this section will focus on the Letter of Inquiry. Although there are many variations for the formatting and tone of a formal Letter of Inquiry (LOI), generally speaking they should: (a) not exceed one page, (b) include your contact information (letterhead), (c) be addressed directly to the editor in question and (d) consist of 4 major sections: The Hook, The Pitch, The Body and The Close.

The Hook: This may be the most important part of the entire process. The success of your Hook will likely make, or break your LOI. The Hook is meant to quickly and powerfully draw the attention of the reader and compel them to read on. It should be a short paragraph that succinctly summarizes the article and the impetus/need for its existence.  It is up to you to define the tone, but remember that like most things in life the Hook requires balance – it must be as informative as it is engaging. Do not be surprised if you spend literally hours trying to write these few lines.

The Pitch: Immediately following the Hook, the Pitch is the formal proposal of your idea. In this short paragraph you should provide a working title, a preliminary word-count and a brief synopsis of the article’s main focus, along with any questions/angles to be addressed therein. The Pitch should be quick, clean, direct and (assuming that you have done your homework)  tailored to the needs/requirements of the publication (specifically word count and topic relevancy).

The Body: It is best to think of the Body as being an outline of your entire article and should therefore briefly mention the subtopics you plan on addressing in each section. The Body can be formatted as either paragraphs or bullet-points, but regardless of formatting should be informative, direct and concise. Assuming that the reader has been “Hooked” and that your Pitch fits their desired parameters, the Body is where you are really able to sell your idea to the reader – so make sure that you make every sentence count!

The Close: The closing paragraph should thank the editor for taking the time to read your LOI and to provide a time-estimate for submission (should they decide to publish your work). Remember that editors spend hours every day sifting through LOIs, so be sure to be sincere in thanking them for taking the time to consider your proposal.

In conclusion …

Remember that even when armed with a well researched topic, a prepared mind and a dynamic LOI – a pitch can still fail. Ask any journalist and they will tell you that pitching ideas is a process that requires both patience and perseverance – so don’t give up!

This guide is certainly not the be-all end-all, but it is hopefully a starting point that will aid you in your endeavors. There are also a wealth of online resources out there to help with writing resumes, compiling portfolios and crafting letters of inquiry – so be sure to take advantage of them as well. Lastly, I hope that members of the Bitmob community will post responses to help interpret, clarify and expand upon this guide, as well as to provide much needed and appreciated personal reflections from their own professional experiences as well.

Good Luck!