Everything in pitching boils down to how quickly you can convey your point.
Published on 2/28/2011
Before you start writing, cut everything extraneous and get to the heart of the matter. Just like a verbal pitch, you only have a few seconds to grab a reporter’s attention and get him or her to keep reading.
Reference an article or section: reporters open emails that reference articles they’ve written, and emails that reference specific sections, like “Dining Column story ideas”.
Use bullet points and links: limit the entire pitch to 3 to 4 paragraphs at most, and use bullet points when you can. Offer links to more information. Never use attachments as they get caught in spam filters and crash servers!