Pitch Me A Perfect Story!

Some bloggers, like newspaper editors, invite story pitches especially those which include several important components. Don't throw us a shotput, because we'll get hurt. Rather, lob us a softball that can easily be hit.

Bloggers owe so much to traditional journalists that we often lose site of how newspapers have changed the way news stories are brought forth. It is easy to dismiss the demise of  “dead tree media” with the wave of a hand, but with its pending death or transition to the web will go a style of journalism no longer familiar to most readers. I don’t mean to dramatize the point – hard hitting journalism will live on. But, in these days of fifteen second sound bytes, Twitter microblogging and Britney Spears reporting, audience tastes have shifted as well.

I truly believe that there is plenty of room for all kinds of writing styles online, unlike newspapers where a certain mode of mining information, fleshing out stories and building compelling articles still holds sway. If the Editor-in-Chief wants you to report the news in a certain way, then by all means you must. Not so with bloggers – you’re reporter, proofreader, editor and publisher wrapped up in one.

Better Than The Press Release

In a previous article I harped on press release writers (distributors) who would sometimes submit their news pieces to me in hopes that I would run with it. Automotive topics and college stories are two areas I write about with some measure of authority, therefore my inbox is routinely filled with information that someone out there thinks that my readers would love to know about. Well, not really – a brand new tonneau cover for a Ford F-150 pickup truck may interest a certain segment of my readership on Auto Trends, but I’m not into pitching sales oriented material either.

What stands a chance of getting picked up by me is the story pitched with some meat on it.

I’m not looking for a topic only, rather I am looking for story leads which I can flesh out into something bigger and better. That story must include several defining components including: timing, significance, and perhaps some sort of conflict. Naturally, having a resolution to that conflict is helpful, though if I’m writing about an unresolved problem, I can in all likelihood cover several possible outcomes. I had to do this recently when I discussed a pending lawsuit which could either be settled out of court or brought to trial.

Bloggers Wear Multiple Hats

Unlike in newsrooms where a story is typically pitched to a specific editor, such as the features editor, metro editor, lifestyle editor, etc., with the blogger you have someone who wears multiple hats. However, if you want a story covered on my consumer blog, then it most certainly would help your cause if the story angle is consumer oriented. If not, then you need to go back and rework your pitch to give it more meat. Some bloggers don’t mind going way off topic from time to time, but that isn’t something I’m willing to allow on various niche blogs I manage.

Above all, don’t beg me to write about your organization or run a story I have little interest in developing. Your nonprofit may have the best outreach of its kind, but if your story doesn’t resonate with me then I’m not going to invest my time in bringing it forth. Even then the fault could lie in your manner of presentation which, if explained in a different way, it could catch my attention. After all I’m only human and I could very well benefit from your fresh perspective. Hey, it’s worth a shot!

Photo Credit: Bob