WRITE FOR 4TALENT
4Talent get a lot of emails from would-be freelance journalists asking for advice on how they should go about pitching to the site. We've put together ten tips to answer your questions and help you get your writing seen - commissioning editor Catherine Bray gives her advice on making that first pitch.
1. Keep it short and sweet
Editors (and successful freelancers, which is how you want to come across) are usually pressed for time. If you ramble on for ages, it's not a good indication that you can write snappy copy.
2. Use what you know
Articles written by freelancers who know and love their subject stand out - it takes a lot of painstaking research to replace a subject knowledge built up over years of time and enjoyment, so make the most of your areas of expertise.
3. Pitch ideas
Offering to review a specific album or write a monthly column is fairly unlikely to yield good results - if the editor wants these things doing, chance are they've already got a regular writer doing them. What they don't necessarily have is that great idea for a one-off article about a new industry trend or rising talent.
4. Know your publication
If you can show you do actually read the website, magazine or newspaper you're pitching to, you're already streets ahead of the person who just says "I'd love to do some writing for you." For 4Talent, try suggesting a topic for a particular zone of the site - maybe you've got the inside scoop on a local radio talent we haven't heard of yet. Even if we don't go with that particular idea, you'll make a better impression.
5. Be a style queen
Check whether your writing feels like the writing in your chosen publication. If you're aiming at a high-end broadsheet newspaper, you'll probably want to keep it fairly formal, and if you're desperate to write for lads mags, you'll need to develop a bantering, conversational tone (which doesn't mean you shouldn't make sure your writing isn't scrupulously proof-read - obvious errors impress no-one).
6. Don't jam their inbox
This will vary for different outlets, but for 4Talent, an email explaining who you are, saying whether you've written for anyone before and including a couple of ideas for features is probably a better bet than attaching a huge CV and masses of clippings the first time you get in touch. They'll ask if they want to see more.
7. Develop a thick skin
As with other competitive careers like acting, more people want to work as writers than the industry actually needs, so everyone gets rejected from time to time - the successful freelancers are the people who keep having ideas and keep pitching.
8. Know your target
Make sure you're writing to the right person - on smaller publications this might be the editor, but for larger outlets, it'll usually be the head of the relevant section. For most titles you can find this out somewhere like the excellent Media Directory published by The Guardian, or by phoning first.
9. Start small
Don't pitch a twelve page article to somewhere you've never written for before - ask if you can write maybe 600 words or less. 4Talent rarely runs a feature longer than 800 words, but even places that do probably won't commission a cover story from you first try.
10. Hit those deadlines
Everyone misses a deadline at some point in their writing career, whether it's because an interview falls through or your laptop's been half-inched, but if you make a habit of it when you're starting out, people will begin to think twice before commissioning you. If you know you're going to miss a deadline, get in touch - it's better than leaving them waiting.
What are you waiting for?
If you think you might have what it takes to write for 4Talent, get in touch: pitch to Veena for the National hub, Catherine for the West Midlands hub, Rebecca and Lucy for the Scotland hub or Colette and Debbie for the Northern Ireland hub.
You could see your work appearing here soon.
