Following Up With Editors: The Secret Sauce Way to Get More Pitches Accepted
I’ll preface this by saying that the real secret sauce is perfecting your pitch. If you don’t have a good pitch, then no amount of additional secret sauce will help you, but if you’re confident you’ve got a good thing going, this little tip could help you land more gigs.
I used to assume that if I didn’t hear back from an editor on a pitch, the answer was clearly a no thank you. The more I read about finding freelance success, the more I found out about the art of the follow-up email. I found a bunch of articles, written by editors of large publications, saying that a follow-up email is a great way to nudge and remind them of your pitch. I’d always thought that this was a bit pushy and stalker-ish, but the reasoning was pretty straightforward.
Editors aren’t just reading emails and choosing pitches (obviously), there’s a lot of work going on elsewhere. Add in that most editors get hundreds of emails a day with pitches and article enquiries, lots of things get missed. One editor I spoke with said sometimes they read a pitch they like, get distracted, and then it gets lost in the sea of never-ending inbox doom. A follow-up email helps get things back in front of them and gives a little indication that you’re committed and keen. It’s a good cue for them to pay attention to you.
The freelance writing profession is built on neglect, rejection, prioritising, and, in my case, an absurd amount of caffeine. Not hearing back is part of the gig too, but it doesn’t always have to be. Once I got confident about sending follow-up emails, I was genuinely surprised by how many more pitches I got accepted.
Here are my top tips for perfecting your follow-up email game:
Wait it Out
Timeliness is crucial and hounding an editor a day or two after you’ve sent a pitch won’t go down well. I tend to allow one week before sending a follow-up email. One week is a friendly and respectful timeframe. Unless your piece is time-sensitive (in which case, I hope you flagged that in the email subject line), then wait a little while.
Keep it Cool and Professional
Coming up with a new story idea is exciting! You’re keen to get it written and for someone to give it a stamp of approval. Don’t let your emotions overrule your professionalism. You don’t want your follow-up to sound desperate. Remember email best-practice (address the person correctly, check your grammar) and be polite. Always.
Be Concise
You should have said everything you need to about the pitch in your original email. So your follow-up needs to be uber short and sweet - and focused on reminding the editor of your initial pitch. Send your follow-up in the same email thread so the editor can get to your original email quickly, and keep it to one or two sentences max.
Here’s an example script of what I send in a follow-up email:
Hi XXX,
I just wanted to check whether you had a chance to review the pitch I sent over in response to next months theme for XXX blog?
I think this angle would be a fantastic addition to your readers - I noticed you haven’t covered it yet and I’d love to write it for you!
Let me know what you think,
Kind regards,
Elaine
(P.s. You can check out some of my other written work here: wordswithelaine.com/nonfiction)
Still No Response?
If you send a follow-up and still don’t get a response, there’s only one thing left to do: Let it go.
When it’s a pitch, I only ever send one follow-up email. If they ask for a draft or an outline, I’ll send two follow-ups: one after a week and another after three weeks. I’ve had some snooty advice from an editor about how it’s my responsibility to ensure I keep them (the editor) to task and to keep following-up. Personally, I think that’s rude. We’re all busy people, and we all have roles within the editor-writer relationship. If I have to follow-up more than twice, I’m taking my piece elsewhere. I don’t have the time to waste waiting for a yes (or more likely a no), and I need to earn an income.
And honestly, do you want to be working for or with an editor who can’t even be bothered to send a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ - especially after your follow-up?
There is no such thing as one right home for a story, but there is such a thing as the editor who respects you and your work, devotes energy and time to enhance your words and gives you the best rate. That’s what you want to aim for, and it’s something a good follow-up email can help you uncover.
