The Perfect Pitch

​I’m an editor at a science magazine, and I read a lot of pitches. I get pitches that are long, and pitches that are short. I get pitches that don’t have nearly enough info, and pitches that have way too much info. I get pitches from veteran science writers, pitches from newbie (or wannabe) science writers, and pitches from total randos. What’s the right amount of information? To figure it out, I sat down and wrote a pitch, to me, from me, based on one of my favorite stories I’ve written. Here’s what I came up with.

The Pitch

Subj: Web pitch: Ancient brewery with epic story inspires new craft beer

Hi Anna,
I’ve got a story idea for Discover’s website.

A Brewery in Peru Ran for Centuries, Then Burned After One Epic Ancient Party

Five hundred years before the Incan empire reached its height in South America, a different civilization reigned: the Wari. One of the Wari’s claims to fame is that they were early brewers of a drink called chicha. The fermented beverage was made by the Inca after them and can still found in Peru today.

New evidence, recently published in the journal Sustainability, suggests this beer relative may have played an important role in keeping Wari civilization together. What’s more, archaeological finds at the brewery site are super interesting — notably, evidence suggests that its owners burned it down intentionally, but not until throwing an epic party with visitors from near and far. On top of it all, researchers have figured out this ancient beer recipe — and they’ve worked with a brewery in Chicago to re-create it for the masses to taste. (I just tried it! It’s awesome!)

My key source for this story would be Ryan Williams, an archaeologist at the Field Museum in Chicago, who led the new study — I have contacts at the Field and should have no problem connecting with him. I haven’t seen coverage of this elsewhere, and I think Discover’s readers would really like this combination of fun history and modern science. The Wari culture isn’t talked about nearly as much as other ancient civilizations, and what better way to learn about them than through a fun story about beer?

About me: I am a science writer with over 100 science stories appearing in Discover magazine and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I have a Ph.D. in plant ecology, and transitioned to journalism in 2018 with a AAAS Mass Media Fellowship.

I’ve written about both beer and archaeology before; but my favorite recent clip I’ll direct you to is this story about a new impact crater found in Greenland. All my work and more about me can be found on my website, itsdrfunk.com.

Thanks for considering.
Anna

Anna Funk, Ph.D.
itsdrfunk.com
@DrAnnaFunk

The Breakdown

 Alright, let’s break this down a bit, shall we?

Subj: Web pitch: Ancient brewery with epic story inspires new craft beer

I get a lot of email, so I like a subject line that tells me right away what I’m looking at. This is a pitch, and it’s for Discover’s website. If this was a pitch for a print column or a feature, I’d want to say that instead (naming the specific column, if applicable.) That also confirms whether this pitch is for me or if I should forward to another editor.

Then, a little something about the topic of the story. This subject line is probably a bit long, but whatever. I’ll mostly just use this to find the email later. Don’t reply to an old email to send a new pitch: make sure the subject line matches the topic at hand.

Hi Anna,

First name is fine, and most pitches I receive address me by my first name. If you
do opt for the formality of a title, my only request is that you look up your editor to find out what their title actually is: Please don’t make assumptions about gender, martial status, or advanced degrees! I’m not super offended if someone calls me Ms. instead of Dr., but … it’s still not my name. Besides, it shows you don’t follow me on Twitter. Humph!

I’ve got a story idea for Discover’s website.

Short and sweet. The most important part of your pitch is the pitch itself, so hop to it. Also, make sure your auto-correct doesn’t make us “Discovery” or I will immediately be biased against you and your lack of proof-reading skills. Mention again here whether your pitch is for print or web, and if it’s for print, what section. (The website sections are just filters for browsing purposes, so no need to say “I have a story for the Health section on discovermagazine.com” — that’s irrelevant.)

A Brewery in Peru Ran for Centuries, Then Burned After One Epic Ancient Party

Give me an idea of the headline for your story. It can be an instant sell. Do I want to read this article? Um, yes.

Five hundred years before the Incan empire reached its height in South America, a different civilization reigned: the Wari. One of the Wari’s claims to fame is that they were early brewers of a drink called chicha. The fermented beverage was made by the Inca after them and can still found in Peru today.

This is literally the lede of the story. It’s just enough background information to give me context for what’s about to come, since I’ll need to be up to speed on “Wari” and “chicha” before we can get into the good stuff (the new research.)

New evidence, recently published in the journal Sustainability, suggests this beer relative may have played an important role in keeping Wari civilization together. What’s more, archaeological finds at the brewery site are super interesting — notably, evidence suggests that its owners burned it down intentionally, but not until throwing an epic party with visitors from near and far. On top of it all, researchers have figured out this ancient beer recipe — and they’ve worked with a brewery in Chicago to re-create it for the masses to taste. (I just tried it! It’s awesome!)

Here's the goods! This checks all the boxes: 1. New research 2. An interesting story 3. It’s not too narrow (i.e. it’s not just a single new study with a single new tidbit) 4. The research is new, but the story itself is pretty evergreen — someone might still enjoy reading this article next year. Also, there’s a link to a key new paper, which is great. (I don’t need the full literature review.) The whole thing is centered around results and information, not just questions — I always want a story to have at its core something we have learned, not just what researchers are hoping to learn.

My key source for this story would be Ryan Williams, an archaeologist at the Field Museum in Chicago, who led the new study — I have contacts at the Field and should have no problem connecting with him. I haven’t seen coverage of this elsewhere, and I think Discover’s readers would really like this combination of fun history and modern science. The Wari culture isn’t talked about nearly as much as other ancient civilizations, and what better way to learn about them than through a fun story about beer?

A little logistics here. Most stories will need more than one source, but this one focused on the one researcher. Also, why will readers (of this specific publication) like this?

About me: I am a science writer with over 100 science stories appearing in Discover magazine and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

We’re looking for writers with lots of experience which means published work. Give a sense of how long you’ve been a science writer and who you’ve written for. (I’m so sorry to say this, but if you’ve got nothing to put here, you might need to start somewhere else. Work your way up!)

I have a Ph.D. in plant ecology, and transitioned to journalism in 2018 with a AAAS Mass Media Fellowship.

Mention your science cred, if you have it. If you have good science writing clips, though, you don’t need this part!

I’ve written about both beer and archaeology before; but my favorite recent clip I’ll direct you to is this story about a new impact crater found in Greenland.

Let me know your experience covering the topic you’re pitching, specifically. Don’t list a bunch of unrelated clips — no offense to your recipe blog or the finance tips you wrote for some random website, but those tell me nothing about your potential as a science journalist! Also, assume I’m going to read approximately one of your clips: Do you want me to pick at random for your website, or do you want to direct me to your best (and most relevant) work?

All my work and more about me can be found on my website, itsdrfunk.com.

I do like the option to find out more about a person, if I want it. This can help if I’m on the fence about a writer. Also, to be perfectly honest, I do judge writers who don’t have websites, or who have terrible websites. There are just so many options that are free and easy and look great! I made mine on Weebly (and did eventually pay to get the Weebly branding removed, and to get my own domain, but that’s totally optional) — I’ve heard good things about Wordpress and Wix as well. No judgement at all if your website is the free version (like, itsdrfunk.wordpress.com or itsdrfunk.weebly.com)! I just want your info to all be in one place.

Thanks for considering.

Don’t say more than you need.

Anna

Do sign with the name you want me to address you with.

Anna Funk, Ph.D.
itsdrfunk.com
@DrAnnaFunk

A little email signature action never hurt anybody. Keep it classy. Drop your Twitter and I'll likely follow you if your pitch is decent.

And there you have it! Of course, this is all my own personal opinion, and other editors might want something totally different. But I think this sort of structure is a great start. The pitch ended up longer than I expected — 349 words from “Hi” to the end of my signature. But it feels like the right amount of information.

And since I know you’re dying to know more about this epic Wari brewery, check it out:
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/a-brewery-in-peru-ran-for-centuries-then-burned-after-one-epic-ancient-party

Adios!