story-pitch

# Story pitch guide

Good stories die in bad pitches. This skill covers pitch structure, angle development, and outlet-specific formatting.

## When to use

- Pitching stories to editors (internal or external)
- Developing freelance query letters
- Refining story angles before reporting
- Competing for assignment in a newsroom
- Proposal writing for grants or fellowships

## The pitch fundamentals

### What every pitch needs

1. **The hook**: Why should anyone care? Why now?
2. **The story**: What will you show/reveal/explain?
3. **The evidence**: What do you have? What can you get?
4. **The access**: Who will you talk to? What will you see?
5. **The ask**: What do you need (time, budget, resources)?

### The "so what" test

Before pitching, answer:
- **Why this story?** (significance)
- **Why now?** (timeliness/news hook)
- **Why you?** (access, expertise, angle)
- **Why this outlet?** (audience fit)

If you can't answer all four, you're not ready to pitch.

## Pitch templates by type

### Daily news pitch

For quick-turn stories to assignment editors.

```markdown
**Slug:** [2-3 word identifier]
**Pitch:** [One sentence: What's the news?]
**Why now:** [What makes this timely?]
**Sources:** [Who you'll talk to]
**Timeline:** [When you can file]
**Format:** [Length, multimedia]

Example:
**Slug:** Council-Budget-Vote
**Pitch:** City council votes tonight on controversial police budget increase.
**Why now:** Final vote after months of debate, protests expected.
**Sources:** Council president, protest organizers, police union rep.
**Timeline:** File by 10pm for morning.
**Format:** 600 words + photos from hearing.
```

### Feature pitch

For longer-form stories with more development time.

```markdown
## [Working title]

**The story in one sentence:**
[What is this story about?]

**The hook:**
[Why should readers care? What's the emotional/intellectual entry point?]

**What's new:**
[What do you know/have that hasn't been told?]

**The shape:**
[How will you tell it? Narrative structure, key scenes, characters]

**Sources and access:**
[Who will you interview? What will you witness? Documents?]

**Visuals:**
[Photo opportunities, graphics, multimedia]

**Timeline and resources:**
[How long to report? Write? What do you need?]

**Why me:**
[Your connection to story, relevant expertise, access]

Example:

## The last ferry captain

**The story in one sentence:**
After 47 years, the last original captain of the Staten Island Ferry is retiring, and taking decades of institutional knowledge with him.

**The hook:**
8 million New Yorkers depend on this ferry. Most have never met the people who run it. Captain Mike Carbone has seen mayors come and go, survived 9/11 from the water, and trained every current captain. His retirement is the end of an era.

**What's new:**
No one has profiled the ferry crews since the 2003 accident. Carbone has agreed to a ride-along on his final week. He's kept a journal since 1977.

**The shape:**
Narrative profile. Open with his final departure. Flash back through career highlights. Include voices from crew, family, passengers he's befriended across decades.

**Sources and access:**
- Carbone (confirmed, ride-along approved)
- NYC DOT ferry division chief
- Other captains he's trained
- Regular commuters
- His family

**Visuals:**
Photographer on ride-along. Harbor shots at dawn. Carbone's home with memorabilia. Archive photos from his collection.

**Timeline and resources:**
2 weeks reporting, 1 week writing. Need photographer availability for 3 early mornings.

**Why me:**
I grew up taking this ferry and have always wanted to tell this story. I've already built rapport with Carbone through initial conversations.
```

### Investigation pitch

For accountability journalism requiring significant resources.

```markdown
## [Working title]

**The thesis:**
[What we can prove / what we suspect]

**Why it matters:**
[Impact: Who is harmed? How much money? How many people?]

**What we have:**
[Documents, sources, data already obtained]

**What we need:**
[Additional reporting required]

**Key sources:**
[Who will talk? On/off record? Whistleblowers?]

**Documentary evidence:**
[FOIA requests needed? Court records? Financial filings?]

**Legal considerations:**
[Defamation risk? Source protection needs?]

**Competitive risk:**
[Is anyone else on this? Why now?]

**Timeline:**
[Realistic assessment of time to report, write, edit, legal review]

**Resources needed:**
[FOIA costs, travel, data analysis, graphics, multimedia]

**Publication plan:**
[Single story? Series? Rolling publication?]

Example:

## State contracts going to insiders

**The thesis:**
More than $50 million in state construction contracts across five years went to companies with personal ties to procurement officials, circumventing competitive bidding.

**Why it matters:**
Taxpayers are overpaying for public projects. At least three bridges have needed early repairs after work by connected contractors.

**What we have:**
- State contract database (scraped, analyzed)
- Corporate filings showing ownership connections
- Two former procurement employees willing to talk (one on record)
- Email chain showing official steering business to friend

**What we need:**
- Additional FOIA for internal communications
- More contractors willing to describe losing bids unfairly
- Engineering review of the bridge repair patterns
- Response from officials named

**Key sources:**
- Whistleblower A (on record, documented complaint)
- Whistleblower B (background only, fears retaliation)
- Contractor who lost bids (on record)
- Engineering expert for bridge assessment
- Officials (will request comment before publication)

**Documentary evidence:**
- Contract awards (public, obtained)
- Corporate filings (public, obtained)
- Internal emails (FOIA pending)
- Inspection reports (FOIA pending)

**Legal considerations:**
All claims will be documented. We'll seek comment from everyone named. Standard defamation review needed.

**Com