How to Write a Pitch

The heart of a story is a character or group facing conflict and experiencing a narrative arc. (A narrative arc is the path a story takes from beginning to middle to end. In the context of an article, it usually involves circumstances altering people’s perspectives or people taking action to change a situation.) To find fascinating stories within a topic, you can ask yourself several questions:

• Is there an individual or group I can spotlight who is particularly impacted by this topic
• Could I feature a community that is implementing innovative solutions to this issue?
• Do I know about a dramatic or moving incident that encapsulates this subject?
• Can I profile a researcher or group doing something unexpected or investigating something unexplored about this topic to shed light on this area?
• Is there a story from the past that can inform people about this topic now?

For example, anthropologist Brendane A. Tynes wanted to write about the topic of police abolition. So she zeroed in on the story of a mother and daughter who were devastatingly impacted by the criminal punishment system. This approach made her pitch and subsequent SAPIENS essay much more powerful than if she had pitched a topic. Similarly, anthropologist Karminn C.D. Daytec Yañgot is fascinated by Indigenous peoples’ acts of resistance against destructive development. In her pitch and essay, she highlights one Indigenous community’s novel approach to defending their land: writing down their Oral Traditions.

Trawling TikTok in search of trends related to your favorite topic isn’t necessarily the most efficient way to generate story angles. But if you do notice that a popular culture phenomenon dovetails with your area of expertise or that new ways of thinking are creating seismic shifts in a field, these could be compelling angles. Editors are attracted to stories about trends and shifts in consensus, and these stories can be informative and enlightening for general audiences.

For example, in an essay for Aeon, anthropologist Vivek V. Venkataraman describes young urbanites’ increasing fascination with ancient and contemporary hunter-gatherer societies. Incorporating a range of research studies, Venkataraman adds nuance, context, and counterpoints to this cultural movement. Evolutionary anthropologist Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias observed that the scientific community once predominantly thought humanity arose in East Africa, but several more recent studies point to a pan-African origin story. In an essay for SAPIENS, she gives nonspecialist audiences a big-picture view of these important shifts in paleoanthropology.

If you’re contemplating pitching a trend story, it’s crucial to conduct research on what has been written before because, by definition, the topic will be popular. Ask yourself: What’s missing from previous articles about this phenomenon? What specific insights can I contribute based on my experiences and expertise? Is there some aspect of this movement that is unexplored or often mischaracterized?

If you dive beneath the surface of every topic, you’ll find numerous questions that people grappling with that topic are trying to answer. Those questions can be the pearls that form fascinating story ideas. Try writing down your topic and then free-associating questions that fall within that subject. Or rewrite a subject as a question, perhaps incorporating that favorite word of little kids: why?

For example, medical anthropologist Gideon Lasco reframed the topic “negative perceptions of drug use” as an essay that answers the question, “Why Are People Who Use Illegal Drugs Demonized?” As another example, the topic “environmental carcinogens” could be retooled as “Is the Developed World We’ve Created Giving Us Cancer?,” an essay that cultural anthropologist Chelsey Kivland wrote for The Conversation.

Question-based articles can be evergreen, or timeless. However, you’re more likely to pitch these ideas successfully if you link them to current events, a holiday/anniversary, or a trend. For example, anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas, whose research centers on the topic of rituals, devised an article pegged to the December holiday season that asks, “What’s the Point of Holiday Gifts?”

Some outlets publish listicles—articles in the form of a list. These are typically overview stories that divide a topic into easily digestible bites, making it more fun and appealing. The topic “the archaeology of wine” is a little on the dry side. But turn it into “Five Turning Points in the Evolution of Wine,” and it suddenly sparkles.

As with other stories, you’re more likely to successfully pitch listicles if you peg your idea to a news event, pop culture trend, or upcoming holiday, like “Five Solstice Sites That Aren’t Stonehenge.”

If the publication asks writers to email their pitch, the first thing the editor will see is your subject line; it should be a catchy title that clearly encapsulates your idea. Typically, editors prefer the subject line of an email to begin with “Pitch” (or “Freelancer Pitch” or “Anthropologist Pitch” to distinguish it from pitches from public relations organizations), followed by a title. 

Hint: Look at the publication’s article titles and model your title after their style (note that print and online titles may differ). So your subject line could read “Anthropologist Pitch: What Indiana Jones Gets Right About Archaeology” or “Freelancer Pitch: What’s the Appeal of Deep Voices in Men?”

If the publication asks writers to pitch through Submittable or another online platform, they may ask for a potential title. Even if they don’t, some editors recommend including a title/headline and even a subhead in the body of a pitch, since these can help the editor understand your main point and visualize your idea as it would look on the page. (A subhead, subheading, tagline, or dek, in journalism-speak, is the brief text that appears immediately under the headline and offers intriguing information that sums up the article.)

Effective pitches usually begin with a compelling story, an evocative scene, or a surprising statement. This paragraph typically consists of two or three sentences that go straight to the heart of the story you want to tell.

If your story is about a cultural phenomenon, this paragraph might capture the colorful details of that movement, the people involved, or a specific incident that represents the phenomenon. If it’s about a quest to solve a mystery, you might portray a scene where someone is searching for evidence. Or you might pull back and offer a sweeping description of the mystery itself. If it’s about a unique solution to a problem, you might describe some of the methods your main characters are using to tackle the issue.

Now that you’ve captured the editor’s attention, it’s time to outline the practical details: why your idea matters, why it’s important now, and why you’re in a good position to write about it. Then you’ll briefly explain how you intend to write the story.

There are several ways to convey why your idea matters. If it’s about a solution to a problem, you might explain the consequences and why previous efforts to ameliorate the issue have been unsuccessful. If it’s about a recent finding, you could discuss how the research could shape people’s thinking in new ways or why it’s important to certain communities. If you’re commenting on a cultural phenomenon, you could illustrate how it illuminates certain aspects of the human condition.

If your story is about something widely understood, like climate change, you don’t need to provide background information. If it’s not, you may need to incorporate an illuminating statistic and historical or scientific context to show why the issue is significant. Make this information as brief and colorful as possible. The editor doesn’t need to completely understand the issue; they just need to understand it enough to know why it’s important.

Editors also want to know why a story should be written now. To emphasize this, you might highlight a new paper coming out on the topic or connect your idea to current events, an upcoming holiday, or a pop culture trend. Don’t worry if your story doesn’t have a “now” element; many excellent stories are evergreen, though they still need to be relevant and important to people’s lives today.

Somewhere in these paragraphs, you’ll want to mention your relevant expertise and experiences. Many people may be uncomfortable “selling” themselves. But rest assured, a subtle statement is sufficient. For example, “As an anthropologist who studies X, I have interviewed many people about Y.” Or “In addition to working as a resource manager in A, I volunteer with an organization focused on B.” Or “I am an archaeologist who lives in X location and have seen how Y issue impacts the community.” If you’ve previously written for the public, include a sentence that mentions and links to those articles.

Finally, if it’s not already clear, it’s helpful to tell the editor how you plan to execute the article. You might explain that you’ll weave together quotes from your sources (interviewees) with observations from your fieldwork. You could list some examples you plan to provide in your article to prove your main point. You could also discuss who is responsible and who is impacted by the phenomenon you’re writing about, as well as who you might interview.