Pitching freelance environmental stories
A tipsheet by Kristin V. Johnson, graduate assistant and design editor of EJ Magazine, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. (This tip sheet was gleaned from the 2006 Society of Environmental Journalists national conference.)
Download a printable version of this tipsheet
Editors from Orion Magazine, National Geographic Magazine, Audubon, Sierra Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine and Scientific American gave these tips for freelancers pitching environmental stories:
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Think visually – Suggest art. Even better, take your own pictures and include them in your query.
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Think fresh – “Your job as a freelancer is to solve editors’ problems. Think of what’s new, what’s fresh,” says Hal Clifford, executive editor of Orion Magazine. “If you can solve my problem, I’ll come back to you again and again.”
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Know what’s been published – Don’t make the mistake of pitching a story that the magazine published last month. Be familiar enough with the publication you’re querying to suggest a unique article. Read what’s been written before and think creatively.
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Localize – Readers can comprehend a large-scale issue when you show how it affects them. How does global warming affect local strawberry farmers ? Your job is to ask, “What are the visible effects of the [larger] process,” said Dennis Dimick, executive editor of National Geographic Magazine. A local story with national applications is ideal.
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Break it down – Are you writing about a big, clunky environmental issue? Use one character as an example and to invite readers into the story. If you’re interested in stream restoration, focus on the initiatives and characters in a specific watershed.
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Sections are your friend – Magazines with sections like a science column or a news page can be a great place for freelancers. Pitches tailored for niche pages have a better chance of getting published than general queries.
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Split it up – Are you traveling somewhere for a story or devoting a generous amount of time to an article? Write it numerous times for a variety of publications to make as much money as you can.
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Provide a solution – It’s no secret environmental journalists deal with depressing subjects. A story that suggests solutions shines brighter than other queries.
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Policy – Government and state initiatives are complicated, boring and tricky to pitch. Dimick suggests that you find a character/source to narrate the story and build scenes. If you can show the effect of policy through the eyes of the people on the ground, you’ll also connect with the editor reading your pitch.
