Hello friends! This week covering one of the most frequently asked questions I get from writers — and one I have absolutely no idea how to answer: How do you pitch an Opinion piece?
To answer this, I had to bring in the big guns: Please welcome Rachel Sonis to the FWT gang! Rachel is the former editor of TIME magazine’s opinion section, and she recently went independent to open her own editorial consultancy. I’m thrilled to bring her on this week so we can finally get some guidance on landing opinion pieces.
Take it away, Rachel!
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Opinions of all shapes and sizes are easy to come by. Famously, everyone has one — it’s human! But crafting a persuasive opinion pitch around an idea is no easy feat, and it’s an entirely different beast than simply having something to say about a topic.
Many of us think of pitching as an art form: a mix of enticing, narrative storytelling and precise facts that ultimately persuades an editor to work with you. But these days, I’ve been thinking about it more as a science. “Art form” feels too amorphous, too vibes-based, when the objective in question — especially when it comes to op-eds — often hinges on how effectively (and succinctly) you can persuade an audience and your editor to believe ... well, you.
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