Querying and pitching

A few articles in and most of us have figured out what is the best manner for us to query or pitch an article to a prospective publisher, be that print or online. Of course, some media outlets are very specific in their accepted formats for query letters and article pitches. But I believe most are laid back enough to be at the receiving end of an email that is addressed to the appropriate contact on staff, and clearly states what the article idea is, what the story will cover, who the sources will be or where information will be gathered from. In my experience, I have just mailed in to a publication asking if I can write for them. If the answer is yes, then I proceed with poking around their website and ideating on possible stories I can do for them. I have not written for too many publications but for the few that I have, I have never been asked to provide a query or pitch in a particular pre-specified manner. I would definitely be interested in knowing how you query or pitch for your articles, and what methods have proved successful or futile. Please share them here as comments to my blog post.

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