Ideas? It's all in the timing

HERE'S a piece that has been published at www.freelanceuk.com today:

FOR a freelance writer, ideas can make or break a career. As markets and budgets shrink and competition increases, it’s more crucial than ever to make your ideas stand out from the crowd. Linda Jones shows you how.

So you want to write for your favourite magazine and you are brimming with ideas – you’re a little disappointed that most of them – or something similar at least – has been covered already – but it’s still worth a shot, right?

Wrong. If you spot a piece in a target publication that bears any resemblance to the germ of an idea you have been slaving over – but too nervous to send – for days or even weeks then you need to change direction immediately. First pause a moment to congratulate yourself that you are on the right wavelength – then move on, pronto!

Either come up with a new angle to suit a different sort of market, or start again.

You have to find something that is different, new and fresh, but at the same time, relevant and newsworthy. How do you do that? Give your ideas the ‘so what?’ test

Think about what is so different about your idea, why is it current now? And why are you the one to write it? A general piece on ‘home education’ may not be deemed worth looking at, and could easily be researched and written in-house.

But a piece on home education with a cracking interview with a mum who refuses to send her son to school may be nearer the mark – especially if there has been a topical development. If there hasn’t, file your idea away until a piece of relevant research or celebrity or politician hits the headlines for such a course of action – then bam! Hit the commissioning editor where it matters.

You have to time it right. And I don’t mean pegging your piece on a forthcoming awareness day, week or month. How many times have I read that awareness weeks make great hooks for stories? Yawn. Too many. Beware. You can bet that if you know next month is bowel cancer awareness month, so will many other wannabe contributors. Again, what’s so very new and different about your angle?

Lead-in times for publications vary. Pitch a monthly with a Christmas type story in October, and you are marking yourself out as a fool. Pick up the phone and find out when the deadlines for copy are.

How then do you market your ideas? It all comes down to your chosen market. Study your chosen publications or online markets carefully and make sure you send them what they ask for – to the right person at the right time.

Should you send your pitches by phone or email?

Here I go again: It depends.

Editors are so busy now that they won’t take kindly to you ringing right on deadline to pitch an idea, however good it is.

Nor will they welcome a zillionth email chasing them over an idea you first sent just three days ago.

So what can you do? Finding out when they are most likely to be less busy, for a start. Yes it’s their job to look at freelance pitches (possibly) but please don’t moan if they don’t reply. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – they didn’t ask you to contact them, so why should they race to reply?

Comments

[Paul Groves]

Timing is hugely important - in pitching and comedy. So is doing your homework. You've got to be the right person in the right place at the right time with the right idea.
And you need to be self-confident...and thick-skinned...and determined...and keep a sense of humour...and...and...and...
But it is still great fun ;-)

[Linda]

Hey Paul,

here's my favourite joke:

A man wakes up naked but covered in cling film, he shuffles off down the road to the doctor, where he tells him he thinks he is going mad.

"Well," says the concerned doctor.

"I can clearly see your nuts."

In my defence I would say I spend a lot of my time with nine-year-olds.

How was my timing?

:)

[Paul Groves]

Timing impeccable.
Joke, less so.

(Two snowmen in a field.
One turns to the other and says: "Can you smell carrot?").

[Paul Groves]

Timing impeccable.
Joke, less so.

(Two snowmen in a field.
One turns to the other and says: "Can you smell carrot?").

[Linda]

Ah yes I like that one.

Two chickens by the side of the road.

One says: "Shall we cross?"

The other says: "Nah, we'll never hear the end of it."

[Paul Groves]

What's brown and sticky?

A stick.

[Linda]

What's green and smells of bananas?

Monkey sick

[Paul Groves]

Why is 6 scared of 7?

Because 7 ate 9.

(c) My neice, aged 10.

[Linda]

Why did Tigger have his head down the toilet?

Cos he was looking for Pooh.

I think I'm nearly done now. :)

[Paul Groves]

You win :-)