Make Your Query Better: Suggest a Source

The blogathon continues! Halfway through as of today. 

Want to make your query stand out? Tell the editor who you plan to interview for your article by suggesting a source or two. Here's a paragraph from a pitch I emailed to a market last week: 

“In your Mind’s Eye: Exercise’s Impact on Body Image” will report on this fascinating topic, and give readers yet one more reason to work out. I plan to interview noted psychologists like Monica Ramirez Basco, PhD, author of Never Good Enough and report on recent research for this piece; if you like, I can include several “real women” to report on their experiences as well. I estimate 1,000 words for this story but that’s flexible depending on your needs. 

See what I did there? I said that I "plan to interview" experts like Basco. By that I mean that Monica Ramirez Basco is the caliber of expert I will reach out to for the story. If I can't get Basco, I'll get someone else who's respected and nationally known. But by providing my editor with the name of the person I think would be a good source, I show him or her that I've already done some background research, and that I understand the importance of quality sources, especially when writing for a national magazine. 

If the story turned on Basco's participation--like if talking to her was essential for the story--I'd make it clear that I'd already spoken with her and had her agreement to be interviewed by me. (That's what I call the McCaughey Septuplets rule.) But for most pieces, giving an idea of the type of person you'll speak to is sufficient. 

Your assignment? Next time you send a query, make sure you suggest at least one source for the piece.  

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When Do You Contact a Source? The McCaughey Septuplets Rule, Revisited

New writers often ask me how to make their queries stand out from the pack, especially when they lack clips. The best way to do so is to craft a compelling query that shows you've already down researched the topic you're pitching. 

Depending on the topic, this may mean including statistics, recent research, or "live" quotes from an expert or another source. So how much time and effort do you put into the query itself? Do you interview a source before you get the go-ahead to do the actual article? Or do you wait until after you get the assignment? The answer depends on what I call the McCaughey Septuplets Rule.

Let me explain. If the story I'm pitching turns on someone's participation (such as with a true-life feature or a profile), I contact the person ahead of time to make sure he or she is willing to do the story if (and hopefully when) I get the assignment. I may also use this opportunity to do a brief interview with my source and include some "live" quotes into the query, demonstrating that I've already done my homework. 

I call this this "The McCaughey Septuplet Rule." Long before 19 Kids and Counting aired, the McCaughey Septuplets, born in November, 1997, were big, big news. Every few months, their beaming faces would grace a women's magazine.

So let's say you wanted to write a profile on the McCaughey septuplets or interview one or more of them for an article. Sure, you can pitch the piece, but if it gets assigned, well, you need the septuplets. No one else will do. 

Same goes for pitching an article about a particular celebrity. If you want to write about Matt Damon, you'd better confirm with his publicist he's willing to talk to you for the story. And if you plan to write about a researcher's ground-breaking discovery, you want to be sure she's willing to be interviewed for your story. Otherwise you'll be unable to write the promised piece. 

That's why I confirm that any critical story source is willing to talk to me before I pitch the story—I don't want to be stuck with an assignment I can't deliver. Otherwise, I note a couple of people who I "plan to interview" (note my phrasing--these are the types of sources I plan to talk to--if one isn't available, I'll get someone similar), and contact them once I get the assignment.

Get the idea? If the story turns on someone's participation, I get their OK before I pitch it. Otherwise I pitch it and contact my sources afterwards. That's the McCaughey Septuplets Rule, in short. Follow this strategy and you'll write stronger queries--and never be in the position of being unable to deliver a story you pitched. 

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The McCaughey Septulets Rule

To successfully freelance for magazines, you must be able to write compelling query letters. You make yours stand out from the pack by researching the topic ahead of time—and letting the editor know you've done so.

Depending on the topic, this may mean including statistics, recent research, or "live" quotes from an expert or another source. So how much time and effort do you put into the query itself? Do you interview a source before you get the go-ahead to do the actual article? Or do you wait until you get the assignment? The answer depends on what I call the McCaughey Septuplets Rule.

With some articles, contacting a source to write the query ahead of time is a smart move. How do you know whether it's necessary? My rule of thumb is this: if the story turns on the person's participation (such as with a true-life feature or a profile), then I contact the person ahead of time to make sure he or she is willing to do the story if I get the assignment. This also gives me a chance to do a brief interview and drop some intriguing quotes into the piece.

When I was teaching magazine writing, I called this "The McCaughey Septuplet Rule." Long before Jon and Kate Plus Eight (post-divorce, now Kate Plus Eight) came along, the McCaughey Septuplets, born in November, 1997, were big news. Every few months, their beaming faces would grace a woman's magazine.

But here's the thing. If you want to write a profile on the McCaughey septuplets, you need the septuplets. You can't just grab three sets of twins and a singleton, smush 'em together, and call them septuplets.

That's why I confirm that any critical story source is willing to talk to me before I pitch the story—I don't want to be stuck with an assignment I can't deliver. Otherwise, I note a couple of people who I "plan to interview" (note my phrasing--these are the types of sources I plan to talk to--if one isn't available, I'll get someone similar), and contact them once I get the assignment.

Get the idea? If the story turns on someone's participation, I get their OK before I pitch it. Otherwise I pitch it and contact my sources afterwards. That's the McCaughey Septuplets Rule, in short.

What about you? How do you handle this?