{"id":2153,"date":"2021-05-28T13:26:06","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T13:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/"},"modified":"2024-11-18T20:18:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T20:18:06","slug":"5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/","title":{"rendered":"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Of what we\u2019ve unscientifically defined as the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/storyboard.nieman.harvard.edu\/stories\/7-fatal-flaws-of-story-pitching\/\">seven fatal flaws of story pitches<\/a>, this one probably seems the most lame. Of&nbsp;<em>course,<\/em>&nbsp;your idea is interesting; you wouldn\u2019t be pitching it if it weren\u2019t. (Unless, of course, you\u2019re vying to write some corporate annual report, where pay-per-word can compensate for mind-numbing boredom. We all need to pay the bills. Just don\u2019t lie for big money \u2014 or even small money. And pay attention to potential conflicts that might compromise a journalistic story you are passionate to do.)<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Back to the point: Why did \u201cFailure to be interesting\u201d make the list?<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Lots of reasons, but they all meet in the same center: Your idea might be dazzling, but your pitch falls flat. It fails to sell.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Have no illusions: Whether you are pitching a story as a freelancer or in your newsroom, you are selling it to editors. Those editors may not have your same interests or sensibilities, are distracted by competing demands, have to serve the priorities of their publication, and have to deliver. So their first take when they scan or hear a pitch is not to dig for the sparkle buried in the wall of words \u2014 or, as the old saying goes, find the pony in the poop \u2014 but to wonder:&nbsp;<em>Will it deliver?&nbsp;<\/em>Guarantee of delivery, to them, needs to check off all the boxes listed just above. Even those who are gifted at mining for that gemstone need to attend to all the rest. It\u2019s their job.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>That makes it your job to hand them a proven vein of ore that, with some pickaxe work on your part, will yield precious metal. Or better, hand them a chunk of rock that, with a little polishing, will shine. You have to interest them not in the wishful thinking of a raw idea, but in the promise of it.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Enough with the extended metaphor. How do you do that?<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-legacy-page-blocks legacy-page-blocks  \">\n\n    <h2 class=\"legacy-page-blocks-subhead\">Related stories<\/h2>\n\n    <div class=\" legacy-page-blocks-text\">\n            <p><a href=\"\/tag\/the-pitch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Check out \u201cThe Pitch,\u201d a series that looks at the elusive art of pitching stories<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/7-fatal-flaws-of-story-pitching\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get to know the seven fatal flaws of story pitches<\/a><\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n\t\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>First, when an editor asks you why a story matters, never utter these words: \u201cBecause it\u2019s\u00a0<em>interesting<\/em>!\u201d You\u2019ve just lost your sale.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Second, honor the basics of pitching \u2014 those mundane-seeming items like following&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/storyboard.nieman.harvard.edu\/stories\/2-rule-of-pitching-respect-submission-protocols\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">publication protocols<\/a>&nbsp;and writing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/storyboard.nieman.harvard.edu\/stories\/3-rule-of-pitching-flyspeck-your-copy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">clean copy<\/a>&nbsp;and doing a standard&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/storyboard.nieman.harvard.edu\/stories\/4-rule-of-pitching-know-whats-come-before\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">clips search<\/a>. Those things might not seem to reflect on the dazzle factor of your idea, but the lack of them will distract busy editors enough to undermine their attention to your idea.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Third, once you\u2019ve attended to those basics, here are some thoughts:<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>If you have a fascinating story in your sights, prove that to an editor by writing a fascinating opening.<\/strong> Don\u2019t seize up and try to write in stiff language; you\u2019re writing a story pitch, not a grant proposal. Write a tight opening that engages a reader the same way the lede to a story does. Find a character or scene from your pre-reporting that brings an editor into the world you want to write about, and makes them want to enter that world.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t have enough pre-reporting to craft a scene or character? Then build an engaging opening around the provocative question you plan to pursue.<\/strong> Make it a question that begs to be answered. This is especially important if you\u2019re\u00a0exploring a subject that\u2019s been written about before. Your pitch needs to quickly make an editor think about a known topic in a new way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Write that opening in the voice you want to write the story. <\/strong>Again, ditch the stiffness and demonstrate that you know how to write the story you are pitching. Is it whimsical? Authoritative? Mysterious? If you\u2019re a known staffer in a newsroom or contributor to a magazine, editors know what to expect from your keyboard and can focus on the idea you\u2019re scratching at. But if you\u2019re a newbie or a freelancer, you need to show your style.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>After that engaging opening, consider the big sell, aka the nut section of your pitch. <\/strong>Summarize the primary point or reason for the story. A lot of writers are tempted to get into the weeds of background. But before you can fascinate an editor with minutiae, you want to get them invested in the big picture \u2014 the why, why now, and why here \u2014 of your idea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Next, or even maybe just before the nut, sink the hook on what makes the idea \u2014 or your approach to the idea \u2014 novel.<\/strong> This is where you want to reach past an editor\u2019s broad knowledge of lots of subjects and get them thinking about something they didn\u2019t know before or thinking about a known subject in new ways.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Go back to the weeds a bit. <\/strong>Not with a magnifying glass, but with enough detail to let an editor trust that you know how to get the story.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be direct.<\/strong> Stay professional but get comfortable. You\u2019re speaking to an audience of one: that editor you want to sell. So think of your pitch as a letter to that editor, or even as a conversation over coffee or beer. Make your writing lean forward and look the editor in the eye. Don\u2019t sell anything you can\u2019t deliver \u2014 but do sell confidence in your idea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t lose an interesting idea in a boring pitch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[407],"topics":[],"authors":[3],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-2153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays-on-craft","tag-the-pitch","authors-jacqui-banaszynski"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle - Nieman Storyboard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Don&#039;t lose an interesting idea in a boring pitch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nieman Storyboard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-28T13:26:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-18T20:18:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"497\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"commonmedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"commonmedia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"commonmedia\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ad131fac9b2e8136d6171c8575cfc226\"},\"headline\":\"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-28T13:26:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-18T20:18:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":887,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Pitch\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Story Craft\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/\",\"name\":\"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle - Nieman Storyboard\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-28T13:26:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-18T20:18:06+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":497,\"caption\":\"Carole Smile via Unsplash\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/28\\\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Nieman Storyboard\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Nieman Storyboard\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/NiemanKOLogo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/NiemanKOLogo.svg\",\"width\":1,\"height\":1,\"caption\":\"Nieman Storyboard\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ad131fac9b2e8136d6171c8575cfc226\",\"name\":\"commonmedia\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7a67dac1d5145031a5e3f8bcb411f86c4aed5a7ebe4244392196080637ed18af?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7a67dac1d5145031a5e3f8bcb411f86c4aed5a7ebe4244392196080637ed18af?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7a67dac1d5145031a5e3f8bcb411f86c4aed5a7ebe4244392196080637ed18af?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"commonmedia\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/wp\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/niemanstoryboard.org\\\/author\\\/commonmedia\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle - Nieman Storyboard","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle - Nieman Storyboard","og_description":"Don't lose an interesting idea in a boring pitch","og_url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/","og_site_name":"Nieman Storyboard","article_published_time":"2021-05-28T13:26:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-18T20:18:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":497,"url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"commonmedia","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"commonmedia","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/"},"author":{"name":"commonmedia","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#\/schema\/person\/ad131fac9b2e8136d6171c8575cfc226"},"headline":"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle","datePublished":"2021-05-28T13:26:06+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-18T20:18:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/"},"wordCount":887,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg","keywords":["The Pitch"],"articleSection":["Story Craft"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/","url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/","name":"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle - Nieman Storyboard","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg","datePublished":"2021-05-28T13:26:06+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-18T20:18:06+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/carole-smile-H4N-QnsZ9vU-unsplash-1-scaled-e1622208121892.jpg","width":750,"height":497,"caption":"Carole Smile via Unsplash"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/05\/28\/5-rule-of-pitching-make-it-sparkle\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"#5 rule of pitching: Make it sparkle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/","name":"Nieman Storyboard","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#organization","name":"Nieman Storyboard","url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NiemanKOLogo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NiemanKOLogo.svg","width":1,"height":1,"caption":"Nieman Storyboard"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/#\/schema\/person\/ad131fac9b2e8136d6171c8575cfc226","name":"commonmedia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a67dac1d5145031a5e3f8bcb411f86c4aed5a7ebe4244392196080637ed18af?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a67dac1d5145031a5e3f8bcb411f86c4aed5a7ebe4244392196080637ed18af?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a67dac1d5145031a5e3f8bcb411f86c4aed5a7ebe4244392196080637ed18af?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"commonmedia"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp"],"url":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/author\/commonmedia\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2153"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12659,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153\/revisions\/12659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2153"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=2153"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=2153"},{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=2153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}