{"id":2167,"date":"2021-07-08T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/07\/08\/6-rule-of-pitching-stay-focused\/"},"modified":"2024-11-18T20:20:45","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T20:20:45","slug":"6-rule-of-pitching-stay-focused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2021\/07\/08\/6-rule-of-pitching-stay-focused\/","title":{"rendered":"#6 rule of pitching: Stay focused"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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Forgive the movie reference, especially if you long ago ditched the Mel Gibson fan club. But a moment early in \u201cThe Patriot\u201d<\/a> offers apt wisdom when struggling with a story pitch.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The short version: Colonial settler Benjamin Martin (Gibson) has armed his two youngest sons with muskets and positioned them in the forest, above the road where the British are dragging his oldest son, who is to be hanged as a traitor to the Crown. Martin will do most of the blood work himself, but his boys need to take out a couple of Redcoats to give him an edge. He reminds them to target the officers, then calms them with a primary lesson of hunting:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cAim small. Miss small.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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It may sound like a negative \u2014 a prediction of failure, with a caution to keep aspirations low. But it really is quite brilliant shorthand for one of the most effective approaches to story pitching: Focus. Martin is reminding his sons that the narrower their aim, the more likely they are to hit their target.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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There are all kinds of things that can tank a promising pitch. But if there\u2019s a chronic, central weakness in the pitches I\u2019ve received and reviewed, it\u2019s lack of focus.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Lost in the weeds<\/h2>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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Reporters have to learn a lot to tell a little, and they can get tangled in the weeds of everything they learn. Multiple sources whisper in their ears. Their minds swirl with curiosity and connections. Every bit of information is linked to another, and then another. They aren\u2019t sure what will most interest an editor, so they lay out a smorgasbord, hoping something will appeal.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Related stories<\/h2>\n\n
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Check out \u201cThe Pitch,\u201d a series that looks at the elusive art of pitching stories<\/a><\/p>\n

Get to know the seven fatal flaws of story pitches<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\t\n<\/div> \n

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It\u2019s the pitch version of a notebook dump. But unless you\u2019re working with an editor who knows your work, and knows you will deliver after you muck around a bit, you\u2019re not selling your idea or yourself.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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A clear, focused pitch demonstrates confidence and professionalism. It shows you\u2019ve done enough pre-reporting to find the heart of a story idea, to know how it fits the publication you\u2019re pitching, and to know where you\u2019ll find sources. It shows you won\u2019t make an editor wade through the thicket for you. It shows you have the discipline to include necessary supporting information, but to leave out detail that may be interesting but too often becomes clutter.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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And if your pitch is accepted, it means you\u2019ve already done a lot of the hard work. You can use that pitch to navigate if you lose your way when reporting. It\u2019s a compass you can refer to again and again, helping track down the right sources, know what questions to ask, craft your lede and nut, even shape a structure.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Of course, touting the value of a focused pitch isn\u2019t helping you know how to write one. There is, alas, no handbook or checklist you can follow. Each idea presents a constellation of possible stories; each story can be done multiple ways for different publications. But you can help yourself along the way. Here are some ideas how:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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