IN TODAY’S ISSUE:
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You need mindset and systems
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The 4 pieces of the pitch puzzle
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How to fix a broken career and declining income
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Hey everyone,
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Wordling newsletter! We’ve had a ton of new people join us this week, so in case you don’t know who I am, hi!
I’m Natasha Khullar Relph, an award-winning journalist, the author of eight books for writers, and the founder of The Wordling.
I started my freelance journalism career from New Delhi, India, met and fell in love with a British foreign correspondent, moved to the UK, and have been happily freelancing, writing books, and building content businesses ever since. (This is my story.)
My path is fairly unique because I never did things the way I was told to or the way I was “supposed to.”
I learned that when someone said it was impossible to make a living with freelancing, to earn $1 a word in your first month in business, or to sustain an author career long-term, all it meant was that, so far, it had been impossible for them. It meant nothing about me or my prospects.
I learned that when family and friends told me I was “crazy” for taking a risk in my career or business, it came from a place of love and protection. And that even though they were sometimes correct in the short term, chasing my dreams always paid off, in one way or another, in the long term.
I learned that you need the right mindset and the right systems. One without the other will only get you so far, but if you want to truly succeed—and enjoy that success—you’ll need to marry proven strategies with an abundance mindset.
I learned everything the hard way.
By trial and error.
Through suffering and martyrdom.
I don’t recommend that way.
Giving you the mindset, the resources, and the inspiration to do it in a different way is what this newsletter is all about.
So, I hope you’ll stay a while. I have a lot to share.
Enjoy the issue!
Natasha Khullar Relph
Editor, The Wordling
WHY YOUR PITCH DIDN’T SELL
One of the biggest reasons writers fear pitching or have a “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” mentality is because they think of pitching as a combination of guesswork and luck.
In my freelancing framework, I teach writers to see pitching as a puzzle.
If you can identify each individual piece and get that piece spot on, your pitch has a very high likelihood of success.
Then, if a pitch doesn’t sell, you don’t ask, “Why didn’t my pitch sell?” but “What about my story didn’t resonate?” or “Was this the right market fit for this angle?” or “Did I answer the three questions every editor asks about every pitch?”
Taking apart each individual piece allows you to identify the problem quickly and simply and, of course, fix it.
So what are the pieces of the pitch puzzle that you need to get right?
1. The story
When I look at pitches that haven’t sold (and I look at a lot!), the biggest problem is often the story. The stories either aren’t specific enough (not the right angle) or the writer hasn’t yet identified what the story is. I want to explore [subject] is not a story. If it’s not new or interesting, it’s not a story. If it’s not specific and focused, it’s a topic, but it’s not a story.
2. The audience
Who are you writing for? In my membership, Wordling Plus, we talk about pitching a lot. Any time someone wants to discuss an idea, one of the first questions I’ll ask is who the pitch is for. It could be a specific publication or it could be a certain type of audience. AARP and Teen Vogue may both talk about break-ups, but they’ll each come at it in a completely different way.
3. The timing
Why now? Evergreen content is great when you’re trying to create social media posts; it’s not particularly helpful when you want to land an assignment. If there’s no urgency in your pitch, there’s no need for an editor to assign it right away. Urgency in pitching doesn’t mean “buy it now or I’ll take it away.” It means relevance. Why is this piece important to write now? Is there new research? Is it a trending topic on social media? Is it something that affects the lives of people right now?
4. The execution
And now, finally, we come to the actual pitch. New writers think editors are buying your writing, which is why they focus on this piece first. Experienced writers know that editors are buying a story, which is why they focus 80% of their time on finding clarity with the right angle and the right hook. Once you have those, the pitch all but writes itself.
Pitching is only confusing or scary if you think of it as a guessing game. Think of it as a puzzle instead, and you’ll find your acceptance rates go up substantially.
If you like the way I approach pitching and want to learn more, I’ve put together a free masterclass. It will guide you through the process I use to help my students get multiple assignments worth thousands of dollars within weeks (sometimes days). Watch it here.
RESOURCES FOR YOUR WRITING CAREER:
🎥 [MASTERCLASS]: Are you multipassionate or are you using that to justify your lack of tolerance to sticking with one thing? That’s the question I needed to ask myself over and over again before I could fix a broken career, a declining income, and a pile of projects that weren’t going anywhere. Here’s how I did it.
🗂️ [DOWNLOAD]: Ever been told there are no well-paying markets left for freelance journalists? Here’s a list of 228 markets that prove otherwise. Each market on this list pays between $1 and $3 a word.
📝 [ARTICLE]: I’ve self-published 9 books. Here’s what I’ll do differently next time.
It’s too nice outside for the Wordlings to be working inside. Share The Wordling with a writer you know is procrastinating.