Pitching Newspaper and Magazine Editors – The Difference Between the US and UK Market and Why It's Not All About the Pitch!

To set the ball rolling, here are some basic differences between the US and UK print media markets.

1) The UK newspaper and magazine market and audience is substantially smaller than in the US. Understandable if we consider a population of approx. 260 million in the States and a meager 60 million or so in the UK.
2) The US has a large subscription base. Most UK sales are from newsagents and shops / news stands and stores.
3) The UK utilizes freelance input to a greater degree than in the States.
4) US papers are more regionalized to cater for larger population, whereas UK national papers are the staple for breaking news and exclusives around Britain. (That’s not to say that regional do not break new stories they regularly do – but the money sits with the nationals).
5) Cheque-or-checkbook journalism is alive and kicking, and would you believe still growing in the UK.

So, how does that relate to freelancers pitching to these differing markets?

Take for example New York; the focus with New York daily papers is regional, on New York news. They have a large staff and reporters can attend a breaking news story within minutes. In the UK, the daily nationals have smaller staff bases and have to rely on freelance contribution to net the best stories from around the country. Hence, they buy more freelance contributions.

UK Cheque-book journalism, or cash for stories, makes it harder for papers and magazines to compete for certain exclusives due to money constraints, but it doesn’t stop them from hunting for the next best story or scoop.

UK national papers can break an exclusive overnight - out scooping long magazine lead-times, but UK magazines, especially entertainment and celebrity ones, have the advantage of being able to negotiate huge cash deals with their subjects for photos and exclusive rights to their stories and in the process, nabbing circulation away from their rivals.

With competition for scoops this fierce, editors rely on immediacy. If you wait you lose, hence this brings me back to pitching. If you have a great story or an exclusive, waiting for your email pitch to be read by an editor would seem like madness – wouldn’t it? In the UK, freelance writers tend to pick up the phone and pitch immediately and believe it or not, they can get a commission then and there.

You might be thinking that only relates to newspapers and exclusives, whereas you want to pitch a human-interest story or an interview with an emerging talent. Try and think of your idea as an exclusive. It should be. Until magazines and papers start printing old news and stories, than what you are pitching is NEW. What have you got that they haven’t? At a conference meeting, when ideas are blown out of the water due to cash deals made by another publication, editors still need exclusives of their own and that’s where you come in.

In my experience, the only reason US editors frown on telephone pitches, is because they would be bombarded with calls, but to be fair that does goes with the territory. Be confident about your idea, be clear that it suits the publication you are pitching and call. Why wait?

It’s not the pitching we should worry about, but the quality of the idea and its suitability for each individual newspaper or magazine. Get that right and I can assure you, both US and UK editors will be pleased you called.

Editors in both countries adopt a stern approach to calls. Can you blame them when most calls are from people with half-baked and half-assed ideas? Show them you are not that person. Do not be put off by their cold response, persevere and if the story is right, listen to them defrost.

So, in my humble opinion, it all goes back to the quality of the idea. A few moons ago, I got my first commission with The Observer, front page no less – I’m allowed on occasion to blow my squeaking trumpet a little – with a telephone pitch. I also secured a radio guest spot by phone and commissions from US publications that said they never take calls. I am not some great phone guru, or have a sales patter worthy of an infomercial, I simply gave it a go – nothing to lose approach – and I was too excited to email, write or wait.

Let every story excite you to the point where you can’t wait to pitch it. Chances are if you have done your research, have spent time pinpointing the correct editor to pitch, they will be just as excited to commission and pay you for your story.

It’s difficult being rejected, but it’s also difficult being a busy editor and having your time wasted by people who want to get into print, but can’t be bothered to check simple things like the editor’s name.

So, yes there are differences between pitching the US and UK print markets, but they end the minute editors are presented with the right idea.

So please, forget about the minutiae of pitching and work on the ideas, believe me - it’s worth it. A little extra effort and you will see freelance writing and pitching in a completely different light.

(As for voicemail – a smart trick, but with good research you can be smarter than that.)

Please let me know your thoughts and feel free to comment and ask questions. Always happy to hear from you.

Keep up the good work.
See you soon.


More on Pitching Pitching Editors by Phone - That's Right!

Useful link to UK papers and magazines Media UK

(Thanks for the pitchfork!)

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