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When to Send Article Pitches (and Other Important Emails)

"Forcing a project to completion, you ruin what was almost ripe." – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

It feels good when you’ve done your research before pitching an article idea to an editor:

  • You know the publication’s audience
  • You know your topic offers value in unique ways
  • You know the editor’s content preferences and pet peeves

But you’re not done yet.

Although hitting the “send” button on your email seems like an inconsequential step in your article pitching process, I recommend pausing before you take that action.

That moment of excited impatience could spoil all the important research you’ve just performed.

Caution: avoid these days of the week

Have you ever suggested a fun activity to a friend, significant other, or family member when they’re in a bad mood, and they immediately decline?

Although they would normally love your idea, you’ve asked them at a time when they don’t want to be bothered.

I compare that experience to submitting an article pitch to an editor on a Friday or Monday.

Friday is a day to wrap up the workweek before the weekend and organize upcoming tasks.

Monday is a day to catch up from the weekend and start juggling pressing priorities.

When you reach out to someone you don’t know, your email might get lost in the hustle and bustle of those busy days. If you’ve worked with the editor before, it still might not be a priority to review your article pitch promptly.

Another warning

My theory about Fridays and Mondays is absolutely not a strict rule. After all, an editor may have requested that you submit a pitch to them on a Friday or Monday.

It’s simply a way to think about reaching out to someone when they might be more receptive to hearing your idea.

Keeping that guideline in mind, I’ve had a high success rate of getting responses from editors over the years.

Short-term and long-term to-do lists

We all have to prioritize our work, and there are two common types of to-do lists.

  • Short-term to-do lists: work that must get done that day … or that week
  • Long-term to-do lists: work that is not a top priority but needs to get done eventually

If you send an article pitch on a Friday or Monday, the editor might want to respond. But as they prioritize their work, your email could end up on their long-term to-do list (or even their I-keep-forgetting-about-that list).

Instead, if you send an important email on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, replying to your email might be viewed as a short-term to-do list item. It’s often a lot easier to tackle work as it comes in once the week is rolling along.

I used the phrase “an important email” above because this advice can also be applied to optimize your chances of reaching anyone (coworkers, managers, dental hygienists, etc.) at a favorable time.

People are people

You’re not sending a message to a continually enthusiastic robot that reviews all of the emails they receive with perfect objectivity and care.

You’re emailing another person … a human being.

Ask yourself:

How important is the content of this email for the recipient? Is it helpful to have this information right now? Or, is it just important to me because of the time and effort I’ve spent crafting it?

If it’s mainly important to you, is there a better time to send the email?

There may not be.

But pausing here gives you a chance to think about whether or not the person may prefer to receive it at another time.

What do you know about their current schedule? Do they have more free time the following week? If it’s an article pitch, would waiting to submit your idea until later in the year be beneficial?

Unless an email is urgent, I’ll wait a few days and then decide if it makes sense to send it or continue to wait.

What if you don’t hear back from the editor?

Of course, there is no guarantee you’ll get a quick reply — or any reply — even if you carefully choose when to send an email.

I like the Two-Week Rule when following up with an editor. One week can go by quickly, but after two weeks, it’s reasonable to check in to see if the editor is considering your topic.

And if you do get a response, it might not be the “Yes” you want to hear.

Pitches that are poorly researched or have grammar errors and typos will likely get marked as spam.

If you submit an article to a publication that doesn’t review unsolicited pitches, you likely won’t get a response no matter how compelling your topic is.

For example, Copyblogger does not currently review unsolicited guest post pitches.

There are also many factors out of your control, so be patient and don’t take any response personally.

Trust the editor’s judgment.

A different publication may be an even better fit for your idea … and a rejection from one editor creates an opportunity to explore other options.

Over to you …

What are your tips for sending article pitches to editors? Are there any days of the week or traps you avoid?

Let us know in the comments below.

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Reader Comments (13)

  1. I’m a writer who still has a full time job and when I pitch an article concept to an editor, I try to be conscious of the fact they are usually full time employees too. They may have meetings in the morning, sometimes well into noon, and it could be until evening time that they actually get to read their emails as opposed to skimming over everything. So, I’ve found that anywhere between brunch and 2pm-ish could make for a safe time to pitch an editor because that’s when they may be winding down from those meetings.

    And yes, not taking the lack of an editor’s response personally is one of the biggest parts of the battle. Is it kind of rude? Perhaps, but I think writer’s must understand that until that contract is reviewed and signed, editors don’t have to cater to them. Yes, they may be biased and may be sticklers to every mundane detail in a pitch, but that’s a necessary evil to being an editor. They are responsible for only the best ideas for their publication. So, it pays to really study the publication for the type of articles they post ahead of time. Are they heavy in celebrity coverage? Are their posts reliant on current news? I’ve found a great way to get an idea of a publication’s favorite topics is to monitor what posts make it to their front page. Design your pitches with that in mind and you may have more luck in getting your pitches accepted.

    • Thanks for sharing your experiences, Monica! Great to hear how you navigate this environment and how your full-time job helps you see the situation from an editor’s perspective.

      And yes, there are definitely necessary evils to being an editor. 😉

  2. Great post! I chuckled as I read it remembering when I worked for a publishing company before stepping out on my own as an editor. From my experience you are so right-on about Mondays and Fridays!

    The same unofficial rule applied to me in the years when I owned a manufacturing business. Monday was nearly always met with fresh problems that were time- and productivity-sensitive. If someone needed to make an appointment with me, I was most likely to be available midweek. And by Friday, I was tired and looking for any means to end my day a bit early–“owner’s perks!

    It’s true, that editor you’re reaching out to is a real person with more on their plate than your idea! Common courtesy and common sense just go a long way!

    Thanks for sharing!

  3. Hello, long time data architect and business intelligence consultant, and moving towards digital marketing + content generation for leads.

    I just wanted to mention how impactful this sentence was to my career and also something I tell every new consultant – “How important is the content of this email for the recipient?” I will probably paste that into our internal wiki.

    I find the editors I’ve worked with thus far are quick to change expectations from week to week, it feels no different than a regular consulting engagement, and I am having to reset expectations a bit.

    Now I’m starting to wonder more about leaning towards submitting my work, and this is barking right up that tree. I was starting to wonder where those best practices are – and boom – Copyblogger to the rescue.

    Thanks,
    Tyler

    • Reseting your expectations is a great point, Tyler. A flexible mindset can help you react calmly and think of your next best step faster. I’m glad the ideas in the post resonated with you!

  5. Hi Stefanie,

    A month back I placed a post on Positively Positive with its 2.5 million Fans on FB and 80,000 subscriber email list. Usually post stuff from celebs and established self help bloggers but they do accept community contributions here and there. In the past, I feared getting rejected and did not bother submitting. Then I feared wasting my time so hurried the submission, resulting in no response.

    Then, this time, I let the fruit ripen by reading pos pos posts for weeks, getting a feel for the writing voice of bloggers on PP, understanding how to mimic that tone, writing a pain-filled but pleasure-filled post, crafting a title I knew would get accepted, and then, pitching the article in a way that yielded immense benefits for the community readership.

    To do this right, be patient and embrace and release your fear of rejection, fear of criticism or fear of wasting your time. There is a good reason why it seems tough to get featured on famous blogs; most folks cower to their fears and either never submit or rush the process and few folks see it through.

    Thanks for sharing :)

    Ryan

  6. Hi Stephanie, I’ve read about the Monday/Friday email scenario before but never put myself in their shoes like you did here for us. Great points. I tend to send a lot of emails out on a Monday and make calls on Fridays. I will try to adjust going forward to see how it works. (A spreadsheet will help me to analyze).

    I always have to feel comfortable with a blog and their writers, owners before I send out a pitch. I get so many from others that I do know online.

    I like to have contributors that genuinely contribute to my blog via comments, etc. I also want to be sure they are not a fly by night type of blogger.

    Thanks for these wonderful tips and have a great day!


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