One Step Back †Using Smaller Markets To Break Into Larger Ones

One Step Back – Using Smaller Markets To Break Into Larger Ones When breaking into a large market – especially where you have no prior experience – rejection is a certainty. Not everyone can nail the perfect pitch on the first try, and writers should keep their heads up and keep trying. But what happens when the rejections keep coming in, no matter what you try? Each person would have their own reasons as to why they arent nailing the pitch. It might be the pitch being bland, it might be the ideas not hitting the target, or it might be good, solid ideas that have been covered already. To help hone what part of the process is letting you down, you can try pitching to publications lower down the rung. This move backwards can either be very simple or extremely hard, depending how niche your target publication is. Someone writing about technology could probably have an easier time than those wanting to write about model trains. If moving downwards seems impossible, consider going sideways: find a publication which doesnt necessarily feature your niche, but still utilizes it. Once youve found your target, its time to start! You may find that articles that were rejected from your original target are more than suitable for the smaller publications, given the fact that theyre in more need to fill up slots for their publication schedule. Once you get an acceptance, you can develop a working relationship with the editor: talk them through pitches, note what they reject and accept, see why they reject specific articles and hone your pitches and ideas to suit them. After a few months, you may begin to notice that the publication becomes very easy to pitch to. This means its time to spread your wings and go for bigger, better-paying publications – mainly, your original target! Use your new-found skills to make a second attempt at landing that acceptance. The best part is, any queries that fail to strike the fancy of your target can very easily become accepted ideas with the editor you work with. I learned this the hard way when I decided that bite-sized, factual articles would be great fun to write. I was first drawn to Listverse because of its simplicity: research ten points, write the article, send it in, and get paid $100 for the enjoyment of creating a well-researched article. It seemed ideal, but I couldnt break in at all. I decided to try the waters with another website, TopTenz, despite their paying only half of what Listverse does. They liked the ideas that Listverse didnt, and I began to work with the editor of TopTenz to get my ideas out there and earning some money. I learned a lot from the months of working with the editor, and when I look back at the pitches I gave Listverse, I cringe at how naive I was. While I still work with the TopTenz editor closely, I recently decided to use my new-found knowledge to try to break into Listverse once again. On the second pitch of my re-attempt, I got a green light that eventually lead to an acceptance and payment! I highly doubt I could have crafted a winning pitch if it were not for my experience with TopTenz. If youre having issues getting into a publication, try mastering the level below it. Once youve done that, the only feasible step is to move up – and thats when youll be much better equipped to land that gig youve wanted.