Following up on pitch emails: Here's how I don't forget
Three ways I make it easy to follow up on pitch emails to editors
I always mean to follow up with editors after I pitch them, but I am really, really bad at it. I’ve heard so many writers recommend following up as the key to building relationships, getting assignments, and essentially winning the freelance jackpot, but what usually happens with me is a pitch will be on my mind for the first few days after I send it, then my inbox is crickets and I shift focus to other things, then weeks go by and I feel like it’s way too late or I’d be bothering the editor if I checked in since they would obviously have written back if they wanted it. How can I be better at this?
What’s working for me lately is taking a few extra steps after I send the pitch to remind myself when to follow up. I usually put the reminder in a few places where I look on a daily/weekly basis, so I really can’t miss it.
Each time I send a pitch, I log it in my pitching spreadsheet. Pitches are organized by outlet with the date sent and section pitched, and there’s even a column where I list suggestions of places to recycle the pitch, so if I never hear from that original editor, I know where I want to send the pitch next. I typically follow up on pitches for online outlets a week after the original outlet (for print, it’s two weeks) unless their writers’ guidelines specify otherwise. So the spreadsheet will calculate that follow-up date for me so I don’t have to remember.
I’ll then add a manual note in my paper planner to follow up on that day with that editor (editors, usually, since I batch my pitching). I’ll sometimes add a note to my iCal just so there’s a visual reminder popping up on my screen.
Those reminders are well and good but, I’ve learned from experience, not enough to get me to follow up on my own. If my day was busy or the reminder slipped my mind, I’d be in the same boat as you….remembering, weeks later, that I’d not followed through.
Now I spend time once a week crafting those follow up emails. I’ve added it to another weekly routine of updating my portfolio with new clips, using one good habit that I do regularly to trick me into doing the one I struggled to be consistent with (if you’ve read Atomic Habits, you might recognize this as the habit stack). I’ll check my spreadsheet and calendar notes, open up those unanswered pitch emails, write my follow-up, and then schedule it to send when I want it to send.
Since I always use the same text for following up on pitches, it only takes a few seconds to paste my template into the email and schedule the send. Some writers follow up twice before moving on to another outlet, but I usually send one email. If someone writes me back way after the fact and the pitch hasn’t yet been sold elsewhere (this is how I got my Eater clip, btw), then I’m always open to discussing it.
I’ve arrived at this routine, which works for me most of the time, after trial and error. With time, I was able to see where along the process I was falling off and come up with a workaround that made me more consistent. Of course, sending the follow-up email still doesn’t guarantee a response from the editor...but it helps you feel like you did everything you could to find the pitch a home.
Substack update:
Quick update on the am-I-leaving-Substack question. I’ve made a list of alternatives that I’m currently reviewing, with the goal of having a clear idea of my best options by the end of the month. If you’ve got a Substack alternative you love, lmk and I’ll check it out.
Get your q’s answered:
Once a month, I answer your questions about the writing life and making it work for you. Want yours answered? Contact me here.
If you appreciated this, share it with a friend, or hit the heart at the bottom.
P.S. you can also give a tip, so I can keep helping other writers get better at the business side of the writing life.