How to pitch: Tips from Washingtonian’s managing editor

Editors are looking for “fresh voices” among freelancers in 2024 — making now a good time to evaluate how and to whom you are pitching your ideas. 

The Journalism Institute reached out to Washingtonian managing editor Patrick Hruby for his advice for freelancers heading into a new year and what writers can expect during the editorial process. 

What are your pet peeves about pitches you often receive?

Hruby: When the pitch itself is not well written … as if you’ve just kind of dashed off a quick email on your phone to somebody. You want to take time to make sure that your grammar is correct. Your sentences are clean. That all the information that I need to know is there but structured in a logical way. The way you write that pitch is giving me a little bit of insight into you as a writer. Also, don’t pitch me a topic. I’m looking for a story.

What kinds of pitches is Washingtonian magazine looking for?

Hruby: A pitch that has a clear story and has a connection to Washington, D.C., yet someone in Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix, or Chicago would pick up and read. A story that has a connection to the city and D.C. region, but also has national resonance. So, not just a great topic or a great idea, but an actual story with narrative, characters, and voice. And something that will still be a great story in three months, because our lead time is about two months. We are also interested in stories about ‘small w’ Washington. I mean, set in Washington itself. So, for example, like a real estate story about a developer and a house that is terribly built, or a nightmare restaurant story.

Can you tell me a bit about your editorial process?

Hruby: My job is to help the stories be the best they can be, so that means helping writers solve problems. I’d rather a writer come to me and say, “Hey, I am having trouble figuring out this part of the story”, and talking them through it, rather than the person just handing me a draft and me staring at it and having to figure out how to solve whatever problems I am seeing. To me it is a collaborative process. We are in this together. 

What is your story rate and how do you handle copyright issues?

Hruby: Our rates vary, but our starting rate is generally $1 a word. Our rights compared to other publications, are actually fairly generous in terms of what you get to keep and how you can use their material in the future. We have a six-month exclusivity after publication of the story, but after about six months, it’s not exclusive. You can use or license your story, or any part of it, but it just has to be identified as being published first by Washingtonian.

Do you have a pitching guide that goes into more details about how to pitch you?

Hruby: Yes, that is probably the best way to get started because it really covers the basics of what we’re looking for in a pitch.