Perfect Your Pitch
Demonstrate How You're the Right Candidate, or Writer, for That Gig
When I “escaped from the law” more than 25 years ago, I would have sworn that I would never return to it. I would have been wrong. Today my job (my day job, anyway) is writing legal content for the fastest-growing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) company in the Southeast. I get to work remotely, from the Chicago suburbs, for a company based in Atlanta. I love the work, and I love the freedom of remote work even more.
A job like this was never on my radar. When I lost my job in July 2023 thanks to my first-ever reduction in force (RIF), I scrambled to find a new job. I applied for dozens of positions, talked to recruiters, and networked my little face off. I looked for positions that I had some kind of background or experience in. I applied at fitness companies, health care companies (I specialized in service-oriented health and wellness content), and search engine optimization (SEO) agencies. And when I saw a job for a legal content writer for an ADR firm, I thought, well, why not? I already knew quite a bit about the law, having practiced for more than five years before I quit to write full-time.
Spoiler alert: I got the job, and found that I enjoy writing about the law much more than I enjoyed practicing law. More about that in another post.
Applying for a job is a lot like sending a query letter to a target market. You want to demonstrate your qualifications and show how your background and experience make you the perfect candidate for the position. When I applied at Aventon, an electric bicycle company, I highlighted the fact that I had worked for Dometic, an outdoors company. When I applied at Vital Proteins, I mentioned that I was a former personal trainer who had been writing about fitness and nutrition for years. So when I applied at Miles Mediation & Arbitration, you better believe I highlighted my legal background. My cover letter led to an interview, which led to a second interview, which led to a job offer … and here we are.
Do the same with your query letters, especially when you’re pitching a market that’s new to you. When I pitched an article on infrared saunas to Next Avenue, I mentioned that I had recently tried them, and was excited about writing about them. When I pitched a piece on how to get a job over 50 to The Girlfriend, I explained that I had recently found a new job after being laid off. You may not always have a personal connection to the subject matter you’re pitching, but showing that you have a background in the topic helps increase your chance of getting an assignment.
When you’re looking for a job, you want your cover letter to get you an interview. When you’re pitching a publication, you want your query to get you an assignment. Before you send that letter, double-check that you’ve shown the recipient of your pitch — whether you’re writing a cover letter or a query — how you are the candidate, or the writer, he or she has been looking for. And good luck!
I love this reminder, Kelly. Not having direct experience with a subject is something I think about often because I wonder if others would be in a better position to write about an issue. This was something I thought a lot about while writing my book but I decided I can lean what I *can* do well (research) and used that as part of my book proposal process. And like you, I was able to write about it. We need to get out of our own way and also remember to stop saying no to ourselves.