Look Before You Query

query-letter-advice

I wanted to pitch a story on a local theatre company to a national magazine–a hard sell in most cases, but I had a hook and a unique angle I was sure would be a quick sell. I pulled the editor’s name, had a quick refresher on the publication to make sure they were still running a “culture” spin on some of their pieces and got ready to let fly with my killer query.

Then I wondered…has this already been done? Has someone beaten me to the punch? I couldn’t be 100% sure, so I played it safe and called my contact at the theatre company to see who’s done press with them recently.

My instincts were right in both cases—the story WAS a quick sell, and someone HAD beaten me to the punch. I was disappointed, but felt quite relieved that I hadn’t wasted my time querying OR revealing inadvertently to the editor that it had been many months since I last read her magazine.

Lesson learned for future reference—when possible, always ask the subject of your article who’s done press on them recently so you don’t waste time pitching to an editor who has been there and done that.