29 January 2019 – Paul Kelbie – Magazine and Newspaper Articles.

Our guest speaker this week described himself as a Hack Journalist. Paul Kelbie, originally from Aberdeenshire, has worked as a Freelancer for a variety of newspapers such as the Daily Mail, Times, Telegraph, Observer and Financial Times. He is currently the reporter for the magazine Scotland Correspondent which is a free website publication covering all things Scottish https://scotlandcorrespondent.com. He offered the following advice on pitching an article to a magazine or newspaper.

First and foremost was to check the magazine and become familiar with its contents. The next step was to ensure you were pitching to the right person and on the appropriate day of the week depending on the subject matter. Simple things to avoid your story being ‘spiked’, ie rejected at the outset, were to ensure you spelt your contact’s name correctly and to type your pitch in the body of an email and not as an attachment. Attachments would not be opened as there was the possibility of a virus being passed on. The catchline should consist of only eight to ten words.

Your pitch should indicate why you think it’s a good idea and why it’s timely and should consist of only three to five paragraphs. He also advised never to send it in a hurry; to leave it for a while then return to it as you would probably find points you wished to edit or improve upon. Unless it’s a travel article written in 1^st person, the article would normally be in 3^rd person. It should be concise and factual and include quotes of one or two sentences from any experts or interested parties. Sources of information should be credited. He explained there was no copyright on an idea and suggested that you pretend you are in a pub and telling a story.

If your pitch is accepted, ensure you retain your rights. Check the length required for the article, the deadline and who should provide images. Establish whether it is a negotiated fee or a kill fee, ie a fee paid if the article is not used. Finally, to follow up with a telephone call if you don’t hear anything and offer to send again.

A very informative session with Paul which was enjoyed by all.

Posted by Wilma Ferguson