7 Reasons Freelance Writers Don't Respond to Pitches

While freelance writers and publicists have different goals, the two are alike in at least one major way: Both must master the art of the pitch.

Just as freelance writers must learn what their editors are seeking in a pitch (catchy subject line? How long? How much personalization? What information to include? How much pre-reporting is necessary?), publicists must also learn the preferences of freelance writers or editors they’re pitching to land a story.

Say you’ve been pitching freelance writers and hearing crickets, despite having strong story ideas. What could be happening? Here are seven reasons a freelance writer isn’t responding to your pitch — and how to fix them.

1. You’re Pitching A Thing, Not A Story Idea.

Freelance writers may get anywhere from a few to a few hundred PR emails a day, encompassing a variety of personal pitches and mass e-mail blasts.

Writers tend to be more inclined to respond to a customized pitch, but even if you’ve crafted an email just for them, they may not respond if they can’t tell what story angle you’re proposing.

Emailing to share your current client list and offer assistance for any future stories is a good idea, but if you’re just pitching freelance writers to share that your client exists, there’s no effective call to action to get a writer to pursue a story (or respond).

Considering the volume of emails many freelance writers receive daily, the pitches that deliver a real story idea stand out above informational, generalized pitches.

Freelance writers face enough decisions in a day as it is, completing their basic work such as meeting deadlines and pitching editors — so minimizing the thinking they have to do about how to make a pitch work for one of their outlets will already set your pitch apart. 

2. They’re OOO.

Most freelance writers rarely use out-of-office responders on their email, even when they’re traveling or taking vacation. They don’t want to miss a new opportunity to work with an editor, and communicating that they’re not working at the moment may hinder those opportunities.

If you haven’t heard back from a freelance writer on a pitch, follow up in a reasonable timeframe, just in case they happened to be OOO when your first email came in. You can also check in on their Instagram (if it’s public) to discern whether they were traveling when you send the first pitch.

3. You’re Following Up Too Soon.

The art of the follow-up is as great as the pitch itself. A good general rule is to follow up after seven days, then once more after another seven days. If you still don’t get a response, consider repitching the idea elsewhere.

You never know when a writer might see your pitch and reach back out. It’s not uncommon to have writers reach back out following a pitch sent a year or more prior.

4. You’re Following Up Too Often.

Two follow-ups are enough when pitching freelance writers. If you don’t hear back from the writer after sending a total of three emails about an idea, move on to pitching another writer or outlet.

That said, even if you think the writer is not interested in your pitch because you don’t get a response, that doesn’t mean they won’t cover your idea in the future.

Freelance writers use their inboxes as a research tool, saving most emails they receive in case they need to reference them down the line. Don’t be surprised to hear from a writer a year (or more) after an initial pitch when they finally have the right fit for your idea.

5. You’re Pitching Something They Don’t Cover.

It sounds obvious that you wouldn’t pitch a food writer a story about a lawn care — but this happens way more often than you’d expect.

Beyond the unwritten rule of, don’t pitch a writer on a topic they have never written about, there’s a sneaky way publicists sometimes still try to do this.

Once you start to build a relationship with a freelance writer and they’ve written about one of your clients, it could be tempting to try to pitch them more stories on your other clients. After all, since you already have a good working rapport with that writer, it will be an easier lift to continue working with them rather than pitching new freelance writers, right?

This is a strategy I see many publicists employ, and it can work to an extent if your relationship is built on trust and you have multiple clients that make sense for their areas of coverage (i.e., multiple luxury hotel properties for a writer who covers luxury travel).

However, sometimes it goes awry. For instance, a publicist who’s just wrapped up a story about travel should not turn around and pitch that same writer a beauty product, or a kitchen gadget, or even a B2B company that doesn’t make sense for any of their outlets.

Not only is this an ineffective way to pitch a freelance writer, but it can also slowly erode your relationship with writers if you try to push other clients that aren’t a good fit. No one likes to feel like a means to an end, even if it’s disguised with cheery emails.

6. You’re Pitching Something They Covered Too Recently.

Another sneaky strategy I see PR utilizing is emailing writers to mentioning they saw their article on a particular topic (i.e., keto-friendly snacks) and then pitching another version of the same article, but asking them to include their client this time (or, to update a story to add their client — which freelance writers are very unlikely to do, or have the ability to do).

It’s important to remember that any good freelance writer is not going to write about the same topic on the same angle over and over. It just doesn’t make sense to repeat similar story angles, because if you do this at multiple publications, editors are going to notice and not commission you work in the future.

For PR, it’s great if you mention you saw a writer’s piece on a relevant topic, but then connect your pitch to it by suggesting a fresh story angle related to news, another perspective, another regional angle, etc. rather than pitching a new version of the same story idea.

7. They’re On Deadline.

Most of us probably have a habit of keeping our email tab open at all times. It’s unfortunately the nature of our industry, having to be highly responsive so much of the time.

Yet when writers are on deadline for an article or needing to get into deep-focus mode for research, they may need to get in the zone by closing out of their email.

That means that sometimes, they may go days without reviewing new pitches or responding to emails that are not essential (i.e., an editor’s request). If a great pitch comes in during one of these times, chances are, they won’t see it. That’s why it’s important to follow up, referencing points 3 and 4 above to get it right.

Tell me: How are you feeling about freelance writers’ response rates these days? And, do you prefer a short rejection email to no response?