When you are sending in an idea, don't send your article in it's entirety but also remember to explain what your actual idea is rather than just writing about the subject/topic.
We often find that in our pitching exercises, students give lots of background about a topic without revealing their angle, making it hard to picture the finished article.
Here’s an example. If you want to write about running, don’t just talk in your pitch about the fact that loads of people took up running during covid and that it remains a passion for them. That’s a topic – it isn’t an idea.
You would need to be specific. For instance, you could write about three people who took up running in their fifties as something to do in lockdown over covid – and have now entered several marathons. Or you could write a feature about how people are now combining two lockdown trends – running and dog owning – and going out jogging with their pooches. You could find case studies and write a sidebar with expert advice on how to do this safely for both owner and pooch.
Do you get the idea? Once you have your general subject, make sure you narrow it down and explain exactly how you will approach it.
