8 Steps to Writing a Companion Piece Pitch Letter

A great way to build your platform and get the attention of agents and editors is to write companion pieces that are adjacent to the topics and themes in your nonfiction book. Companion pieces help position you as an expert in the field you are writing about and can expand your readership.

(8 Steps for Developing the First 50 Pages of Your Nonfiction Manuscript)

The first step in selling an idea for a companion piece is to write a great pitch letter that will wow editors. Your pitch letter should be no more than 350 to 400 words, and should include a great hook, a detailed synopsis, and a short bio explaining why you are uniquely qualified to write this piece.

As a developmental editor who helps clients craft sellable pitches to top tier publications, I always recommend following these easy steps.

You’ve come up with a great idea for a story. Now you have to decide what kind of piece you will be writing.

Make sure you are clear about what type of piece you will be pitching before you pitch!

Once you choose the type of piece you want to pitch, it’s time to research the right publication for your idea. Editors can tell immediately if you understand the style and content of their publications, so read the last few issues of the verticals you plan to pitch and then match the tone of your pitch to the tone of their publication.

Following editors on Twitter to see what they post is a great way to find out the type of content they’re looking for, and many times, they put out calls for pitches. Before submitting to a publication, do a quick search to make sure they haven’t already covered the same topic within the last six months.

It’s challenging to make sure your topic stands out among the hundreds of pitches editors receive in their inbox. That’s why you need to come up with a unique angle on your subject. Think about what makes your story different and why you are the one to write this story right now. Your angle should be geared toward the publication’s audience and should include a solid takeaway.

For example, my book Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir is about being on pregnancy-related bed rest for five months in a rickety old farmhouse. I pitched Modern Farmer a piece called What Spending Five Months On Bed Rest in an Old Fashion Farmhouse Taught Me about how we struggled to manage our farm and the financial consequences we faced because I was unable to work for so many months.

Draw the editor immediately into your story from the very first sentence of your pitch and hook them so they feel compelled to keep reading. Get to the meat of your story and create a sense of urgency. Not only will this show the editor what your voice is like on the page, it will clue them into the tone and style you are planning to use for the full piece. Your hook should be no more than two or three sentences.

The synopsis is where you expand upon your idea and provide additional information so the editor can envision what the completed piece will look like. Include hyperlinks to studies and statistics to show you’ve done your research. If your idea is timely, explain why.

For reported pieces, include light pre-reporting. This means mentioning the research you’ve already done and the people you plan to interview, including their area of expertise.

This is also a good place to include the working title of your piece. The synopsis should be between one and two short paragraphs.

This is your moment to shine. Write a two-to-three-line bio that explains why you are uniquely qualified to write this story. Include links to recent and relevant clips and mention your work-in-progress if it is related to the topic you are pitching.

The final but most important component of your pitch letter is the subject line. This is because it’s often your first introduction to an editor, so don’t overlook this step. If your subject line doesn’t pique an editor’s interest, they may not even open your email.

Keep your subject line short and simple. It should include the word “Pitch” and the title of your piece.

To find the perfect title, scroll through the titles of other pieces on the publication’s website to make sure yours is a good fit. You may have to change the title for each publication you pitch. If your piece is timely, you can put the word Timely in the subject line.

A good rule of thumb is to only pitch one outlet at a time unless the piece is timely. If you are pitching multiple outlets with a timely piece, make sure to let the editor know it is a simultaneous submission.

For pieces that aren’t timely, if you don’t hear back from an editor, politely follow up in about a week. If you still don’t hear back, move onto the next publication.

Once you master the art of the pitch, it becomes much easier to sell your ideas. You’ll also begin to establish long-term relationships with editors, which will lead to more work down the road.

Remember, a unique angle, a great hook, a compelling synopsis, and a short bio are the key to a great pitch letter. 

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