When to use
- Pitching stories to editors (internal or external)
- Developing freelance query letters
- Refining story angles before reporting
- Competing for assignment in a newsroom
- Proposal writing for grants or fellowships
What's included
Pitch fundamentals
The five essential elements every pitch needs: hook, story, evidence, access, and ask.
Templates by type
Ready-to-use templates for daily news, features, investigations, op-eds, and freelance queries.
Angle development
Techniques for finding hooks, the "dinner table" test, and converting topics into angles.
Common mistakes
Examples of information dumps, missing news hooks, vague access, and no-stakes pitches with fixes.
The "so what" test
Before pitching, answer these four questions. If you can't answer all four, you're not ready to pitch.
Why this story?
What's the significance? Why does it matter?
Why now?
What's the timeliness or news hook?
Why you?
What access, expertise, or unique angle do you bring?
Why this outlet?
How does this fit the publication's audience?
Angle versus topic
Topic is what you're covering. Angle is how you're covering it.
| Topic | Angle |
|---|---|
| Homelessness | The family that's been on the housing waitlist for 3 years |
| Climate change | The town that's already moving because of rising seas |
| Healthcare costs | The insulin price that tripled while the patent was extended |
| Education | The teacher who's spent $10k of her own money on supplies |
Installation
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism.git
# Copy the skill to your Claude config
cp -r claude-skills-journalism/story-pitch ~/.claude/skills/
Or download just this skill from the GitHub repository.
Related skills
The pitch sells the story
Templates, angle development, and the "so what" test in one skill.
View on GitHub