When freelance science and technology journalist Lynne Peskoe-Yang made the leap from tutoring in writing and chemistry to science journalism, her landing was rocky at best. She didn’t yet have any published clips to prove her caliber to editors, so she sent college papers along with pitches to dozens of publications. She heard almost nothing back. “It can be demoralizing to go through that,” she says.
Eventually, Peskoe-Yang landed one of her first stories not in journalism but in science fiction. Tapping into her fandom for Mr. Robot, she took a creative swing and pitched a piece on the cultural relevance of the science fiction series to the now-defunct Ares Magazine in 2017. “It wasn’t really science-related, but it was entertaining and tech-adjacent—and a much more appropriate clip to send editors along with my pitches,” she says. That assignment helped her break into writing stories about the physical sciences, the beat she now covers.
Peskoe-Yang managed to work around a common conundrum many new journalists face: Having clips helps you land assignments, but how do you get that first, elusive clip? Pursuing a degree in journalism or completing internships or fellowships are straightforward ways to gather clips before entering the field, but those options aren’t always feasible. Higher education is costly, and some opportunities require relocation.
Fortunately, it is possible to secure an assignment without clips. In fact, they aren’t “100 percent necessary,” says Rachel Courtland, commissioning editor at MIT Technology Review. Courtland says that clips don’t necessarily provide insight into a writer’s skills since it’s not clear how much editing was involved in the final product. And many editors are happy to work with new writers. Doing so helps them find the “next set of really great reliable writers,” says Sarah Lewin Frasier, senior news editor at Scientific American.
Sometimes, the right story idea will sell itself. Exclusive access or niche expertise will make a writer stand out despite lacking clips. Journalists can also leverage their pitch or other writing samples to showcase their skills. And they can distinguish themselves by demonstrating other traits editors look for, such as good communication and adaptability.
Start with a Stellar Story Idea
One way for fledgling writers to snag an editor’s attention is with an idea they can’t refuse. “Bait them with the story,” says science and environmental journalist Yao-Hua Law, who co-founded the Malaysian environmental outlet Macaranga. Exclusive story ideas or scoops are enticing for editors, even if you are less experienced, he says. At Macaranga, for example, Law says editors primarily evaluate a pitch based on the story idea itself, rather than the writer’s experience or clips.
To find stories that will pique an editor’s interest, avoid major scientific journals, press releases, and conferences editors will have already assigned to their staff writers or regular contributors. Instead, lean into your curiosity and search for ideas that are unlikely to cross their desks. “In general, I am more likely to take a story from a very new writer if it’s in an unusual area, if it’s an unexpected story,” Courtland says. And if your pitch enters an area that’s already well-trodden, make it clear how your story will be different. “What kind of new twist do you have on a familiar topic?” asks freelance writer and editor Katie Ives.
Make your pitch a compelling mini-story of its own.
Mine your personal blend of expertise and experience for fresh angles or under-covered story ideas. Law’s background as a former insect ecologist helped him spot a journal article about how some female spiders prefer their mates to offer food before sex. That headline-grabbing study led to his first clip, in 2013, for The Scientist. In fact, Law was so new to journalism that he submitted an entire draft with his pitch. Writing on spec comes with the risk of doing work upfront without guaranteed payment and, in some cases, may turn editors away. “I think I was really very lucky,” he says.
Other story ideas might arise from an issue unfolding in your geographic area or something you’ve experienced firsthand. “You can bring a unique angle or unique take [or] personal connection to a topic that can be really helpful,” says Betsy Ladyzhets, co-founder and managing editor of The Sick Times. “You might not have writing experience, but you have another kind of experience.” At The Sick Times, for example, Ladyzhets says they value a writer’s lived experience of having long COVID or serving as a caregiver.
Keep in mind that even the most tantalizing story ideas will fall flat if they aren’t a good fit for the publication you choose to pitch or if the outlet has already covered something similar. Demonstrating a deep understanding of the types of stories a publication runs will help your pitch stand out even if you don’t have clips to offer. “Doing that background research is sort of the way that you prove that you are taking this seriously,” Peskoe-Yang says.
Showcase Your Writing in the Pitch
In the absence of formal clips, the pitch is the best chance a new writer has to show off their writing skills. A pitch can act as a sort of clip, says Lewin Frasier, who has assigned short stories for Scientific American’s Advances section based solely on a writer’s pitch. If a pitch is “really well written and interesting and explains things well, then I know that you’re going to be able to do it in the story itself,” she says.
A meticulously crafted pitch should articulate your idea clearly and concisely. Make sure it’s “not jumping from one point to another without a train of logic or some sort of narrative,” Law says. And check it carefully for grammatical errors and inadvertent mistakes, such as listing the wrong outlet or editor’s name, something he notes is “surprisingly common.”
Writing about a niche topic for smaller outlets can help land early assignments.
Sometimes, all an editor has time to read is the first paragraph, Peskoe-Yang says. So, pour all of your excitement about a story idea into the beginning of your pitch. A suggested headline is another place to stand out right away, says Juliet Beverly, senior editor of BrainFacts. “That’s the best place to show your personality and understanding of the story that you want to work on.”
Use the rest of the pitch to demonstrate that you have a firm grasp of your story’s angle and a vision for its scope and possible structure. “A very strong pitch is one that can give me a sense of how you’re going to take off and how you’re going to stick the landing,” says Alex Ip, founder of The Xylom, which covers global health and environmental disparities. Include a reporting plan with source suggestions and spell out any pre-reporting you’ve done. These elements give editors a sense of your reporting skills even if you don’t have published clips to point to.
With those basics in place, try making your pitch a compelling mini-story of its own. “Just as you want to capture a reader later, you need to capture the editor now,” writes Alejandra Manjarrez, a science writer based in Mexico, in an email to TON. Manjarrez recommends studying the narrative elements of stories you want to emulate and the pitches that led to those stories, such as those in TON’s Pitch Database. She says she used the examples there to help craft her first successful science journalism pitch, a story on the disappearance of dialects in northern elephant seals for The Atlantic in 2019.
Piece Together a Portfolio
Writers who don’t have published clips can still build up a portfolio of writing samples. Many budding journalists practice their skills by writing blogs or newsletters on self-publishing platforms such as Medium or Substack, or even on social media sites like LinkedIn or Bluesky.
“That’s a great way for us as editors to see your storytelling style, what you’re passionate about, and how you have the ability to translate difficult things to a general audience,” Beverly says. For example, Beverly recalls agreeing to work with a new writer based on the enthusiasm for neuroscience that came through in her blog.
If a pitch doesn’t pan out, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback.
Writers can also pursue assignments outside science journalism as a way to break into the field, as Peskoe-Yang did when she pitched her Mr. Robot story. This strategy also paid off for Ives, who landed her first story by writing fiction about her hobby, rock climbing, for Rock and Ice, now part of Climbing magazine. “I came into journalism in this sort of nontraditional way, in that I developed a reputation for knowing a lot about climbing, and then editors started coming to me rather than the other way around,” says Ives, former editor-in-chief of Alpinist. Eventually, those assignments led her to others covering adjacent topics, such as climate change.
Writing about a niche topic for smaller outlets can help writers land early assignments within a smaller subfield where there’s less competition, Ives says. Try pitching trade magazines for various industries or organizations, for example, or publications run by universities or scientific societies.
Nurture Relationships with Editors
Even without an assignment in hand, new writers can develop fruitful connections with editors they might pitch later on. One effective way to meet editors is in person at journalism conferences, Law says. And if that’s not possible, it’s okay to send a cold email introducing yourself. These initial emails can help you gather intel, such as any gaps in coverage they’re looking to fill. Nevertheless, some editors might prefer a pitch as your first contact, so don’t take the lack of response as a sign you shouldn’t send in a pitch.
Keep in mind these early communications might not turn into an assignment right away. In the case of this story assignment for TON, for instance, I initiated an email conversation with an editor more than a year before I pitched the idea.
As you interact with an editor, you can take steps to distinguish yourself as someone they’ll want to work with. When assigning stories, editors are also evaluating whether it will be a good experience working with a writer, Beverly says. Demonstrate dependability, professionalism, and good communication skills in each conversation. And be mindful of how you respond to follow-up questions about a pitch. “If you were able to respond with more nice writing and good explanations to more questions, that’s another good sign,” Lewin Frasier says.
If your pitch doesn’t pan out, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback—“anything you’re able to learn and incorporate,” Ladyzhets says. “Feedback is a very important part of building a relationship with an editor.” Applying what you learn to future pitches to the same editor shows an ability to improve over time—another trait editors seek in a writer.
Frequent rejections or silence from editors might lead new writers to assume a relationship isn’t worth pursuing. But remember that there are many dynamics at play that are completely out of a writer’s control. An outlet’s slate for new stories may be full, or an editor might have recently assigned a story on a similar topic. Keep sending pitches, and eventually the right idea will align with an editor’s interests and needs. “A lot of the challenges have nothing to do with being new,” Courtland says. “So, give yourself some grace and try to have some patience.”
Hasmik Kirakosyan is a health and science journalist, based in Armenia. She focuses on solutions-oriented reporting in health and medicine, and her work has appeared in Scientific American. Hasmik received her health and science journalism training through The Open Notebook and brings a background in alternative medicine to her work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and civil engineering. Follow Hasmik on LinkedIn.