SKILL-UP: Pitching op-eds with Linh Do, Purple Romero and Avik Roy

When it comes to getting published, many of us have gone through the heartbreak of failure. In fact, I think I have failed far more times than I have succeeded.

For a long time, I could never quite understand how to pitch my work properly and prove to editors that I am an authoritative voice on climate change. It can take years to perfect the art of pitching, as our panelists shows in this talk. But there are definitely some tricks of the trade that can help your pitches win the hearts and minds of editors.

That’s why we brought together some of the best pitchers in the business. Together, they have amassed years of experience - each going through a different journey from failure to success in getting their voice heard by the mainstream press.

Along the way, each of them has gained invaluable insight into what editors are looking for, and what can take your pitch from an “annoying email from an ameateur” to “an amazing new voice on climate change”.

It includes insights from Linh Do about publishing style guides, engaging editors and knowing your publication’s audience. Avik also shared his insights as an editor and some of the standards he sets for aspiring journalists. Finally, Purple shared some amazing stories about finding the unique narrative to shape your sources and your story around.

The skill-up ended with a bit of healthy competition, where Linh, Avik, Purple and Chris all tried to pitch a story about the Ban-Ki Moon summit in September. We will let you decide who the winner should be.

Linh Do

Linh is the director of The Verb, and has helped young journalists secure partnerships with Al Jazeera, Reuters and the Huffington Post. She is an absolute expert in demanding respect from editors, and will be our go-to-girl on how to promote your own voice.

Avik Roy

Avik is Senior Sub Editor of the Pioneer, one of the biggest english newspapers in India. As an editor, he oversees the op-ed section of the newspaper, and goes through the process of accepting and rejecting new pitches on a daily basis. Before he rose to the ranks of editor, he was also a measly writer, so lets hope he can still relate to our daily struggle to get noticed. He will be unveiling some of the things he looks out for in a new pitch.

Purple Romero
Purple Romero is currently the communications officer with the Climate Comission of The Philippines, and knows just how to get UN stories into the press. Before her current role, she was also a feature writer with Rappler (the biggest online news source in the Philippines) and the Jakarta Post. She has reported on climate change and the judiciary for Newsbreak, AlertNet Reuters and Asia Views, a regional magazine. Believe it or not, Purple has also published 2 books about politics in the Philippines.

We hope Purple will be able to shine some light on pitching yourself as a climate change reporter and making editors see just how sexy it really is.

The talk will occur on August 14th at 12:30 pm UTC or check out this link to see what time it will be in your closes city