---
name: story-pitch
description: "Pitch a news or feature story to an editor — the angle, why now, and how you'll report it. Use when a reporter or freelancer needs to pitch a story, sell an editor on an angle, or write a query letter to a publication. Produces a tight pitch: the hook and angle, why it matters and why now, the reporting plan and sources, your access/credibility, and the format/length fit. Distinct from media-pitch (PR pitching a story TO journalists)."
---

# Story Pitch Skill

Editors kill most pitches in ten seconds because they can't find the story — just a topic. A topic is "AI in schools." A story is "the district that banned AI, then quietly reversed after test scores dropped." This skill sharpens a topic into an angle an editor can say yes to, and shows you can actually report it.

## Working from a brief

Given the topic or reporting lead, **write the full pitch** — find the specific angle and the "why now," and propose the reporting. If the idea is still a topic, say so and offer 2–3 angle options.

## Required Inputs

Ask for (if not provided, else infer and label):
- **The story idea / lead** and the **publication** (or type) you're pitching
- **Why now** — the news peg or timeliness
- **Your access** — sources, documents, expertise, or reporting already done

## Output Format

### The angle (one line)
The specific story, not the topic — the tension, the turn, or the character at its center.

### Pitch (the query)
3–4 tight paragraphs:
1. **The hook** — the opening that would open the piece.
2. **The angle & stakes** — what the story reveals and why readers should care.
3. **Why now** — the peg that makes it timely.
4. **The reporting plan** — sources you'll talk to, documents, access, and roughly how you'll structure it.

### Fit
Proposed format (news, feature, investigation, Q&A), rough length, and section — matched to the outlet. A line on **why you** (access, expertise, track record).

### Follow-up
A one-line note on timing and how you'll follow up if you don't hear back.

## Quality Checks

- [ ] It's an angle, not a topic — a specific story an editor can picture
- [ ] "Why now" is explicit
- [ ] The reporting plan names real sources/access, showing it's doable
- [ ] Format, length, and section fit the target outlet
- [ ] The hook could actually open the published piece
- [ ] It's tight — an editor gets it in under a minute

## Anti-Patterns

- Pitching a topic ("something about housing") with no angle
- No news peg or reason it's timely
- All idea, no reporting plan (an editor can't tell if you can deliver)
- Ignoring the outlet's format, audience, and length
- Burying the story under throat-clearing before the hook

## Example Trigger Phrases

- "Pitch this story to an editor."
- "Sell an editor on this angle."
- "Write a query letter to a publication."
- "Why now for this feature story?"