Preparing for PitchFest and tips for making the most of Health Journalism 2022
AHCJ Wellness Journalism 2022 is close to the corner, with lots of chances aimed specially at freelance journalists. Sign up by March 28 to choose gain of the early hen amount.
Editors meet up with with unbiased journalists at PitchFest at Overall health Journalism 2016. (Photograph by Pia Christensen)
1 of the most remarkable opportunities is PitchFest, which is scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, April 29. Sixteen editors from best publications are coming to the meeting to listen to your tale tips. They incorporate editors from AARP, WebMD, National Geographic, Daily Health, Kaiser Health News and NPR. Much more aspects about each editor can be discovered on the Friday occasion timetable page on the AHCJ website.
You ought to sign up in advance for each ten-moment appointment with an editor. The on the net indicator-up interval opens on Monday, April 4, 10 a.m. CST, permitting for a most of a few appointments. I would advise blocking out that time on your calendar now and preparing to sign up that morning. Some editors are incredibly common and appointments with them go rapid. The link to indication up will seem on the PitchFest site on the AHCJ website that early morning.
There is no assurance that you will get an assignment on the spot at PitchFest, but it does take place. You raise your likelihood of getting an assignment on the day or by comply with-up emails by coming to every appointment with a nicely-researched pitch.
The PitchFest website page has additional aspects about making ready for the party, such as five straightforward guidelines for PitchFest etiquette:
- Demonstrate up. If you fall short to present up for any of your appointments, you will not be permitted to indicator up in progress for subsequent year’s PitchFest. Also, be aware that the booked editor will have your title, possibly harming your popularity with that publication for many years to arrive.
- Get ready adequately. We have posted blurbs from editors describing what they want, so read those people to customise your pitch to what just about every editor would like. For example, information editors won’t want to listen to a pitch for a characteristic. Analyze the publication to guarantee your pitch is a good match.
- Get there in plenty of time. We will operate on time and we will run like clockwork. If you are late, you forfeit your pitch.
- Regard the time limit. When you listen to the 1-minute warning, get started to wrap up. When you listen to time termed, thank the editor and inform them that you will observe up with an email.
- Understand the boundaries. Please recognize that attending PitchFest does not warranty you a sale. It does guarantee you an prospect to pitch encounter-to-encounter to editors who are exceptionally tough to obtain, even by e mail.
Of class, unbiased journalists don’t arrive to the conference just for PitchFest. There are panels geared in direction of freelancers and panels to enable all journalists create their abilities. You are going to listen to from expert journalists and editors about how to craft a productive pitch, negotiate costs, discover sources, include narrative producing into your tales, and much more.
The panels at this year’s conference about significant health and fitness matters, these as climate improve, racial justice, the pandemic, most cancers screening and extra, will enable you make tale ideas. And each individual day, there will be opportunities to community with fellow journalists, panelists, editors and associates from hospitals and trade groups.
Karen Blum, AHCJ’s core subject matter chief on health and fitness IT and an independent journalist in the Baltimore area, has prepared a tip sheet for acquiring the most out of the convention. I hugely propose studying it right before arriving in Austin.
I glimpse ahead to viewing you at Wellness Journalism 2022!