1-on-1 Freelance Pitch and Ideation Coaching for Freelance Journalists and Publicists
With previous coaching clients and Approved Pitches subscribers landing stories on outlets like Architectural Digest, Business Insider, The Cut, Teen Vogue and Vanity Fair, I’m offering one-on-one ideation and pitch coaching for both freelance writers and for publicists.
Freelance writers will send three to six pitches and where they’d like them to be placed in a Google doc. I will drop notes in and we will get on a phone call or video chat and fine tune the story angle and the pitch in addition to prioritizing where to pitch. I will also make recommendations on what outlets I see the story landing, and if I have contacts, I will pass them along.
Publicists will send three to four pitches from one or more clients (their choice) in a Google doc. I’ll leave comments in the Google doc and we will get on a phone call or video chat to discuss the subject line, best practices for engaging freelance journalists and how to find journalist-ready angles to sufficiently tell your clients’ stories.
Corporate and Agency Comms Pitching Professional Development
Pitch coaching can also be available for your team as a professional development session via video chat or in-person. With insights from years of freelancing, I’ll change your approach to pitching and working with freelancers.
Email for coaching inquiries: contact@raewitte.com
TESTIMONIALS
PR Agency on professional development session for pitching:
”This writing class was a revelation! Rae’s tips helped our agency sharpen our writing skills, find the right tone/voice, and gain pitching confidence. Rae’s guidance and feedback were very approachable, and tips were easy to implement. Our team has a new outlook on pitch writing. We definitely recommend a session!”
—ASTRSK PR, A 2023 PR Net 100 honoree
“We recently had Rae join a StockX comms team offsite to share pitching tips and best practices for working with freelance journalists. Not only did she take the added step of digging into historical coverage of our brand and past pitches, she also shared actionable tips and tricks that we’ve already put to work. Implementing Rae’s insights has proven successful in our outreach efforts and we’ve been able to strengthen our relationships with both freelance and beat reporters as a result. The session was fun and engaging, and served as a great exercise for PR pros looking to level up their storytelling efforts.”
—Katy Cockrel, Head of Global Communications for StockX
“I worked with Rae for both media training and pitch critiquing and found immense value in her approach, which was direct, practical and most importantly, actionable. For anyone looking to understand how to get coverage in the types of publications she contributes to, her insights and accompanying newsletters are something of a secret weapon for publicists.”
—Helen Zhang, Director of Communications for Tend
Freelance Writers on coaching and Approved Pitches:
“What would’ve taken years to learn, Rae taught me in a matter of months. She helped me refine my pitches, jumpstart my social media presence, and taught me countless other writing tips I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Through her coaching, I’ve learned how to tell a story through a specific perspective but still appeal to a large audience. Her mentoring has led me to be published in magazines like Architectural Digest, Bon Appetit, Nylon, and more.” —Jack Riewe
Read his first paid story on Architectural Digest here: We’re All Talking To Our Plants, Right?
“As a new writer, I often feel stuck when my ideas get me nowhere. I reached out to Rae hoping she would offer me some guidance, and the feedback I received has since helped me a lot. My pitches are now better crafted, more concise and and I feel much more confident about the whole process. I’ve always tried to find information online hoping it would help me become a good writer. Even though there are countless materials online, nothing can beat speaking to an experienced writer and editor face to face. Rae answered so many of my questions about the industry and shared useful tips that I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. Two pitches out of the four I discussed with Rae have since been commissioned and I can’t wait for people to read the articles that originated from them.” —Tomasz Lesniara
Stay up to date on his work here.
“It's one thing to read a pitch guide, or understand the formula for a typical pitch, but seeing Rae's pitch guide where she breaks down the entire pitch and editing process was an entirely new insight into how to best land a piece. Reading Rae's newsletter helped me to understand exactly how clearly a pitch needs to be written, and also how to nurturing a relationship with an editor can lead to more work even after your story is filed. Rae's work is also an invaluable resource is learning how to effectively land PR-based pitches, and how those pieces may evolve and change throughout the pitching process.” — Sam Stone
Read his debut on Architectural Digest here: Meet the Duo Behind the Very Bright and Very Fun VeryGayPaint
"I booked a one-on-one with Rae so she could look at a few of my pitches and share her thoughts—I wanted to make sure they were strong enough before sending them to editors I hadn't worked with before. Rae took her time dissecting each one, offering helpful tips like "let them know why you are the person who should write this piece" and pointed out details I missed, like where it would be helpful to include a stat. I met with Rae a second time with a new batch of pitches, and we both noticed how much stronger the new ones were, and she helped me get them to an even better place. Now, I feel so much more confident pitching new editors." — Renée Reardin
Read her first Teen Vogue byline here: You Probably Waste A Lot More Food Than You Think