Pitches wanted (SF music venues) | $250+ per article

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: SFGATE

Dan Gentile, Culture Editor at SFGate, is looking for pitches:

What's up freelancers, I'm looking to assign some SFGate profiles of San Francisco music venues. ~1000 words, $250+. But read below to understand what I'm looking for:

Literally one million people read SFGATE every day, people who love the city and its history, and have probably been to the Knockout or the Warfield or Public Works once or twice, but have zero interest in who's booked next week. This is the audience, not diehard music nerds.

I'm looking for writers who can show how a venue fits into the city's culture, history, and identity.

For instance, you don't need to have seen the Oh Sees play at the Chapel last year to enjoy this great
Madeline Wells story: https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Haunted-Chapel-SF-venue-ghost-girl-video-not-hoax-16527965.php

Another fantastic example is this El Rio history from Peter-Astrid Kane: https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/el-rio-san-francisco-lgbtq-queer-bar-16386002.php

Although most of his dive bar pieces aren't music related, Stuart Schuffman does an amazing job of summing up why these places are so important to San Francisco. Read all of his stories and you'll have a great idea what I'm looking for: https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/sf-madrone-art-bar-history-17352324.php

Please email a pitch that shows you've done research on the venue's history, make a case for why it's interesting to non music nerds, and includes a potential headline that makes me go "oooh!" (look to our other stories for examples).

And I'm also interested in historical deep dives into long gone venues, like this all-time classic from
Dianne de Guzman: https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/Home-Base-raves-Oakland-International-Trade-Center-16223043.php

A timely hook is nice, but so much of what makes these places great is their history/timelessness, so it's not 100% necessary. That said, please make sure we haven't written about them recently.

A FEW TIPS FOR FREELANCERS PITCHING STORIES TO EDITORS:

• Introduce yourself quickly with a couple of your best clips, that are relevant to the website
• Read the website that you’re pitching to, and show that by mentioning a story you liked
• Don’t pitch formats of pieces that aren’t published on the site (op-eds, poems, fiction)
• Send actual story ideas off the bat. Just a simple introduction and ask to write for a site will get ignored by most editors.
• Check that the website hasn’t already covered your idea, but make sure it fits with the site’s general style / format / length.
• Look specifically at headlines on the site, think about how yours can mimic them, and present at least one with your idea.
• Editors want to cover new ground, but it has to make sense for them. If you have an unexplored subject, explain why it makes sense in the context of the site’s other stories.
• Make the editor really want your story and it seem like you're easy to work with. This is literally a sales pitch.
• Write in a tone that shows you’re skilled, but don’t go overboard. If it’s a piece with a humorous angle, show that you’re capable of making it funny.
• There’s a difference between topics and angles. Dating in the pandemic is a topic. Dating an AI girlfriend app for a week is an angle (and I don’t recommend it). Come with an angle.
• Show that you’ve already put in some work and are familiar with the topic (initial research, obtaining access to sources), but don’t send completed pieces.
• Explain why this story matters right now, and why you’re the person to write it.
• Attachments are not recommended.
• Don’t pitch to multiple outlets at once, unless the story is super urgent.
• Follow up, but wait at least a few days unless it’s urgent or you already have a relationship with an editor.
• Don’t feel bad if your pitch isn’t accepted. I always viewed any reply from a new editor as a win, because it means I’m now on their radar and they’re more likely to reply to the next pitch.
• Keep a spreadsheet of editors you know so that you can easily reference where else to pitch next.
• Editors aren't going to steal your ideas unless they're shady, but keep in mind that they have staff writers, so if a story is something easy for a staffer to write it's less appealing
• Also, having a personal thread to a story is always good, but the story can't be just about your experience unless it's super interesting / unique, but also super relatable
• Okay that's it for now! Hope these tips are helpful.
• And if you're professionally entwined with the source / subject that's typically a red flag, unless you can show you're very much not biased by that and willing to be judgmental
• If the site is locally focused, have a local hook for your story or show that you've found other stories on the site that skew more nationally.
• Show why an average reader would want to click through to read the piece. Editors love niche pieces, but if it's a general interest site, the subject matter has to resonate with a large audience for it to be worth the freelance dollars
• An important addendum: forgive me editors, for I have sinned. I’ve made all these mistakes! I look back on some pitches and correspondence and drafts with absolute horror. But you only learn by doing, most editors understand that and are forgiving (or just will stop responding)

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Questions / submissions: dan.gentile@sfgate.com
• Website: https://www.sfgate.com/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: SFGate is an online source for news and entertainment related to the Bay Area. Provocative, energetic and unapologetic, the Gate is in constant conversation with the world's most eclectic region. More information here.
• Read through a selection of recent music-related stories/articles here.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a paragraph highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

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