To the current/former journalists/editors: How can freelance writers balance pitching publications & protecting their ideas, especially when they're just starting out? For some more context, I pitched an editor one month ago with three different concepts. They never responded to me, but they did follow me on Twitter after I sent the email. Now, two very similar articles have appeared on their site within the past week. I've (unfortunately) heard of this happening before, but it doesn't make it any less discouraging.

1. Relatively few editors would have scruples about assigning your story idea to someone else. That happens sometimes even among staff writers, because editors typically think that execution matters more, since story ideas usually are a dime a dozen and take little effort. 2. Possibilities as far as pitching protectively: Try to think like an editor. Generally, they focus on getting the best piece they can, with as little effort and risk as possible. That means for instance they prefer to use freelancers (or staffers) they’ve previously worked with, who are reliable and who produce work that’s turnkey or close to it; who aren’t resistant to or defensive about editing; and who aren’t otherwise challenging to work with. For instance, if you’re hard to reach, that introduces more risk for the editor, because maybe the piece will miss deadline, and you’ll generally create more effort or stress for them. That means for instance if you’re new to them, you’ll have better odds if your work samples are strong and relevant; you know people whom the editors respect, who’ll vouch for you; you have work samples from larger media outlets / outlets with high standards. Basically, whatever you can reasonably offer to lower risks or friction helps you land work. You could try to start a relationship with a piece written on spec, but that of course is a bet that you’d be making, staking your time and effort. And if you take that route, I’d suggest that you first familiarize yourself with what the outlet publishes, so that whatever you produce can be as close to possible when it comes to quality, voice and tone, maybe focusing on the relevant audience’s needs or preferences, etc. Along similar lines, if an editor does give you a shot, do the above so that you file copy that requires little cleanup. In some cases, that can include good notes or links to sources, if anything in your piece needs fact-checking. You also might want to consider pitching simpler pieces first, or with sources well thought out. That can give editors the chance to assign you a story with less risk. Like if you pitch a complex or legally messy piece and they’ve not worked with you (or you don’t have a strong track record that they can vet), you’re less likely to get such assignments from better outlets. Of course, you stand a likelier chance of landing work at lesser outlets and building work samples, so you can climb your way to better outlets. But the trade-off then, if you’re greenish, is that your pieces might not be strong when you produce them and you might not get great editing and learn much. Basically, there’s no silver bullet for what you asked about. But good freelancers are tough to find, most editors would tell you. That’s because reliability, quality work, healthy collaborative skills and such aren’t a common combo. The freelancers I know with that get a lot of work and referrals, and are often booked months out.

Unfortunately this happens. Happened to me years ago when I pitched HubSpot a guest post, they said they didn't like the idea, and then 3 weeks later posted a post by their own writer with the exact same title. IMO, karma comes around. Best you can do is pitch, if they do you dirty then don't pitch again, remember who they are, and earn others away. The real way to mostly get around this is to build a relationship first. Help them with a quote for an article, etc. They will be much less likely to pull these shenanigans if you do that.

Worth noting that editors at news outlets tend to operate differently from content folks at businesses. I note that because Cassie mentioned former journalists. At news outlets, editors typically avoid quid pro quo exchanges or the like, because of ethical constraints. And they usually know plenty of freelancers they can tap and try new ones in limited circumstances. Many freelancers in news used to work f/t and have existing relationships. Editors at news outlets also tend to work under intense time constraints. For instance, when I made news decisions at CNN, I wouldn't focus on building relationships with any potential freelancers. The only times I cared about freelancers were when they could deliver pieces or newsgather what our staff couldn't. And we could come up with endless story ideas easily. What really mattered were which we'd prioritize and execute. In news, story ideas aren't typically seen as proprietary. If you pitch news orgs with that expectation, you will likely be disappointed.

That's really insightful @white-potato-56800 , thanks.

great insight @white-potato-56800, thanks so much for sharing. And so sorry that happened to you, @miniature-greece-54413

Sorry to hear! As someone who's been both a full-time journalist and a freelancer, my personal approach is to only put extended effort into idea development when I have existing relationships with editors. I know sometimes it's tempting to come up with great ideas for cold pitches, but it's usually not worth the time. I'd rather build up my portfolio with lesser-known publications, many of which still pay attractive rates. Over time, you can make your way into larger publications by way of referrals.

Thanks so much for the great advice, @flat-ghost-62800!