story-pitch

Name: story-pitch
Author: jamditis

336stars57forks

How to install story-pitch?

jamditis/claude-skills-journalism/story-pitch

$npx -y skills add jamditis/claude-skills-journalism --skill story-pitch

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Craft effective story pitches for different publication types and formats. Use when pitching to editors, preparing query letters, or developing story angles. Includes templates for daily news, features, investigations, op-eds, and freelance queries.

Files · 1

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SKILL.md

1	# Story pitch guide
2
3	Good stories die in bad pitches. This skill covers pitch structure, angle development, and outlet-specific formatting.
4
5	## When to use
6
7	- Pitching stories to editors (internal or external)
8	- Developing freelance query letters
9	- Refining story angles before reporting
10	- Competing for assignment in a newsroom
11	- Proposal writing for grants or fellowships
12
13	## The pitch fundamentals
14
15	### What every pitch needs
16
17	1. The hook: Why should anyone care? Why now?
18	2. The story: What will you show/reveal/explain?
19	3. The evidence: What do you have? What can you get?
20	4. The access: Who will you talk to? What will you see?
21	5. The ask: What do you need (time, budget, resources)?
22
23	### The "so what" test
24
25	Before pitching, answer:
26	- Why this story? (significance)
27	- Why now? (timeliness/news hook)
28	- Why you? (access, expertise, angle)
29	- Why this outlet? (audience fit)
30
31	If you can't answer all four, you're not ready to pitch.
32
33	## Pitch templates by type
34
35	### Daily news pitch
36
37	For quick-turn stories to assignment editors.
38
39	```markdown
40	Slug: [2-3 word identifier]
41	Pitch: [One sentence: What's the news?]
42	Why now: [What makes this timely?]
43	Sources: [Who you'll talk to]
44	Timeline: [When you can file]
45	Format: [Length, multimedia]
46
47	Example:
48	Slug: Council-Budget-Vote
49	Pitch: City council votes tonight on controversial police budget increase.
50	Why now: Final vote after months of debate, protests expected.
51	Sources: Council president, protest organizers, police union rep.
52	Timeline: File by 10pm for morning.
53	Format: 600 words + photos from hearing.
54	```
55
56	### Feature pitch
57
58	For longer-form stories with more development time.
59
60	```markdown
61	## [Working title]
62
63	The story in one sentence:
64	[What is this story about?]
65
66	The hook:
67	[Why should readers care? What's the emotional/intellectual entry point?]
68
69	What's new:
70	[What do you know/have that hasn't been told?]
71
72	The shape:
73	[How will you tell it? Narrative structure, key scenes, characters]
74
75	Sources and access:
76	[Who will you interview? What will you witness? Documents?]
77
78	Visuals:
79	[Photo opportunities, graphics, multimedia]
80
81	Timeline and resources:
82	[How long to report? Write? What do you need?]
83
84	Why me:
85	[Your connection to story, relevant expertise, access]
86
87	Example:
88
89	## The last ferry captain
90
91	The story in one sentence:
92	After 47 years, the last original captain of the Staten Island Ferry is retiring—and taking decades of institutional knowledge with him.
93
94	The hook:
95	8 million New Yorkers depend on this ferry. Most have never met the people who run it. Captain Mike Carbone has seen mayors come and go, survived 9/11 from the water, and trained every current captain. His retirement is the end of an era.
96
97	What's new:
98	No one has profiled the ferry crews since the 2003 accident. Carbone has agreed to a ride-along on his final week. He's kept a journal since 1977.
99
100	The shape:
101	Narrative profile. Open with his final departure. Flash back through career highlights. Include voices from crew, family, passengers he's befriended across decades.
102
103	Sources and access:
104	- Carbone (confirmed, ride-along approved)
105	- NYC DOT ferry division chief
106	- Other captains he's trained
107	- Regular commuters
108	- His family
109
110	Visuals:
111	Photographer on ride-along. Harbor shots at dawn. Carbone's home with memorabilia. Archive photos from his collection.
112
113	Timeline and resources:
114	2 weeks reporting, 1 week writing. Need photographer availability for 3 early mornings.
115
116	Why me:
117	I grew up taking this ferry and have always wanted to tell this story. I've already built rapport with Carbone through initial conversations.
118	```
119
120	### Investigation pitch
121
122	For accountability journalism requiring significant resources.
123
124	```markdown
125	## [Working title]
126
127	The thesis:
128	[What we can prove / what we suspect]
129
130	Why it matters:
131	[Impact: Who is harmed? How much money? How many people?]
132
133	What we have:
134	[Documents, sources, data already obtained]
135
136	What we need:
137	[Additional reporting required]
138
139	Key sources:
140	[Who will talk? On/off record? Whistleblowers?]
141
142	Documentary evidence:
143	[FOIA requests needed? Court records? Financial filings?]
144
145	Legal considerations:
146	[Defamation risk? Source protection needs?]
147
148	Competitive risk:
149	[Is anyone else on this? Why now?]
150
151	Timeline:
152	[Realistic assessment of time to report, write, edit, legal review]
153
154	Resources needed:
155	[FOIA costs, travel, data analysis, graphics, multimedia]
156
157	Publication plan:
158	[Single story? Series? Rolling publication?]
159
160	Example:
161
162	## State contracts going to insiders
163
164	The thesis:
165	More than $50 million in state construction contracts ac

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story-pitch

336stars57forks

View on GitHub

How to install story-pitch?

jamditis/claude-skills-journalism/story-pitch

$npx -y skills add jamditis/claude-skills-journalism --skill story-pitch

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Story pitch guide
2
3	Good stories die in bad pitches. This skill covers pitch structure, angle development, and outlet-specific formatting.
4
5	## When to use
6
7	- Pitching stories to editors (internal or external)
8	- Developing freelance query letters
9	- Refining story angles before reporting
10	- Competing for assignment in a newsroom
11	- Proposal writing for grants or fellowships
12
13	## The pitch fundamentals
14
15	### What every pitch needs
16
17	1. The hook: Why should anyone care? Why now?
18	2. The story: What will you show/reveal/explain?
19	3. The evidence: What do you have? What can you get?
20	4. The access: Who will you talk to? What will you see?
21	5. The ask: What do you need (time, budget, resources)?
22
23	### The "so what" test
24
25	Before pitching, answer:
26	- Why this story? (significance)
27	- Why now? (timeliness/news hook)
28	- Why you? (access, expertise, angle)
29	- Why this outlet? (audience fit)
30
31	If you can't answer all four, you're not ready to pitch.
32
33	## Pitch templates by type
34
35	### Daily news pitch
36
37	For quick-turn stories to assignment editors.
38
39	```markdown
40	Slug: [2-3 word identifier]
41	Pitch: [One sentence: What's the news?]
42	Why now: [What makes this timely?]
43	Sources: [Who you'll talk to]
44	Timeline: [When you can file]
45	Format: [Length, multimedia]
46
47	Example:
48	Slug: Council-Budget-Vote
49	Pitch: City council votes tonight on controversial police budget increase.
50	Why now: Final vote after months of debate, protests expected.
51	Sources: Council president, protest organizers, police union rep.
52	Timeline: File by 10pm for morning.
53	Format: 600 words + photos from hearing.
54	```
55
56	### Feature pitch
57
58	For longer-form stories with more development time.
59
60	```markdown
61	## [Working title]
62
63	The story in one sentence:
64	[What is this story about?]
65
66	The hook:
67	[Why should readers care? What's the emotional/intellectual entry point?]
68
69	What's new:
70	[What do you know/have that hasn't been told?]
71
72	The shape:
73	[How will you tell it? Narrative structure, key scenes, characters]
74
75	Sources and access:
76	[Who will you interview? What will you witness? Documents?]
77
78	Visuals:
79	[Photo opportunities, graphics, multimedia]
80
81	Timeline and resources:
82	[How long to report? Write? What do you need?]
83
84	Why me:
85	[Your connection to story, relevant expertise, access]
86
87	Example:
88
89	## The last ferry captain
90
91	The story in one sentence:
92	After 47 years, the last original captain of the Staten Island Ferry is retiring—and taking decades of institutional knowledge with him.
93
94	The hook:
95	8 million New Yorkers depend on this ferry. Most have never met the people who run it. Captain Mike Carbone has seen mayors come and go, survived 9/11 from the water, and trained every current captain. His retirement is the end of an era.
96
97	What's new:
98	No one has profiled the ferry crews since the 2003 accident. Carbone has agreed to a ride-along on his final week. He's kept a journal since 1977.
99
100	The shape:
101	Narrative profile. Open with his final departure. Flash back through career highlights. Include voices from crew, family, passengers he's befriended across decades.
102
103	Sources and access:
104	- Carbone (confirmed, ride-along approved)
105	- NYC DOT ferry division chief
106	- Other captains he's trained
107	- Regular commuters
108	- His family
109
110	Visuals:
111	Photographer on ride-along. Harbor shots at dawn. Carbone's home with memorabilia. Archive photos from his collection.
112
113	Timeline and resources:
114	2 weeks reporting, 1 week writing. Need photographer availability for 3 early mornings.
115
116	Why me:
117	I grew up taking this ferry and have always wanted to tell this story. I've already built rapport with Carbone through initial conversations.
118	```
119
120	### Investigation pitch
121
122	For accountability journalism requiring significant resources.
123
124	```markdown
125	## [Working title]
126
127	The thesis:
128	[What we can prove / what we suspect]
129
130	Why it matters:
131	[Impact: Who is harmed? How much money? How many people?]
132
133	What we have:
134	[Documents, sources, data already obtained]
135
136	What we need:
137	[Additional reporting required]
138
139	Key sources:
140	[Who will talk? On/off record? Whistleblowers?]
141
142	Documentary evidence:
143	[FOIA requests needed? Court records? Financial filings?]
144
145	Legal considerations:
146	[Defamation risk? Source protection needs?]
147
148	Competitive risk:
149	[Is anyone else on this? Why now?]
150
151	Timeline:
152	[Realistic assessment of time to report, write, edit, legal review]
153
154	Resources needed:
155	[FOIA costs, travel, data analysis, graphics, multimedia]
156
157	Publication plan:
158	[Single story? Series? Rolling publication?]
159
160	Example:
161
162	## State contracts going to insiders
163
164	The thesis:
165	More than $50 million in state construction contracts ac

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type