We run a network of UK publications and read pitches every working day. The great majority get deleted in under four seconds, and it is almost never because the person had nothing worth saying.
It is because the pitch made it impossible to tell.
The four-second filter
An editor scanning a pitch is answering three questions, fast:
- Is this about something my readers care about?
- Does this person have anything specific to say, or is this generic filler?
- How much work is this going to be for me?
If the first line does not answer question one, nothing else gets read. Most pitches spend their first line introducing the sender, which answers none of them.
What gets deleted instantly
"Dear Sir/Madam, I came across your website and was impressed by the quality of your content." You did not. This opening is the single strongest signal of a mass mailout and it is present in perhaps half of everything we receive.
A list of ten titles. "Here are some topics I could write about: 1. The Ultimate Guide to X, 2. Top 10 Tips for Y…" Nobody has ten genuinely good ideas about one subject. This says you have zero, and are hoping one of them lands.
Titles that could be about anything. "How Technology Is Changing the Industry" contains no information. Compare: "Why three of the four MOT failures we see every week are the same £8 part." One of those is an article.
No mention of the link. If you want a link, say so in the pitch. Everyone knows why you are writing. Pretending otherwise means the conversation has to happen later anyway, and it makes you look like you thought it would slip through.
The wrong publication entirely. Pitching a cryptocurrency piece to a hiking title is not persistence, it is arithmetic — someone worked out that a 1% hit rate on 500 emails is five placements. Editors know, and it is why the good ones stop reading unsolicited mail altogether.
The structure that works
Three short paragraphs. Under 150 words total.
Paragraph one — the angle, immediately. One sentence stating the specific article you want to write, and why this publication's readers would care. Not your name. Not your admiration for the site.
Paragraph two — why you. The credential that makes this article worth reading from you rather than anyone else. Fifteen years in the trade, access to data nobody else has, an unpopular opinion you can defend. One sentence, no CV.
Paragraph three — the ask. The target URL, the anchor you would like, when you would need it, and whether you are writing it or would like the publication's team to. Direct, unembarrassed.
The pitch that gets published is usually the one that made the editor's decision easy, not the one that flattered them hardest.
A worked example
Subject: Pitch — why most home EV chargers are installed in the wrong place
I'd like to write 900 words on why roughly a third of the home EV chargers we install end up needing to be moved within two years, and the three questions homeowners should ask before booking. It's the most common complaint we hear and I've not seen anyone write it up honestly.
I've been an approved installer for nine years and we do around 300 domestic installs a year across the East Midlands, so the pattern is fairly clear from where I'm sitting.
I'd want one contextual link to our EV charger installation page, ideally anchored "home EV charger installation". Happy to write it myself this week, or send you the detail if you'd rather your team wrote it.
That pitch takes four seconds to evaluate and the answer is yes. It has a specific angle, a genuine reason this person can write it, and a clean, honest ask.
After the yes
Two things kill more placements at this stage than at the pitch stage.
Sending something completely different. If the agreed angle was EV charger placement, do not file 1,100 words about why electric cars are the future. Editors remember.
Fighting the edit. Every publication has a voice, and your draft will not match it. Changes to structure, headline and phrasing are normal and improve your placement. Resisting them marks you as someone not worth working with again — and repeat contributors get the best rates and the fastest turnarounds.
The shortcut
If you would rather not run this process across forty domains, our write for us page is one form covering every title in the network, and you get an answer within one working day — including a straight no with the reason, which is more than most outreach gets you.
Frequently asked
How long should a guest post pitch be?
Under 150 words. Editors decide within seconds, so a long pitch does not get more consideration, it gets less. Three short paragraphs — who you are, the specific angle, and what you need in return — is plenty.
Should I write the article before pitching?
No. Pitch the angle first. Writing 1,200 words before anyone has agreed a topic wastes your time, and it makes you resistant to the editorial changes that would have got it published.
How many publications should I pitch at once?
Pitch individually and specifically. A visibly mass-mailed pitch converts far worse than five tailored ones, and editors recognise the pattern immediately from the generic opening line.
Want this done rather than explained? We own 38 UK publications and place editorial articles and links on them from £65. Send the target page and we'll come back within one working day with a plan.