Take a big calming breath before you respond
The number one rule of email etiquette
Lottie’s finally finished writing her latest book, Dog Days Out London, while Steph penned this newsletter on the eve of her fourth trip to Machu Picchu so far this fortnight. April was certainly busy, so thanks for bearing with us as we took a much-needed break from this newsletter.
This month, we’re diving into the thorny topic of email etiquette. We spend so much of our working lives pinging emails to editors and PRs, but are there certain rules we should be following and how can we go about asking those awkward — but often necessary — questions?
We’ve got a series of boilerplates this month that you can use and draw inspiration from for having those tricky conversations via email:
Next week: Boilerplate #2: How to pitch a new editor and how to ask uncomfortable questions about rates and expenses
19 May: Boilerplate #3: How to turn down a PR pitch and how to secure extras on a press trip
26 May: Editor interview: an editor’s pet peeves around freelance emails, and what they’re commissioning right now
People’s careers have been made and broken by where they sit on the holy trinity of freelancing: a good writer, able to meet deadlines and a nice person to interact with. Hit two of those three and success is near-guaranteed.
But I think it’s being a decent human — in both email and in-person interactions — that sits at the apex of this trinity. I suspect we all know of someone or other within the industry whose reputation precedes them — and rarely is that a positive thing.
Sure, it would be lovely if we could rely on editors to treat us with the same level of politeness. A few months back, I received an email that insinuated I wouldn’t be sent any future work if I didn’t turn around some edits immediately (predictably, said editor had sat on the piece for weeks). I took some very deep breaths before I could respond in a way that wouldn’t see me blacklisted immediately and tried to remind myself it wasn’t personal and perhaps the wording of the email made the editor sound more forthright than they’d intended.
Unfortunately, the balance of power is forever tilted out of our favour, and it’s therefore up to us to be the adults in every situation (an edict a certain orange man baby would be wise to follow right now). We must be polite, amenable, accommodating; our emails often need to be the digital equivalent of a smile through gritted teeth.
Whether we like it or not, ours is an industry where interpersonal relationships are key and where we are judged on our character as much as our words. And that’s why meeting editors in person can make such a difference, and not only with the way they view us. We put editors on pedestals: they’re demigods to whose hands we so readily offer up our fate. When we meet them in the flesh, however, we’re reminded that they’re just like us: mortals facing the Sisyphean task of wading through an ever-overflowing inbox. Their occasionally terse emails (or even terser demands for rapid edits) are the product of someone without enough time to do their job.
Sound familiar? So perhaps the number one rule of email etiquette we should all be following is to give each other a little more grace. Remember the person on the other end of the email chain is a human just like you, and, where necessary, take a big, calming breath before you respond.
Boilerplate #1: Introducing yourself to a new editor
Entering a new-to-you editor’s inbox can feel like trespassing on forbidden territory. I know many of even the most experienced travel writers who rarely pitch to publications they’ve never worked with before because they think they’ll be dismissed out of hand because they don’t have an existing relationship with the publication. But editors move around and you can be quick to lose existing contacts at a publication, meaning sending out cold emails is inescapable.
While the quality of your story idea is undoubtedly the most important part of your email, introducing yourself to the editor is vital, too. It’s like professional speed dating: you’ve got less than 30 seconds to make it clear to them why you’re the only writer whose perspective on the story is the one they should publish. Do you have a personal link to the story? Are you the first writer to have been offered the trip?
Editors have different expectations of the level of detail they want you to include in your email, as our newsletter on the subject uncovered. But all of them want you to make their life as easy as possible. Link out to relevant articles from your portfolio — not just a general portfolio — that demonstrate your writing about a similar destination, topic or style.
The key is brevity. Mine typically look something like this:
Dear [this was for an editor at Outside],
[150-200-word pitch about a Chilean conservation story]
I'm a British travel journalist who spent three years living in Chile and frequently returns to the country. I've written about conservation for National Geographic Traveller and JRNY Magazine, and have been published by outlets such as The Telegraph, CNN Travel and many more. You can see my full clips here.
Best wishes,
Steph
Post of the week
Some painful home truths about the industry in this post on LinkedIn.
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Industry must-reads
Congratulations to all the worthy winners at last month’s Inspire Global Media Awards. You can find the full list (including Steph) here.
There are fewer than two weeks remaining to enter the Travel Media Awards, who rowed back on their plans to charge an entry fee after universal outcry and threats of boycotting from freelancers across the industry. Submit your entries here. Can we all rise up against the requirement to submit supporting statements next?
Steph attended the British Guild of Travel Writers’ Better World Symposium back in January, a one-day event with a slew of inspiring talks covering everything from inclusive storytelling to writing solutions-led features, all led by expert voices from across the industry. The BGTW has made all the talks free to download, regardless of whether you’re a member. Listen to them on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, and the BGTW’s Acast Account.
Want more travel writing tips to get your teeth into? Check out Meera Dattani’s webinar series on travel writing here — new webinars are coming, too, so keep an eye out here for announcements. Our online course has tonnes of tips and advice, too; head to our shop here.
I’m a social worker and I always remain polite even in the most stressful situations so it’s been a surprise to me how rude some editors are. I understand not having enough time to do your job and working to tight deadlines but I don’t think that’s an excuse for the way writers are treated. In many far more stressful jobs you would be fired for that level of rudeness and lack of professionalism.
The older I get, the more I think delayed responses prevent an absurd amount of unnecessary conflict.
Very few emails actually require an emotional reaction in real time, but a surprising number become worse because people answer from the first wave instead of the second.