OPE! Mixtape #72: My Updated 6-Point Pitch
Also, I talked to NPR about the recorder.
Welcome to OPE!, the newsletter by writer and music journalist Brady Gerber (me). Once a week, I talk about whatever I want and curate my favorite links and songs. OPE! is a podcast, too. All typos are intentional.
Well, hello there. How are you?
This week, NPR ran a feature about the recorder, and I was one of the many folks interviewed to discuss how great and special this musical instrument is, especially for accessible music education. I hope you read it.
Here’s the link: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/16/nx-s1-5456217/recorder-musical-instrument-schoolchildren
Also, the OPE! podcast is back for season two. New episodes to run on Thursdays for now. This week, I talk about Alex G. Here’s the Apple podcast link:
You can also watch on YouTube:
Elsewhere, part two of The Elements of Artificial Intelligence is now live.
Here’s the link: https://bradygerber.com/the-elements-of-artificial-intelligence/
This week, I added the rest of the sections that are also one-to-one to the original Strunk and White Elements of Style book:
Elementary Principles of AI Interaction (the art of turning AI chats into helpful conversations … still with boundaries, because it’s still just code)
A Few Matters of AI Form (e.g., assume everything you put into AI can be read and published by someone on the internet)
AI Concepts Commonly Misunderstood (AI vs. Machine Learning)
An Approach to AI Philosophy (again, be a person)
Stay tuned for more, as always.
Anyway.
This Week: The email pitch template I start with when I’m reaching out to publications for stories
This is a (very) simplified outline that’s one of many parts of a lecture I give every year to writing and journalism students at the University of Virginia with friend-of-the-newsletter and all-star human being Michelle (hi, Michelle).
Of course, there are several ways you can pitch someone. Some of my colleagues might send very different kinds of pitches. That’s cool. There’s no single “right” way to do this. We call it the 6-point pitch because most good pitches, regardless of format or content, usually hit at these six specific points.
Here’s our (simplified) 6-point pitch. The half sentence is a new addition by yours truly.
An attention-grabbing lede / an overarching thesis on what the subject is and why it’s so important
A good lede is hard to find and write, so do the hard part first. Start your pitch with how you think you can kick off your article and grab people’s attention. This sentence should immediately tell the editor why they should care … and more importantly, why they should keep reading your pitch.
Bad: There's this band called Mr. Farty Pants that I think is pretty interesting.
Better: Indie rock band Mr. Farty Pants has quietly become one of the most innovative acts in the post-punk revival, crafting politically charged anthems that blend 90s nostalgia with urgent commentary on Gen Z's climate anxiety.
Something surprising
Jump scare! Extend your lede with a take, angle, or piece of information that separates you from every other mediocre writer, including me. Give a concrete hook with actual numbers or data. Make sure this is actually surprising and verifiable, too.
Bad: Mr. Farty Pants have been working really, really hard and deserve more recognition.
Better: Despite having no major label backing, Mr. Farty Pants’s latest album 'Static Futures' has been streamed over 50 million times, with their track 'Borrowed Time' becoming an unexpected TikTok phenomenon among climate activists.
A connection to how your reporting will advance the story for readers of this specific outlet / mention the specific section and format where this story will live, and comparable features
The key is “for readers of this specific outlet.” Show that you actually read the publication, understand the audience, and that you’re not just sending a mass pitch. The same story is going to read differently in The Atlantic compared to The New Yorker, for example. Make sure your comparable features are recent and similar; bonus points that they’re written by freelancers, too, as opposed to trying to pitch a staff writer’s column.
Bad: I think Mr. Farty Pants would be great for Rolling Stone because you guys cover music, and I think readers would love this story.
Better: This profile would fit perfectly in Rolling Stone's 'Artists to Watch' section, similar to your recent feature on Mrs. Betty Betties, exploring how Mr. Farty Pants is channeling political urgency into accessible indie rock that's resonating with young audiences.
A brief explanation of why you’re the right person to cover this story
Establishes that you’re not some random person and that you have the relevant clips and history.
Bad: I have a blog where I write about bands I like, and I'm really passionate about music journalism, and now I’m passionate about Mr. Farty Pants.
Better: I've covered emerging indie acts for Pitchfork and The Fader, and I've been following Mr. Farty Pants since their early EPs, having interviewed them for a local music blog in 2022 before their breakthrough.
Author’s note: If you’re just starting out as a writer and don’t have any bylines yet, do what I did when I had no bylines: Start a blog, write about what you want to cover, then go to the publications you want to write for and say something like, “I’ve already written about Mr. Farty Pants on my blog, and I can expand upon my coverage for you.” Sometimes, you have to create your own work in order to get more work.
Your reporting plan, story structure, and specific questions that you will explore (OK if two sentences, thus the 1.5 point in the 6-point pitch)
Tells the editor exactly what they’ll get for their money: specific scenes, questions, and story structure.
Bad: I'd ask Mr. Farty Pants about their music and their influences and what they're working on next.
Better: I'll structure this as an intimate band profile following Mr. Farty Pants during their upcoming studio session, interviewing each member about their creative process and political awakening. I'll explore how they balance activism with artistry, their thoughts on social media's role in music discovery, and how they're navigating industry pressures while staying independent.
A news peg that explains why the story is important now
Explains why this can't wait; convey urgency.
Bad: Music is always relevant and good bands, like Mr. Farty Pants, deserve coverage whenever.
Better: With their major festival debut at Coachella next month and growing buzz around their upcoming sophomore album, now is the perfect time to introduce Mr. Farty Pants to your readers before they break into the mainstream.
There you go.
I hope it helps.
But enough about all that. Here are this week’s best links and songs …
MY FAVORITE LINKS OF THE WEEK / WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION
Claude can now work directly with your Canva designs (scary, but honestly, very useful)
Japanese grandparents created life-sized Totoro with bus stop for their grandkids (the best grandparents ever?)
Perfect one-pot, six-pan, 10-wok, 25-baking sheet dinner (the best part is the background music)
THIS WEEK’S MIXTAPE / WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
Silica Gel - “NamgungFEFERE” (ft. Japanese Breakfast) (The most interesting thing Japanese Breakfast has done this year)
Qur’an Shaheed - “Pulse” (wow, music that doesn’t suck; imagine Adele in a Supreme shirt)
Daphni - “Clap Your Hands” (oooooooooo I like a lot.Great video too)
runo plum - “Lemon Garland” (pretty!)
Joy Crookes - “Perfect Crime” (White Lotus core still going strong, I see, although this might be more Big Little Lies core; it’s HBO core, whatever)
GWENNO - “UTOPIA” (OK, still sorta HBO core)
Jeff Tweedy - “Stray Cats in Spain” (he’s back! A criminally underrated and strange-in-a-good-way solo career)
Kerosene Heights - “Forget It” (I usually have room for one math-emo rock band each quarter)
Chet Faker - “Far Side of the Moon” (Gives me the same bliss that stupid people get from Benson Boone)
Black Honey - “Shallow” (I forgot Charly Bliss released an album recently lol)
And that’s it. See you next time.
With love and all the other good things,
-b
Original OPE! logo by Claire Kuang. Words and cartoons by yours truly. My views don’t reflect my clients or the publications and brands I work with. Want to yell at me or tell me that I’m great? Here’s my website.
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