What I actually look for when I read a pitch

I read a lot of writer applications and community pitches for InkRoar, and the pattern that predicts quality has nothing to do with credentials.

It's specificity in the first two lines. "I write about productivity" tells me nothing. "I track my own time in six-minute increments and I'm going to tell you why that's insane and also why I can't stop" tells me everything — voice, angle, and that this person has actually lived the thing they're writing about.

The pitches that get generic in the first two lines usually stay generic for the whole piece. The ones that get specific immediately are the ones I say yes to before I finish reading.

Part of the deeper dive: The Complete Guide to Interviewing, Negotiating, and Surviving the Year After a Promotion.