Full Pitch Email – Mini Outline & Sources
Turn loose ideas into clear, commission-ready pitch emails. This framework helps you map the email body, a tight mini outline, and your sources on one canvas — ready for magazines, blogs, and WIRED-style explainers.
Treat this page like a pitch control panel: choose an idea → fill 3 lanes → send one clear, confident email.
What is a “full pitch email + mini outline + sources” framework?
A strong pitch email doesn’t just say “I have an idea” — it shows what the piece will look like and why it is solidly researched. This framework gives you three lanes: the email body, a mini outline, and your sources and proof.
It works for digital magazines, guest posts, brand blogs, newsletters, and WIRED-style features. Fill the lanes, then paste them into a clean, editor-friendly email that is easy to skim and easy to say “yes” to.
Three lanes for every strong pitch email
Pick one idea and fill these three cards. Once each lane is clear, you can stitch them into a concise email that shows idea + structure + proof.
Lane 1 — Email body (subject, hook, close)
This is the text that lands in the editor’s inbox: subject line, greeting, one-paragraph pitch, and clear next step.
- Use a specific subject, not “Article pitch”.
- Open with a 1–2 sentence hook that shows the angle.
- Explain why now, why you, and what the reader gets.
Lane 2 — Mini outline (H1 + 3–6 beats)
This is the “skeleton” of the piece: headline idea and the key sections or beats the article will walk through.
- Write 1 working title and 1–2 alternative options.
- List 3–6 bullets that map to H2 or big beats.
- Hint at any visuals, sidebars, or interactive elements.
Lane 3 — Sources, examples, and proof
This lane shows you have receipts: data, studies, expert quotes, and real-world examples ready.
- List 3–7 links: studies, reports, or news items.
- Note possible experts or companies to quote.
- Mention any personal experience or past clips.
Use sharper pitches to earn from magazines, blogs, and brands
Editors say yes when they can see the piece before it exists. A clear pitch email saves them time — and gets you paid work.
- Land first assignments faster A pitch with outline + sources feels less risky to publish. Editors can picture the article inside their section immediately.
- Upsell to series & follow-ups Once you have one accepted pitch, you can propose follow-up ideas using the same 3-lane structure.
- Offer pitches as a service For brands and SaaS tools, you can pre-draft pitch packets for their blogs and newsletters — and charge a project fee.
- “I send fully scoped pitches with outline and sources.”
- “I specialise in idea development for [beat / niche].”
- “I can build pitch decks that turn into content calendars.”
These are easy for editors, content leads, and founders to grasp, and they clearly connect to paid assignments.
Workflow: From rough idea to full pitch email
➊ Choose one idea → ➋ Draft mini outline → ➌ Collect sources → ➍ Shape the email body → ➎ Personalise to outlet → ➏ Run the checklist and send.
Next you’ll see a demo pitch email built with this framework, plus templates you can reuse for different outlets and beats.
Demo: Full pitch email for “Auto-backup your phone photos to the cloud”
Idea: a practical guide that helps readers automatically back up their phone photos to a cloud service, so they don’t lose memories if they lose the device.
Filled lanes (rough notes)
- Pitch email (Lane 1): Subject shows outcome (“Never lose a photo again”); hook mentions recent phone-loss stats; short para on why readers care; one-line mini outline; links to 2–3 sources; close with request to write for their tech / how-to section.
- Mini outline (Lane 2): Working title, 4 main beats: choose a cloud app, turn on auto-backup, optimise data/storage, and troubleshoot common errors.
- Sources (Lane 3): Phone-loss statistics, cloud storage adoption data, product help docs, and a short personal story about losing photos.
Structured pitch email (ready to send)
You can paste this into your email client and tweak names, voice, and links.
Subject: Never lose a photo again: a simple guide to auto-backing up your phone
Hi [Editor first name],
I’d love to pitch a practical guide for [Publication name] on how readers can automatically back up every photo on their phone to the cloud — before they lose the device.
In 20xx, an estimated [X% of people] lost access to their phone data due to theft, loss, or damage, and many never recovered their photos. Most backup guides are either too technical or tied to a single product. This piece would be a clear, platform-agnostic walkthrough that gives readers peace of mind in under 15 minutes.
Here’s a quick outline:
- Working title: “How to Automatically Back Up Your Phone Photos to the Cloud (Before It’s Too Late)”
- Beat 1 – Pick your backup home: Compare major options briefly (iCloud, Google Photos, OneDrive) and how to choose based on device and budget.
- Beat 2 – Flip on auto-backup: Step-by-step for turning on automatic backup in each major ecosystem, with notes for iOS vs Android.
- Beat 3 – Control data and storage: Help readers avoid bill shock by managing quality settings, Wi-Fi vs data, and storage limits.
- Beat 4 – When backups fail: Common failure points (permissions, low storage, battery saver) and quick fixes anyone can try.
I’ll draw on [recent phone-loss statistics], platform documentation from [Apple / Google / Microsoft], and my own experience helping non-technical friends set up backups. You can see examples of my how-to work here: [link 1] and [link 2].
If this feels like a fit for [section or vertical], I’d be happy to draft a [word count] piece within [timeframe]. I can also suggest follow-ups on [related idea 1] and [related idea 2].
Thanks for considering,
[Your name]
[Website or portfolio link]
This example shows how email + mini outline + sources can live in one clean message without overwhelming the editor.
Fill-in-the-blank templates for full pitch emails
Use these templates as starting points. Replace each [bracketed text] with your own idea, outlet, and links.
Template · Pitch email to a magazine / editorial outlet
Template · Pitch email to a SaaS / brand content team
Template · Data / analysis style pitch
- Pick one publication you like and fill Template 1 for a fresh idea.
- Pick one SaaS tool you use and fill Template 2 for their blog or help center.
- Pick one dataset and fill Template 3 for a data-heavy outlet.
Over time, you’ll build a library of ready-to-send pitches that you can reuse, customise, and turn into steady paid assignments.
Click-through checklist: is your pitch email ready to send?
Use this interactive checklist while you draft. Click the boxes as you go. You can reuse this on any pitch where you combine email, outline, and sources.
Save this checklist with each new pitch. Over time, your “email + mini outline + sources” style will become a signature you can show to editors, clients, and content leads.