Guide
Use a Two-Sentence Pitch to Decide What to Report Next
A short pitch template that joins a reader decision to an evidence path, with examples of what to report, narrow, update or park.
What should a two-sentence pitch accomplish?
A useful pitch names the reader's question and explains how you will answer it. It makes the assignment small enough to evaluate before you draft. It is not a trick for making any topic sound urgent; a weak evidence path should remain visible.
Try this working template:
“For [reader facing a decision], this piece will examine [specific question or supported finding]. We will use [records, comparisons or interviews] to establish [bounded answer], while checking [important uncertainty].”
Use “examine” when the reporting is open. Use a declarative finding only when you already have support for it. A pitch should not force the reporting to prove a predetermined conclusion.
Compare a topic with an assignment
“Write about AI in customer support” names a topic. It does not tell you who needs the piece, what they will learn or what you must report.
A hypothetical assignment could read: “For support leaders deciding which tickets to automate, this piece will compare the escalation rules in three documented workflows. We will inspect the available process documents and interview their owners to identify where human review remains necessary, without treating three examples as representative of every team.”
The second version gives you a reporting task. It also reveals dependencies: if the documents or interviews are unavailable, the assignment needs to narrow or wait. Do not replace missing access with invented examples presented as real experience.
Apply four editorial checks
| Check | A useful answer |
|---|---|
| Reader | A defined person facing a recognizable decision |
| Difference | What this adds to existing coverage or your own archive |
| Evidence | Sources you have or a realistic plan to obtain them |
| Boundary | What the piece will not be able to establish |
Then choose a disposition: report it, narrow it, update an existing article, or park it. “Park” is a productive decision when a future event or unavailable record controls the answer. Add the condition that would reopen it.
Match effort to the unanswered question
A pitch can expose work that is too large for one piece. If the answer requires several industries, a new dataset and dozens of interviews, split it into a reportable first question. Conversely, do not stretch a simple update into a long essay to satisfy a format.
Estimate the next concrete reporting action rather than promising an arbitrary completion time. The first action might be locating a filing, checking a definition or requesting an interview.
Revisit the pitch after reporting
Rewrite the two sentences when the evidence changes the assignment. Compare the finished headline and opening with the revised pitch. If they promise more than the reporting delivers, change them before publication.
Keep pitches beside your reader-question log and reported-angle worksheet. Together they preserve why a story entered the queue and what must be true before it leaves as a published article.