On Wednesday, March 4, eight ASJA members will get the chance to pitch their story ideas to Slate Magazine features editor Leah Prinzivalli during one of our most popular benefits: the well-regarded Virtual Pitch Slam client networking event.
Slate covers U.S. current affairs, politics, and culture. It pays $1,500 for features.
The March 4 Virtual Pitch Slam takes place on Zoom from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. VPS events are free. The only requirement is being an ASJA professional member in good standing — and signing up on time. Pitching slots are first-come first-served. Any ASJA member may attend the event to watch and learn, or listen to the recordings after the fact.
Registration to participate in pitching opens on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at noon ET. Look for the link on the main Virtual Pitch Slam page. People will be notified that they’ve been selected to pitch on Friday, Feb. 27.
How Virtual Pitch Slams Work
If you’re not familiar with Virtual Pitch Slam, it’s an hour-long online pitch session. An editor from a specific, pre-announced writing outlet starts things off by talking about the kinds of stories the outlet is seeking. Then, one by one, each ASJA professional member who’s registered for the slam has two minutes to pitch no more than two story ideas. The editor offers instant feedback, which could include a request for a follow-up email. Then it’s the next writer’s turn to pitch.
Virtual Pitch Slams are open to ASJA professional members only. However, ASJA members at any level, including associate and retired members, can listen in on pitch sessions. Listening in is a great way to learn about pitching. Members who attend but don’t pitch can use what they learn to pitch outlets after the fact.
For more on how Virtual Pitch Slams work, read the FAQ here.
How to Register for the March 4 VPS
If you want to participate in the March 4 event, log onto the Virtual Pitch Slam registration page as close to Feb. 25 at noon ET as possible. Because slots may fill up quickly and registration is first-come-first-served, it’s a good idea to write out all the following information in advance so you can cut and paste it into the registration form:
- Name
- Phone number
- LinkedIn profile
- Website or portfolio
- Short bio (120 characters)
Signups will close once all the slots are filled. Members who get a pitching slot will be notified on Feb. 27. Two standby registrants will be chosen; standbys should save the date and time on their calendars and have pitches prepared in case a registrant drops out.
ASJA members who want to listen in can join on March 4 at 3 p.m. ET. Watch ASJA promotions for the link. Attendees who are not pitching will be muted, and the Zoom chat function will be disabled so they cannot ask questions.
Virtual Pitch Slams are recorded and free for all ASJA members to listen to on demand; recordings of past sessions are available here.
Future 2026 pitch slams will take place in June, September, and December.
Pitching Slate Magazine
Here’s what Slate features editor Leah Prinzivalli shared about the types of pitches the publication is seeking, along with some examples.
Assignments. I’m looking to assign reported narrative features of around 3,000 words and up.
Pitch topics. Slate assigns across coverage areas, from an investigation into why golden retrievers are dying younger, to a first-person report on why Las Vegas has lost its luster, to a deathbed confession from someone who claimed he was recruited to assassinate MLK. The ideal Slate story is surprising and snappily told.
Fees. Rates for features start at $1,500 and go up.
Examples of stories they seek: The following are samples of the variety of features Slate is interested in getting pitches for:
Newsy Features – Surprising or compelling angles on recent news events, or just really good reporting:
- Jena, La., where Trump sends his deportees
- Smart angle on a Maine mass shooting
- More magazine-y treatment on a major news story
Location-based features – Where the writer goes somewhere, does something, or sees something, and writes a compelling story about it:
- The writer attends a Christian men’s retreat in rural Virginia to understand what American guys see in Trump
- The writer spends an evening with Trump’s favorite “alpha male influencer”
Classic Narratives – These have more typical “magazine feature” energy, but are typically well-reported yarns with some “why now” or newsy factors that explains why we’re doing them:
- The family that disappeared into the bush in New Zealand
- The woman who answers to calls on the overdose line
- The bible that oozed oil
Opinion Pieces – These take classically surprising or eye-popping Slate arguments and blow them out with added reporting and fun:
- In defense of Spirit Airlines
- Against bike helmets
- More people need to live in hotels, like they used to
Profiles or longform assessments – Writers of these may or may not have had access to the subject:
- Dan Savage, with access
- Charlamagne tha God, no access
- Following around a politician can be good, even if you don’t interview them
- Our beloved early Joe Rogan assessment, without access
Science Reporting – Ideally, something that intersects with everyday life:
- Why are golden retrievers dying young?
- Why did we EVER think red wine was healthy?
- The women who are doing IVF to have daughters
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Caren Chesler is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wired UK, Scientific American, Slate, and Popular Mechanics. Stacey Freed is a former ASJA vice president and currently co-chairs the Virtual Pitch Slam program along with Chesler and Wendy Haaf.