We’ve got a new book out, 101 Things You Need to Know to Make it as a Travel Writer, that answers 101 questions that we hear from travel writers all the time that are holding them back from achieving their Dream of Travel Writing. To celebrate the new book, we’ll be tackling a new sticky travel-writing situation each Monday here on The Six-Figure Travel Writer blog.

“Should I include my interview sources in my pitch?”

If you find that you’ve been pitching pieces that are service articles or they are round-ups and you haven’t been hearing back from editors, it’s probably because your expertise isn’t good enough.

Obviously, it might be that the idea isn’t a fit for their publication, but if it is a great idea and you are not hearing back, then you may not be showing the editor clearly enough why you are the one who should be writing this piece. One of the best ways to do that is to say “I’ve already spoken with the owner of this business about being featured in this profile” or “I have a relationship with” or “I already know” or something similar.

One of the ways that you can make yourself more attractive to an editor and more qualified to write a story is to be self-aware enough to know when your expertise isn’t enough. If that is the case, you need to line up a source and be sure to mention it in your pitch.

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