PITCH Shalin A STORY FOR FORBES

Shalin writes a column for Forbes to expand analysis, commentary, and coverage of a broad set of news and topics around the intersection of workforce development, higher education, U.S. science and technology policy, and emerging technologies. At the moment, special focus areas are community colleges and the future of work, how technology is affecting job quality, and U.S. federal or state public policy debates related to technological innovation and job creation.

Shalin frequently shares requests for examples, story ideas, or people to interview on Twitter and LinkedIn, so please feel free to follow. Below are examples of recent stories.

• Biotechnology Industry Gets A Boost From Community College Degrees

• New NSF Funding To Bolster Community College, HBCU Capacity For The Innovation Economy

• How AI Can Improve Job Quality

• Biden Administration Launches New Workforce Program For Emerging Technology Jobs

• Biden’s Labor Department Launches WIOA Campaign To Promote Job Quality And Equity

• Amazon Wants To Help Community Colleges, HBCUs Teach AI

If you have a great story idea for Forbes, Shalin would love to hear a pitch from you. A quick Google search will reveal lots of general best practices for a persuasive pitch, but a few specific requests:

• The ideal story pitch should be emailed in one or two paragraphs. Please provide background links as appropriate but avoid attachments as they get caught in spam filters. Pitches should be specific, concrete, and related to past stories and the focus areas described above. Including data points in your pitch is appreciated. No need to use overly flowery language. The merits or newsworthiness of your pitch should stand on its own.

• The best pitch makes it clear why the story is newsworthy and timely. Do you have new research or data with compelling findings? A news hook? An interesting example or case study? Pitches from academic researchers or professionals, authors, federal, state, or local, government agencies, and non-profit research organizations are especially encouraged to reach out. Pitches should cover topics and stories that have not been run by other media outlets.

• If you haven’t received a response to your pitch within three to four business days, it’s safe to assume that your pitch wasn’t a good fit, and you should try pitching it somewhere else. There are many reasons why a story may not work including timing, bandwidth, and fit. If your pitch wasn’t accepted, please do not feel discouraged. Please always feel empowered to pitch other story ideas in the future.

• If your pitch is accepted, you can expect a few follow-up questions over email, requests for phone interviews, and/or if appropriate requests for photos that might make for good visuals in the article.