11 Things You Should Never Do When Emailing an Editor
A few months ago, we asked ten photo editors to tell us how they like to be approached. Almost every single one of them said the same thing: reach out via email. Especially when you’re contacting someone for the first time, email is the most professional way to do it—no DMs, no tags on Instagram, and certainly no text messages.
“I do try to reply to all emails, and although that sometimes just doesn't always happen, I do see them all,” Mark Murrmann, the Photo Director at Mother Jones, tells us. “Unless it bounces, I've seen it.”
With that being said, there’s a specific type of email he doesn’t like. “It happens a ton, but one thing that makes me cringe (and is frustrating) is when a photographer emails to ask if they can pitch me something,” he admits. “YES! Of course, you can. Part of my job is fielding pitches. By emailing to ask if you can pitch or send me work to look at, that email is eating up a bit of time. Just send it.”
He’s not alone; almost every photo editor we’ve interviewed has an “email pet peeve” they recommend avoiding. In this quick guide, we’ll walk you through the common mistakes people make when drafting an email. Thankfully they’re all easy to fix!