They want to work with writers – be they on staff or freelance – who routinely come up with interesting ideas for stories that are perfect for their readership and then deliver on said stories with minimum drama, maximum efficiency, on deadline and free of factual, grammatical and spelling errors.

That’s the gist of what three leading business editors had to say when they talked during a recent teleconference hosted by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW).

The editors, Al Scott, managing editor of the Puget Sound Business Journal; Dave Kansas, chief markets commentator and former European markets editor at The Wall Street Journal; Derek DeCloet, a business reporter and editor at the (Toronto) Globe and Mail, and Bernie Kohn, a business editor at Bloomberg News, conducted the hour-long teleconference to help editors of newspaper business sections, business weeklies and other business news publications do their jobs better.

But it was easy to flip what they were saying on its head and use it as an instruction manual for how reporters and freelancers could do their jobs better too.

Based on their advice, as well as some of my own, here are 10 things you can do to make editors fall in love with your work, regardless what you write about:

1. Craft story ideas with a publication’s readers in mind. Make sure story pitches answer the question: why would the readers of this publication care? You can be sure editors read your pitches with that question in the back of their minds, so take the guesswork out of the process, and build the answer into your query. If you play your cards right, you might be able to use it as the nut graph in your story (more on that below). “If budget lines get (editors) excited that’s a good sign,” Scott says.

2. Don’t be afraid to talk. Some editors prefer to talk over ideas or completed manuscripts by phone, others prefer email and yet others like to keep an IM channel open on days they’re doing line edits so they can quickly ask questions and get answers on your story without having to check email. No matter what method they prefer, don’t be afraid to talk to an editor. One five-minute phone call can mean the difference between being frustrated by an assignment (or editor) or not.

3. Include a nut graph. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing 250 words or 2,500, include a explainer paragraph fairly high up that describes what a piece is about and how it fits into the overall context of a topic. Both help explain why readers should care, and as a result, read what you’ve written. For short stories, the nut graph can also serve as the lead. If you can’t explain in one concise paragraph what the story is about and why readers should care then chances are the premise of your article isn’t fully baked. If that’s the case, the editors suggested trying to explain what the story is about in 25 words or less to a friend or family member. And if all else fails, ask for help. “The challenge for nut graphs is the biggest in stories that writers are very close to, or on subjects that are moving very quickly,” DeCloet says.

4. Stick to simple story structures. To a person, editors on the SABEW teleconference call said they preferred longer stories written in chronological order v. structured in any other way. They’re easier for readers to comprehend.

5. Don’t skimp on details. Besides a strong lead and simple story structure, one of the most important elements of good storytelling is detail, and that comes from good reporting. The A1 stories that the Wall Street Journal is famous for depend on it, Kansas says. “The internal joke is that we want to know what they ate for dinner and the color of the clothes they were wearing….to show the thesis unfolding v. just telling it,” he says. “That’s very challenging for organizations to have enough time to do that kind of reporting. But at the end of the day, you need strong reporting.”

6. Submit stories with headlines and decks. By including a headline, even if you don’t have to, you show an editor you know what the story’s about and that you’re creative and helpful. Many news organizations have eliminated copy desks and now rely on editors and writers to come up with headlines and decks. By writing your own, you’re making your editor’s job that much easier, which will give them that much more time to spend on other things, like giving you more assignments.

7. De-”was-ify” copy before turning it in. That’s the term one editor on the call created to describe how he regularly goes through his reporters’ stories to remove  instances of passive voice. Once your story’s finished, read it through one more time to make sure everything’s in active voice, and to check on grammar and spellings.

8. File stories in a publication’s preferred format. Some publications don’t care whether you write in 12 point Times New Roman or 14 point Arial or if your paragraphs are indented or separated by a line of white space as long as your story is in on time and free of errors. Others need stories to fit into a specific format because it makes it easier for them to load into their content management system. Find out what your editor prefers. If you’re filing directly into a content management system – which is becoming more common – make sure you follow any rules about character counts for headlines or decks or for adding links, meta tags and other SEO elements.

9. Don’t get defensive about rewrites. To a person, editors on the SABEW teleconference said they go out of their way to handle requests for rewrites so as do to the least amount of damage to the writer’s work or ego as possible. Some use the sandwich method – praising what they can before and after pointing out what needs to be reworked. “It’s a tricky thing if you’re dealing with something the reporter has a strong emotional investment in,” Kansas says. If you know you have to have a difficult conversation with a writer, “steel yourself by reminding yourself that you’re the reader’s agent,” he says. “They may be your writer, but in that conversation you represent the person who’s picking up the paper, magazine, or reading the wire service and if you put yourself in that mindset and ask questions that start with why, how and what, you’ll extract some answers that will help (the writer) focus.”

10. Stay in touch. If you write for a publication on a regular basis – or even if you want to – check in with your editor(s) on a regular basis to let them know the status of any stories you’re working on and any ideas that you’ve come up with since the last time you talked. Editors would prefer to know in advance if you’re having trouble lining up sources, coming up with a lead or running into other snags. And by sharing ideas, you can get their input on the angle or direction of a story you’re thinking about pursuing. Of course the latter may not work with every publication you work with – especially if you’re afraid they’ll take your ideas and assign them to other writers. But it’s the way editors operate with their in-house writers, so by copying that process you’ll be a team player.

A crowd of more than 100 reporters and bloggers showed up for Digital Journalism Camp in Portland on Aug. 1. Everyone was there to figure out how they fit into a media industry that’s shifting away from old revenue and distribution models to new ones that aren’t yet clearly defined.

While the publications are changing, the basic tools reporters use aren’t. Here are some favorite reporting tricks of the trade I shared with a group of journalists, bloggers, consultants, PR reps and others at session called Journalism 101. You can see a slightly different version of this on the conference wiki here.

Read other coverage of Digital Journalism Camp on Oregon Media Central and Burnin’. (Note: I’ll add a link to a video replay of the conference once I find it – if somebody has this info, please ping me.)

Journalism Basics – Research, Interviews and Crowdsourcing

1. RESEARCH

What to do when you get an assignment -

• Familiarize yourself with the subject – do background research , talk to people
• Read what else has been written about it.
• Step away from the computer – go, see, do – and take lots of notes.
• Find the best sources – have one source lead you to others.
• Use public records – Find these online but also courthouses, etc.

What to do when you’re researching story ideas –

• Go through the same processes you’d use to research an assignment.
• At interviews, ask extra questions that could lead to insights into new topics.
• Develop your news sense – tune into what’s happening around you.
• Read: 10 places to find story ideas.

2. INTERVIEWS

Do your homework

• Read up on subject first so you’re not wasting time asking about things you could have found out in your research.
• Always double check name, age, title, etc.
• Write down questions – Even Oprah and Barbara Walters do it.
• If you feel prepared you won’t be as nervous.

Don’t be afraid to look stupid

• Ask “Can you explain that to me?” – If you don’t get it, your readers won’t either

Don’t let your subject off the hook – If they’ve evasive:

• Call them on it – Say “That didn’t really answer the question” and ask again.
• Move onto something else and come back to it later.
• Don’t take no for an answer. Ask, “Why don’t you want to discuss that?”

Get more details than you think you need

• Your editor is bound to ask about the things you didn’t
• You never know what detail you’ll need when writing
• It could lead to another story

If you’re pressed for time, ask the most important stuff first

• Highlight any must-have info before you pick up the phone.
• Don’t hesitate to ask for more time – if they’re already on the phone, they might be more willing to keep talking.

Call or visit sources multiple times if you need to

• For longer pieces you might not be able to cover all the material in one shot
• To get the facts straight
• To get reactions to info you got from additional reporting

Read:

• Asking the hard questions: top 10 interview tips
• Prepping for the big one – A dozen ways to ace a VIP interview.
• Keeping sources on the subject
• Stalking the reluctant source – 10 secrets to get anybody to talk
• Prep work is key to conducting successful phone interviews

3. CROWDSOURCING

Sign up for Twitter and use it to find sources

• Follow people involved in things you write about, then DM them for an interview.
• Ask them questions directly, or tweet questions to your Followers.

If you report on business, use LinkedIn

• Use LinkedIn’s Answers section to find subject matter experts
• Post questions in the Answer section to find sources – always identify yourself as a reporter
• Use People and Companies sections to find sources

If you have a blog

• Post questions on blog posts as you would on LinkedIn.
• Create polls.

Read:

• A writer’s guide to getting the most out of Twitter
• How writers can use LinkedIn (Part 1)
• How writers can use LinkedIn (Part 2)
• The secret to my LinkedIn success
• New ways to used LinkedIn to find story sources

4. WRITING SHORT

• Leave in only the best stuff.
• Use lists, bullets (like these!) and other short cuts to tighten up copy.
• Write from the top down, cut from the bottom up.
• What can you cut? Read your story out loud to see.

Read:

• A few words about writing short
• 7 ways to cut a story that’s too long

Here are links to other posts on freelance writing basics:

• Freelance 101: Getting started as an independent writer
• 25 tips for better freelance writing
• What editors want from freelance writers
• Why freelance queries get rejected

To get ready, I’m asking writers going to the camp, as well as WordCount readers and my crews on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to help me decide what topics to cover in the presentation.

I talk up the benefits of crowdsourcing in other aspects of freelance work, so I figured this is a good opportunity to practice what I preach.

The class is geared to entry-level reporters, writers and bloggers who’d like to learn some tricks of the trade from a old fart veteran. The class could also be helpful to freelancers or citizen journalists who’ve come to writing or blogging from a different career and need a better mastery of the basics, including doing research, finding sources, making corrections and prepping for interviews.

If you’re coming to Digital Journalism Camp, or will be reading the live blogs or tweets from conference sessions, what should I cover? Use this poll to tell me what you’d like to see. Feel free to provide additional feedback using the comments section.

If you can’t make it to the conference and don’t follow the tweets, I’ll be sharing some of my tips and tricks here in coming weeks.