Of all the unsolicited queries I received during my years as an associate editor of at a major women's magazine, perhaps only 20 caught my interest. It wasn't for lack of quantity-I must have received hundreds of letters, even more emails, and numerous telephone calls. But most of the time it took barely half a minute for me to open an envelope, scan the letter, and toss it onto the quickly expanding "no" pile.

That sounds brutal, I know, but most days I was lucky if I even got enough done to spare the time to look at over-the-transom queries. An editor is always behind schedule, always up to her elbows in to-do lists, and anything that doesn't have to be done immediately for the day-to-day production of a magazine is-necessarily-very low priority. So editors throw up a wall to shield themselves from the constant barrage of unwanted information (in the form of PR flaks, press conferences, product launches, news releases-you name it). But once you know this, and come at the game with guile, you can write a query letter that drills through that wall, rather than bouncing off it and skidding into the reject pile.

Email, snail mail, and phone calls: No matter how you do it, it's the content that matters most. But different media have different strengths and weaknesses.

When you're introducing yourself to an editor you've never met, regular U.S. Mail works well. By sending your pitch on paper, you also insure that the person who opens that envelope has your resume and clips in front of her and doesn't have to fuss with email attachments. Another benefit: the opportunity to show off good-looking clips. But the drawback is that you have no guarantee that the person who opens up that envelope is the person it's addressed to. In fact, high-level editors rarely open their own mail. Their assistants-or even a summer intern-could derail your query before it even gets to the addressee, so if your pitch isn't interesting enough to pique their interest, Game Over. (Alternatively, however, the assistants could re-direct the pitch to someone who they think is more likely to be interested, which could ultimately work out in your favor.)

Email is good for testing the water-it's informal, non-intrusive, and free. You can be sure that the pitch is opened by the person it's intended to reach. But you can't be sure that the recipient opens up attachments, like a resume or clips. And because it's informal, there are a few pitfalls, too. I've received emailed queries from people who assumed way too much familiarity, including one in which the unsuccessful pitch-writer actually asked me about a bonus that the magazine's staff had recently received! Another problem with email is that because it's a less formal medium, people often aren't careful about grammar and typos. But as an editor, I look hard at any writing sent my way and assume that it's representative of a piece someone might write for me. Even in an email, every word you write will be scrutinized.

The phone is a bit trickier, and cold-calling an editor with a pitch is not something I'd recommend. In fact, most editors I know go to great lengths to avoid those kinds of calls. It's one thing if you're calling to make a quick introduction, if you've already corresponded via email, or if you're following up to make sure a query was received. But calling to sell an idea is rarely effective: It's harder to make an impression when an editor doesn't have your resume, your clips, or your thoroughly researched idea in front of her.

The worst queries I received were those that were vague, unformed, unresearched, or even addressed to a different person at a different magazine. Below are a few of my biggest pet peeves-address these, and you'll have a good chance at writing a query that makes an impact. First and foremost, know your audience. I can't emphasize enough how important this is, because ultimately it's up to you to help an editor visualize your piece in her publication. An editor can tell instantly if you're not familiar with her publication, and if you mail the same pitch to a zillion different editors you actually decrease your chances of success. If you don't know the magazine or paper all that well, go out and familiarize yourself by reading a few recent issues. Get to know the style, the common topics, the readership. Then, tailor your query to that publication, down to the section you think might be the best fit for your article.

Another common issue with pitches is when writers send something that's only half-thought out. An idea that occurs to you as you're riding the stationary bike at the gym is not enough for a query letter. (Yes, I've received some of those!) Take that idea and flesh it out. Make a few phone calls. Quote some good sources in the pitch letter. Show me that you've done enough research for me to feel confident that the piece isn't going to fall apart a few weeks in. I know it feels like a lot of investment for something that may not pay off but, to quote an old cliche: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." If you can impress an editor with your research skills and insight, even if she doesn't feel that your pitch is a good fit, she may keep you in mind when assigning future stories.

But how do you know if your idea is worth pitching? It should be surprising or intriguing or counterintuitive, or all of the above. It should not be a news story that's been floating around for a few days or weeks already, pitched on the off chance that an editor hasn't already seen it. We have. (That's our job.) But if you see a trend in those news stories that hasn't yet been covered anywhere, you're back in the game.

In order to show a potential editor that you've done all this work, start your query letter the same way you envision starting the article. Make it a story that drags a reader in and leaves her wanting to know more. Then explain where you see the article going-what areas are you going to explore, who else are you going to talk to, and how long do you think it will be? And also important: why are you the most qualified person to write the piece? If you have a PhD in science, say so. If you have a unique perspective as a result of your own research, say that, too. If you've unearthed information during your travels or through conversations with researchers that you think few other people know, definitely make a point to say so.

Bottom line, the best thing you can do when approaching an editor is to present yourself as professional, courteous, brief, enthusiastic, and well-informed. Writers with these attributes rarely cross our paths, so we cling to the good ones with a grip like Superglue.