Di – With the Craigslist posts it is difficult to find out who is sending the ad unless they chose to disclose it. So my best suggestion would be to pay close attention to the ad and follow the directions carefully. If they want 4 queries don’t send 3, etc. The best thing you could do is tailor your query to the ad specifications as best as possible.

If they do give a company name and they don’t say “No calls please” a quick call or email to get the correct person would be fine but almost unnecessary as the company is reaching out through an ad as opposed to you reaching out to them.

I look back to my frustration during my first year of writing and realize it wasn’t that my ideas or queries were bad — only that I had not taken the time to properly research a publication (and therefore often sent pitches willy nilly – i.e., tried to force a square peg into a round hole.)

Once I learned to do my research and custom-tailor my pitches to a publication’s specific editorial style and needs, my success rate went up dramatically.

Thanks for this timely tip!