Gone are the days when you'd call a reporter, leave a voicemail message, and pray you got a callback. These days, more reporters than ever are relying on e-mail pitches to review story ideas.

That's because e-mail is fast and efficient. Reporters can communicate with you by sending you a message at 11 p.m. while you're fast asleep. They can tell you "no" without having to talk to you. They don't have to spend valuable time listening to sources babble on the telephone. And they can jump to a web site for more information before deciding if they want to pursue an idea further.

Pitching by e-mail is sometimes more difficult than sending a pitch letter by snail-mail or calling a reporter on the telephone because with more and more e-mail being sent these days, yours needs to stand out from the rest. Yet your chances of getting a response are better than a reporter returning your telephone call, or calling you after getting a pitch letter.

For great advice and tips on how you can get your email pitch working for you, see Special Report #26 How to Make Your Story Pitch Stand Out in the E-mail Jungle