For organizations looking to tell complex stories, two encouraging developments in long-form journalism: 

• Axios reported online readers have been scrolling farther down article pages on their desktop computers during the pandemic, and 
• Twitter announced the acquisition of Scroll, which will enable the platform to integrate easy access to longform content. 

Neither of these developments fundamentally changes the media landscape, but they point to an appetite for long-form journalism that’s good news for coverage of important but complicated issues organizations may be tackling.

If you’re interested in pitching a long form story, it’s important to ask a few key questions before reaching out to the reporter:

• Is this “new” news and how does it contribute to the larger narrative?
• Can you offer the story as exclusive or a “first inside look”?
• How much access can you provide? Access is the most important ingredient to a successful longform story.

And if you don’t land a headline, there is still a reputational benefit to being quoted or referenced in broader stories, even if your individual contribution isn’t the main focus or takeaway.

If you believe there’s a complex story to be told and you have one piece of the puzzle, consider reaching out to a number of reporters who do that type of reporting well, including: 

• The Washington Post’s Jada Yuan
• The New York Times’ Matt Flegenheimer 
• The Atlantic’s Edward-Isaac Dovere
• WIRED’s Steven Levy, or 
• The New Yorker’s Sheelah Kolhatkar, among others.