When you’re writing magazine articles, the process is a lot different than when you’re writing blog posts or books. You have to think about things like word counts, format, and style guidelines.
And while I’ve written plenty of other things in my life, this is my first time writing an article in a magazine-y way. To be honest, it’s been a challenge for me! But for someone who’s never done this before and especially for novice writers these tips will help you learn how to make your pitch better than any other writer out there:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. The magazine writing industry has many fascinating and lesser-known facts waiting to be discovered. |
| 2. Print magazines hold a treasure trove of interesting tidbits and trivia that add to their charm. |
| 3. Sharing fun magazine facts over coffee can make for delightful and engaging conversations. |
| 4. To break into the magazine writing industry, aspiring writers need to build a strong portfolio and network with editors. |
| 5. Magazine articles come in various forms, including feature articles, profiles, interviews, how-to guides, and more. |
| 6. Finding magazine writing opportunities involves researching publications, following submission guidelines, and pitching well-crafted ideas. |
| 7. Standout magazine articles are well-researched, unique, engaging, and tailored to the target audience. |
| 8. A fresh perspective and compelling writing style can make a magazine article truly shine. |
Keep The Opening Paragraph Short
It’s important to keep the opening paragraph short and sweet. The introduction is where you immediately capture your reader with a hook or promise, so don’t waste time or space here.
You want them invested in what’s coming next, but not so easily won over that they give up reading after just one paragraph. Here are some ways to make sure your opening paragraph does its job:
Give the reader reasons to keep on reading. If this is an article about how Tinder has changed dating culture, you can mention something like “this is why millennials are now having sex with strangers.”
Mentioning the problem is always better than just stating it – people will be more likely to continue reading if they know what they’re looking for and why they should care about it.
Tell them what kind of content they’ll get as well as its purpose or goal – what do you hope readers will get out of this? What do YOU hope readers will get out of this?
Introduce yourself using your name and credentials (if any).
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Keep Early Paragraphs Short And Use Active Voice
When you’re writing for a magazine, you don’t have much space to work with. So it’s important to keep your opening paragraphs short and sweet. Don’t use more than two sentences and preferably, only one sentence! And don’t feel like you need to spend a lot of time describing the scene or setting up the plot that will come later in the article.
The same goes for active voice: it’s more concise than passive voice and easier on readers’ eyes (which are already being assaulted by all those photos).
Use Direct Quotes
Direct quotes are powerful. They show readers you have done your research, provide them with new information, and make your article more interesting.
Direct quotes also make it easier for readers to remember what someone said or thought in a particular situation. “People love hearing the words of other people,” says Rachel Bickham, author of The Book on Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (Writer’s Digest Books). “It’s authentic.”
You can find direct quotes everywhere. If a person is talking about his or her experience with something a product or service you should ask for permission to use those words in your article since they are copyrighted by the source. Or you can use indirect quotations and paraphrase instead: “I love this product because…”
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Print Your Article Out And Cut It Apart
You can do this by printing your article out and cutting it apart. While you’re at it, write in the margins with a highlighter or pen. If you’re feeling fancy, use a pencil to make notes in the margin that will still be legible when you go back and revise your story.
This is a great way to review what works and what doesn’t work in your piece. Plus, if you’re using modern technology to write on tablets or laptops with trackpads (or even just fingers), writing on printed pages will give your brain some rest from staring at an electronic screen for hours on end!
Make Sure Each Sentence Adds To The Narrative
The final thing to remember is that you don’t have to write your story in order. You can start with an ending and work backward, or even use a fun idea generator like Plot My Book or The Story Engine to help you figure out how your story will fit together.
If you’re not sure what to add or cut, I recommend looking at some of the articles from other sources we’ve linked above they often give examples of how they approach this process. You might want to consult our article about pacing if you feel like there’s too much information in one section and not enough in another.
If there are specific parts that aren’t working for me (or if I just want ideas), I’ll try moving them around until something feels better; sometimes this means going back through multiple times before everything fits together just right.
List Your Five Favorite Feature Stories About Your Topic
List your five favorite feature stories about your topic. What makes these stories great? What can you learn from them? How can you apply those lessons to your work? How can they help you pitch your story?
The first story that comes to mind is a piece by [NAME] titled “How I Learned To Love Myself.” It’s an account of the writer’s journey toward self-acceptance and self-love, and it’s told in such an honest and engaging way that the reader feels like they’re right there with her on that journey.
This is one of my favorite things about this article: how personal it is while also feeling universal at the same time, which is something many magazine articles struggle with.
You could also try looking for articles that have strong narrative arcs, where something happens over time.
These types of stories are really fun to read because they create tension between what happened at the beginning versus what happens at the end you know who ends up together but don’t know exactly how or why until later in the piece!
A third option would be tackling an issue that directly relates to yours, for example, if one of my favorite magazine features was about fitness (which it was), then maybe I’d want mine too!
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Identify The Publication’s Audience Before You Pitch
Before you pitch an idea, it’s important to know the publication’s audience. You should be able to identify its voice, tone, style, and history.
The next thing you’ll want to do is research what kind of content they’ve published in the past. Is it hard-hitting news and features? Is it more lighthearted? Having a sense of what they usually publish will help you pitch something relevant and appropriate for their readership.
You should also know how much money they have available for freelance writers and what kinds of things they’re willing to pay for (i.e., features vs columns vs reviews).
Write A Draft And Put It Aside For A Week Before You Hit Send
Now that your draft is in the mail, you may be wondering how to make sure it’s ready for editing. The best way to do this is by taking a break from the article and coming back to it with fresh eyes.
It’s hard for writers (myself included) to be objective about their work, which is why we often find ourselves thinking “This piece is perfect!” and sending it off without any revisions at all but this can often lead to an unpleasant surprise when our editor comes back with edits covered in red ink.
Instead of spending hours making minor changes right away, give yourself time to let your mind wander over the article before diving into editing. In his book On Writing Well: The Classic Guide
To Writing Nonfiction (30th Anniversary Edition), William Zinsser recommends taking at least a day off between writing your first draft and starting on revisions: “
Writing nonfiction once taught me never again to write directly on anything I’ve written until I’ve had a reasonable amount of distance from my subject matter I try not even read what I’ve just written if I can help it.”
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Build Relationships With Editors
The first step to writing for magazines is building relationships with editors. Editors are the gatekeepers of magazine writing, so it’s important to get to know them and make yourself a resource for them. As you build your pitch portfolio, consider what kind of information they need and how they can use it.
If you’re not sure how to start building these relationships, there are two great ways:
Ask questions! Editors love when writers take an interest in their publication and its readership demographics. If you want to write for a certain section or topic, but don’t know where to start looking online, ask the editor. They’ll be happy to help point out some good places for research!
Use social media! Social media makes it easy for writers like us (and even easier still if our parents didn’t buy us old-school record players) because many editors have Twitter accounts where they share news about upcoming issues or interviews with contributors who have written something cool lately.
Just make sure that any tweets from these accounts are appropriate before sending them along; nothing will kill an editor’s interest faster than inappropriate content showing up on their feed unexpectedly!
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Conclusion
The key to writing for magazines is to keep it simple and clear, but never boring. Don’t get bogged down in jargon or long sentences when you can say what you mean in three words or less. When you’re writing an article that requires research, make sure that every sentence tells readers something new about your subject matter otherwise they may stop reading early on!
And don’t forget: no matter how many editors read over your proposal before publication day arrives, they won’t be perfect humans either; so always keep a copy of the final draft on hand so if anything goes wrong during production there’s still time for corrections before printing begins.”
Further Reading
Unknown Facts About Magazines: Explore fascinating and lesser-known facts about the magazine industry in this insightful review. Read more
Facts About Print Magazines: Delve into interesting tidbits and trivia about the world of print magazines. Read more
10 Fun Magazine Facts to Share Over Coffee: Impress your friends with these fun and quirky magazine-related facts. Read more
FAQs
What are some popular topics for magazine writing?
Magazines cover a wide range of topics, but some popular ones include lifestyle, fashion, travel, health, technology, and business.
How can I break into the magazine writing industry?
Breaking into the magazine writing industry can be challenging but not impossible. Start by building a strong portfolio, networking with editors, and pitching unique story ideas.
Are there different types of magazine articles?
Yes, there are various types of magazine articles, such as feature articles, profiles, interviews, how-to guides, opinion pieces, and investigative reports.
How do I find magazine writing opportunities?
You can find magazine writing opportunities by researching publications that align with your interests, checking their submission guidelines, and reaching out to editors with well-crafted pitches.
What makes a magazine article stand out to editors?
Editors look for articles that are well-researched, unique, engaging, and tailored to their target audience. A compelling writing style and a fresh perspective can also make an article stand out.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
