When it comes to establishing yourself as a professional writer, writing articles for magazines can be a good way to get your foot in the door. Not only does this job introduce you to the publishing industry, but it can also provide you with a valuable source of income, as well as credibility among editors.
Start by choosing a topic that interests you, and one that you have some expertise in. This will ensure that you are producing high quality, in-depth magazine articles.
Research your chosen issue thoroughly. This will help you understand it in greater depth and identify perspectives that haven’t been explored before. It will also give you a deeper understanding of your subject, and it will allow you to write with a fresh perspective.
Identify your audience
As with any other writing, you must know your audience when it comes to writing for magazines. Knowing their pain points, obsessions and yearnings will make it easier for you to find relevant angles for your articles.
Read the magazine regularly to get a feel for their style and what type of articles they tend to publish. This will help you determine whether or not your story idea is a good fit for their readers.
Query letter
When you’re ready to write your first article, send the magazine a query letter describing what you would like to write about and why it is important. Include a sample of your writing and some information about yourself as a writer.
Often, these letters are the only chance you have of getting your work published. So it’s crucial that you do them well and submit a lot of them to get yourself noticed.
The best magazine writers are those who pitch multiple ideas a week to different publications. This keeps you on your toes and makes it easy for you to get feedback on your pitch and to keep refining your writing.
Lead with the most interesting information and facts
As McKinney says in Magazine Writing That Sells, “Start with the most important, compelling, and interesting information first.” A great lead is an introduction that captures the reader’s attention right away. It should be something that he or she would immediately want to share with a friend.
Use storytelling if possible to draw the reader in and spike their interest.
Always have an outline of your magazine article before you write it. This will help you to organize your thoughts and plan where you will add images, graphics or testimonials.
Check the publication’s style sheet or guidelines before you begin to write your article. This will prevent you from inadvertently using an incorrect grammar or spelling.
Write the body of the article based on the outline you created in Step 1. Then, go back and fill in any gaps that have not been covered or include any new information you’ve found during your research.
Then, come up with a compelling, engaging and informative conclusion that informs or elaborates on the theme of your piece. This is the part that can make or break a reader’s decision to keep reading your article.
