If you want to make a living writing magazine articles, it can be a very lucrative industry if you do it right. Some journals will pay several hundred dollars (or much more) for a good quality, well-researched article.
But before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), you first need to know the basics of writing quality magazine articles.
First of all you have to know your market. This means knowing what kind of readers the magazine is targeting.
For example, you may want to write an article for a women’s magazine. But first you have to know what kind of women read the magazine.
Are they career women? Stay at home mothers? Young woman? Old woman? Large women?
You see, sometimes it’s not as easy as you think to know exactly what kind of readers read what kind of magazine.
There are even magazines geared toward writers, but some are geared toward fiction writers, while others are geared toward medical writers, nonfiction writers, online writers, SEO writers, copywriters, and the list goes on.
That is why it is so important to know first of all what kind of readers the magazine is aimed at.
Next, you must read at least one number. You can get away with reading some articles online. But nothing better than having a physical copy of a magazine in your hands to get a good idea of what the magazine is about.
If you don’t want to have to go out and buy a magazine, see if your public library has a few copies, or wander through your local newsstands and browse through a few magazines. Or if you have to fly somewhere, airport magazine stores are a great place to do your research.
Next, you need to decide what you know (or can research) that will attract the magazine’s editors.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking of an idea similar to the types of articles the magazine already publishes. Think of a much better idea instead.
When it comes to pitching article ideas to a magazine editor, it’s best to submit something that stands out, rather than something that fits.
But don’t be too different. Just be better.
Think about what the magazine is missing. Perhaps there is another angle that is not discussed in the current and previous articles. Sometimes articles that open a proverbial ‘can of worms’ produce a lot of comments, which is what editors love.
Or consider writing an article series of maybe 2 or 3 articles on an ongoing topic. Publishers also love these types of articles because they entice readers to buy the next issue and the one after that. Just make sure your articles end on a hook that will keep your readers wanting to know more.
And finally, what you should do is find the guidelines of the writers of the magazine and follow them as much as possible. If you can’t find the guidelines anywhere, email the publisher and ask for them.
All journals have guidelines for submissions and inquiries and expect them to be followed. They don’t like working with difficult writers (and there are quite a few) who don’t follow directions. And if you don’t submit your work correctly, they won’t want to do business with you.
So what you need to do next is search online websites with lists of magazines and newspapers from around the world, or go to your local library and borrow the current Writers’ and Artists’ Year Book or Writers’ Digest. Or better yet, look at some magazines while you’re there.
And start looking for article ideas.
You can also look for letters from readers, how-to tips, jokes, flash fiction, and any other short submissions that magazines are looking for because this can earn you a good hourly pay rate for such short articles.
In some magazines, a reader’s letter will pay up to $100 when published. That’s a nice reward for just 5 minutes of work.
So start sending inquiries. Try to submit 5 each week and that way, you’ll be on your way to being a full-time freelance writer in no time.