Do This to Publish More
It felt too cumbersome to me, in the beginning, but once I put the time in, I started publishing regularly.
“Spend two hours studying two years worth of the publication you want to write for,” the professor said. She published widely in magazines and had written several books.
I didn’t listen, not at first. It was so much work. Thought I could glance at the periodical, send out a pitch, and publish in its pages. It didn’t work that way. Not at first. Not until I understood the markets.
The Mistake
Don’t get caught up thinking your stuff is so good, every editor will want to read what you’ve got. They don’t. Writing for publication is about delivering what the client wants, and what they want is something their readers will clamor for.
You’ve got to know what that is. The best way to learn that is to study the publication.
I’m doing this now. I’m writing an essay that I want to publish in an online magazine. It’s a new market to me, not one I’ve published in before though I’ve read scores of articles on its pages.
Now I’m reading it differently. Like an editor. Critically.
The Solution
Spend some time, studying the publication you want to publish in so you can develop a query, and later a finished piece that will reach their readers. That’s the best way to make editors happy and get more assignments.
What topics or genres does this publication cover?
What POV do the stories have?
How do the stories open and end?
Do they like lists with bullet points? Stories with multiple sources quoted?
Are the sources everyday people or doctors and industry experts? What about research?
Does the publication include links?
Who writes for them? Do writers get a byline? Are they paid? What expertise do they have? If all the writers are PhDs and you are not, that may be a sign you need to look elsewhere.
Read the “About” section or masthead to learn who makes the assignments and how freelancers are hired.
Look at how stories are structured, and how the headlines and subheads are written. Are they short and punny? Do they include a question? Are they all five words long? Then do that, in your pitch.
Don’t skip the ads.
Advertisers are keyed into their consumer demographic. They know who needs their product and they invest millions trying to reach those people and entice them to buy.
Where companies advertise tells you a lot about the readership of the publication. Are you seeing baby products linked on the page, that’s a good indicator that new mothers are reading. One magazine I looked at was advertising orthopedic shoes and multivitamins. The magazine’s primary readers are active, older adults who live with arthritis. Another blog I write for advertises books and wellness retreats—and they publish a ton of personal development articles.
Help Publishers and Editors Serve Their Readers
Editors and publishers want to attract readers. They want to publish material their readers need and want. Your job is to provide that material. To do that you’ve got to know who their readers are.
Editors and publishers serve their audiences. When you know who the audience is when you understand that market, you’ll be better able to fill their content needs and publish more.
The best thing of all is to find an editor who wants to publish just the piece you want to write.
Simply Write,
-p
