How to Pitch a Feature Article to a Magazine

Freelance writers and PR professionals alike often aim to make the glossy and sometimes glamorous pages of a national magazine. Getting into this often competitive world of publishing involves research, persistence and creativity. Knowing how to approach the endeavor up front will save you time and effort.

Instructions

1. Know the magazine you're hoping to write for inside and out. Read everything in each issue, and search for the title online to find an inside scoop on the magazine. You want to be able to think like one of the magazine's editors when considering if a story would be appropriate.

2. Search issues of the magazine to learn who is writing what types of stories. This while give you an idea of what article might be accepted from a freelancer. On a large publication, stories lacking bylines are often written internally. Those with bylines tend to be written by freelancers.

3. Consider the publication's audience. Knowing who will be reading the piece will help to shape an idea for a feature story. Being on target with a feature story concept is key since features often get the most focus and production investment from a publisher.

4. Use the masthead in the front of the book (in the few non-ad pages near the table of contents) to decipher who your best contact would be based on which department or topic you'd like to cover.

5. Consider pitching your story via email if you find editors contact information listed. By doing so, you'd need to create a catchy, memorable message, but one that gets the point of your story across immediately. Follow this by an excerpt of an already-written article, or a synopsis of the piece.

6. Call the number listed for the publisher/magazine title you're interested in writing for. Ask for the editorial assistant, if possible, to obtain advice on pitching a story to the editor. Ask if they would prefer written or emailed queries, and if you could receive the proper information to contact the department editors.

7. Formally pitch your story once you feel completely prepared, including the best developed and well-written concept possible.

Tips & Warnings

• To start, first attempt to write for a magazine with a topic you're personally interested in. The more knowledgeable you are about a topic, the more your enthusiasm and dedication can shine through, and the more chance you have to get your foot into the publication's door.

• Getting a response from a magazine publisher, let alone a published story, takes time, effort and rejections. Persistence pays off.