How to Pitch an Article to Teen Vogue Magazine

Teen Vogue is one of the most popular teen magazines in the publishing industry, second only to Seventeen Magazine. While it employs staff writers, freelance writers can pitch their story ideas for possible publication in the magazine.
With a circulation of approximately 1.5 million, Teen Vogue is popular with both teens and adults. Unlike some teen magazines, however, Teen Vogue focuses on high fashion and offers positive advice for teen girls.
Read the writer's guidelines and several issues of the magazine to get a sense of the material before pitching to Teen Vogue.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Past issues of Teen Vogue
• Story Idea or Completed Story
• Writer's Guidelines

1. Come up with a story idea relevant to Teen Vogue magazine. Researching some past issues and familiarizing yourself with the content and tone of the magazine will help you generate ideas that will be appropriate for the teen market, and the Teen Vogue readership in particular.
   It's important to tailor the subject as well as the tone of your story to fit with the overall "voice" of the magazine. For example, Teen Vogue's articles do not contain profanity or snarky comments. The tone is polite but firm and never preachy or condescending.
   Some popular teen-related topics include teen beauty and fashion advice, teen pregnancies, alcohol abuse, dating dilemmas and parental issues. You can also generate ideas that fit into the magazine's monthly themes such as the "Back-to-School Issue."

2. Contact the magazine and ask for their writer's guidelines. These are guidelines and general rules for writing and submitting a story and are unique to every magazine. You can call the Teen Vogue offices and ask to have a copy of their writer's guidelines mailed or emailed to you. Make sure to follow these guidelines as closely as possible in order to improve your chances of having your story published.

3. Once you have your idea, get started with writing your story, and make sure to adhere strictly to the magazine's "Writer's Guidelines." Include real-life experiences from actual teens, but always keep your sources anonymous to protect the person's identity.

4. Have a peer or fellow writer review your work. A second opinion is helpful and he can help you spot your mistakes before submitting it to Teen Vogue editors.

5. Email or mail your article to the managing editor of Teen Vogue. The writer's guidelines will be clear on how to submit your story. The managing editor has the authority to approve or deny pitches. You can find the contact information in the masthead of the magazine where the managing editor's name and magazine's address will be listed.

6. Follow up about a week later with a phone call. Remind the managing editor of your article and candidly ask if your article will be considered for publication in the magazine.

Tips & Warnings

• Be optimistic and don't give up. If you think pitched articles don't get published, just look at the February 2009 edition of the magazine (pictured above) which featured an article pitched and written by a high school student!

Resources

• The magazine's official site