Magazine articles can be a great boost for seasoned freelance writers or writers trying to jump-start their writing careers. In fact, there are no clear requirements needed to write journal articles, except for having a strong writing voice, a passion for research, and an ability to steer your articles toward the right publication. While it may seem like magazines are disappearing in the digital age, national magazines continue to thrive and can pay their writers $1 a word. To write a good magazine article, you should focus on generating good article ideas and then develop and revise them with a lot of attention to detail.
Analyze The Posts You Enjoy Reading
Consider magazines where you have a subscription or ones you enjoy reading on a regular basis. You may also focus on posts you know little about but would like to start contributing articles to. Read at least three to four recent editions of the publications and pay close attention to various aspects:
- Check if the signature matches the names that appear in the header. If the names in the byline do not match the names in the masthead, this may be an indicator that the publication hires freelance writers to contribute to its edits.
- Find the names and contact information of the publishers of specific parts. If you are interested in writing about pop culture, identify the art publisher’s name and contact information. If you’re more interested in writing about current events, look for the name and contact information of the managing editor or feature editor. You should avoid contacting the executive editor or editor-in-chief as their positions are very high up the chain and you probably won’t interact with them as a freelance writer.
Consider Recent Topics Or Trends That You Discussed With A Friend Or Colleague
If you recently had a good conversation with a friend about a trend, topic, or issue, think about how you might be able to take that conversation and turn it into a story idea. Maybe your friend was talking about a new trend or social network, or how racism is a problem at his daughter’s school. Focus on conversations that were filled with strong passions or emotions and related to a current trend or issue.
- These inspiring conversations don’t have to be about global issues or a broad topic. Having conversations with your neighbors, friends, and colleagues can allow you to discuss local issues that could later become an article idea for a local magazine.
Find Upcoming Events In Your Area
If you’re thinking of writing a magazine article for a local publication. You should check out lists of local events that might be newsworthy. These events could be local protests, restaurant openings, music festivals, or local plays. Starting small with local publications before branching out to national publications could help you get started as a magazine writer. Especially if you’re just starting out in your writing career.
- You should also check your local newspaper for human interest stories that might have national relevance. Then you could take the local history and publish it in a magazine. You may come across a local story that you feel is incomplete or has too many unanswered questions. So this could work as a story idea for a magazine article.
Consider What Other Writers Publish
You should have a good sense of what other writers are currently writing or posting on social media. This way you won’t miss out on any current trends or ideas. You might be able to put a different spin on an existing article.
- You can also set your Google Alerts to notify you if certain keywords about topics of interest appear online. If you have Twitter or Instagram, you can use the hashtag option to search for trending topics or topics that could become article ideas.
Think Of A New Point Of View On A Familiar Topic
Perhaps you are very interested in a topic that has been covered many times in different publications. And yet you do not stop thinking about it. Find a new point of view on the topic so that it feels fresh, relevant, and new. This will make your magazine article stand out to editors and thus attract your target audience.
- For example, instead of writing about the psychological problems that social media causes in adolescents. Which has been done many times in different magazines. Perhaps you can focus on a demographic group that is often not addressed. And that is related to social networks: the elderly and elderly. This will give a new focus to the topic and ensure that your article doesn’t simply repeat a familiar point of view.
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