![]() ![]() Formichelli says she usually writes most of an article ahead of time and pointed to one key benefit of the strategy: saving time. Sending a quick query can be a waste of time if you know the type of magazine you are targeting wants a longer pitch. “For the magazines that I write for, they’ve actually told me that they want the longer queries they want to see the research. After all, isn’t interviewing sources and partially writing the article in advance a lot of work to do without the guarantee of it getting published?įormichelli, who writes regularly for consumer and women’s magazines, is careful to say that while trade magazines typically assign pieces with less detail, the big ones want as much as they can get their hands on. Many writers are on the fence about how much research to do. “It’s easy to overlook a brilliant idea if it’s a one-liner in a slush pile loaded with other queries. “Beef up a pitch with some specific, targeted details and examples,” suggests Zachary Petit, managing editor at Writer’s Digest. “If she’s going to take a chance on a writer, especially one she doesn’t know, she wants to know ‘What’s going to be in this article?’ She doesn’t want to have some writer tease her and say ‘Oh yeah, I have five great tips,’ and not know what the tips are and just hope that once she hires the writer, they’re going to be good,” Formichelli says. ![]() (Bonus points for suggesting a companion sidebar or charticle based on your findings.) So, interview a few key subjects in advance or simply list who you would like to feature in the article to show the editor that you have some direction and aren’t pitching a topic blind. Do your research.įormichelli says a huge roadblock to landing an assignment is not doing your homework. “We can definitely brainstorm further, but give us a sense of how you want to approach the subject, and types of experts you might like to include.” Whether that means choosing a certain side of a story or including a service-oriented sidebar, those are details that can separate your query from thousands others like it.Ībigail Lewis, editor at Whole Life Times, agrees that having a strong hook is key. “What will set a query apart is when a writer figures out how to package a story idea in an interesting way.” Remember, editors and other writers read the same press releases, spot the same trends and recycle the same topics,” warns Dawn Papandrea, managing editor at The CollegeBound Network, which was formerly a print publication. “It’s very rare that a writer’s great idea alone will sell their pitch. If you need inspiration, try opening with a really surprising statistic, a good quote or an interesting personal anecdote, which can grab the editor and encourage her to dole out the assignment – today. “Just get right into it, because you only have a few seconds.”Įditors want to grab the attention of their readers, so you have to do the same to them with your query, she added. Don’t do a lot of throat clearing,” she explains. She believes that many writers have wonderful ideas, but they don’t articulate them well in their opening paragraph, which dissuades an editor from assigning the piece. Linda Formichelli, a freelance writer and editor of the Renegade Writer blog says it’s imperative to make your first paragraph more than stellar. Luckily, with just a few tweaks, you can give your queries the additional one-two punch that will get editors salivating – and assigning – for years to come. How I Transitioned from Editorial Assistant to a Leadership Role in Social Media
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