Five tips on writing free articles

Posted: 30 Jul 09 at 10:07

Getting an article placed in a magazine is a great way to get your business name before a wide audience. Once you’ve got your idea accepted, take a while to make sure that you deliver what the editor wants. That way you’ll get published this time round, and maybe invited back again.

As an ex-magazine editor, I was always more impressed with the contributors who had bothered to find out about my publication and how we needed their copy to work. I’ve used that knowledge to write many advertorials on behalf of clients displaying their skills and knowledge.

So here are a few tips from my experience to get you started.

1. Before you do anything else, get hold of a copy of the publication you’re writing for. This is a basic that many people forget. You only need to see one issue of a publication to get a feel for its focus and its readership.

2. Offer exclusivity. Don’t write a piece and hawk it around competing publications. Make a list of the places you would like to publish your article, and offer it to the first on the list. Don’t offer it anywhere else until you know it’s been rejected by the first publication.

3. Write in an appropriate style. You’ll have got a feel for the way the magazine talks to its readership from that issue you’ve read. Now you talk the same way. Chatty or professional? Colloquial or formal? Do what the others do. This is no place to be rebellious.

4. Read the guidelines and obey them. If they say 700 words, then you might get away with 710, but you’ll please the editor far more if you produce 699. They can’t magic extra space into a page just to accommodate your particularly important messages. They will also have guidelines on format of text and accompanying pictures. Make it as easy as possible for the editor to publish your piece.

5. Don’t go mad with the sales talk. If you’re providing advertorial in exchange for paid-for advertising in the local paper, then a hard sell might be more appropriate. But in an industry journal, say, your article is about emphasising your credibility rather than directly selling your products and services.

And, of course, if you suffer from lack of time or experience to get your articles right, we can help. Just use the contact form on this page to find out more.




Tags: Free articles, advertorial

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