Writing a magazine article may sound easy to many, but writing that warrants a second look is what matters. So, if you are a newbie in the field of magazine writing and want to establish yourself as a well-grounded writer, read on to learn how to write a magazine article.
Know your audience
Before you start writing an article, ask yourself who your audience is. Your audience may be college-goers, pre-teens, adult readers or senior citizens. Once you know your readers, then you need to customize your writing accordingly. You should also be able to gauge the needs of your readers: What do your readers like to read? What do they want to know? It will be easier for you to write after you have done a sound research on readers’ needs.
Create a writing portfolio
You may be an excellent writer; but if you do not have anything in hand to prove your caliber, then all your efforts remain futile. The first thing that potential magazine employers ask for is writing samples. So, create your writing portfolio. Include your articles, stories or whatever you have written. If you do not have any samples, then make it a point to write a few and keep them ready. You could write a phone review or a movie review. The idea is to write something.
Customize your writing
Also Read: How to Write and Sell Your Articles to a Newspaper or Magazine
Writing in your own style may not work all the time. Different magazines have different styles. For instance, somebody may want you to write a short write-up on jewelry. Others may need you to write in SEO style by including a few keywords of their choice. So find out the exact needs and tailor your writing accordingly. Ensure you do a thorough job before you mail your writing. Query your employer before you start writing if you have doubts.
Write using a structure
Write with a structure in mind. You may not be drafting a formal letter all the time. But if you have ideas and a proper structure for your ideas to pan out, that makes your job easier. Do not just flump your ideas on paper or digress from your topic. That will only lead to rewrites. So planning is important. If you want write an article on adventure, you can provide an article title like “Hard-core Adventures Await You In New Zealand” instead of just saying “Adventures in New Zealand.”
Proofread your writing
Not everybody likes to spend time proofreading your articles. So ensure that you check your articles for spelling, grammar and punctuation. You could do your proofreading a few hours after you write or the next day. This will help you in looking at your writing from a fresh angle. You may also have more ideas to incorporate in your article.
Respect deadlines
Some employers may provide you a deadline, while others may not be too particular about deadlines. If you are provided a deadline, ensure you adhere to it. In case you are not able to meet the deadline, then inform your employer accordingly. Missing deadlines or not informing about the delay beforehand is highly unprofessional.