The Write Practice

7 Killer Tips for How to Write a Bio

by Pamela Hodges | 30 comments

Whether you're starting your author website, setting up social media profiles, or submitting stories or articles to a publication, you're going to need an author bio. 

7 Killer Tips for How to Write a Bio

Writing your biography can seem almost as challenging as writing a book. But it is a necessary part of publishing your writing. Let's look at how to write a bio that delivers.

How to Write a Bio

  • Write your name
  • Share your accomplishments
  • Use third person
  • Say something personal
  • Link to your writing
  • Follow the rules

Where to Find Author Bio Examples

A good place to find examples of other writers' biographies is right here on The Write Practice. You can meet the Write Practice team on the About page . The Write Practice also includes bio examples with all guest posts (you can click on any post on this page to read the author's bio).

If you're writing a bio for your resume or a cover letter for a professional role, some of the tips here will work, but you'll want to make sure you look at examples in the field where you're applying. 

Let me share with you seven tips on how to write a bio and some personal bio examples to get you started. 

7 Killer Tips for How to Write a Bio (Including More Examples)

Let me share with you seven tips on how to write a bio and some bio templates to get you started.

1. Write your name

Start with your name. Might seem obvious, but you want to make sure readers know who you are.

2. Share your accomplishments

Don't be shy. Say what you have done.

A list of accomplishments might include things like where you went to school and where you have been published. If relevant, you can include your professional experience or current role. This is not a time to brag or list every award you won since grade two. Pick the major accomplishments that are relevant and recent.

For example:

Mary Jones, a graduate of ____________, has been published in____________ and ______________.

If this is your first publication, you can say:

Mary Jones writes about ________________ and ______________.

3. Use third person

For author bios, write in the third person, even if you are the one writing it. First-person bios are rare and not the industry standard. 

Instead of saying, “I have lived in Tokyo and have six cats,” say, “Pamela has lived in Tokyo and has six cats.”

4. Say something personal

Well-written bios end with a personal statement about you. There's not room to tell your life story or share too many personal details, but including a personal detail or two shows readers you are a real person beyond the written page. See the ending of the following examples.

Here is Stephen King's biography from the back of his book  On Writing . It has 65 words.

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are 11/22/63 , Under the Dome , Lisey’s Story , Duma Key , Cell , Dreamcatcher , Hearts in Atlantis , and Bag of Bones . He was the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Stephen King’s biography begins with his name and then lists his professional life accomplishments. But it ends with a note about his personal life. Now you know that he lives in Maine and his wife is a novelist. This helps you to connect with him as a regular human being, not just a very accomplished celebrity.

(His biography is long, though. If you were Steven King, and they said, “Mr. King, you have only fifty words,” what would you take out?)

Or read this biography from the back of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This one is 42 words.

Steven Pressfield is the author of Gates of Fire, Tides of War, The Afghan Campaign, The Profession, The Warrior Ethos and Turning Pro, among others. He lives in Los Angeles. In 2003, he was made an honorary citizen of Sparta in Greece.

If I wanted to know what books Steven Pressfield wrote, I could look up his page on Amazon. But I would not know to look up whether he was made an honorary citizen of Sparta in Greece. That's an interesting relevant detail based on some of the writing he's done. 

Take a look at this one, from the back inside cover of Jon Acuff’s book Finish . This has 49 words.

Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of Start , Quitter , and Do Over , among other books. He is a popular public speaker, blogger, Tweeter, and the creator of the “30 Days of Hustle” online challenge. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Jenny, and their two daughters.

Jon Acuff's biography tells me about his accomplishments. Then it ends with a note about his family. It is a good idea to share a piece of personal information about yourself so readers can connect with you.

5. Be funny

Include humor if it fits your writing and the publication you are submitting to. Remember, you don’t want to make off-color jokes in your biography, so pretend your mother is reading it.

Unless, of course, it is for an adult magazine. Then you can write humor that fits that publication. Keep your target audience in mind, knowing that humor is highly contextual. 

6. Link to your writing

Use only one link. Decide what is the most important place you want your readers to find you. Twitter? Instagram? Your website signup list?

If you only have one link, have it go to your website signup page. An email list is the most important, as it gives you direct access to make friends with your readers. You own your website (we hope!); you don’t own Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Social media platforms are great for connecting with readers, but it's good to keep in mind that they can change their rules any time and that can affect your access to your target audience. 

7. Follow the rules

Follow the rules. If the publication or bio instructions ask for a fifty-word biography, don’t give them 324 words. Stick to fifty. If there's a character limit, follow it. Don't jeopardize your chances of publication because you won't follow through on your author bio. 

Bonus Tip: Be Yourself

It can seem intimidating to write a killer bio. But you are a writer. You have already written an article or story so amazing that someone wants to publish it.

You can write a fantastic bio, too.

Now You Try

It's a good idea to try out a few different bios for different target audiences. Mix and match professional accomplishments and personal experiences until you have a blend that really captures you and your writing style. 

You can practice using a conversational tone and then a more formal tone. See which one fits the audience or market you have in mind. Share them with your writing friends or on your social media accounts to boost engagement and see which one your target audience likes most. 

Keep cutting extraneous details until you have a killer bio that represents you, and then polish and edit until it shines.

The handy template above and your own brilliant writing are all you need!

Do you have any tips for how to write a bio? Let us know in the comments .

Take fifteen minutes to write a fifty-word biography. This is the length of biographies Alice, my editor, asks for on The Write Practice.

What will you include in your biography? Share the bio you write in the Pro Practice Workshop. Tell us what you cut and why.

Please read other readers' biographies and help them write a clear biography.

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Pamela Hodges

Pamela writes stories about art and creativity to help you become the artist you were meant to be. She would love to meet you at pamelahodges.com .

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how to write a magazine article about yourself

How to write a byline

Title cover of "Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President from Washington to Trump" by Edwin L. Battistella, published by Oxford University Press

Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels

  • By Edwin L. Battistella
  • October 9 th 2020

A while back, I wrote a post on how to write a biography , with some tips for long-form writing about historical and public figures. However, that’s not the only kind of biographical writing you might be called upon to do. You might need to write about yourself.

Many people are comfortable writing a personal bio of about two hundred words, but it can be surprisingly tricky to write a short byline for use in a newspaper, magazine, web article, or announcement for a talk. Here are a few tips.

Keep it short: The challenge of a byline is not just what to say but what to leave out. We’ve all suffered though dreary introductions that go on way too long. A byline is not a résumé. More is not always better.

Be yourself, but without the boring parts and with some sass: When I teach writing for publication, I ask students to craft a handful of 12-15 word bylines on the first day. Here are some examples, where writers both exhibit personality and give readers something to ponder.

Aurora loves jogging, juggling, and haggling, not necessarily in that order. Joni plans a career in publishing once she is finished staring into the abyss. Brian is trying not to say “um” any more than is absolutely necessary. Cassidy is an incredibly sleep-deprived Pisces with a mild Twitter addiction. Readers can identify with these personal characteristics.

Build credibility indirectly: So-and-so “is the award-winning author of” is fine for some audiences, but often an interesting personal detail is a more engaging way to build your credibility. You can paint a picture:

Jasper Fforde recently traded a varied career in the film industry for vacantly staring out the window and arranging words on a page.

You can offer authority and authenticity, as these two mystery/thriller writers do:

John Straley, a criminal investigator for the state of Alaska, lives in Sitka, with his son and wife, a marine biologist who studies whales. April Henry knows how to kill you in a two-dozen different ways. She makes up for a peaceful childhood in an intact home by killing off fictional characters.

Consider the audience and occasion: You can—and you should—tailor your byline for particular audiences. What aspect of your background can you emphasize to make a connection to your audience? When I include that I’m from central New Jersey or that I own more dictionaries than anyone needs, I almost always get a reaction.

Use a byline to keep your focus: When you begin a piece of writing, consider writing a byline as your first step. The byline establishes a persona and defines your voice in the piece.

A student of mine, writing on the ways that millennials are revitalizing the plant industry, started with this byline, which gave her a voice to navigate the botany and economics of her topic.

Laura Becker is a tail-end millennial from California and currently resides in Oregon. She enjoys reading, spending time with her fur baby Ponyo, and watering her plants. When she isn’t doing one of those things, she can be found browsing Etsy or Amazon for her next plant.

When in doubt: If you are s tuck on a byline, make a list of your favorite things to do, places to go, or things to eat. Look through some old photos or memorabilia, or through your closet.

Browse your bookshelves to borrow from other writers. Here’s one from poet Zeke Hudson, that I really wish I had thought of:

Zeke Hudson is… he’s uh… well, he’s usually much better at writing bios. This one’s a real clunker. You can see some of his better bios in Wend Poetry, Nightblock, and Banango Street , or in his chapbook from Thrush Press . Sorry everyone.

What’s your twelve-word byline?

Featured image by Rishabh Sharma via Unsplash

As an undergraduate,  Edwin Battistella was the world's worst Russian major. Linguistics came along just in time. His books include  Bad Language: Are Some Words Better than Others? ,  Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology ,  and   Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump .

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Enchanting Marketing

Writing advice for small business

How to Write About Yourself (Without Undermining Your Professional Image)

by Henneke | 63 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)

How to Write About Yourself

And when you read your draft, do you wonder …

What will people think of me? Am I making a fool of myself? Is this too embarrassing? Is this too needy? Am I undermining my professional image?

I ask myself all those questions, too.

I find it easier to write about blogging techniques than share personal stories. Sharing personal stories guzzles up twice as much energy, perhaps even more. It doesn’t come natural to me and makes me worry more.

But I’ve learned, we can’t hide ourselves as bloggers.

When we share only “technical” tips, we become commodities. We become easily interchangeable with other bloggers sharing similar tips, and our voices get drowned out in a sea of me-too content.

To truly engage readers, we have to show them who we are. How else can we differentiate ourselves from the hundreds of providers competing for the same clients? How else can we get our readers to appreciate us as a person so they can’t wait to hire us?

As Lane Schneider commented earlier this month:

I’m planning to start my year off by unsubscribing to many blogs and newsletters, but I will never leave YOU. Because you are REAL.

How a best-selling neurologist writes about himself

Oliver Sacks is a neurologist, best known for his case studies about patients like “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” and “Awakenings.”

In his memoir “On the Move,” he writes about his professional life but shares more personal stories, too—about his motorcycle vacations, drug-taking in his younger years, and finding the love of his life in his seventies.

This intertwining of the professional and personal shows us how we can write about ourselves while maintaining a professional image.

Want to know the three key lessons?

1. Share the small moments

Sacks’ enthusiasm for his work shines through in the small moments:

I fell in love with his face, his body, his mind, his poetry, everything about him. He would often bring me just-written poems, and I would give him some of my physiology essays in return.

Sacks is a shy person, but sometimes his enthusiasm overtakes, like here:

I almost never speak to people in the street. But some years ago, there was a lunar eclipse, and I went outside to view it with my little 20x telescope. Everyone else on the busy sidewalk seemed oblivious to the extraordinary celestial happening above them, so I stopped people, saying, “Look! Look what’s happening to the moon!” and pressing my telescope into their hands. People were taken aback at being approached in this way, but, intrigued by my manifestly innocent enthusiasm, they raised the telescope to their eyes, “wowed,” and handed it back. “Hey, man, thanks for letting me look at that,” or “Gee, thanks for showing me.”

When you write about yourself in a blog post or on your About page, think about the small moments showing who you are. At which moments do you feel most alive? When do you feel happiest? What work excites you?

When you write about what excites you, your readers sense your enthusiasm—it’s contagious.

2. Be honest, but set your own boundaries

Sacks writes with integrity, sharing both successes and failures.

He shares several blunders from his early career in academic research. For instance, he loses all his notes of 9 months of experiments as he fails to fasten his notebook with the elastic bands on his bike rack. His bosses recommend a clinical career:

A meeting was convened: no one denied my talents, but no one could gainsay my defects. In a kindly but firm way, my bosses said to me, “Sacks, you are a menace in the lab. Why don’t you go and see patients—you’ll do less harm.” Such was the ignoble beginning of a clinical career.

Sacks is also honest about his own insecurities:

I was excited—and amazed—to find myself a doctor, to have made it finally (I never thought I would, and sometimes even now, in my dreams, I am still stuck in an eternal studenthood). I was excited, but I was terrified too. I felt sure I would do everything wrong, make a fool of myself, be seen as an incurable, even dangerous bungler.

Sacks is open about many aspects of his life— his shyness, his insecurities, his guilty feelings, but that doesn’t mean he shares everything. He doesn’t, for instance, explain why he remains celibate for 35 years and that’s fine with me—I don’t need to know everything:

After that sweet birthday fling, I was to have no sex for the next 35 years.

A business blog is not a tell-all personal memoir but it’s not a dry textbook either. You can break taboos if you like but you certainly don’t have to. It’s okay to only tiptoe outside your comfort zone.

Set your own boundaries for what you want and don’t want to share. And find your own balance between professional tips and personal anecdotes.

3. Observe your own life

When you write about yourself, you need to step back sometimes: What did you learn from this experience? Why did you behave in a certain way? Which feelings were guiding you?

For instance, Sacks comments on his weight lifting:

I sometimes wonder why I pushed myself so relentlessly in weight lifting. My motive, I think, was not an uncommon one; I was not the ninety-eight-pound weakling of bodybuilding advertisements, but I was timid, diffident, insecure, submissive. I became strong—very strong—with all my weight lifting but found that this did nothing for my character, which remained exactly the same.

And he writes about the challenges of starting a relationship after a lifetime of solitude:

Deep, almost geological changes had to occur; in my case, the habits of a lifetime’s solitude, and a sort of implicit selfishness and self-absorption, had to change. New needs, new fears, enter one’s life—the need for another, the fear of abandonment. There have to be deep, mutual adaptations. For Billy and me, these were made easier by shared interests and activities; we are both writers, and this, indeed, is how we met.

The lessons in our lives are often universal; it’s how we bond with each other as human beings.

The process of writing about yourself

Sacks is open about his struggles to write. For instance, a book about an accident in which he tears a quadriceps tendon and muscle takes 9 years to write and is edited heavily by the publisher, Colin Haycraft:

I struggled with the Leg book for several more years and finally sent the completed manuscript off to Colin in January of 1983, nearly nine years after beginning it. Each section of the book, neatly typed, was on paper of a different color, though the whole manuscript was now over 300,000 words. Colin was infuriated by the sheer size of the manuscript, and its editing took virtually the whole of 1983. The final version was reduced to less than a fifth of the original size, a mere 58,000 words.

While he finds joy in writing, he also admits it’s tough:

I seem to be in one of those dry, dead depressed phases where one can only do nothing or blunder round in circles. The damn thing is that it needs only three days good work to finish the book, but I don’t know whether I am capable of this at the moment.

Sound familiar?

Everyone’s writing process is different

And you may even find that different pieces of content require different writing strategies .

I write a post with writing advice differently from a more personal post. The majority of my posts are mostly “technical:”

  • I have a clear idea what question a post should answer (or what problem it should solve)
  • Outlining and structuring the content is relatively easy, so my first draft is decent
  • Editing focuses on adding examples (if required) and adjusting my tone so it’s engaging and not just authoritative

Personal posts (like this one about nurturing my creative courage or this one about learning to be me ) take more time to write:

  • My post idea is usually vague which makes outlining difficult, so I write a “discovery” draft to find out what I really want to say
  • I revise to shape the narrative; often I delete the first few paragraphs (which were like a “warming-up”)
  • To adjust the tone, I pay attention to engaging readers as well as eliminating any sense of self-pity
  • If necessary, I add quotes or comments to add context to my personal experience

Everyone’s writing process is different. Experiment to find out what works for you.

Authenticity is not the same as your personal brand

A personal brand is what makes you recognizable, and it’s based on consistency.

For instance, the quality of my writing tips, my writing voice, my color scheme, and my cartoon character Henrietta—these all help you recognize my content as mine.

A personal brand is a carefully polished image. Authenticity is where the polish wears off to show the real “you” underneath.

This doesn’t undermine your brand, but turns you into a human being. Someone who’s approachable and real. Someone who your favorite kind of clients would love to hire.

Authenticity brings readers closer to you.

Recommended reading on writing about yourself:

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Reader Interactions

Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.

how to write a magazine article about yourself

October 4, 2022 at 11:38 am

Thanks, Henneke! I miss your influence. You make a big difference in how I process and visualize. In what I believe I can create.

how to write a magazine article about yourself

October 4, 2022 at 11:54 am

Such lovely feedback. Thank you, Joan. My blog is always here when you need a creative injection 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

October 16, 2019 at 10:26 pm

This resonated with me effectively. I feel inspired to grow my own personal brand and let out my authenticity.

October 17, 2019 at 1:59 pm

Great! Thank you for stopping by, Simi.

how to write a magazine article about yourself

October 2, 2019 at 2:09 pm

So many things I wouldn’t even consider. Thanks for the tips. They are timely, since I am just going through a total rebrand!

October 2, 2019 at 7:37 pm

Glad the tips are useful, Rahul. Happy writing!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

March 8, 2018 at 9:57 am

Super post Henneke once again! I’m a fiction writer as well as a fledgling business writer so I found this topic really interesting and I think you’ve nailed it! I’m not surprised at all that so many people have left comments. I’m creating my THIRD website at the moment in ten years and this time I think I’ve got the balance right between “personal brand ” and “authenticity” but the hilarious thing is I didn’t even have the terms to describe what I am trying to achieve! Thanks for giving them to me .

March 8, 2018 at 9:35 pm

I find the terms “authenticity” and “personal branding” confusing, too!

I’m glad you enjoyed this post, and even happier that you’re finding the right balance for your website. That’s fab!

Thank you for stopping by.

how to write a magazine article about yourself

February 20, 2018 at 3:22 pm

Wow! I thought I’m already occupied and don’t have much time; but now, I’m stuck in this truth about writing and blogging. Hooray!

February 20, 2018 at 9:23 pm

Great to see you getting around the blog, Susan. I appreciate all your comments. Happy writing!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 29, 2018 at 5:25 pm

This is exactly what I struggle with as a counselor. If I share too much of myself, then the clients feel that the session is about me. If I share nothing of myself, the clients feel that I do not understand. It is walking a fine line. The same is in writing. Knowing how much to share is scary.

January 29, 2018 at 9:59 pm

Yes, it’s very tricky. I’d probably be more inclined to share personal stories on a blog than in client sessions. Perhaps you can use your blog to show your expertise, build trust and allow your audience to get to know you; and then your client sessions can be more focused on clients?

Thank you for stopping by, Shirley. I appreciate it! 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 24, 2018 at 2:22 am

Henneke, Your articles are always so timely for me! Again, this one arrives in the nick of time as I’ve started sprinkling more personal stuff into my blog posts. My goal, hopefully, is to make the topics more engaging and fun. Mind you, this has been quite a leap, as I would prefer to stay balled up in my nice little cocoon. Keep pressing on! 🙂

January 24, 2018 at 8:41 pm

I’m the same—I’d rather hide myself in a little corner, too. I’ts not easy but it’s definitely been worthwhile to come out of my shell and interact more personally with readers.

Happy writing, Penelope!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 23, 2018 at 7:37 pm

Terrific post on a subject that baffles many writers – which personal stories to include, and how many of them. Your point about authenticity is great. The best writing forms moments of connection between writer and reader. Creating those moments is both frightening and inherently worthwhile.

January 24, 2018 at 8:39 pm

“The best writing forms moments of connection between writer and reader. Creating those moments is both frightening and inherently worthwhile.”

I love how you’ve put that, Anne. It’s so true!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 22, 2018 at 7:38 am

Hi Henneke, There are only a handful of newsletters I look forward to. And yours is one among them. Your blog posts are informative as well as engaging. I love your writing style. I can see, you know what you are talking about. Like many, even I suffer from fear of writing about myself and my life. But it is inspiring to know about how others tackle it. A good post.

January 22, 2018 at 3:09 pm

Thank you for your lovely compliment, Waheeda. You put a smile on my face because it makes me happy when people look forward to my emails.

Happy writing!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 21, 2018 at 11:48 pm

Hello Henneke, You are cooking up a storm. Thank you for sharing a perfectly seasoned post. Love the power-packed 3 lessons. Especially the subtle insights how to strike a balance between over-sharing and emotionally constipated (ha!); honesty with boundaries. It is tricky to speak human ? My favourite Brainpoke is this morsel “Authenticity is not the same as your personal brand” – a subtle yet powerful difference. Need to mull that over some more and act on it. Cheers and here’s to a cracking 2018!

January 22, 2018 at 3:06 pm

“It is tricky to speak human”

That is so true! I find it one of the biggest challenges in blogging.

I do think a personal brand is based on who you are, but we’re all complex human beings and we can’t always communicate “on brand.” That’s how I see it, but an HR perspective on personal branding might be different?

January 22, 2018 at 3:57 pm

I agree a personal brand is (should be) based on who you are as an individual!! The traditional HR perspective often focuses on the professional piece of you as a persona separate but vaguely related to who you are as a ‘whole’ person. Silo thinking – even here! The good news is that change is happening. As more leaders and individuals insist on putting the ‘human’ before the ‘resources’ – authenticity in the work space becomes a thing to be celebrated.

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 20, 2018 at 5:06 pm

Hi Henneke,

I enjoyed reading it. It reminded me of one of the entrepreneurial things I did when I was perhaps 10, and I mentioned it on my “About Me” page on the blog.

I respect how you discussed the nuances of a personal brand and authenticity. There are numerous things that I liked in the blog post, for instance, the way you hinted that it’s okay if you don’t want to share everything about yourself and still be on the pedestal.

So I want to say that I’m in love with your blog posts.

Thank you for what you’re doing.

January 21, 2018 at 4:45 pm

Yes, I really think everyone needs to decide for themselves where to draw the line between what to share and what not to share. It’s different for everyone.

Thank you for your lovely compliment, Hassaan. I appreciate it 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 20, 2018 at 4:12 pm

Henneke, Simply brilliant, Thank you

January 20, 2018 at 7:00 pm

Thank you so much, Shirley! 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 18, 2018 at 1:23 pm

Brilliant! Sacks’ writing style is amazing. You always mesmerize me with your writing style.

January 18, 2018 at 6:19 pm

I like Sacks’ books, too. I’d love to see how his original draft compares to the final versions.

And thank you for your lovely compliment, Sonia. Happy writing!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 17, 2018 at 9:13 am

“A personal brand is a carefully polished image. Authenticity is where the polish wears off to show the real “you” underneath.

This doesn’t undermine your brand, but turns you into a human being. Someone who’s approachable and real. Someone who your favorite kind of clients would love to hire.”

A powerful takeaway!

This comes as I roll out from a pinchy procrastination rut to pen an About Me page for my copywriting service website. I knew I wanted to show out an impeccable brand image while sprinkling a good dose of authenticity fun.

But, clearly, it’s been tough to pen my own–despite scribing them for several clients now.

Thanks Henneke. As a bubbling copywriter myself, I’ve discovered you offer incredible insights. Looking forward to your course!

Secondly, the best piecemeal of writing advice I ever got was from you.

It came in that in-depth post “99 Strong Verbs to Make your Content Pop, Fizz and Sparkle”. I have it clipped to my browser as a quick bookmark. It’s a sort of scripture I refer to whenever I feel and think my draft needs a dash of visual and engaging copy.

That has since (seriously) boost my writing flair.

January 17, 2018 at 1:36 pm

“the best piecemeal of writing advice I ever got was from you”

Wow, that’s a big compliment. Thank you so much, Dennis. I’m so glad you find my advice helpful and, even better, that you’re applying it to your writing 🙂

If you’re stuck with your About Me page, you may want to check out this post: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/how-to-write-an-about-page/

Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate it! 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 11:49 pm

I was so glad to receive your email with this post link this morning. I’ve been thinking a lot about authenticity and transparency for the New Year and my direction in 2018 as a writer. My father was actually one of the ‘subjects’ of Oliver Sacks’ book: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, so it’s fascinating to read here of the writer’s own struggles. By the way, I really value your posts!

January 17, 2018 at 1:33 pm

So far, I’ve only read the three books I mentioned in this post, but the book about Musicophilia sounds interesting, too. I might read it later this year!

There were more snippets in “On the Move” about Sacks’ writing process. One of my other favorite quotes (about going on a writers’ retreat for 30 days) which didn’t end up in this post was this: “When people asked me if my stay at Blue Mountain had been a “productive” one, I was not sure how to answer: I had one supremely productive day and twenty-nine blocked or sterile ones.”

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 11:32 pm

Thank you for another great, informative post!

Because of the nature of my current blog—helping families recover from the loss of a child in childbirth—I’ve had to tell my story. It hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve sometimes struggled with how much (or little) to reveal. Some events I have only chosen to elude to, and some readers have asked for more details, which I find too messy and unnecessary. I think some things just need to be left to the imagination. Other readers have thanked me for my transparency in areas where I’ve divulged some behaviors I now find horrifying (to think I acted that way); but they understand the setting, grief, and emotional triggers. And they’re sympathetic and appreciative for my honesty.

January 17, 2018 at 1:25 pm

I agree with you that some thing just need to be left to the imagination; we can’t always explain every detail, and we don’t want to do it either.

Grief is a difficult topic to address with sensitivity; it sounds like your readers appreciate your writing!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 25, 2018 at 11:35 pm

Thanks for the tips on how much personal information to be revealed online. I plan to write an article to help laid-off professionals to overcome their emotional distress that I myself had to endure. I was afraid, however, of baring my soul online.

January 26, 2018 at 4:59 pm

Sharing your own emotional distress and how you’ve overcome it, can help you bond with your audience who are in a similar situation. Plus it can also help readers overcome their own distress.

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 9:47 pm

A super post, Henneke, Loved every bit of it, that took some work. I don’t normally appreciate long blogs, but of course with you this is simply not the case. Thank you so much for the entertainment plus education. It certainly is not easy to write about oneself, writing books can create an easy way to say what’s on your mind. 🙂 <3 🙂 A.

January 17, 2018 at 1:23 pm

Yes, this post was a bit longer than usual and I had cut it down quite a lot before publishing it! It was difficult to choose which quotes to use from the book.

I’m glad you enjoyed this post despite its length. Thank you for stopping by, Annamarie. I always appreciate it 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 9:44 pm

This is off topic, but since you mentioned Henrietta, I’ve been wondering how you capture your drawings because I’ve thought about doing something to give my brand more …. character or identity.

January 17, 2018 at 1:20 pm

Hi Jeff – Do you mean how I’m creating and uploading my drawings? I draw on paper, initially with 2H pencil (which I later erase), then with nib & ink plus colored pencils (Derwent Coloursoft). I scan the drawing, and I often have to retouch a little bit as the colored pencils leave smudges. I add the text using Corel Draw (as I happen to have this program), but many other programs exist to do this.

January 17, 2018 at 2:06 pm

Yes, that’s what I meant. Sorry about that. It was at the end of the day when I wrote that and my brain may have already clocked out. 🙂

All makes sense. I used to be a landscape architect but have long since tossed all my rendering tools so I’ll have to pick up some new ones.

I don’t know much about Corel Draw but I’m sure I can search for a substitute.

January 17, 2018 at 3:20 pm

I wouldn’t recommend Corel Draw (it’s overkill for what I need); you can probably do the same with some free tools, too.

If you want to go for colored pencils, I’m not sure how easy it is to get Derwent pencils in the US. I have also been recommended Caran d’Ache Luminance and Prismacolor Premier. I’ve not tried the latter two, but I believe they’re more popular in the US. It’s useful to buy a brand where it’s easy to replace single pencils.

And my brain likes to clock out far too early 😉

Happy drawing!

January 18, 2018 at 12:56 am

I Googled Derwent and they are available. But thanks for the reminder about Prismacolor. That’s the standard here and what I used. 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 8:03 pm

I weep and wail and gnash my teeth every time I have to write about myself. I’m writing my bio page of my new web site, and it feels like a bloodletting.

And … I’m about to sign a contract to write a BOOK, which means lots of stories about me, mixed in with research and tips and so on.

I have no idea how I’m going to survive this.

But your work, as always, is helpful, Henneke. Thanks!

January 17, 2018 at 1:12 pm

Is it too early to congratulate you on the contract to write a book? What wonderful news! I’m delighted and feeling excited for you.

And of course, you’ll survive it, taking it step by step, chapter by chapter, page by page, or even paragraph by paragraph. I know we’re all different, but what helps me most when writing about myself is to write the first draft just for myself and view it as a rough draft or discovery draft. Then the next day (or a couple of days later), I try to read my draft “from a distance” as if it’s not about me but about someone else. Creating this distance helps me revise and edit my story.

Happy writing, Marcella!

January 17, 2018 at 11:59 pm

Thank you! Contract signed yesterday. Whoo hoo!!

I like the idea of writing for myself first, then reading from a distance later. Thank you for that.

I’m walking like an elephant: one foot in front of the other.

January 18, 2018 at 1:02 pm

Yay! Congratulations!

Keep the elephant moving. If he stops, it’s hard to get moving again, but when he keeps moving, he’ll get there step by step. 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 19, 2018 at 8:26 am

Awesome. I’ll definitely keep moving, non-stop. Thank you.

January 20, 2018 at 1:27 pm

Great! Happy writing 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

June 27, 2022 at 11:47 am

Am writing about my exprecience as a disabled person, i have began with flowing thoughts but now am kind of suck am experiencing problems in adding and changing stories and how must i better this story by adding in features, facts, And what can do to make this story enjoyable.

June 27, 2022 at 12:52 pm

Hi Jayanthree — I hear you. Writing personal stories is challenging. You may find it useful to leave your work for a brief time, and then revisit. Editing is always easier when you create some distance from a first draft. Also, what helps is reading memoirs to see how others share their stories and how they move from one story to the next.

For a personal story, you don’t need to have features. What to focus on is “show, don’t tell” so your writing becomes concrete and people can picture what you’re writing. Here are some examples that you may find useful: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/show-dont-tell-storytelling/

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 7:34 pm

I enjoy reading your posts too. I’m trying to improve my writing and reading your articles is really helpful.

January 16, 2018 at 7:36 pm

Thank you, Ali. That makes me happy!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 4:56 pm

Oh yes. Inserting personality is like adding salt. We don’t want our readers to remember a post for the mere fact that the verbal meal we presented was far too salty.

January 16, 2018 at 7:09 pm

I like that analogy. No salt, and an article becomes tasteless. But too salty is even worse!

A good meal is balanced 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 3:09 pm

I love your posts! They’re the first thing I click on in my inbox if I see your name!

I find your writing style incredibly engaging, and I love the format. With a 2-year-old, it’s hard to focus on anything, but your posts are just so easy to read!

Thank you for your fantastic content!

January 16, 2018 at 7:08 pm

Oh wow. Thank you so much, Brylee. That’s a big compliment! 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 1:48 pm

“I was excited—and amazed—to find myself a doctor, to have made it finally (I never thought I would, and sometimes even now, in my dreams, I am still stuck in an eternal studenthood). I was excited, but I was terrified too. I felt sure I would do everything wrong, make a fool of myself, be seen as an incurable, even dangerous bungler.”

This is exactly how I felt after graduating from med school. I think it’s a common feeling in my profession but yes it helps me connect.

It’s always in the back of most people’s mind I think to write that nice autobiography, but it’s eventually linking all those interesting anecdotes or experiences that makes good reading. The methods to make it concise and easy readable is excellent as usual. Thank you Henneke.

January 16, 2018 at 2:24 pm

I think it’s a common feeling beyond med school. I’ve not been to med school but recognize a similar feeling from when I graduated. I didn’t feel prepared for working in a business.

Sacks and his editors do a good job of stringing different anecdotes together. It’s an interesting read!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

Thanks Henneke. Another very tasty accompaniment to my lunch. And perfectly timed as I start to think about creating a blog of my own… are you peeping at me through my webcam? 🙂

January 16, 2018 at 2:21 pm

No webcam, just telepathy 😉

Good luck with starting your blog! Let me know if you have any specific questions?

January 16, 2018 at 3:58 pm

Thank you 🙂

how to write a magazine article about yourself

January 16, 2018 at 12:46 pm

Brilliant post. Being courageous enormously go to go deeper, and growing that courage, yet knowing when to stop from a professional perspective, is such a difficult part of writing. You do a beautiful job of explaining it. Thank you!

Thank you so much, Kathy. I wasn’t sure whether I was explaining it well. It’s quite a tough topic as there are no rules and everyone is different in what they like and don’t like to share about themselves. I find writing about myself one of the toughest challenges in blogging!

how to write a magazine article about yourself

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how to write a magazine article about yourself

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I never saw myself as a writer, but in my early forties, I learned how to write and discovered the joy of writing. Now, I’d like to empower you to find your voice, share your ideas and inspire your audience. Learn how I can help you

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How to Write a Magazine Article

Last Updated: October 11, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 929,236 times.

Magazine articles can be a big boost for seasoned freelance writers or writers who are trying to jump-start their writing careers. In fact, there are no clear qualifications required for writing magazine articles except for a strong writing voice, a passion for research, and the ability to target your article pitches to the right publications. Though it may seem like magazines may be fading in the digital age, national magazines continue to thrive and can pay their writers $1 a word. [1] X Research source To write a good magazine article, you should focus on generating strong article ideas and crafting and revising the article with high attention to detail.

Generating Article Ideas

Step 1 Analyze publications you enjoy reading.

  • Check if the bylines match the names on the masthead. If the names on the bylines do not match the masthead names, this may be an indication that the publication hires freelance writers to contribute to its issues.
  • Look for the names and contact information of editors for specific areas. If you’re interested in writing about pop culture, identify the name and contact information of the arts editor. If you’re more interested in writing about current events, look for the name and contact information of the managing editor or the features editor. You should avoid contacting the executive editor or the editor-in-chief as they are too high up the chain and you will likely not interact with them as a freelance writer.
  • Note recent topics or issues covered in the publication and the angle or spin on the topics. Does the publication seem to go for more controversial takes on a topic or a more objective approach? Does the publication seem open to experimentation in form and content or are they more traditional?
  • Look at the headlines used by the publication and how the articles begin. Note if the headlines are shocking or vague. Check if the articles start with a quote, a statistic, or an anecdote. This will give you a good sense of the writing style that gets published in that particular publication.
  • Note the types of sources quoted in the articles. Are they academic or more laymen? Are there many sources quoted, or many different types of sources quoted?
  • Pay attention to how writers wrap up their articles in the publication. Do they end on a poignant quote? An interesting image? Or do they have a bold, concluding thought?

Step 2 Consider recent trends or topics you talked about with a friend or peer.

  • These inspiring conversations do not need to be about global problems or a large issue. Having conversations with your neighbors, your friends, and your peers can allow you to discuss local topics that could then turn into an article idea for a local magazine.

Step 3 Look up upcoming events in your area.

  • You should also look through your local newspaper for human interest stories that may have national relevance. You could then take the local story and pitch it to a magazine. You may come across a local story that feels incomplete or full of unanswered questions. This could then act as a story idea for a magazine article.

Step 4 Consider what other writers are publishing.

  • You can also set your Google alerts to notify you if keywords on topics of interest appear online. If you have Twitter or Instagram, you can use the hashtag option to search trending topics or issues that you can turn into article ideas.

Step 5 Think of a new angle on a familiar topic.

  • For example, rather than write about the psychological problems of social media on teenagers, which has been done many times in many different magazines, perhaps you can focus on a demographic that is not often discussed about social media: seniors and the elderly. This will give you a fresh approach to the topic and ensure your article is not just regurgitating a familiar angle.

Crafting the Article

Step 1 Research your article idea using sources like books and published texts.

  • Look for content written by experts in the field that relates to your article idea. If you are doing a magazine article on dying bee populations in California, for example, you should try to read texts written by at least two bee experts and/or a beekeeper who studies bee populations in California.
  • You should ensure any texts you use as part of your research are credible and accurate. Be wary of websites online that contain lots of advertisements or those that are not affiliated with a professionally recognized association or field of study. Make sure you check if any of the claims made by an author have been disputed by other experts in the field or have been challenged by other experts. Try to present a well-rounded approach to your research so you do not appear biased or slanted in your research.

Step 2 Locate individuals who could be good sources.

  • You can also do an online search for individuals who may serve as good expert sources based in your area. If you need a legal source, you may ask other freelance writers who they use or ask for a contact at a police station or in the legal system.

Step 3 Interview your sources.

  • Prepare a list of questions before the interview. Research the source’s background and level of expertise. Be specific in your questions, as interviewees usually like to see that you have done previous research and are aware of the source’s background.
  • Ask open-ended questions, avoid yes or no questions. For example, rather than asking, "Did you witness the test trials of this drug?" You can present an open-ended question, "What can you tell me about the test trials of this drug?" Be an active listener and try to minimize the amount of talking you do during the interview. The interview should be about the subject, not about you.
  • Make sure you end the interview with the question: “Is there anything I haven’t asked you about this topic that I should know about?” You can also ask for referrals to other sources by asking, “Who disagrees with you on your stance on this issue?” and “Who else should I talk to about this issue?”
  • Don’t be afraid to contact the source with follow-up questions as your research continues. As well, if you have any controversial or possibly offensive questions to ask the subject, save them for last.

Step 4 Transcribe your interviews.

  • The best way to transcribe your interviews is to sit down with headphones plugged into your tape recorder and set aside a few hours to type out the interviews. There is no short and quick way to transcribe unless you decide to use a transcription service, which will charge you a fee for transcribing your interviews.

Step 5 Create an article outline.

  • Your outline should include the main point or angle of the article in the introduction, followed by supporting points in the article body, and a restatement or further development of your main point or angle in your conclusion section.
  • The structure of your article will depend on the type of article you are writing. If you are writing an article on an interview with a noteworthy individual, your outline may be more straightforward and begin with the start of the interview and move to the end of the interview. But if you are writing an investigative report, you may start with the most relevant statements or statements that relate to recent news and work backward to the least relevant or more big picture statements. [10] X Research source
  • Keep in mind the word count of the article, as specified by your editor. You should keep the first draft within the word count or just above the word count so you do not lose track of your main point. Most editors will be clear about the required word count of the article and will expect you not to go over the word count, for example, 500 words for smaller articles and 2,000-3,000 words for a feature article. Most magazines prefer short and sweet over long and overly detailed, with a maximum of 12 pages, including graphics and images. [11] X Research source
  • You should also decide if you are going to include images or graphics in the article and where these graphics are going to come from. You may contribute your own photography or the publication may provide a photographer. If you are using graphics, you may need to have a graphic designer re create existing graphics or get permission to use the existing graphics.

Step 6 Use a hook first line.

  • Use an interesting or surprising example: This could be a personal experience that relates to the article topic or a key moment in an interview with a source that relates to the article topic. For example, you may start an article on beekeeping in California by using a discussion you had with a source: "Darryl Bernhardt never thought he would end up becoming the foremost expert on beekeeping in California."
  • Try a provocative quotation: This could be from a source from your research that raises interesting questions or introduces your angle on the topic. For example, you may quote a source who has a surprising stance on bee populations: "'Bees are more confused than ever,' Darryl Bernhart, the foremost expert in bees in California, tells me."
  • Use a vivid anecdote: An anecdote is a short story that carries moral or symbolic weight. Think of an anecdote that might be a poetic or powerful way to open your article. For example, you may relate a short story about coming across abandoned bee hives in California with one of your sources, an expert in bee populations in California.
  • Come up with a thought provoking question: Think of a question that will get your reader thinking and engaged in your topic, or that may surprise them. For example, for an article on beekeeping you may start with the question: "What if all the bees in California disappeared one day?"

Step 7 Weave in quotes from experts or reliable sources.

  • You want to avoid leaning too much on quotations to write the article for you. A good rule of thumb is to expand on a quotation once you use it and only use quotations when they feel necessary and impactful. The quotations should support the main angle of your article and back up any claims being made in the article.

Step 8 End on a strong concluding statement that illuminates or expands on your article topic.

  • You may want to lean on a strong quote from a source that feels like it points to future developments relating to the topic or the ongoing nature of the topic. Ending the article on a quote may also give the article more credibility, as you are allowing your sources to provide context for the reader.

Revising the Article

Step 1 Discuss the article with your editor.

  • Having a conversation about the article with your editor can offer you a set of professional eyes who can make sure the article fits within the writing style of the publication and reaches its best possible draft. You should be open to editor feedback and work with your editor to improve the draft of the article.

Step 2 Apply editor and peer feedback to the article.

  • You should also get a copy of the publication’s style sheet or contributors guidelines and make sure the article follows these rules and guidelines. Your article should adhere to these guidelines to ensure it is ready for publication by your deadline.

Step 3 Revise the article for flow and structure.

  • Most publications accept electronic submissions of articles. Talk with your editor to determine the best way to submit the revised article.

Sample Articles

how to write a magazine article about yourself

Expert Q&A

Gerald Posner

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Expert Interview

how to write a magazine article about yourself

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about writing an article, check out our in-depth interview with Gerald Posner .

  • ↑ http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/tips-on-writing-a-good-feature-for-magazines.html
  • ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/20-ways-to-generate-article-ideas-in-20-minutes-or-less
  • ↑ http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun03/eight-tips-for-getting-published-in-magazines-6036
  • ↑ http://www.thepenmagazine.net/20-steps-to-write-a-good-article/
  • ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R5f2VV58pw
  • ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-nonfiction/how-many-different-kinds-of-articles-are-there
  • ↑ http://libguides.unf.edu/c.php?g=177086&p=1163719

About This Article

Gerald Posner

To write a magazine article, start by researching your topic and interviewing experts in the field. Next, create an outline of the main points you want to cover so you don’t go off topic. Then, start the article with a hook that will grab the reader’s attention and keep them reading. As you write, incorporate quotes from your research, but be careful to stick to your editor’s word count, such as 500 words for a small article or 2,000 words for a feature. Finally, conclude with a statement that expands on your topic, but leaves the reader wanting to learn more. For tips on how to smoothly navigate the revision process with an editor, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Structure of a Magazine Article: The Full Guide

how to write a magazine article about yourself

The complete guide to the structure of a magazine article offers an in-depth look at creating enthralling magazine pieces, keeping the structure of a magazine article in focus.

Table of Contents

This comprehensive resource emphasizes the importance of mastering key elements to captivate your audience and produce high-quality content that effectively showcases the structural aspects of a well-crafted magazine article.

Introduction to the Structure of a Magazine Article: Laying the Foundation

Instead of a standard article, a magazine editorial often presents the writer’s opinion on a particular subject or issue. Although the content may be subjective, the structure of a magazine editorial should still follow a coherent and logical pattern. This ensures readers can easily follow the author’s argument and find the piece enjoyable.

The structure of a magazine editorial generally consists of several key components, including an attention-grabbing headline, an engaging lead, a well-organized body, and a firm conclusion. Each element plays a vital role in capturing the reader’s interest and effectively conveying the message.

The headline should be succinct yet powerful enough to pique the reader’s curiosity. It sets the tone for the entire editorial and helps readers decide whether to engage with the content further. A captivating lead follows the headline, briefly introducing the topic and drawing the reader into the heart of the editorial.

The body of the magazine editorial is where the author develops their argument or opinion. It is essential to present the information logically and coherently, using clear headings and subheadings to guide the reader through the narrative. Including compelling evidence, anecdotes, or quotes can also strengthen the writer’s argument and keep the reader interested.

Finally, a firm conclusion should summarize the editorial, summarizing the key points and providing a clear call to action or a thought-provoking statement. This creates a lasting impact on the reader and promotes further engagement with the topic.

Understanding the structure of a magazine editorial is vital for creating impactful and engaging content. By mastering the art of crafting powerful headlines, captivating leads, coherent body text, and firm conclusions, you can establish the groundwork for a successful magazine article that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impression.

Structure of a Magazine Article: Crafting Engaging Headlines and Subheadings

The power of an engaging headline and well-crafted subheadings cannot be understated when it comes to the success of a magazine article. These elements are instrumental in capturing the reader’s attention and guiding them through the content, playing a significant role in the overall magazine structure.

An enticing headline is the first point of contact between the reader and the article, and it can either facilitate or hinder their decision to delve further into the content. It should be short, impactful, and thought-provoking, effectively conveying the article’s essence in just a few words. Writing a captivating headline involves striking a balance between being informative and intriguing while remaining true to the subject.

Subheadings, on the other hand, break up the body of the article into digestible sections, making it easier for the reader to navigate through the content. They provide a clear roadmap of the article’s main points, helping the reader understand the flow of ideas and the magazine structure. Compelling subheadings should be concise, informative, and engaging, enticing the reader to continue reading and ensuring they can quickly grasp the key points being discussed.

In addition to their practical purposes, headlines and subheadings also contribute to the overall visual appeal of a magazine article. They help create a sense of hierarchy and organization, essential for maintaining the reader’s interest and making the content more accessible. By using varying font sizes, styles, and formatting techniques, designers can further emphasize the importance of these elements and enhance the article’s overall aesthetic.

Engaging headlines and subheadings are crucial to the magazine structure, serving functional and aesthetic purposes. By mastering the art of crafting these essential elements, writers and designers can ensure their magazine articles capture the reader’s attention, provide a straightforward and accessible narrative, and, ultimately, leave a lasting impression.

Laptop on desk used to create a structure of a magazine article

Structure of a Magazine Article: How to Hook Your Readers from the Start

In magazine writing, the lead is crucial in captivating readers from the outset. Serving as the opening paragraph, it establishes the foundation for the remainder of the content and is a vital component in the structure of articles. A well-crafted lead piques the reader’s interest and encourages them to continue reading the entire piece.

The primary objective of a leader is to provide a glimpse into the central theme or argument of the article while leaving the reader wanting more. It should be engaging, concise, and informative, offering just enough information to entice the reader without giving away all the details. Striking the right balance between mystery and clarity is essential in creating a compelling lead that successfully hooks readers.

The structure of articles often varies depending on the subject matter and the target audience. Nevertheless, there are several tried-and-true approaches to crafting compelling leads. One such approach is the anecdotal lead, which opens with a captivating story or personal experience that sets the tone for the article. Another popular option is the question lead, which poses a thought-provoking inquiry that piques the reader’s curiosity and encourages them to read on in search of an answer.

Regardless of the chosen approach, keeping the lead concise and relevant to the article’s central theme is essential. Additionally, the lead should transition seamlessly into the body of the article, maintaining a logical flow that maintains the reader’s interest and involvement in the content.

Structure of a Magazine Article: Building a Compelling Narrative

In magazine writing, the body text forms the backbone of the article, providing the substance and depth required to convey the author’s message or argument effectively. Drawing inspiration from magazine editorial examples can help writers build a compelling narrative that keeps readers engaged and maintains their interest throughout the article.

One of the essential aspects of crafting a captivating body text is maintaining a clear and coherent structure. This can be achieved by using subheadings to break the content into smaller, digestible sections, making it easier for readers to follow the narrative and absorb the information presented. Magazine editorial examples often demonstrate how effective subheadings can guide the reader through the article, ensuring they can easily comprehend the key points and arguments.

Another critical aspect of constructing an engaging body text is to vary the sentence structure and maintain a natural, conversational tone. This helps the content feel more approachable and enjoyable to read, as opposed to overly formal or rigid. Examining magazine editorial examples can provide valuable insights into how experienced writers maintain a consistent voice and style throughout their articles, fostering a connection with the reader and making the content more relatable.

Furthermore, using compelling evidence, anecdotes, quotes, or statistics can significantly enhance the credibility and impact of the body text. These elements not only lend weight to the author’s arguments but also help to keep the reader’s interest piqued, encouraging them to continue reading and engage with the content more deeply.

Magazine on desk showing the structure of a magazine article

Structure of a Magazine Article: Visual Elements and Their Role

In magazine publishing, visual elements play a vital role in enhancing the reader’s experience and contributing to the overall structure of an article. As the adage states, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and this concept holds true when considering the structure of an article. Images, graphics, and other visual components can bring the written content to life, adding depth, context, and appeal to the magazine piece.

Functions of Visual Elements

One of the primary functions of visual elements in a magazine article is to break up large blocks of text, making the content more digestible and visually appealing. By incorporating relevant images or graphics throughout the article, writers and designers can create a more engaging and enjoyable reading experience for the audience. This not only makes the content more accessible but also helps to maintain the reader’s interest and attention.

Another essential function of visual elements is to provide additional context or information that may be difficult to convey through text alone. For example, data visualizations, such as charts or infographics , can effectively present complex information or statistics in a more easily understandable format. This enhances the reader’s comprehension of the subject matter and strengthens the overall impact of the article.

Furthermore, visual elements can also contribute to a magazine article’s overall aesthetic and design. By strategically using color, typography, and other design elements, designers can create a cohesive visual language that complements the written content and reflects the article’s theme or mood. This adds to the reader’s enjoyment and reinforces the magazine’s brand identity and style.

Understanding the structure of an article is complete by considering the role of visual elements. By incorporating relevant images, graphics, and design elements, writers and designers can create a more engaging and visually appealing magazine piece that captures the reader’s attention and enhances their overall experience.

Structure of a Magazine Article: Crafting a Memorable Ending

A well-crafted conclusion is an essential component of any compelling magazine article. It reinforces the main points and ideas, leaving the reader with a lasting impression and closure. Understanding how to structure an article involves organizing the content logically and ensuring that the conclusion ties everything together, providing a strong and memorable finish.

When crafting a memorable ending, it is crucial to reiterate the key points discussed throughout the article, summarizing the central argument or message. However, this should be done concisely, avoiding repetition or regurgitation of information. Instead, the conclusion should offer a fresh perspective or insight that adds depth to the article and encourages readers to further reflect on the subject.

Another effective technique when considering how to structure an article is to end with a call to action, a thought-provoking question, or a prediction. This can inspire the reader to engage with the topic beyond the article, fostering a sense of curiosity and leaving them with something to ponder. The conclusion can impact the reader by provoking an emotional response or encouraging further exploration.

In addition, the tone of the conclusion should be consistent with the rest of the article, maintaining a sense of cohesion and harmony. Whether the article is informative, persuasive, or narrative-driven, the conclusion should reflect the same style and voice, ensuring a smooth and satisfying reading experience.

Mastering how to structure an article involves organizing the content effectively and crafting a powerful and memorable conclusion. By summarizing the key points, offering fresh insights, and provoking thought or action, writers can ensure that their magazine articles resonate with readers and leave a lasting impact. By incorporating these techniques, you can create a compelling, engaging magazine article that stands out.

What are the critical components of a magazine article structure?

The critical components of a magazine article structure include an attention-grabbing headline, an engaging lead, a well-organized body, and a firm conclusion.

How do I write a captivating headline for my magazine article?

A captivating headline should be short, impactful, and thought-provoking, conveying the article’s essence in just a few words. Strive to balance being informative and intriguing while remaining true to the subject.

What role do subheadings play in the structure of a magazine article?

Subheadings break up the body of the article into digestible sections, making it easier for the reader to navigate through the content. They provide a clear roadmap of the article’s main points, helping the reader understand the flow of ideas and the magazine structure.

How can I write an engaging lead for my magazine article?

To write an engaging lead, provide a glimpse into the central theme or argument of the article while leaving the reader wanting more. Keep it concise and relevant to the article’s theme, striking the right balance between mystery and clarity.

What are some tips for crafting a compelling body text?

Craft a compelling body text, maintain a clear and coherent structure, vary sentence structure, and maintain a natural, conversational tone. Use subheadings, compelling evidence, anecdotes, quotes, or statistics to enhance the credibility and impact of the content.

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Knowledge Base > Magazines > How to Write a Magazine Article? 12 Golden Rules

How to Write a Magazine Article? 12 Golden Rules

Although the number of magazines is shrinking in the digital age, many magazines have moved online. Many magazines created by online magazine maker are still popular, and authors enjoy fame and respect. That’s why, for many freelance writers, writing articles in magazines is often a career goal – because the pay can be ten times more per word than writing articles or texts for the local newspaper.

Writing magazine articles requires a different skill set than writing blog posts, screenplays, or advertisements. What’s more, as a magazine writer, more than in any other industry, you need to specialize to succeed. You write articles about history differently, sports differently, and sports history in a different way still.

A talent for writing, a love of meticulous research, and flexibility in creating texts are vital skills you need to master. Therefore, many people are interested in creating and publishing their own magazine need to master this specific style and learn how to write a magazine article.

What is a magazine?

A magazine is a publication that is a collection of articles that appears regularly. The magazine articles can be about any topic, as well as topics that interest a specific group, such as sports fans, music fans, or board game enthusiasts.

A magazine can be published weekly, monthly, bimonthly, or only a few times a year. Most magazines are published once a week or once a month. Most magazine articles do not have a list of sources and are written by regular magazine editors and writers, rarely freelance writers.

what is a magazine

Most magazine articles are easy to read and don’t take too long to read. They are often illustrated with photos or other images, and are written with simple but remarkable fonts . Today, magazines are increasingly being replaced by websites, but there are still many magazines on various topics.

What is a magazine article?

A magazine article is a specific text that can be found in a magazine or newspaper. It can be a report, a profile of an important person, an opinion piece, a discussion of a topic or a personal essay. Depending on the topic, a magazine article is usually 1,000 to 5,000 words long.

The magazine usually employs a group of editors who come up with a theme for each issue and relevant article ideas. This way, all the articles and features in the issue will have something in common. A sports magazine might talk about the start of a new season, a political magazine about an upcoming election, and a Valentine’s Day issue might be about romance.

magazine article mock up

How the format of a magazine article differs from that of a newspaper or other articles? In a newspaper that comes out every day, put the most important parts of the story first. Newspaper articles are usually read once and aren’t supposed to influence anyone. It has to be news, something you want to read.

On the other hand, a good magazine article should often start with a mystery, a question, or a situation that makes the reader want to read on. Daily newspaper articles should be unbiased descriptions of what happened, while magazine articles, often subjective, can cover a particular topic from a certain angle. To learn how to write a magazine article, you need to know what the magazine is about and how to appeal to its readers.

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Today, more and more people are creating magazines in purely digital form. Publuu converts PDF files into interactive digital magazines that you can easily view and share online. With support for HTML5 and vector fonts, your articles will look beautiful on any device, without the need to download additional apps.

Publuu makes your magazine article look and sound like the printed versions. Converting a regular PDF file into a flipping e-magazine using this service is extremely easy and fast.

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With Publuu, your readers can flip through the pages just as they would with a real paper magazine, but that’s not all. Rich multimedia capabilities, analytics, and easy access make many people publish content for free on Publuu.

Your audience, and you, can embed your magazines in websites or emails, or share them on social media platforms. It only takes one click to go to your magazine and start reading interesting articles.

Types and examples of magazine articles

Magazine editors categorize articles by type and often mention them in publication’s submission guidelines, so knowing these types by name will help you communicate with the editor. These are: First Person Article, Opinion Piece, Information or Service Piece, Personality Profile, and Think Piece. Many news articles, how-to articles, and reviews can also be found in magazines, but they are slightly different, and many of these have moved online, to digital magazines . Articles can also feature essays or humor pieces.

magazine reading

First Person Article

First-person magazine articles are written in the first person because they are based on personal experience. Depending on their length and newsworthiness, they can be sold as feature articles or essays. They are frequently personal accounts, especially interesting if they are written by a well-known magazine writer or celebrity. Typically, the purpose of such an article is stated in the first line or paragraph to hook the magazine’s target audience, such as “I voted for this politician, and now I regret my life choices.” When you write a magazine article like this one, you should present an unpopular or overlooked point of view from a fresh perspective.

Opinion Piece

This kind of magazine writing piece or opinion essay is less personal than the First-Person Article, but it still requires a narrow focus on a specific topic. The reader’s main question is, “Why are you qualified to render an opinion?” Everyone has an opinion, but why should anyone read yours?

If you’re an expert on this subject, let the reader know right away. Don’t criticize music trends if you’re not a musician! Demonstrate your knowledge, and support your opinion with up-to-date information and credentials.

Information/Service Piece

An informational or service piece expands the reader’s understanding of a particular subject. This can be a guide, a list of important issues. You can either be the expert or interview one. These are extremely pertinent to a specific industry. In a sports magazine article, you can explain a complete history of a sports team and its roster for the upcoming season.

You can expect some in-depth knowledge if the article title contains the phrases like Myths about or Secrets of. Explain everything you know: magazine journalism is different than being a freelance writer in that you should have some industry knowledge already.

Personality profile

This type of magazine article can present a silhouette of an important or relevant person – a politician, a political activist, a sports legend… If you’re writing for a video game magazine you can showcase a famous game designer or even an entire article can be about a game character like Lara Croft or Guybrush Threepwood, if the fictional character is detailed enough! Explain why readers will find this person interesting or noteworthy.

Think Piece

Written in an investigative tone, the think piece frequently shows the downside or less popular ideas of a popular industry aspect. This magazine article could also explain why something is popular or why a political party lost elections. A think piece is more in-depth than most feature articles and necessitates credibility. Confirm your thesis by interviewing analysts and experts. This type of article can be also found in zines , self-published magazines in small circulation, which often focus on niche hobbies, counterculture groups, or subcultures. If you would like to expend your knowledge about interviewing, make sure to check our guide on how to write an interview article .

How to start a magazine article?

Most creative writing professionals would agree that the best way to start writing a magazine article is with a strong opening sentence. A feature article must draw the attention of your target audience, and grab them from the go.

You can start by asking the reader a question which you will answer in the text of the article – for instance “Did you know that most users of Windows never use 80% of their functions – and that’s a good thing?”. In the content of your magazine articles you will be able to answer this question.

Another example of a good magazine article beginning is storytelling – human brains are fascinated by stories. Starting your example with “20 years ago no one in the industry knew what a genitine was, but now their inventor is one of the most influential people” can draw attention and spike up curiosity.

storytelling

A great example is also a shocking quote – a compelling idea that goes against the grain is sure to capture the reader’s attention.

Most creative magazine article ideas

Even the most experienced journalists can often be looking for ideas for great articles. How to write a magazine article if you don’t have the slightest idea? Here are some of our suggestions:

Take a look at your specialty. If you’re a freelance writer, it’s a good idea to write about what you know. Delve into a topic thoroughly, and you’ll eventually find your niche and you might move from freelance writing jobs to magazine writing! Why? Having a writing specialty will make magazine editors think of you when story ideas in that genre come up.

Check out what’s trending. When browsing popular stories on social networks, many freelancers choose to write about current events. Lists of popular articles can help you understand what to focus your efforts on. Keep in mind that an article for national magazines needs to be well researched, and what’s trending now may change before the magazine finally comes out.

Reach out to the classics. Nostalgia always sells well. You can go back to books or movies that people remember from their youth or, for example, summarize the last year. Lists and numbers always look good!

12 rules on how to write great magazine articles

magazine making

1. Write what you know about

If your articles are really fascinating and you know what you are writing about, you have a better chance of getting published, whether in a local newspaper or in a major magazine. Writing requires researching your chosen issue thoroughly. Identify perspectives that have not been explored before – describe something from the perspective of a woman, a minority, or a worker.

2. Research how you should write

Check the writing style requirements or guidelines of the magazines to which you want to submit your work. Each magazine has its own set of guidelines on what topics, manner and tone to use. Check out Strunk and White Elements of Style for tips on writing styles, as this is what many magazines draw from.

3. Remember to be flexible

One of the most valuable writing talents a journalist can possess is flexibility. You may find that you discover completely new facts while writing a magazine article and completely change your approach. Maybe you’ll change your mind 180 degrees and instead of attacking someone, you’ll defend them – anything to attract attention.

4. Make connections and meet people

Networking is important in any business, especially for freelance writers who want to make a jump to magazine writing. Editors regularly quit one magazine to work for another. Therefore, remember to know the people first and foremost than the magazine they work for.

5. Prepare a query letter

A query letter tells the editors why your magazine article is important, whether you think someone will want to read it and why you feel obligated to write it. Add to it a text sample and some information about yourself as a writer. Even a local magazine might not be aware of who you are, after all.

6. Prepare an outline

Always before writing a text have an outline that you can use when composing your articles. It must contain the important ideas, the content of the article body and the summary, the points you will include in it. You will find that it is easier to fill such a framework with your own content.

7. Meet the experts

You need to know pundits in your industry. There are several methods of locating experts, from networking to calling organizations or agencies in your field of interest. If you want to meet a police officer, call the police station and ask if someone could talk to a journalist – many people are tempted if you promise them a feature article.

8. Talk to experts

Once you get a contact for an expert, do your best to make the expert look as good as possible. The more prominent the expert, the better your text. Make a list of questions in advance and compare it with the outline to make sure you don’t forget anything. Remember to accurately describe your expert’s achievements and personal data.

9. Create a memorable title

This step can occur at any point in the process of writing an article for a magazine. Sometimes the whole article starts with a good title! However, there is nothing wrong with waiting until the article is finished before coming up with a title. The most important thing is that the title is catchy – editors-in-chief love that!

10. To write, you have to read

You never know where you will come across an inspiring text. It’s your duty as a good writer to read everything that falls into your hands, whether it’s articles on the front pages of major publications or small blog posts. Learn about the various issues that may be useful to your magazine writing skills .

11. Add a strong ending

End with a strong concluding remark that informs or elaborates on the theme of your piece. The last paragraph should make the reader satisfied, but also curious about the future progress of the issue. He must wonder “what’s next?” and answer the important questions himself.

12. Don’t give up

Writers are rejected hundreds of times, especially when they are initially learning how to create articles for magazines. However, even a seasoned freelance writer and professional journalist can get rejected. The most successful authors simply keep writing – being rejected is part of magazine writing. Freelance writing is a good school of writing career – including coping with rejection.

Now you know how to write a magazine article that will be engaging and interesting. Despite the digitalization of the market, writing magazine articles still offers many possibilities to a freelance writer or a seasoned professional. The market of press and magazines is evolving fast, but the basic principles of journalistic integrity stay the same!

You may be also interested in:

How To Publish Digital Magazine? How to Make a Magazine Cover With a Template? 5 Reasons to Start Using a Magazine Maker

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Jakub Osiejewski is an experienced freelance writer and editor. He has written for various publications, including magazines, newspapers and websites. He is also a skilled layout graphic designer and knows exactly how to create visually appealing and informative PDFs and flipbooks!

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How to write an interview article for a magazine

If someone asked me what is my favorite type of article to read, it would be interview articles for sure. There is just something so personal and engaging to them that tickles my curiosity buds while still providing a fair amount of interesting information. It can be quite challenging to write this type of article, so here are some tips and tricks that will help you in your quest on how to write an interview article for a magazine. And not just any but the perfect one.

Before we get to the practical tips, make sure you have a reliable laptop for writers , since it will save you a lot of trouble down the road. If you are more of a visual learner, there’s a video you can watch at the end of this article. Let’s dive in!

Things to keep in mind when writing an interview article

1. choose your questions wisely.

questions for interview article

This is probably one of the most important steps in the process of writing an interview article as it all starts with asking the right questions to the interviewee. First, you will need to do a lot of research work and collect as much information as you can on the person you are going to interview. You can use tools like Evernote and OneNote to keep track of all the information so you can refer back to them easily down the road. You can either read their biography, previous interviews or read about their current projects, interests and the list can go on. This will not only give you a solid background of the interviewee but will also make you aware of what has already been written, so that you can put a spotlight on some interesting and fresh information. No one wants to read the same facts about someone over and over again, this is why it’s best to find new topics to tackle. And speaking about topics, try to choose a focus topic for the interview. That being said, it’s not a rule you need to take literally, but it’s recommended you stick with a main topic so that you’re not all over the place with your questions. Choose an aspect of the interviewees life that is both remarkable and fits the interests of the reader. Or seek a certain topic worth discussing and develop some questions around it. You can always add a few extra questions still related to the main topic, but with a twist, maybe something unexpected that requires a more spontaneous answer to spice things up for the reader.

Tip: Select questions for interview that best fit your approach. Avoid typical interview questions and ask questions that are intriguing. For example, instead of asking, “How did you achieve your success in tennis?” ask, “They call you the ‘next Federer’ … what three qualities do you think you share with the Swiss tennis player?”

2. Structure of the article

structure interview article

Once you have narrowed down the questions you wish to address and have conducted the interview ( here you can find a comprehensive guide on how to interview someone for an article ), the next step is to actually write the article. Here is where you have endless options and can get your creative juices to flow in terms of how you wish to structure the article. If there isn’t a specific code you need to follow, I would say that these days there isn’t one winning rule. Most writers feel the need to post the picture, questions and answers in a logical sequence. Which is not bad, but then again chances are this makes for a rather boring interview article.

Before anything else, you need to choose the perspective from which you wish to write the article. There are roughly three perspectives you can use:

  • Literal : write down the questions, followed by the literal/ only slightly rephrased answers (the classic Q and A);
  • Narrative : describe what the interviewee says in third person;
  • Hybrid : leave out the questions and combine narrative statements with direct quotes.

You can stick with one of the first two perspectives for the entire article, or you can use the hybrid one depending on the dynamic and tone you want to give to the article.

Also, make sure you have a strong start and ending as these are the pillars of your structure. Choose the most provocative questions and answers to be featured at the beginning and at the end so that this way you keep the interest of the reader from start to finish. Moreover, you can insert some of the main answers as quotes to break the article and make it less boring.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the actual interview might be full of half sentences, unspoken words, or sudden changes of topic. When doing your after-call work reviewing video and notes of your conversation, you’ll inevitably realize something: to make the interview readable, you’ll have to rephrase most sentences. And when it comes to rephrasing, there’s a simple rule of thumb:

Rephrase as much as you like, but don’t change the message.

Nonetheless, try and make it attractive . Starting from the title and ending with the last answer, always keep in mind this: “How can I put things so that it’s appealing for the reader?” Look for the most interesting stuff and reorder the questions of the interview if needed so that you give readers the feeling that they have just read the story of a conversation and not a cold sharp interview. Add suggestive photos, insert quotes and let your emotions guide you. Remember, you’re in complete control at this point!

Tip: Try to give the interview article some sort of narrative or structure, without making it too linear and logical. In the end, just ask yourself if it’s something you’d enjoy reading.

3. Magazine article interview examples to get inspired from

interview article examples

Finding it hard to be creative? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Luckily, if you’re stuck in a rut, there are plenty of magazine interview article examples on the Internet to draw inspiration from. I’ve selected a few of the ones that I have enjoyed reading, and remember, even if you’re probably never going to interview Adele or Brad Pitt, articles like this can plant an idea in your mind or awaken your creative buds. It can be anything from the title, the layout of the interview article, to the questions, the perspective from which it is written and so on. Serena Williams’ interview for Vogue , as well as Adele’s one for Vanity Fair are some impressive articles that somehow manage to bring these big stars closer to the public by sharing some candid moments and information with the readers. Brad Pitt’s interview for GQ magazine is rather an interesting one since it’s a roller coaster of perspectives, questions, emotions and quite artistic pictures that altogether reveal a different side of the actor.

However, if these interview articles are a bit too much, on our blog you can find some interviews to start with, like this one with Debbie Millman or this one featuring Jacob Cass . You’re really just one click away from a plethora of interview articles.

Tip: Don’t copy other interview articles, but use them rather as an inspiration and add the missing pieces in order to make your own greater. This is especially important when outsourcing interviews to contractors on popular freelance websites , as freelancers usually use standard content templates on many different projects due to ease of use and efficiency.

Writing an interview article can be quite challenging and overwhelming at times, but as long as you keep in mind the above-mentioned tips, you should be on a good path. And remember, there isn’t a one rule applies to all. You can make it as fun or as serious as you want. Just ask yourself at the end if it’s something you’d really enjoy reading.

27 Comments

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cool reading! I agree. The most popular articles and most shared are the interview ones by far. Maybe Flipsnack could do a series of Interview articles with relevant people in the industry or most engaged or relevant Flipsnack users. Good job with this article! ;)

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Hey, we’re glad you enjoyed the article! That’s a very good suggestion and definitely something we’re planing on doing this year! :)

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Thanks for this post. It helped me write my first interview for my blog which received great feedback!

Thank you for your feedback, Angela! Glad to know that it was helpful!:)

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REEEEEEEEEEE

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very helpful

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It is very helpful. This interview article is very interesting. I enjoyed reading.

Thank you for the feedback! Glad to know you’ve enjoyed it!

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This is a great article. Thank you.

Thank you for your kind words!

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Diana, Very informative article. I’m a novice writer, and I might be landing an article for a local publication on a demo lady at our local grocery store. I got the idea after years of stopping for a sample of cheese, or whatever, and making light conversation. One day, a small boy came up to her and handed a piece of candy, telling her he loved her. She replied, “I love you too, Eli.” She confided in me that one regular customer suffered from severe depression and told Sally that no matter what kind of day she was having, she knew she could come to the store, find Sally with her smile, and feel much better about the day and herself. I want to write about this food sample lady!! Any fun questions I could ask her? Any idea as to how I could direct this interview, focusing on one or two main ideas? Thanks!

Thank you for your kind words, Tonya and for taking the time to share this story with us. First thing that came to my mind after reading this is what Ellen DeGeneres always emphasizes in her show and not only, which is the importance of being kind one to another. I think you can focus your article on the idea that no matter where you are and what job you have (to oneself it might seem an insignificant one) you still have this power to have an impact on other people’s lives. Big or small, one can make a change in this world by practicing kindness on an everyday basis. And Sally is a very good representation of that. Some interesting questions I think you could ask her are Who or what inspires her in her day-to-day life? Or if she has any memory of an unexpected kind gesture she has received from someone? And if so, what impact did that have on her life? Depending on the tone you want to set for the article, you can ask questions in a more familiar way, such as “I’ve seen you light up the day for many customers that walk into the grocery store. Where do you draw your inspiration from to practice kindness on a regular basis?” These are just a few that came to my mind. Here’s a cool article about kindness, perhaps it helps you. Just trust your instinct and I’m sure you’ll do just fine :)

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what up dawg this is a good article.

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This is such a well-written article! Love the structure and the way you communicate with the reader. Good tips, will definitely use them.

Thank you, Rhea for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it!

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Someone help me my teacher is making me read this article… HELP!!!

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This was a great read! I am struggling with how I can format an interview-magazine- like a story for my school. How should I start it? I have my questions listed, just wondering on how I can start it? Any tips?

Hi Regina! Thank you for your kind feedback. I’d say that once you have all the questions ready, just start writing it. Make a short introduction so that you don’t just dive in directly into the interview and from there on just do whatever feels natural. Don’t overthink! I’m sure it will turn out just great! :)

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Do you have sample online interview responses? Meaning, you sent the one being interviewed a list of questions via email.

Hi Sara! We had a series of interviews on our blog and I’ve sent the questions via email to the interviewees and received their answers. You can check the final result and read some of the interviews on our blog. Here is one of them . Hope this helps! :)

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This was such a useful article and thank you! I will definitely be referring to it over the next week while I complete my English assignment. Do you have any tips on how I could start my Interview? I have all the content, but I am unsure of what the best way to start it would be. Thank you again for the fantastic article.

Thank you, Holly, for your kind words! Glad you found it useful! Well, it depends on the type of interview. I’d say you could start by making a short introduction about the person you’re interviewing/ the topic (if there is a certain one). And from there on just go ahead and ask the questions. I’m sure you’ll do a great job! Best of luck! :)

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Hi Diana, Thank you for this post. I will be starting a new section on my blog where I will interview Women in Business. I plan to write the articles interview style so this has been very helpful. I plan to write it Literal style. Thank you again Raheela

Hi Raheela! I’m glad you found it useful. Thank you for your kind feedback and good luck with your new interviews section!

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Hey! Thank you so much for the article. I am using it in class with my students :)

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thank you, it gonna help me for my exam

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Just watched your excellent video and your blogpost. Such great ideas and tips. Plus examples of real interviews! Very generous of you and I’m feeling excited about completing my assignment. Thank you very much!

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How to Write an Article for a Magazine: Expert Tips and Tricks

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on Published: June 14, 2023  - Last updated: June 23, 2023

Categories Writing

Magazine writing is a unique form of art that requires writers to carefully blend elements of storytelling, informative research, and reader engagement. Crafting an article for a magazine demands a flair for creative writing and an understanding of the submission process and the specific expectations of the magazine’s audience.

With a clear idea of the subject matter and a strong knack for storytelling, anyone can venture into the world of magazine writing and make a lasting impact on the readers.

The journey of writing a magazine article begins with understanding the fundamentals of magazine articles and their unique characteristics. It requires a thorough understanding of the target market, a well-defined topic, and an unmistakable voice to engage readers.

By focusing on these aspects, writers can create articles that resonate with a magazine’s audience, leading to potential ongoing collaborations and publication opportunities.

Key Takeaways

  • Magazine writing involves a blend of storytelling, research, and reader engagement.
  • Understanding the target audience and article topic is crucial to success.
  • Focusing on writing quality and a unique voice can lead to ongoing publication opportunities.

Understanding Magazine Articles

Types of magazine articles.

Magazine articles can differ significantly from newspaper articles or other forms of writing . Several types of magazine articles include features, profiles, news stories, and opinion pieces. Feature articles are in-depth stories that provide substantial information about a specific subject, often written by freelance writers.

Profiles focus on an individual or organization, showcasing their accomplishments or perspective. News stories are shorter pieces that report timely events and updates, while opinion pieces allow writers to share their viewpoints on relevant matters.

The Purpose of a Magazine Article

The primary purpose of a magazine article is to entertain, inform, or educate its readers in an engaging and visually appealing manner. Magazine writing is crafted with the reader in mind, considering their interests, knowledge level, and preferences.

The tone, structure, and style may vary depending on the target audience and the magazine’s genre. This approach allows for a more flexible, creative, and conversational writing form than news articles or research reports.

Magazine articles are an excellent medium for freelance writers to showcase their writing skills and expertise on specific subjects. Whether they’re writing feature articles, profiles, or opinion pieces, consistency, factual accuracy, and a strong connection with the reader are essential elements of successful magazine writing.

Developing Your Article Idea

Finding a story idea.

Developing a great article idea starts with finding a unique and compelling story. As a freelance writer, you must stay updated on current events, trends, and niche topics that can spark curiosity in the readers.

Browse newspapers, magazine websites, blogs, and social media platforms to stay informed and derive inspiration for your topic. Engage in conversation with others or join online forums and groups that cater to your subject area for fresh insights.

Remember to select a theme familiar to you or one with expertise. This approach strengthens your article’s credibility and offers readers a fresh perspective.

Pitching to Magazine Editors

Once you’ve generated a story idea, the next step is to pitch your concept to magazine editors. Start by researching and building a list of potential magazines or publications suited to your topic. Keep in mind the target audience and interests of each publication.

Instead of submitting a complete article, compose a concise and engaging query letter. This letter should encompass a brief introduction, the main idea of your article, your writing credentials, and any previously published work or relevant experience.

When crafting your pitch, aim for clarity and brevity. Magazine editors often receive numerous submissions, so make sure your pitch stands out.

Tailor the tone of your query letter according to the general style of the target magazine, and consider mentioning specific sections or columns you believe your article would fit.

Patience and persistence are key attributes of successful freelance writers. Always be prepared to pitch your article idea to different magazine editors, and do not hesitate to ask for feedback in case of rejection. Refining and adapting your story ideas will increase your chances of getting published.

Remember to follow the guidelines and protocols established by the magazine or publication when submitting your query letter or article pitches. Also, some magazines may prefer to work with writers with prior experience or published work in their portfolios.

Consider starting with smaller publications or creating a blog to build your credibility and portfolio. With a well-developed article idea and a strong pitch, you’re on the right path to becoming a successful magazine writer.

Writing the Article

The writing process.

The writing process for a magazine article generally involves detailed research, outlining, and drafting before arriving at the final piece. To create a compelling article, identify your target audience and understand their preferences.

This will allow you to tailor your content to suit their needs and expectations. Next, gather relevant information and conduct interviews with experts, if necessary.

Once you have enough material, create an outline, organizing your thoughts and ideas logically. This helps ensure a smooth flow and lets you focus on each section as you write.

Revising your work several times is essential, checking for grammar, punctuation, and clarity. Ensure your language is concise and straightforward, making it accessible to a broad range of readers.

Creating an Engaging Opening

An engaging opening is critical in capturing the reader’s attention and setting the tone for the entire article. Begin your piece with a strong hook, such as an intriguing anecdote, a surprising fact, or a thought-provoking question. This will entice readers to continue reading and maintain their interest throughout the piece.

Remember that different publications may have varying preferences, so tailor your opening accordingly.

Organizing Your Content

Organizing your content is essential in creating a coherent and easy-to-read article. Consider segmenting your piece into sub-sections, using headings to clarify the flow and make the content more digestible. Here are some tips for organizing your content effectively:

  • Utilize bullet points or numbered lists to convey information in a simple, organized manner
  • Highlight crucial points with bold text to draw readers’ attention
  • Use tables to present data or comparisons that may be difficult to express in plain text

As you organize your content, keep your target audience in mind and prioritize readability and comprehension. Avoid making exaggerated or false claims, damaging your credibility and negatively impacting the reader’s experience.

Remember to adhere to the submission guidelines provided by the magazine, as each publication may have different preferences and requirements. Following these steps and maintaining a clear, confident tone can create an engaging and informative magazine article that resonates with your readers.

Polishing Your Article

Proofreading and editing.

Before submitting your article to a magazine, ensure it is polished and error-free. Start by proofreading for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes, making your article look more professional and credible. Using tools like grammar checkers is a good idea, but an experienced writer should also manually review their piece as the software might not detect some mistakes.

Editing your article is crucial, as it helps refine the structure and flow of your writing. Eliminate redundant or unnecessary words and reorganize paragraphs if needed. Consider asking a peer or a mentor to review it for an unbiased perspective.

Keep the magazine’s desired writing style in mind, and adapt your article suitably. For example, a news article may require a concise and informative tone, while a feature in a magazine on pop culture may call for a more conversational and engaging approach.

Using Appropriate Language and Style

To make your article stand out, it is essential to use appropriate language and style. Unlike online publication or social media writing, magazine journalism usually demands a more refined and professional tone. Focus on using a clear, neutral, knowledgeable voice conveying confidence and expertise.

Here are some tips to ensure your article fits the magazine’s desired style:

  • Ensure you have a compelling subject line that captures the reader’s attention.
  • Depending on the type of article you’re writing, decide if your piece should follow a more scholarly approach, like in a scholarly journal, or a more relaxed, opinion-based style found in lifestyle magazines.
  • Use relevant examples to support your points, but avoid making exaggerated or false claims.
  • Consider your audience and their interests. Choose the right vocabulary to engage them without making the content too pretentious or complicated.

By carefully proofreading and editing your work and using appropriate language and style, you can ensure your magazine article shines. Remember to stay true to your voice and the magazine’s requirements, and maintain a professional tone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key components of a magazine article.

A magazine article typically includes a headline, introduction, body, and conclusion. The headline should be striking and attention-grabbing to capture the reader’s interest. The introduction sets the context and tone of the piece while giving the reader a taste of what to expect.

The body of the article is where the main content and message are conveyed, with vital information, examples, and analysis.

The conclusion summarizes the article by summarizing the main points and often providing a call to action or a thought-provoking question.

What is an effective writing style for a magazine article?

An effective writing style for a magazine article should be clear, concise, and engaging. It is essential to cater to the target audience by using language that resonates with them and addressing relevant topics. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and easily digestible, and avoid jargon unless the publication targets industry professionals.

Adopting a conversational tone while maintaining professionalism usually works well in magazine writing.

How should the introduction be written for a magazine article?

The introduction of a magazine article should engage the reader right from the start by grabbing their attention with a hook. This can be an interesting anecdote, a fascinating fact, or a provocative question. The introduction should also establish the flow of the rest of the article by providing brief context or outlining the piece’s structure.

What are the best practices for structuring a magazine article?

The structure of a magazine article should be well-organized and easy to follow. This often means using subheadings, bullet points, or numbered lists to break up the text and emphasize important content. Start with the most important information, then move on to supporting details and background information. Maintain a logical, coherent flow between paragraphs, ensuring each section builds on the previous one.

How can I make my magazine article engaging and informative?

To make a magazine article engaging and informative, focus on finding the right balance between providing valuable information and keeping the reader entertained. Use anecdotes, personal stories, and real-life examples to make the content relatable and genuine. When applicable, include engaging visuals (such as photos or illustrations), as they aid comprehension and make the article more appealing. Finally, address the reader directly when possible, making them feel more involved in the narrative.

What are some useful tips for editing and proofreading a magazine article?

When editing and proofreading a magazine article, focus on the bigger picture, such as organization and flow. Ensure that the structure is logical and transitions are smooth and seamless. Then, move on to sentence-level editing, examining grammar, punctuation, and style consistency. Ensure that redundancies and jargon are eliminated and that the voice and tone match the target audience and publication. Lastly, proofread for typos and errors, preferably using a fresh pair of eyes or a professional editing tool.

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How to Write a Magazine Article

  • August 12, 2014

From pitching a query letter to submitting your invoice to the editor, these tips on how to write a magazine article will give you the inside scoop on freelance writing.

how to write a magazine article

I learned how to be a freelance writer by reading books such as The Art and Craft of Feature Writing: Based on The Wall Street Journal Guide  by William E. Blundell. I gleaned a writing tip or two from websites about writing magazine articles, but books were far and away more helpful. Books are less distracting, and I believe the information “sticks” better.

The other thing that helped me succeed as a freelance writer was pitching query letters, and learning from my mistakes. These tips for writing magazine articles are mostly from my successes – but I probably learned more from the mistakes I made! The key is to move on quickly after making a mistake in your career, and only look back when you want to help other writers avoid making the same mistakes you did.

Pitch a query letter. When you’re an established freelance writer, editors will email you assignments without you having to pitch an idea! I love when this happens – except when I’m asked to write about stuff I have no interest in, such as fashion or parenting. I’ve never turned down an article assignment, but I’ve been tempted to! In How to Write Query Letters for Magazine Articles , you’ll learn how to pitch a query letter. That’s your first step towards writing a magazine article.

Decide if you want to simultaneously submit query letters. When I first started freelancing, I was nervous about pitching the same article idea to more than one editor. Now, I don’t hesitate. Writing is a business, and I’m a professional. I can’t afford to sit on a good article idea for weeks or even months! When I wrote Should Writers Submit Multiple Query Letters to Magazines? , I was on the fence. Now I am 100% sold on the idea of pitching to multiple editors.

Get the assignment – and acknowledge the editor’s email. O happy day, when the editor emails you with a writing contract! Awesome. When you get the assignment, email the editor immediately. You want to be as professional as possible, and you don’t need to tell her that you’re still reading books and blog posts about how to write a magazine article.

Read the assignment sheet very, very carefully. I’ve been writing for alive magazine since 2009. I love working with those editors! They don’t push me as hard as the Reader’s Digest editor did – she was brutally good for my writing skills – but they’re so kind and easy to work with. Every time they send me an assignment, they also send their submission guidelines. I more or less know their rules by heart, but I re-read them every time I get an assignment. I follow their instructions to a T.

Interview experts. The best tip on writing a magazine article is to actually interview sources. Don’t rely on the internet or books for your information. It’s old news, and people can read books. Find experts to talk to. I always conduct my interviews by email because it’s fast, reliable, and … fast. I use HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to find experts to interview.

Let your experts’ “testimony” shape your article. I never start writing a magazine article until I’ve received all the emails from experts, containing their answers to my interview questions. Then, I let their quotations shape the article. An expert will write anywhere from 500 to 1,500 words in response to my interview questions, and I’ll use about 100 of those words in a direct quotation. Of course I attribute them fully!

Follow the editor’s instructions for writing magazine articles to a T. This is such an important tip on how to write a magazine article ! (And that’s such an awkward sentence, but I’m hoping to rise in the search results, so when freelancers search for “how to write a magazine article”, they find me). If the editor asks you to write 1,000 words, then make sure you do not write 999 or 1,001. Write exactly what they ask for.

writing magazine articles

Give yourself at least five business days to write your article. The enemy of good writing is not editing your work. This tip on how to write a magazine article is important, because you want your writing to be tight, concise, brief. Precise. I always give myself two business days to edit my articles before I submit them.

Create an invoice for the editor, to email with your article. If you haven’t sent an invoice yet, here’s a sample invoice for freelance writers . Keep track of every invoice you sent, and expect to wait for at least two weeks to get paid. Sometimes it takes two months. Don’t freak out.

Keep an eye on the magazine’s website. This is one tip on how to write a magazine article that I never do: stay in touch with the magazine’s website. You’ll get article ideas from readers, and you’ll learn what direction the magazine is going in. If the magazine published something particularly good, email the editor a “two thumbs up.”

What have I missed, fellow scribes? Tell me your tips for writing magazine articles!

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I love hints throughout the magazine article or book! When a writer assumes you’re a smart reader and can guess something by yourself, even if you don’t find the answers you still are engaged. Makes reading much more exciting. 🙂 And rereading – even more. I love those aha-moments – “that’s why it was like this, now I see!” 😀

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How to Write a Magazine Article

By Smitha Abraham

how to write a magazine article

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

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.

Be open to feedback

Feedback is crucial to all writers. Make sure you ask for feedback from your potential employer. You may receive a lot of corrections or suggestions in your writing. But do not let it demoralize you. Learn from your feedback and improve your writing.

Hopefully, these pointers should help you in some way. So take your pen and ink your thoughts!

Image credit: Jamie on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0 [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Smitha-Abraham.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]I’m Smitha Abraham. I love traveling in my flights of imagination and use these flights to craft short stories and poetry. I am a budding writer from India. My passions are reading, creative writing, listening to music, learning new languages, meeting new people, getting acquainted with different cultures and traveling. Authors like Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, genres like magic realism, historical romance, and writing styles that are imaginative and flow effortlessly fascinate me. I love to unwind with a book curled up on a sofa or by gazing at the stars by the sea shore. I am a nature lover and spending time admiring the sunset and sunrise is relaxing for me.[/author_info] [/author]

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6 Important Tips for Magazine Article Writing

Writing articles for magazines is definitely a dream for a lot of writers. This is because the pay is usually huge. Not only that, it can also offer exposure that can lead to more article writing projects. Below are the things that you need to learn in order to write amazing articles for magazines:

1. Make sure to choose a topic that you’re an expert on or you feel interested in.

You’ll most likely to produce high quality magazine articles if you choose topics that are included in your areas of expertise and areas of interest. Publishers always look for articles that contain in-depth information or those that are very authoritative. I would recommend that you list down all the things that you feel you’re very good at. Then, choose those ones that you can easily sell to different magazines.

2. Choose interesting angles.

You have better chances of getting your articles published if they’re very interesting. Study your chosen topic carefully and figure out the angles that were not yet discussed before and those that will grab your target audience by the throat. Also, make sure that you do not write about general topics. Publishers in general do not like articles that contain too many information that are not really useful or beneficial to their clients.

3. Research.

Even if you think that you know your chosen topic inside out, I am sure it wouldn’t hurt if you conduct research. This will surely allow you to get more useful and fresh information that can make your articles more informative and more valuable to the eyes of your target audience. Read relevant resources and if needed, interview other experts.

4. Create an outline.

Next step is to create a structure that you can follow when writing your articles. This must contain the ideas that you’re going to discuss on your introduction, article body, and conclusion. Decide if you’re going to add images, testimonials, and graphics.

5. Write your articles.

Unlike when writing news articles, you’re not required to follow specific structure or format when writing your magazine articles. You can be as creative as you want to be. To hook your readers, I suggest that you write using their language. It will also help if you strive to sound upbeat and warm all the time. Remember, your readers are reading magazine articles not just to get informed but to be entertained as well.

6. Check out the style sheet or guidelines of the magazines where you would like to submit your articles to.

Every magazine has its own list of instructions about the subjects, approach, and tone that you need to use. If these are not published, I would recommend that you read all the articles that were used by the magazines where you would like to submit your copies to. Doing this will surely give you a clear idea as to what exactly they’re looking for.

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How to write your own articles for teen magazines.

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Whether you're a teenager who's an aspiring author or an adult with a youthful attitude, the teen magazine market welcomes freelancers twho know how to spin a story, share "been there/done that" experiences, or chat about current trends and events affecting the lives of today's high school students. Although columns related to fashion, hair and makeup, relationship advice, and the music scene are usually staff-written, most editors of YA publications are receptive to pitches from newcomers that reflect a keen understanding of their target demographic and fit the needs of their upcoming editorial calendars.

Research what teens are reading by checking out the YA section of magazine racks at your local supermarket or bookstore. Some of the popular titles you'll see are "Seventeen magazine," "Cosmo Girl," "Twist," "Bop," "Tiger Beat" and "J-14." Skim the content to determine if articles are primarily general interest or focus on specific topics and themes. Examples: "American Cheerleader" revolves around cheering, health, nutrition and competitions. "Twist" is all about celebrities, the latest fashions and popular culture. "Thrasher" is all about skateboarding and snowboarding techniques, events and athlete profiles.

Purchase copies of teen magazines you want to write for in order to familiarize yourself with their overall tone, language, complexity of topics, and use of illustrations. To get the most out of this exercise, it's critical to study at least three months' worth of back issues to determine if they've recently covered the topics you'd like to write about. If the magazines have an online presence--"Seventeen", for instance-- you can usually find back issues under their archives tab or use the search button function to type in your topic and find past articles.

Study the magazine's submission guidelines carefully. You have several options here. The first is to look in the front pages of the magazine and see if the guidelines are listed there. If not, you can write a letter or send an email to the editorial department and request a copy of the guidelines along with their editorial calendar which lists the themes of upcoming issues. Sometimes submission information is posted on line. An example of this is "TeenInk," which is written entirely by teenagers (see Resources). Another option is to check out "Writer's Market" (published annually by Writer's Digest Books), which lists detailed submission information including desired word counts, time frames, and names of editorial staff. Follow submission requirements to the letter (see Tips).

Compose your story, interview, essay or how-to piece with a tight focus that never loses sight of the target reader's interest, imagination and intelligence. (See Warnings.) Use the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level function in your Word program to determine if the language you're using is appropriate for the age of the magazine's readers. Test your material on actual teens and pay attention to their feedback.

Subscribe to publications such as Children's Writer Newsletter. (See Resources.) This monthly newsletter identifies YA markets that are receptive to new voices, offers comprehensive how-to advice on structuring articles and stories, and provides interviews with agents, editors and publishers who candidly share their likes and dislikes about writer submissions. Article sidebars further contain the full contact information of industry professionals profiled in each issue.

  • Teen magazines vary in terms of how much they want to see from a first-time contributor and they will specify this in their guidelines. This can range from a short (one-page) query letter that outlines the idea, sample clips of previously published work, or the full story or article.
  • Always respect a magazine's desired word counts for submissions. If they only accept short fiction up to 500 words, do not send them your 10,000-word manuscript.
  • Fillers that are between 100 and 300 words have a better chance of being published than lengthier pieces. This represents a good way for a newcomer to break in and get her name known to editors.
  • While many of today's teen magazines accept email queries and submissions, it's essential that the same rules of formality apply as if you were sending a traditional letter. If you do send a snail-mail letter, always include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
  • Keep in mind that teen magazines aren't just read by teenagers; they're also eagerly grabbed up by "tweens"--the 10-, 11- and 12-year olds who want a sneak peek at what awaits them as high schoolers.
  • If you're not a teenager, don't try to talk like one. Nor should your tone be that of an authoritative figure given to lectures.

Related Articles

How to start a kids magazine →, family circle submit tips →, how to become a columnist →.

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  • "Seize the Story: A Handbook for Teens Who Like to Write"; Victoria Hanley; 2008
  • "A Teen's Guide to Getting Published: Publishing for Profit, Recognition And Academic Success"; Jessica Dunn, Danielle Dunn; 2006
  • "Writer's Digest Handbook Of Magazine Article Writing: Handbook Of Magazine Article Writing"; Michelle Ruberg; 2005
  • All You Can Read: Top Ten Teen Magazines

Ghostwriter and film consultant Christina Hamlett has written professionally since 1970. Her credits include many books, plays, optioned features, articles and interviews. Publishers include HarperCollins, Michael Wiese Productions, "PLAYS," "Writer's Digest" and "The Writer." She holds a B.A. in communications (emphasis on audience analysis and message design) from California State University, Sacramento. She also travels extensively and is a gourmet chef.

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How to Write a Magazine Article Professionally

How to Write a Magazine Article Professionally

Qualified freelance writers know how to write a magazine article up to the set quality standards. They produce articles for different kinds of magazines highlighting various topics. Even the most popular magazines are in need of the services of freelance writers to get their publications filled with the required content.

If you desire to publish your article, the first thing you need to do is send a query letter to the magazine editors and try to sell your brilliant ideas. Imagine you are assigned to create an article. What would you do to capture readers’ attention and make your editor order articles from you regularly?

How to Write a Magazine Article

Below, there are helpful prompts on how to write a magazine article properly.

Select the subject which you are good at

You will be able to succeed in creating top-notch articles if you are completely familiar with the chosen topic . Publishers always search for profound articles providing valuable information about the matter in question. In order to pick the right topic, you should create a list of themes which you find engaging and strive to select those which you could sell to some magazines without a hassle.

Highlight the issue from a new perspective

If your article is appealing, it will be easier for you to get it published. Thus, explore the chosen subject and try to determine the aspects which have not been studied yet and can be of keen interest to readers. Additionally, you have to make certain that your topic does not belong to the general ones as publishers do not buy the articles that are of no use to their target audience.

Conduct research

You should do research even if it seems to you that you are fully aware of the topic you are going to create your article on. In this way, you will be able to collect more useful material for your feature and, as a result, impress readers with the result. Browse authoritative sources and interview professionals if needed.

Do interviews

Take a look at your research and ponder over the sub-themes which you could disclose by interviewing experts. Remember that interviews make articles more interesting, and editors always give preference to such articles.

Seeking a Professional

If you want your magazine article to contain an interview from an expert, you should cold-call organizations operating in the required area. You may also address PR agencies to get some advice on where to find specialists competent in your field.

Interviewing a Specialist

In order to conduct an interview successfully, you should prepare a list of questions which you would like to ask. It is worth following your plan when creating questions not to miss any points. Ensure that your list contains such data as name, job position, and location.

Pick the place and time for the interview that is suitable for the interviewee. With the interviewee’s consent, you may record your conversation. Ask open-ended questions. Try not to deviate from your course meaning ask all questions which you intended to.

Produce an outline

The next stage is to prepare an outline by following which you will be able to create the best magazine article. Your outline has to include the points highlighting the concepts you will discuss in your paper. Think about adding images, graphics, etc.

Write your article

There is no specific format which you should apply when writing magazine articles. It is up to you to decide what mode to use. In order to catch readers’ attention, you should use their own language. However, at first, you need to identify your target audience to know how to present data. Mind that the purpose of reading magazines is to not only find out some information but also get amused.

Check out the guidelines of the magazines

Check the demands imposed by the magazine which you want to publish your article in. Each magazine has their own guidelines about how to write a magazine article. Here, it goes about the topics, writing style and tone, etc. It is advised to read the articles published in the magazine which you are going to submit your article to. Thus, you will know exactly what types of features the publishing entity is searching for.

Send your piece of writing

Strive to make a good impression on the managers of the magazine in the course of communication. Make certain your emails are produced appropriately and clearly state your intentions. Remember to respond to the received letters on time.

Arranging a Magazine Article Format

As well as other kinds of articles, a magazine one should include a title, introductory section, body, and a concluding unit.

Organizing your article appropriately will ensure its clarity. Thus, check the following points to understand not only how to write a magazine article but also arrange it:

  • Title (here, you should highlight the topic of your article)
  • Introductory section (it should clearly present the matter under consideration so that readers know what they are going to read about).
  • Body (in this part, you should highlight the details of your subject, i.e. specifics, facets, experts’ viewpoints, statistics, etc.). This section should include a couple of paragraphs only. Mind not to exceed the number of the words allowed as the whole structure may be ruined.
  • Concluding unit (this is the final section of your article where you should provide a brief summary of the entire piece of writing. Here, you are supposed to briefly describe the key ideas.). Try to finish your article effectively to give readers the material to ponder over. Make sure your conclusion is closely connected to the entire article.  
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So You Think You Can Write a Memoir?

Lilly Dancyger ’12JRN on the art of writing about yourself — and making other people care about your story. 

Lilly Dancyger

Lilly Dancyger ’12JRN edits personal essays and memoirs for two online publications and a literary press, and she teaches classes on memoir writing. She is the editor of  Burn It Down , a new anthology of essays on women’s anger, and is working on her own memoir, Negative Space.

Tell us a little about your writing classes.

I teach classes for writers from different backgrounds and at all levels. One of my favorites is a class for writers with a book project already underway. We dig into how to shape personal experience into narrative, and the ways in which a story can start to take on its own life. 

So what makes a great memoir?

It’s all about that alchemy of transforming the raw material of experience into something special. It’s important to have a good story to tell, but there has to be more to it than merely recounting the events of your life. A big part of my job is telling people that the worst or most powerful thing that ever happened to them sounds boring. I don’t say it to be mean! But I often find myself explaining that just having an experience — no matter how shocking or unusual — is not enough. A great memoir articulates something about being human and it will resonate with readers regardless of whether their lives look anything like the writer’s.  

You don’t have to be famous to write a memoir, right? 

No! Memoir used to be almost exclusively written by famous, influential people as a way to cement their legacies. That’s not true anymore, though celebrity memoirs still hold strong on the bestseller lists — Michelle Obama’s Becoming has sold more than ten million copies so far. But if you’re not a celebrity, you have to rely on artistry to drum up the interest that’s inherent in stories of famous people’s exploits. The non-celebrity literary memoir is as much about exceptional storytelling and craft as it is about having an interesting life. 

Can you name recent memoirs that exemplify the best of the genre? 

There are so many to choose from. Tara Westover’s  Educated , about being raised by survivalists and not setting foot in a classroom until the age of seventeen; Terese Marie Mailhot’s Heart Berries , about growing up on a reservation; Stephanie Land’s Maid , about her time working as a house cleaner and struggling to provide for her daughter; and Kiese Laymon’s Heavy , about a Black boy growing up in the South and grappling with weight, trauma, and societal failings, are a few that come to mind. 

Why do these stories resonate with readers?

Because the writers use their personal experiences to elucidate something universal. Westover describes a childhood most readers can’t relate to directly. She’s kept out of school for her entire childhood, burying guns and canned peaches to prepare for the apocalypse. But while the circumstances she describes — in vivid, gripping detail — may be foreign, the feelings at the core of the story are universal: her desire to believe the best of her parents; her ambition to escape her circumstances; her loyalty to family that she often puts ahead of her own well-being. In Maid , Land’s struggle to make the smallest amount of progress toward a more stable life is more common than many realize. It resonated with readers who saw their experience, or their mothers’ experience, reflected in literature for the first time. 

Trauma seems to be a recurring feature in literary memoirs. 

Yes — the hardest stories are often the most gripping, because the stakes are higher. We want to know how memoir writers — including all of the ones I listed above — made it out OK. Writing about traumatic experiences can also be deeply healing for a writer, but there’s more to it than that. As an editor I see a lot of personal essays that seem entirely motivated by the writer’s need to document and share their pain. The writer revels in the catharsis of writing but hasn’t taken the necessary next steps of processing that experience and turning it into something universal. When writers come to me with their raw personal experiences, I understand the weight of the trust they’re putting in me, and I push them hard to shape those experiences into essays that transcend the events they’re based on. I remind them that “what happened” is a lump of clay for them to sculpt, and it’s up to them to shape it into something beautiful. As an editor and a writer, I’m always pushing for the bigger story buried under the surface of personal experience.

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How to Write a ‘How-To’: A Step-by-Step Guide to Our Contest

We walk you through how to brainstorm a topic, interview an expert and write your own original “How to ….”

An illustration of a question mark over two conversation bubbles with drops of sweat dripping off.

By Natalie Proulx and Katherine Schulten

“If you want to know how to do something, don’t just search the internet,” advises Malia Wollan , the longtime writer of Tip , a how-to column that ran weekly in The New York Times Magazine for seven years. “Instead, find a person who already knows how and ask them.”

That’s the challenge we are posing to students in “How to … ,” our new informational writing contest for teenagers : Interview an expert about (almost) any skill and then write an engaging and informative essay explaining it to readers.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to do that, with advice from the how-to expert herself, Ms. Wollan. You’ll start by getting familiar with the Tip format. Then you’ll brainstorm a topic for your own piece, find and interview an expert and, finally, put it all together.

When you’re ready, you can submit your completed how-to essay to our contest , which is accepting submissions through Feb. 14.

A step-by-step guide:

1. read some “tip” articles to understand the form., 2. look more closely at one piece., 3. brainstorm your topic., 4. find an expert., 5. conduct the interview., 6. put it all together..

What does a how-to essay look like? There are, of course, many ways to write one. For instance, you may have consulted wikiHow in the past, whether to learn how to make a realistic New Year’s resolution , fold a fitted sheet , reheat rice or do one of the many, many other things the site can teach you.

But since the inspiration for our contest comes from the Tip column in The Times, spending some time examining how it works is the logical first step in constructing your own.

Start by reading any three Tip articles of your choice.

If you don’t have a Times subscription, this guide can help. If you click on any of the 40-plus Tip topics we link here, you can access them for free, as long as you open them directly from this page. (Note to teachers: If your class does have a Times subscription and you are working from the column itself , be aware that some articles may not be appropriate. Please preview before sharing.)

Here are some options to help you choose:

Maybe you’re interested in learning a physical skill, such as how to build a sand castle , skip a stone , do the splits , tackle someone , spot a shooting star , crack a safe or find a four-leaf clover .

Or maybe you would rather up your emotional intelligence by, say, learning how to laugh at yourself , let your mind wander , recover from being ghosted , build an intentional community , be less fearful of the dark or forgive .

Perhaps you want to know how to do something practical, like break in boots , fix a brake light , mend a pair of jeans , use emojis , put out a grease fire , read faster , survive an avalanche , ask for an extension or find a lost hamster .

Or maybe you’d rather choose something offbeat, like how to start a family band , talk to dogs , communicate through facial expressions , make a love potion , build a fort , enjoy snowflakes , wash your hair in space or race pigeons .

After you’ve read three, answer these questions:

What do you notice about the structure, organization and language of a Tip column?

What predictable elements can readers expect to find in every edition?

If you did the activity above, you might have noticed some of these elements:

Tip articles are short: Each column is about 400 words and around four paragraphs long. Our challenge asks you to write something of about the same length.

The topics are usually ultra-specific: The skills described might be physical ( how to skip a stone ) or emotional ( how to forgive ), serious ( how to suture a wound ) or offbeat ( how to befriend an eagle ), but they are always small enough that they can be fully explained within the limited word count.

Each article features a single expert source: You probably noticed that each column begins and ends with a quote from an expert on the topic and that the same expert gives background and advice throughout the piece. For this contest, we are not requiring you to follow that same format, but we are asking you to find and interview an expert to inform your essay. And if you’d like to follow that format, you may.

The advice is practical, but the pieces are engaging to read. Each includes concrete tips for how to accomplish a task, but it’s never just a boring list of steps. The writer also provides context for the skill so that readers understand how and why they might use it in their own lives. And the quotes Ms. Wollan chooses from her interviews are often colorful or full of voice, as you can see in this piece about how to appreciate spiders .

They are written to the reader: The writer addresses the reader as “you,” and often uses the imperative to craft sentences that tell the reader what (or what not) to do.

Now let’s break it down even further. Choose one Tip article to read — either one you already read in Step 1 or a new one — and then respond to the following questions:

Whom does the writer quote in the piece? Why do you think the author chose this person? What makes him or her an expert in this skill? Do you think this person was a good source of information?

Look closely at when the author chooses to quote the expert and when she paraphrases the information that person gave. What is the difference? Why do you think she chose to quote the lines she did? Give some examples from the piece to explain your reasoning.

You may have been taught in school to cite your sources by using footnotes or by putting them in parentheses after you’ve referenced the information. That’s not how journalists do it, yet they still make their sources clear. Where do you see this in the piece you read? What punctuation or wording does the author use to tell us where certain facts and details come from?

Now let’s look at how the author balances explaining how to acquire a skill and showing why it’s needed: Underline or highlight in one color the lines in the piece that tell readers how to accomplish the task, and use another color to highlight lines that give context. What do you notice about the difference in language? What do you notice about the way these pieces of information are woven together throughout?

After reading this, do you feel confident that you could accomplish the task on your own? What tips, if any, did the expert share that surprised you?

When, where and for what purpose might you use this skill in your own life? What lines help readers see how this skill might be relevant to their lives?

What else do you admire about this piece, whether it’s the topic covered, the way it’s written or anything else?

Now that you better understand how to write a how-to, it’s your turn to write one!

First, of course, you must find a topic. For a Times Insider article about how the Tip column is made , Ms. Wollan and her editor, Dean Robinson, describe how they found their ideas:

She often gets suggestions. Many people ask her to write about navigating interpersonal relationships; Ms. Wollan acquiesced in the case of a highly-requested Tip on how to break up with a therapist. She thinks people come to her because “that stuff is hard to navigate and it’s also hard to Google.” Some of the more recognizable scenarios featured in Tip columns come from Ms. Wollan’s own life. She credits being a mother as the inspiration for columns on delivering babies , singing lullabies and apologizing to children . Mr. Robinson occasionally comes across ideas in his life, too. He suggested a piece on how to find a hamster in your house, he said, “because we’ve lost some hamsters.”

Brainstorm as many possible topics as you can for your how-to piece. Here are some ways to start:

Respond to our related Student Opinion forum . We pose 10 questions designed to help you brainstorm about what you’d like to learn to do, and what you already do well. We hope you’ll not only provide your own answers, but also scroll through the answers of others.

Ask for suggestions. What skills have your friends, family and neighbors always wanted to learn? What do they already consider themselves experts on? Keep a running list.

Get inspiration from the Tip column . As you scroll through the column, which headlines stand out to you? Could you take on a similar topic in a different way? Do any of them inspire other ideas for you?

Work with your class to compile as long a list as you can. After you’ve tried the three ideas above, come to class with your list, then share. Your ideas might spark those of others — and when it’s time to find experts, your classmates may have contacts they can share.

Once you’ve come up with as many ideas as you can, choose one for your piece and refine it until it is the right size for a 400-word piece.

These questions can help:

Which of the topics that you listed gets you most excited? Why?

For which do you think you could realistically find an expert to interview? (More on that in the next step.)

Which are already specific enough that you could thoroughly explain them in 400 words or fewer?

Which are big, but could be broken down? For instance, if you chose “learn to cook,” make a list of specific skills within that larger goal. Maybe you’d like to learn how to chop an onion, bake chocolate chip cookies, or build a healthy meal from the noodles in a ramen packet.

Which topics do you think might be most interesting to a general audience? Which feel especially unique, helpful or unexpected?

Maybe you chose your topic because you know someone who is already an expert at that task or skill. But even if you have, read through this step, because it might help you find someone even more suitable or interesting.

Here is how Ms. Wollan says she found experts for her column:

Ms. Wollan finds interview subjects by “just poking around” online and on the phone. Sometimes she has to talk to a few people before reaching the source she will feature in the column. She interviews most of her subjects by phone for about 45 minutes, sometimes longer. “I love talking to people who just maybe don’t care so much about being an expert,” Ms. Wollan said. Some of her favorite interviews have been with children and people in their 80s, who are often “looser and more generous with their advice.”

Who could be an expert on your topic? At minimum, it should be someone who is knowledgeable enough about your subject that your readers will trust his or her advice.

Some choices might be easy. For example, for her column on how to choose a karaoke song , Ms. Wollan interviewed a world karaoke champion; for her piece on how to recommend a book , she interviewed a librarian; and for her article on how to suture a wound , she interviewed a doctor.

Other choices, however, may be less obvious. For a column on how to breathe , Ms. Wollan interviewed a clarinet player; for one on how to slice a pie , she interviewed a restaurant owner; and for one on how to say goodbye , she interviewed a child-care worker who had bid farewell to many children during her career.

Brainstorm as many potential experts for your piece as you can and then choose one as the subject of your piece.

Your expert doesn’t have to be a world champion or the national head of an organization to have expertise. This person can be anyone with specialized knowledge of a field or topic. For example, if you were writing a piece on how to start bird-watching, you could interview someone who works at a local park or zoo, someone from a birding group in your town or a bird-watcher you know personally, such as a neighbor or teacher.

Like Ms. Wollan, you might start by “poking around online” for potential subjects. And you may have to talk to a few people before you decide on the person you want to feature in your piece.

If you are doing this assignment with classmates, now might be a good time to pool resources. Share your topics, and find out who might know someone with expertise in those areas. Remember that you are not allowed to interview your relatives — but you can suggest your woodworker grandma or your skateboarder cousin to someone who is writing about those topics.

When you reach out to people, keep in mind this advice from Corey Kilgannon, a New York Times reporter who has interviewed people for profiles and who was a guest on a Learning Network webinar about profile writing :

Tell the person what your goal is and where you’re coming from — that you’re writing a profile for a school assignment or a contest or a newspaper or whatever. Be straight with the person you’re interviewing. Some people might be a little nervous or shy about how this is going to turn out, or how they’re going to look. So tell them what it’s for, how long it’s going to be, that there will be photos, or whatever you can.

Once you’ve found the expert for your piece, it’s time to conduct your interview.

In “ The Art of Learning to Do Things ,” Ms. Wollan offers excellent advice that everyone participating in our challenge should take to heart:

If you want to know how to do something, don’t just search the internet. Instead, find a person who already knows how and ask them. At first, they’ll give you a hurried, broad-strokes kind of answer, assuming that you’re uninterested in all the procedural details. But of course that’s precisely what you’re after! Ask for a slowed-down, step-by-step guide through the minutiae of the thing. For seven years, I did exactly that — I called a stranger and asked that person to describe how to do a specific task or skill.

That might sound like a straightforward task, but you should come up with some questions — on your own or with your class — before you talk to your expert.

These might include questions like:

If you were to explain how to do this skill or task to someone who had never done it before, what advice would you give?

What are some common errors that those first learning this skill or trying this task often make? How can they be avoided?

What is your background in this skill? How did you get started with it? How did you learn how to do it?

When or why might a person have to use this skill? What are the benefits of knowing it?

You might also return to some of the Tip articles you read at the beginning of this lesson. Read them closely and see if you can guess what questions the writer may have asked to get the specific quotes and information the expert shared in the piece. Which of these questions might be helpful for your own interview?

Remember that interviewing is an art — and Times journalists can offer you advice.

In addition to asking good questions, it’s also your job as a journalist to make the interviewee feel comfortable, to listen carefully, to ask follow-up questions and to clarify that you have accurate information.

We have written our own extensive how-to on interviewing, filled with tips from Times journalists. Steps 3, 4 and 5 in this lesson will be especially helpful. Created for a contest we ran in 2022, the guide can walk you through preparing and practicing for an interview; keeping the conversation going while conducting it; and shaping the material into a useful piece when you’re done.

Finally, it’s time to write your piece. If you are submitting to our how-to writing contest, keep in mind that your essay must be 400 words or fewer.

Remember, too, that we are inviting you to take inspiration from the Tip column, but that you don’t have to copy its form and structure exactly — unless you’d like to. Most important, though, is to find a way to write what you want in a way that sounds and feels like you.

That said, there are a few key elements that are important to include, which can be found in our contest rubric . Below, we share some examples from the Tip column to illustrate these elements.

Introduce your expert source.

The person you interviewed will be the main source of information for your piece. Ask yourself: How will my readers know this person is an expert in the skill or task? What information should I include about this person to make my readers feel that they can trust the person’s knowledge and advice?

Here is how Ms. Wollan introduces her expert in “ How to Skip a Stone ”:

“Throw at a 20-degree angle,” says Lydéric Bocquet, a physics professor at École Normale Supérieure in Paris.

Later, she further explains Mr. Bocquet’s expertise:

Bocquet’s quest to understand how this happens — how a solid object can skim along water without immediately sinking — began more than a decade ago, while he was skipping stones on the Tarn River in southern France with his young son. “He turns to me,” Bocquet says, “and asks, ‘Why does the stone bounce on the water?’” To answer that question satisfactorily, Bocquet and his colleagues built a mechanical stone skipper and analyzed the angle of each toss using high-speed video. They also created a set of mathematical equations to predict the number of skips.

How do you know Bocquet is an expert in skipping stones? Do you, as the reader, trust him as an expert on this topic? Why or why not?

Explain how to do the task or skill.

The heart of your piece is, of course, your explanation. You might start by making a list of steps that your expert source shared and then paring it down to the most essential information.

Ask yourself:

What instructions are crucial to the reader’s understanding of how to accomplish this skill or task?

What did the expert share that I found surprising or may not have thought of?

What details can I leave out, either because they are not very interesting or because they are less important?

What sequence for the steps make the most sense for my readers?

Consider the first paragraph from “ How to Build a Sand Castle ”:

“Use your architect mind,” says Sudarsan Pattnaik, an award-winning sand sculptor from Puri, a seaside city in India. If you’re building from memory, first envision your castle. For Pattnaik, who is 42, that means well-known Hindu or Muslim sites. “I have made so many Taj Mahals,” he says. Build with fine-grained sand already wetted by an outgoing tide. “Dry sand is too, too difficult,” Pattnaik says. Bring tools: hand shovels, buckets with the bottoms cut off and squirt bottles. Tamp wet sand into your bucket molds, setting one layer and then the next, like bricks. Sculpt architectural details from the top of the mound down. Bring reference photographs if you’re aiming for realism.

See if you can identify all the steps to making a sand castle that the writer shares in this paragraph. What do you notice about the order? What, if anything, do you think the writer might have left out, and why do you think she made that choice? What tips did you find most surprising? What do these lines add to the piece?

Notice also the grammatical structure Ms. Wollan uses: “Build with fine-grained sand”; “bring tools”; “tamp wet sand into your bucket molds”; and so on. This is called the imperative mood and is often used when telling others how to do something.

Include at least one quote.

If you are submitting to our contest, you need to include a minimum of one direct quote from the expert. Ask yourself: What quotes from my interview are so interesting, important, surprising, informative or colorful that I need to find a way to fit them in?

Look at “ How to Do the Splits ,” in which Ms. Wollan interviewed Kendrick Young, a professional sumo wrestler:

Start by stretching every day after you get out of the shower (heat increases muscle and ligament flexibility). Wear comfortable, stretchy attire. “Definitely don’t try to do this in jeans,” Young says. Sit with your legs spread as wide as you can. Once you can do that without hunching, begin to lean toward the ground, exhaling as you go. “You don’t want to be bending over a big pocket of air in your lungs,” Young says. It might help to have someone push down on your midback (historically, sumo wrestlers often stood on one another’s backs to force the body to the floor).

Why do you think the writer chose to include these two specific quotes in the piece, while paraphrasing (or writing in her own words) the rest of what Young said? What additional context did the writer provide to help us understand the purpose and relevance of these quotations?

Provide a purpose for reading.

Remember that a how-to essay is not just a list of steps; your readers should also understand how this topic might be relevant to their lives. Ask yourself: Why should a reader care about this skill or task? Where, when or for what reasons might someone want or need to do it?

Consider the last paragraph in “ How to Start a Family Band ”:

To be in a family band, you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time together, actively working on cohesion. Music can act as a kind of binding agent. When they’re not in quarantine, the Haim sisters see, or at least talk to, each other every day. “Instead of camping as kids, or going hiking, it was like, ‘OK, we’re going to practice a few songs,’” Danielle says. “It was definitely my parents’ ploy to spend more time with us.”

What reason does the writer provide for why a reader might want to try this activity? What additional background does she share from the expert, Danielle Haim, to help explain why a family — even one that might not be musical — may want to start a band together?

Submit your final piece.

Once you’ve written and edited your essay, give it a title (“How to…”) and submit it to our contest by Feb. 14. We can’t wait to learn the skills you’ll teach us!

Natalie Proulx joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2017 after working as an English language arts teacher and curriculum writer. More about Natalie Proulx

Katherine Schulten has been a Learning Network editor since 2006. Before that, she spent 19 years in New York City public schools as an English teacher, school-newspaper adviser and literacy coach. More about Katherine Schulten

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The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger

I never thought i was the kind of person to fall for a scam..

Portrait of Charlotte Cowles

On a Tuesday evening this past October, I put $50,000 in cash in a shoe box, taped it shut as instructed, and carried it to the sidewalk in front of my apartment, my phone clasped to my ear. “Don’t let anyone hurt me,” I told the man on the line, feeling pathetic.

“You won’t be hurt,” he answered. “Just keep doing exactly as I say.”

Three minutes later, a white Mercedes SUV pulled up to the curb. “The back window will open,” said the man on the phone. “Do not look at the driver or talk to him. Put the box through the window, say ‘thank you,’ and go back inside.”

The man on the phone knew my home address, my Social Security number, the names of my family members, and that my 2-year-old son was playing in our living room. He told me my home was being watched, my laptop had been hacked, and we were in imminent danger. “I can help you, but only if you cooperate,” he said. His first orders: I could not tell anyone about our conversation, not even my spouse, or talk to the police or a lawyer.

Now I know this was all a scam — a cruel and violating one but painfully obvious in retrospect. Here’s what I can’t figure out: Why didn’t I just hang up and call 911? Why didn’t I text my husband, or my brother (a lawyer), or my best friend (also a lawyer), or my parents, or one of the many other people who would have helped me? Why did I hand over all that money — the contents of my savings account, strictly for emergencies — without a bigger fight?

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When I’ve told people this story, most of them say the same thing: You don’t seem like the type of person this would happen to. What they mean is that I’m not senile, or hysterical, or a rube. But these stereotypes are actually false. Younger adults — Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X — are 34 percent more likely to report losing money to fraud compared with those over 60, according to a recent report from the Federal Trade Commission. Another study found that well-educated people or those with good jobs were just as vulnerable to scams as everyone else.

Still, how could I have been such easy prey? Scam victims tend to be single, lonely, and economically insecure with low financial literacy. I am none of those things. I’m closer to the opposite. I’m a journalist who had a weekly column in the “Business” section of the New York Times. I’ve written a personal-finance column for this magazine for the past seven years. I interview money experts all the time and take their advice seriously. I’m married and talk to my friends, family, and colleagues every day.

And while this is harder to quantify — how do I even put it? — I’m not someone who loses her head. My mother-in-law has described me as even-keeled; my own mom has called me “maddeningly rational.” I am listed as an emergency contact for several friends — and their kids. I vote, floss, cook, and exercise. In other words, I’m not a person who panics under pressure and falls for a conspiracy involving drug smuggling, money laundering, and CIA officers at my door. Until, suddenly, I was.

That morning — it was October 31 — I dressed my toddler in a pizza costume for Halloween and kissed him good-bye before school. I wrote some work emails. At about 12:30 p.m., my phone buzzed. The caller ID said it was Amazon. I answered. A polite woman with a vague accent told me she was calling from Amazon customer service to check some unusual activity on my account. The call was being recorded for quality assurance. Had I recently spent $8,000 on MacBooks and iPads?

I had not. I checked my Amazon account. My order history showed diapers and groceries, no iPads. The woman, who said her name was Krista, told me the purchases had been made under my business account. “I don’t have a business account,” I said. “Hmm,” she said. “Our system shows that you have two.”

Krista and I concurred that I was the victim of identity theft, and she said she would flag the fraudulent accounts and freeze their activity. She provided me with a case-ID number for future reference and recommended that I check my credit cards. I did, and everything looked normal. I thanked her for her help.

Then Krista explained that Amazon had been having a lot of problems with identity theft and false accounts lately. It had become so pervasive that the company was working with a liaison at the Federal Trade Commission and was referring defrauded customers to him. Could she connect me?

“Um, sure?” I said.

Krista transferred the call to a man who identified himself as Calvin Mitchell. He said he was an investigator with the FTC, gave me his badge number, and had me write down his direct phone line in case I needed to contact him again. He also told me our call was being recorded. He asked me to verify the spelling of my name. Then he read me the last four digits of my Social Security number, my home address, and my date of birth to confirm that they were correct. The fact that he had my Social Security number threw me. I was getting nervous.

“I’m glad we’re speaking,” said Calvin. “Your personal information is linked to a case that we’ve been working on for a while now, and it’s quite serious.”

He told me that 22 bank accounts, nine vehicles, and four properties were registered to my name. The bank accounts had wired more than $3 million overseas, mostly to Jamaica and Iraq. Did I know anything about this? “No,” I said. Did I know someone named Stella Suk-Yee Kwong? “I don’t think so,” I said. He texted me a photo of her ID, which he claimed had been found in a car rented under my name that was abandoned on the southern border of Texas with blood and drugs in the trunk. A home in New Mexico affiliated with the car rental had subsequently been raided, he added, and authorities found more drugs, cash, and bank statements registered to my name and Social Security number. He texted me a drug-bust photo of bags of pills and money stacked on a table. He told me that there were warrants out for my arrest in Maryland and Texas and that I was being charged with cybercrimes, money laundering, and drug trafficking.

My head swam. I Googled my name along with “warrant” and “money laundering,” but nothing came up. Were arrest warrants public? I wasn’t sure. Google led me to truthfinder.com, which asked for my credit-card information — nope. “I’m in deep shit,” I texted my husband. “My identity was stolen and it seems really bad.”

Calvin wanted to know if I knew anyone who might be the culprit or if I had any connections to Iraq or Jamaica. “No,” I said. “This is the first I’m hearing about any of this, and it’s a lot to take in.” He asked if I had ever used public or unsecured Wi-Fi. “I don’t know. Maybe?” I said. “I used the airport Wi-Fi recently.”

“Ah,” he said. “That’s unfortunate. It’s how many of these breaches start.” I was embarrassed, like I’d left my fly unzipped. How could I have been so thoughtless? But also — didn’t everyone use the airport Wi-Fi?

Calvin told me to listen carefully. “The first thing you must do is not tell anyone what is going on. Everyone around you is a suspect.”

I almost laughed. I told him I was quite sure that my husband, who works for an affordable-housing nonprofit and makes meticulous spreadsheets for our child-care expenses, was not a secret drug smuggler. “I believe you, but even so, your communications are probably under surveillance,” Calvin said. “You cannot talk to him about this.” I quickly deleted the text messages I had sent my husband a few minutes earlier. “These are sophisticated criminals with a lot of money at stake,” he continued. “You should assume you are in danger and being watched. You cannot take any chances.”

I felt suspended between two worlds — the one I knew and the one this man was describing. If I had nothing to do with any of these allegations, how much could they truly affect me? I thought of an old This American Life episode about a woman whose Social Security card was stolen. No matter how many times she closed her bank accounts and opened new ones, her identity thief kept draining them, destroying her credit and her sanity. (It turned out to be her boyfriend.) I remembered another story about a man who got stuck on a no-fly list after his personal information was used by a terrorist group. It dawned on me that being connected to major federal offenses, even falsely, could really fuck up my life.

Calvin wanted to know how much money I currently had in my bank accounts. I told him that I had two — checking and savings — with a combined balance of a little over $80,000. As a freelancer in a volatile industry, I keep a sizable emergency fund, and I also set aside cash to pay my taxes at the end of the year, since they aren’t withheld from my paychecks.

His voice took on a more urgent tone. “You must have worked very hard to save all that money,” he said. “Do not share your bank-account information with anyone. I am going to help you keep your money safe.” He said that he would transfer me to his colleague at the CIA who was the lead investigator on my case and gave me a nine-digit case number for my records. (I Googled the number. Nothing.) He said the CIA agent would tell me what to do next, and he wished me luck.

how to write a magazine article about yourself

If it was a scam , I couldn’t see the angle. It had occurred to me that the whole story might be made up or an elaborate mistake. But no one had asked me for money or told me to buy crypto; they’d only encouraged me not to share my banking information. They hadn’t asked for my personal details; they already knew them. I hadn’t been told to click on anything.

Still, I had not seen a shred of evidence. I checked my bank accounts, credit cards, and credit score; nothing looked out of the ordinary. I knew I should probably talk to a lawyer or maybe call the police, though I was doubtful that they would help. What was I going to say — “My identity was stolen, and I think I’m somehow in danger”? I had no proof. I was also annoyed that my workday had been hijacked. It was 2 p.m., and I had already pushed back one deadline and postponed two work calls. I had to get myself out of this.

The next man who got on the line had a deeper voice and a slight British accent flecked with something I couldn’t identify. He told me his name was Michael Sarano and that he worked for the CIA on cases involving the FTC. He gave me his badge number. “I’m going to need more than that,” I said. “I have no reason to believe that any of what you’re saying is real.”

“I completely understand,” he said calmly. He told me to go to the FTC home page and look up the main phone number. “Now hang up the phone, and I will call you from that number right now.” I did as he said. The FTC number flashed on my screen, and I picked up. “How do I know you’re not just spoofing this?” I asked.

“It’s a government number,” he said, almost indignant. “It cannot be spoofed.” I wasn’t sure if this was true and tried Googling it, but Michael was already onto his next point. He told me the call was being recorded, so I put him on speaker and began recording on my end, too. He wanted to know if I had told anyone what was going on.

I admitted that I had texted my husband. “You must reassure him that everything is fine,” Michael said. “In many cases like this, we have to investigate the spouse as well, and the less he knows, the less he is implicated. From now on, you have to follow protocol if you want us to help you.”

“I don’t think I should lie to my husband,” I said, feeling stupid.

“You are being investigated for major federal crimes,” he said. “By keeping your husband out of this, you are protecting him.” He then repeated the point Calvin had made about my phone and computer being hacked and monitored by the criminals who had stolen my identity.

By that point, my husband had sent me a series of concerned texts. “Don’t worry. It will be okay,” I wrote back. It felt gross to imagine a third party reading along.

Michael snowed me with the same stories Calvin had. They were consistent: the car on the Texas border, the property in New Mexico, the drugs, the bank accounts. He asked if I shared my residence with anyone besides my husband and son. Then he asked more questions about my family members, including my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law. He knew their names and where they lived. I told him they had nothing to do with this. In fact, I was now sure I wanted to consult a lawyer.

“If you talk to an attorney, I cannot help you anymore,” Michael said sternly. “You will be considered noncooperative. Your home will be raided, and your assets will be seized. You may be arrested. It’s your choice.” This seemed ludicrous. I pictured officers tramping in, taking my laptop, going through our bookshelves, questioning our neighbors, scaring my son. It was a nonstarter.

“Can I just come to your office and sort this out in person?” I said. “It’s getting late, and I need to take my son trick-or-treating soon.”

“My office is in Langley,” he said. “We don’t have enough time. We need to act immediately. I’m going to talk you through the process. It’s going to sound crazy, but we must follow protocol if we’re going to catch the people behind this.”

He explained that the CIA would need to freeze all the assets in my name, including my actual bank accounts. In the eyes of the law, there was no difference between the “real” and the fraudulent ones, he said. They would also deactivate my compromised Social Security number and get me a new one. Then, by monitoring any activity under my old Social Security number and accounts, they would catch the criminals who were using my identity and I would get my life back. But until then, I would need to use only cash for my day-to-day expenses.

It was far-fetched. Ridiculous. But also not completely out of the realm of possibility. “Do I have any other options?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” he said. “You must follow my directions very carefully. We do not have much time.”

He asked me how much cash I thought I would need to support myself for a year if necessary. My assets could be frozen for up to two years if the investigation dragged on, he added. There could be a trial; I might need to testify. These things take time. “I don’t know, $50,000?” I said. I wondered how I would receive paychecks without a bank account. Would I have to take time off from work? I did some mental calculations of how much my husband could float us and for how long.

“Okay,” he said. “You need to go to the bank and get that cash out now. You cannot tell them what it is for. In one of my last cases, the identity thief was someone who worked at the bank.”

Michael told me to keep the phone on speaker so we would remain in contact. “It’s important that I monitor where this money goes from now on. Remember, all of your assets are part of this investigation,” he said. Then he told me that one of his colleagues would meet me at my apartment at 5 p.m. to guide me through the next steps.

“You can’t send a complete stranger to my home,” I said, my voice rising. “My 2-year-old son will be here.”

“Let me worry about that,” he said. “It’s my job. But if you don’t cooperate, I cannot keep you safe. It is your choice.”

It’s impossible to explain why I accepted this logic. But I had been given marching orders and a deadline. My son would be home soon, and I had to fix this mess. I put on sneakers in case I needed to run. I brought a backpack for the cash. I felt both terrified and absurd.

It was jarring to see trick-or-treaters in my Brooklyn neighborhood, people going about their lives. The air was crisp, and dead leaves swirled on the ground. I was on high alert for anyone who might be following me. At one point, a man in sunglasses and a hoodie trailed me for a few blocks. At Michael’s suggestion, I ducked into a parking garage until he passed.

When I reached the bank, I told the guard I needed to make a large cash withdrawal and she sent me upstairs. Michael was on speakerphone in my pocket. I asked the teller for $50,000. The woman behind the thick glass window raised her eyebrows, disappeared into a back room, came back with a large metal box of $100 bills, and counted them out with a machine. Then she pushed the stacks of bills through the slot along with a sheet of paper warning me against scams. I thanked her and left.

Michael was bursting with praise. “You did a great job,” he said. “I have to go for a moment to see about the details of your case; I’m going to have you speak to my colleague if you have any questions.” He put a woman on the line. She was younger, with an accent I couldn’t identify. She told me to go home and await further instructions.

As I walked back to my apartment, something jolted me out of my trance, and I became furious. No government agency would establish this as “protocol.” It was preposterous. “I need to speak with Michael,” I told the woman on the phone. He got on right away. “I don’t even believe that you’re a CIA agent,” I said. “What you’re asking me to do is completely unreasonable.”

He sighed. “I’m sending you a photo of my badge right now,” he said. “I don’t know what else to tell you. You can trust me, and I will help you. Or you can hang up and put yourself and your family in danger. Do you really want to take that risk with a young child?”

My Two Cents

How to protect yourself against scams, what charlotte cowles wishes she’d known..

I waited for a stoplight at a busy intersection. I could see my apartment window from where I stood. My son was playing inside with a neighbor’s daughter and their nanny. A picture of Michael’s badge appeared on my phone. I had no way of verifying it; it could easily have been Photoshopped. “I don’t trust you at all,” I said to Michael. “But it doesn’t seem like I have any other choice.”

When I got home, Michael told me to get a box, put the cash in it, take a picture of it, then tape it shut. I found a floral-printed shoe box that had once contained a pair of slippers I’d bought for myself — a frivolous purchase that now seemed mortifying. Michael told me to label it with my name, my case number, my address, a locker number he read to me, and my signature. Then he directed me to take another picture of the labeled box and text it to him.

“My colleague will be there soon. He is an undercover CIA agent, and he will secure the money for you,” he said. What exactly would that entail? I asked. “Tonight, we will close down your Social Security number, and you will lose access to your bank accounts,” he explained. “Tomorrow, you’ll need to go to the Social Security office and get a new Social Security number. We’ll secure this money for you in a government locker and hand-deliver a Treasury check for the same amount. You can cash the check and use it for your expenses until the investigation is over.”

“Why can’t I just use this cash?” I asked. “Why do you have to take it and give me a check?”

“Because all of your assets under your current identity are part of the investigation,” he said. “You are being charged with money laundering. If we secure this cash and then issue you a government check under your new Social Security number, that will be considered clean money.”

“I’ll need to see your colleague’s badge,” I said. “I’m not just going to give $50,000 of my money to someone I don’t know.”

“Undercover agents don’t carry badges,” he said, as if I’d asked the CIA to bring me a Happy Meal. “They’re undercover. Remember, you are probably being watched. The criminals cannot know that a CIA agent is there.”

In a twisted way, this made some amount of sense to me. Or maybe I had lost my grip on reality so completely that I was willing to resign myself to this new version of it. Most important, I didn’t know what else to do. Even if Michael wasn’t working for the CIA (which struck me as more and more likely), he was sending a man to our address. I felt a sickening dread that he might ask to come inside. If giving him this money would make him go away, I was ready to do it. I’d been on the phone for nearly five hours. I wanted to take my son trick-or-treating. I was exhausted.

Michael seemed to sense that I was flagging and asked if I’d had lunch. I hadn’t. He told me to eat something but keep him on the line; his agent was on the way to my address but running late. “You can meet him outside if that would make you more comfortable,” Michael said, and I felt relieved. While I gnawed on a granola bar at my desk, he got chatty and asked about my job. I told him I was going to Washington, D.C., later that week. “Oh, great. You could come to my office in Langley,” he said. “Where are you staying?”

A little after 6 p.m., Michael told me to go downstairs. His colleague was arriving. My husband had just come home from work and was reading to our son. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” he asked as I put my coat on. I motioned to the phone and shushed him. Then I whispered, “I have to go downstairs and meet a guy who’s helping with the identity-theft case. I’ll explain more later.” He frowned and silently mouthed, “What?” I told him I had to go.

I met the SUV at the curb and put the money in the back seat. It was 6:06 p.m. Even if I’d tried to see who was driving, the windows were tinted and it was dusk. He maybe wore a baseball cap. When I turned around, I could see the backlit faces of my husband and son watching from our apartment nine stories above.

As I walked back inside, Michael texted me a photo of a Treasury check made out to me for $50,000 and told me a hard copy would be hand-delivered to me in the morning. He was working on setting up my appointment with the Social Security office. “You will receive a confirmation text shortly,” he said. “Stay on the line until you do.” I felt oddly comforted by this. An appointment would give me something legitimate, an actual connection to a government agency.

I took my son trick-or-treating, my phone on speaker in my pocket. I felt numb, almost in a fugue state, smiling and chatting with my neighbors and their kids. At one point, I checked to see if Michael was still there; his female colleague answered and said he’d be back soon. Then, when we got home and I checked again, the line was dead. I panicked and called back. The woman answered. “Michael is busy,” she said. “He’ll call you in the morning.”

I was confused. Did this mean I didn’t have a Social Security number at all anymore? I pictured myself floating, identity-less. “Do I have an appointment at the Social Security office?” I asked.

“Michael will call you tomorrow,” she repeated. “He hasn’t been able to secure your appointment yet. The Social Security office is closed now.”

I went into my bedroom and shut the door, feeling my face grow hot. I had a physical sensation of scales falling from my eyes; the room shimmered around me, spots raining from the ceiling. I saw the whole day peel away, like the layers of an onion — Michael, the FTC officer, the Amazon call — revealing my real life, raw and exposed, at the center. “Oh my God,” I said, my hands tingling. “You are lying to me. Michael was lying. You just took my money and I’m never getting it back.” That wasn’t true, the woman said. She understood that I was upset. She was sorry. Everything would be fine. “You’re a fucking liar,” I hissed, and hung up.

Through choking sobs, I told my husband what had happened. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, incredulous. “I would have stopped you.” That I’d been trying to protect him suddenly seemed so idiotic I couldn’t even say it out loud. Our son looked on, confused. “Mama’s sad,” he announced, clinging to my leg. We put him to bed and then I called my parents and my brother. At their urging, I called 911. Around 10:30 p.m., three police officers came over and took my statement. I struggled to recount what I’d done; it seemed like a bad dream. I felt like a fool.

“No government agency will ever ask you for money,” one cop informed me, as if I’d never heard it before. I wanted to scream, “I know. ” Instead, I said, “It didn’t really feel like he was asking.”

The police told me not to worry; the scammers wouldn’t be back. “They got what they wanted,” another officer said, as though it would reassure me. I gave them the photos and recordings I had. They promised to check traffic cameras for the car that had taken the money.

When I woke up the next morning, a few seconds passed before I remembered the previous day. I was my old self, in my old bed, milky dawn light on the walls. Then it all came crashing back, a fresh humiliation, and I curled into the fetal position. I felt violated, unreliable; I couldn’t trust myself. Were my tendencies toward people-pleasing, rule following, and conflict aversion far worse than I’d ever thought, even pathological? I imagined other people’s reactions. She’s always been a little careless. She seems unhinged. I considered keeping the whole thing a secret. I worried it would harm my professional reputation. I still do.

In the days that followed, I kept revisiting the fake world of that afternoon, slipping through a portal into an alternate life. I would get paranoid that someone was reading my texts, watching me as I took my son to school, or using my Social Security number to wire money and rent cars. It was a relief that I wasn’t actually in trouble with the law, but then again — I’d lost $50,000 and I wasn’t getting it back. I checked my accounts and credit cards obsessively. I called my bank. They gave me instructions to freeze my credit, file reports with the FBI and FTC, and run anti-virus software on my laptop to check for malware, which I did. I cried a lot. My husband felt helpless; he still doesn’t like to talk about it. Instead, he researched new locks for our doors and looked into security cameras. One night I shook him awake, convinced that someone was trying to break in. “It’s only the wind,” he said. “We’re safe.”

Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money. It took me years to save, stashing away a few thousand every time I got paid for a big project. Part of it was money I had received from my grandfather, an inheritance he took great pains to set up for his grandchildren before his death. Sometimes I imagine how I would have spent it if I had to get rid of it in a day. I could have paid for over a year’s worth of child care up front. I could have put it toward the master’s degree I’ve always wanted. I could have housed multiple families for months. Perhaps, inadvertently, I am; I occasionally wonder what the scammers did with it.

Because I had set it aside for emergencies and taxes, it was money I tried to pretend I didn’t have — it wasn’t for spending. Initially, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to afford my taxes this year, but then my accountant told me I could write off losses due to theft. So from a financial standpoint, I’ll survive, as long as I don’t have another emergency — a real one — anytime soon.

When I did tell friends what had happened, it seemed like everyone had a horror story. One friend’s dad, a criminal-defense attorney, had been scammed out of $1.2 million. Another person I know, a real-estate developer, was duped into wiring $450,000 to someone posing as one of his contractors. Someone else knew a Wall Street executive who had been conned into draining her 401(k) by some guy she met at a bar.

I felt a guilty sense of consolation whenever I heard about a scam involving someone I respected. If this could happen to them, maybe I wasn’t such a moron. As a journalist, it’s my instinct to research and talk to experts, so I dove into books and podcasts about scams, desperate to make sense of my own. I had known that fraud was on the rise but was shocked to learn the numbers — financial losses ballooned by more than 30 percent in 2022. I read that self-laceration is typical; half of victims blame themselves for being gullible, and most experience serious anxiety, depression, or other stress-related health problems afterward. I heard about victim support groups. I went to therapy.

When I discovered that Katie Gatti Tassin, a personal-finance expert who writes the popular Money With Katie newsletter, lost $8,000 five years ago to a grandmotherly-sounding woman pretending to call from Tassin’s credit union, I called her to ask how she’d coped. “Everyone was so patronizing,” she told me. “The response was basically ‘It’s your fault that this happened.’”

If I had to pinpoint a moment that made me think my scammers were legitimate, it was probably when they read me my Social Security number. Now I know that all kinds of personal information — your email address, your kids’ names and birthdays, even your pets’ names — are commonly sold on the dark web. Of course, the scammers could also have learned about my son from a 30-second perusal of my Instagram feed.

It was my brother, the lawyer, who pointed out that what I had experienced sounded a lot like a coerced confession. “I read enough transcripts of bad interrogations in law school to understand that anyone can be convinced that they have a very narrow set of terrible options,” he said. When I posed this theory to Saul Kassin, a psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who studies coerced confessions, he agreed. “If someone is trying to get you to be compliant, they do it incrementally, in a series of small steps that take you farther and farther from what you know to be true,” he said. “It’s not about breaking the will. They were altering the sense of reality.” And when you haven’t done anything wrong, the risk of cooperating feels minimal, he added. An innocent person thinks everything will get sorted out. It also mattered that I was kept on the phone for so long. People start to break down cognitively after a few hours of interrogation. “At that point, they’re not thinking straight. They feel the need to put an end to the situation at all costs,” Kassin said.

I wondered how often scammers are caught and about the guy who’d driven the car to my apartment. But when I asked experts, they doubted he’d be a meaningful lead. One pointed out that he might have been a courier who was told to come pick up a box.

I still don’t believe that what happened to me could happen to anyone, but I’m starting to realize that I’m not uniquely fallible. Several friends felt strongly that if the scammers hadn’t mentioned my son, I would never have fallen for this. They’re right that I’d be willing to do — or pay — anything to protect him. Either way, I have to accept that someone waged psychological warfare on me, and I lost. For now, I just don’t answer my phone.

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How To Write A Magazine Article

  • November 28, 2022

how to write a magazine article about yourself

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If you’re a professional, you know that learning how to write a magazine article is a great way to get your name out there and establish yourself as an expert in your field. But what if you’ve never written for a magazine before? Don’t worry – it’s not as hard as it seems! In this post, we’ll give you some tips on how to write a magazine article that will make editors sit up and take notice. So let’s get started!

how to write a magazine article

What is a Magazine Article?

A magazine article is a piece of writing that is published in a magazine. It is usually written by a journalist or an expert on the magazine’s subject matter. A magazine article can be either long or short, but it must be well-written and well-researched in order to be successful.

Most magazine articles are between 1,000 and 3,000 words long, although some may be shorter or longer depending on the requirements of the magazine. They often have catchy titles that grab the reader’s attention, and they are usually accompanied by photographs or illustrations.

Magazine articles are typically divided into sections, with each section covering a different aspect of the overall topic. The introduction should give an overview of the main points that will be covered in the article. The body of the article should provide more detailed information on each of these points, and the conclusion should sum up the main ideas and leave the reader with something to think about.

If you’re interested in writing for magazines, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the different types of articles that they publish. This will give you a better idea of what to write and how to pitch your ideas. Keep in mind that competition is fierce, so your article will need to be truly outstanding in order to stand out from the rest.

Types of Magazine Articles

There are essentially three types of magazine articles: those that tell a story, those that offer information, and those that provide analysis. The best magazine articles combine all three of these elements, offering readers a compelling narrative while also providing them with new information and insights.

However, there are also many successful magazine articles that focus primarily on one of these three elements. For example, stories that offer a behind-the-scenes look at a particular event or issue can be very engaging, even if they don’t provide much in the way of new information.

Similarly, informational articles can be fascinating if they are well-written and offer readers an expert’s insight into a particular topic. Ultimately, the key to writing a successful magazine article is to find an angle that will capture the interest of your target audience.

The Structure of a Magazine Article

When you sit down to write a magazine article , there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

  • You need to have a clear understanding of your topic and what you want to say.
  • You need to structure your article in a way that will engage and hold your reader’s attention.
  • You need to make sure your article is well-written and free of errors.

To achieve all of these goals, it’s important to understand the basic structure of a magazine article. Most articles follow a similar format, which includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and give them an overview of what the article will be about.

The body paragraphs should provide the meat of the article, delving into the details of the topic. And the conclusion should wrap up the article and leave the reader with something to think about. By following this basic structure, you can ensure that your magazine article is both informative and enjoyable to read.

How to come up with Ideas for Magazine Articles

The best way to come up with ideas for magazine articles is to become a mini-expert on a lot of different topics . Read voraciously, and take note of the things that interest you the most. When you see a problem that you could help solve, or a story that needs to be told, make a pitch to the editor.

Don’t worry if you don’t have any credentials – if your idea is good, they’ll be happy to work with you. In today’s age of social media , it’s easier than ever to get your ideas out there – so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and see what happens. Who knows – you might just end up writing the next great American article .

How to do research for a Magazine Article

If you’re going to write a magazine article , the first step is to do your research. This means finding credible sources that provide accurate information on your topic. The internet can be a valuable resource, but be sure to use reliable websites that are backed by experts. You can also visit your local library to find books and articles written by knowledgeable authors.

Once you’ve gathered all of your information, it’s time to start writing. Begin by drafting a rough outline of your article, and then fill in the details with your research. Be sure to include quotes from your sources to add credibility to your work. With a little effort and perseverance, you’ll be able to write a magazine-worthy article in no time.

Writing the First Draft of a Magazine Article

The blank page is intimidating. You’ve been staring at it for hours, and the only thing you’ve managed to write down is your name. And the date. And maybe a quote from somebody more successful than you. But that’s it. The rest of the page is as blank as your future.

You’re not alone. Every writer has faced the blank page, and every writer has found a way to fill it.

  • Understand that the blank page is not your enemy. It’s an opportunity. It’s a chance to say something that nobody has said before, to put your unique spin on the world.
  • Understand that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it shouldn’t be perfect. Perfection is the enemy of progress. The goal of the first draft is simply to get something down on paper (or screen). It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, just as long as it exists.

So go ahead and write something down. Anything. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not, just get started. Once you’ve got something to work with, you can go back and revise it until it’s perfect. But without that first step, you’ll never get there. So start writing today , and don’t stop until you’ve filled up that blank page.

Editing and Proofreading a Magazine Article

The best way to edit and proofread a magazine article is to first read it aloud to yourself. This will help you catch any errors that you may have missed when reading silently. Once you have read the article aloud, put it away for a day or two before coming back to it with fresh eyes. This will allow you to look at it with new perspective and catch any additional errors.

Finally, have someone else read the article aloud to you. This will help you catch any errors that might have slipped through the cracks. By following these steps, you can ensure that your magazine article is error-free and ready for publication.

Submitting a Magazine Article

So you want to write a magazine article. Great! The first thing you need to do is figure out which magazine you’d like to write for. Once you’ve done that, follow these steps:

  • Read the magazine. Familiarize yourself with its style, tone, and content. This will give you a better sense of what the editors are looking for and help you come up with ideas for articles.
  • Brainstorm article ideas. Once you have a good understanding of the magazine, think about topics that would be a good fit . Keep in mind what sort of articles the magazine typically publishes and what its readership is interested in.
  • Pitch your idea to the editor. Once you’ve come up with a few article ideas, reach out to the editor and pitch them on your idea. If they’re interested, they’ll likely assign you the article.
  • Write the article . Once you’ve been assigned the article, it’s time to start writing! Be sure to adhere to the magazine’s guidelines and deadlines.
  • Submit the article. When your article is finished, submit it to the editor according to their specifications.

If all goes well, it will be published in the next issue of the magazine!

What to do after your Magazine Article is Published

The most important thing to do after your magazine article is published is to celebrate your success. This is a big accomplishment and you should take the time to enjoy it. Secondly, share your article with your friends, family and social media followers. This will help to spread the word about your article and get more people reading it.

Finally, take some time to reflect on what you learned during the writing process and how you can use this knowledge to improve your writing in the future. By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your article has a lasting impact.

selective color photo of teapot and teacup on book

Understanding Contracts for Magazine Articles

If you’re a freelance writer , it’s important to understand how contracts work. After all, a contract is basically an agreement between you and the publication you’re writing for. The contract should spell out exactly what the publication is expecting from you, and what you can expect in return.

For example, most contracts will specify how long the article should be, what kind of topics you can write about, and when the article is due. In addition, the contract may also stipulate how much you’ll be paid for the article. As a freelancer, it’s important to read and understand your contracts before signing them. That way, there won’t be any surprises down the road.

Benefits of Writing Magazine Articles

One of the best things about writing magazine articles is that they can reach a wide audience. If your article is well-written and interesting, it has the potential to be read by thousands of people. This can be extremely gratifying, especially if you’re writing about a topic that you’re passionate about. It’s also a great way to build your portfolio and get your name out there as a writer.

If you’re hoping to eventually land a book deal, writing magazine articles is a great way to start getting your work published . And even if you don’t have ambitions of being a professional writer, writing articles for magazines can still be enjoyable and rewarding.

So if you’re looking for a creative outlet, or simply want to share your expertise with others, consider writing for magazines. It could be the perfect outlet for you.

How to Get Paid for your Magazine Article

If you’re a writer, there’s a good chance you’ve dreamed of seeing your work in a magazine. After all, magazines are the perfect platform for reaching a wide audience with your words. But getting your work published in a magazine can be tough – unless you know how to get paid for your magazine article.

Here are four tips to help you get started:

  • Do your research. Before you start pitching editors, it’s important to do your research and identify the right markets for your article. Read through some back issues of the magazines you’re targeting to get a feel for their content and tone. This will help you come up with ideas that are a good fit .
  • Write a great query letter . Once you’ve identified potential markets for your article, it’s time to start writing query letters. A query letter is a one-page letter that pitching editors on your idea. Be sure to include a brief summary of your article and why it would be a good fit for the magazine.
  • Follow up with editors. Once you’ve sent out your query letters, it’s important to follow up with editors to make sure they received them and to see if they’re interested in your article idea. A polite phone call or email can go a long way in getting your foot in the door with an editor.
  • Be persistent. Getting published in a magazine takes time and persistence. Don’t give up if you don’t hear back right away – keep trying and eventually you’ll find the right editor who is looking for exactly what you have to offer.”

How to Market Yourself as a Magazine Article Writer

You’re a magazine article writer. But how do you get people to actually read your work?

The answer, of course, is marketing.

You need to find ways to get your work in front of potential readers, and then give them a reason to click through and read it. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Make sure your website is up to date and includes links to your latest articles.
  • Use social media to share your work and build an audience.
  • Get involved in online communities related to your niche. Share your articles and insights, and build relationships with other members.
  • Speak at events or host webinars related to your area of expertise. This will help you build visibility and credibility as an expert in your field.
  • Write guest posts for other blogs or websites in your niche. This is a great way to reach new readers and introduce them to your work.

By following these tips, you can market yourself effectively as a magazine article writer and get more people reading your work.

Writing an Effective Query Letter for a Magazine Article

If you want to write a magazine article, the first step is to write a query letter. A query letter is a short letter that you send to a magazine editor that pitches your article idea. The goal of a query letter is to get the editor interested enough in your article idea to give you a chance to write the article.

When writing a query letter, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.

  • Make sure that your letter is clear and concise. You want to be able to quickly get your idea across without overwhelming the editor with too much information.
  • Be sure to personalize your letter. In other words, don’t just sent out generic letters to every magazine that you’re interested in writing for. Take the time to research each magazine and tailoring your pitch to fit their particular style and audience.
  • Don’t be afraid to sell yourself. query letters are also a great opportunity to highlight your previous writing experience and why you’re the best person to write this particular article.

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to getting your query letter noticed by magazine editors and landing yourself a writing gig.

Pitching Ideas to Editors and Publishers

The best way to get your foot in the door as a magazine writer is to have someone else do it for you. That’s right–pitching your ideas to editors and publishers is the single best Research the editor’s preferences and the types of articles that have been published in the past. This will increase your chances of having your pitch accepted.

  • Keep it brief. When pitching an idea, remember that less is more. Editors and publishers are busy people, so make sure your pitch is concise and to the point.
  • Be prepared to answer questions. Once you’ve pitched your idea, be prepared to answer any questions the editor or publisher may have. This is your opportunity to show off your knowledge of the subject matter and demonstrate why you’re the best person to write the article .

Pitching ideas to editors and publishers can be a daunting task, but if you do your homework and come prepared, you’ll be one step closer to getting your work published in a magazine. Who knows–you might even find yourself enjoying the process!

Working with Editors on Magazine Articles

The typical magazine reader doesn’t want an academic treatise. They want to be entertained, moved, or perhaps even changed. That’s why, as a magazine writer , it’s important to find the right editor who can help shape your piece into something that resonates with the magazine’s audience.

Understand the magazine you’re pitching to. What kind of articles does it typically publish? What topics are off-limits? Who is the target reader? Once you have a good understanding of the publication, you can start reaching out to editors. The best way to do this is by finding someone who has edited a similar article to what you’re proposing.

When you get in touch with an editor, be professional and clear about what you’re proposing. Send a well-crafted pitch that outlines the main points of your article and why it would be a good fit for the magazine. If the editor is interested, they will likely ask for a full draft of your article. Again, it’s important to remember the publication’s target audience and make sure your article is engaging and informative.

Once your article is accepted by the editor, they will work with you to make any necessary changes and ensure that it meets their guidelines. This can involve editing the piece for length, clarity, or tone. Working with an editor can be a collaborative process, but it’s important to remember that they are ultimately the decision-maker when it comes to what gets published. If you trust their judgment and partner with them throughout the editing process, you’ll end up with an article that both you and the magazine’s readers will enjoy.

Tips for Staying Motivated when Writing a Magazine Article

If you’re like most writers, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of staring at a blank page (or screen) for what feels like hours, only to come up with nothing more than a few tired sentences. Trust me, I know the feeling all too well. But the good news is that there are some things you can do to stay motivated when writing a magazine article – and even enjoy the process a little bit! Here are my top tips:

  • Set realistic goals for yourself. Trying to write an entire article in one sitting is usually a recipe for disaster. Break the task down into smaller chunks and set a goal for each session. For example, you might aim to write the opening paragraph today, the first section tomorrow, and so on.
  • Get organized. Before you start writing, take some time to gather your thoughts and create an outline of what you want to say. This will save you a lot of time and frustration later on.
  • Take breaks. Don’t try to force yourself to write if you’re not in the mood – it’ll only make the process more difficult. If you find your mind wandering, take a break and come back when you’re feeling fresh.
  • Set a deadline. Having a deadline will help to keep you focused and motivated. Choose a date that’s realistic, but also challenging enough to push you out of your comfort zone.
  • Find your own motivation. Why are you writing this article? What do you hope to accomplish? Keep your goals in mind as you write , and let them be your source of inspiration when things get tough.

With these tips in mind, writing a magazine article can actually be an enjoyable experience – so get started today!

How to Write Engaging Titles and Headlines for your Magazine Article

The title of your article is the first thing that people will see, so it needs to be attention-grabbing and relevant. A good title will make people want to read your article, while a dull or irrelevant one will leave them feeling uninterested. There are a few things to keep in mind when crafting titles for your magazine articles.

  • Make sure that the title accurately reflects the content of the article. A misleading title will only serve to frustrate readers.
  • Try to use active and specific language in your titles. Vague titles such as “A Look at the Future of Technology” are far less likely to grab attention than ones that are specific and illustrative, such as “How 5G Will Change the Way We Live and Work.”
  • Don’t be afraid to be creative with your titles. If you can find a way to make your article stand out from the rest, you’ll be more likely to engage readers.

1970475 edited Ranking Articles How To Write A Magazine Article

Tips for Optimizing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) when Writing a Magazine Article

The internet has made it easier than ever to reach a wide audience with your writing. But even as the barriers to entry have lowered, the competition for attention has increased. That’s why it’s important to optimize your articles for search engines , so that potential readers can find your work more easily. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Choose a keyword or phrase that accurately reflects the content of your article. Use this keyword throughout your piece, including in the title, headline, and body text.
  • Links are another important factor in SEO . Be sure to include links to other websites and articles within your piece. This will not only help readers find related information, but it will also demonstrate to search engines that your article is a valuable resource.
  • Don’t forget to promote your article through social media and other channels. The more people who see your work, the more likely it is that someone will share it with others.

By following these tips, you can help ensure that your writing reaches the widest possible audience.

How to Add Visuals, Graphs, and Charts to your Magazine Article

When you’re writing a magazine article, there are a few ways to add visuals, graphs, and charts to make your point more effectively.

  • Consider using screenshots or photos to illustrate your ideas.
  • If you have data to support your claims, include graphs or charts to make it easy for readers to see.
  • Be sure to explain any complex concepts in simple terms so that everyone can understand.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your magazine article is clear, concise, and visually appealing.

Tips for Writing Meaningful and Relatable Introductions in Magazine Articles

If you’re like most people, you’re probably pretty good at coming up with introductions to things. You know, those first few sentences that are designed to grab the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading. But when it comes to writing magazine articles , introductions can be a little trickier. After all, you not only want to introduce your topic, but you also want to give the reader a sense of what the article will be about and why they should care.

Fortunately, there are a few simple tips you can follow to make sure your introductions are both meaningful and relatable.

  • Take a look at the big picture. What is this article really about? What is the point you’re trying to make?
  • Once you have a clear understanding of the overall message, you can start to zero in on the details. Who is your target audience? What information do they need? How can you make your article relevant to their lives?
  • Keep in mind that introductions don’t have to be long or complicated. In fact, sometimes the best introductions are short and sweet.

So don’t feel like you have to cram everything into those first few sentences. Just focus on giving the reader a taste of what’s to come and making them want more.

How to Write Captivating Body Copy for your Magazine Article

Your magazine article is almost done. You’ve handed in your query letter, written a killer lede, and included quotes from experts. Now it’s time to write the body copy .

The body copy is the meat of your article, and it’s where you’ll really dive into the details of your story. But just because it’s packed with information doesn’t mean it has to be boring. In fact, the best body copy is engaging, informative, and easy to read.

Here are a few tips to help you write captivating body copy for your magazine article:

  • Use strong verbs. Strong verbs add drama and action to your writing . They make your sentences more interesting and can even help you shorten them. For example, instead of writing “He walked slowly across the room,” you could write “He strutted across the room.” The latter sentence is shorter and more interesting to read.
  • Be concise. Concise writing is easier to read and understand. So when you’re revising your body copy, look for ways to shorten your sentences and paragraphs. Delete unnecessary words and phrases, and get straight to the point. Your readers will thank you for it.
  • Use active voice . Active voice makes your writing more dynamic. Inactive voice, on the other hand, can make your writing sound dull and passive. For example, “The ball was hit by John” is in active voice, while “John was hit by the ball” is in inactive voice. Whenever possible, use active voice in your body copy. It’ll make your writing more engaging .
  • Use simple words and phrases. Complex language can make your writing inaccessible to some readers . So when you’re revising your body copy, look for ways to simplify your language. Use short, simple words wherever possible, and avoid long, convoluted sentence structures. Your readers will appreciate your clarity.
  • Stick to one topic per paragraph. Each paragraph should focus on one specific topic or idea. If you try to cover too much ground in a single paragraph, you’ll likely end up with a jumble of information that’s confusing and difficult to follow. So take a close look at each of your paragraphs, and make sure they’re focused on a single issue or theme. If they’re not, split them up into separate paragraphs. It’ll make for a smoother, more enjoyable read.

Tips for Crafting Powerful Conclusions for your Magazine Article

You’ve worked hard on your article, crafting a powerful opening, developing your argument, and researching your topic inside and out. But now you’ve reached the end, and it’s time to write the conclusion . What should you include? How can you make sure your concluding paragraph is as strong as the rest of your article? Here are a few tips:

  • Start by restating your main argument or point differently. This will help to reinforce your message and leave readers with a strong impression of what you’ve said.
  • Use strong language to emphasize the importance of your conclusion. Words like “finally,” “in conclusion,” or “most importantly” can help to signal that the reader is nearing the end of your article.
  • Include a call to action. What do you want readers to do with the information you’ve provided? Make sure to spell out what you hope they will do, whether it’s contacting their representatives or simply learning more about the issue at hand.
  • Leave readers with something to think about. A good conclusion will stick with readers long after they’ve finished reading your article. You can achieve this by asking a question, providing one final piece of evidence, or offering a solution to the problem you’ve been discussing.

By following these tips, you can make sure your concluding paragraph is just as strong as the rest of your article. So don’t hesitate to put in that extra effort – it could make all the difference in how readers react to what you’ve written.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Writing a Magazine Article

Intros that give away the ending. If you want to keep people reading, don’t tell them what’s coming. Instead, introduce the characters, hook the reader with a problem or question, and then let the story unfold. Of course, this means you need to know what your ending is before you start writing . So do some plotting before you begin!

  • Starting in the middle of the action. Again, you want to hook readers from the beginning, so starting in medias res (in the middle of things) is a surefire way to lose them. Start at the beginning of the story, even if it’s not the most exciting part. You can always go back and add excitement later. Just get the readers engaged from the start.
  • Info dumps.Magazine articles are meant to be informative, but that doesn’t mean you should dump all of your information on the reader at once. include only relevant information and break it up with stories and examples to keep things interesting. Otherwise, your readers will tune out quickly.
  • Writing in long blocks of text. No one wants to read a huge wall of text, no matter how interesting the topic may be. So break things up! Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and images to break up the monotony and make your article more visually appealing. This will also make it easier for readers to find the information they’re looking for.
  • Failing to edit and proofread . Always edit and proofread your work before submitting it! This will help to ensure that there are no errors or typos in your article. It’s also a good idea to have someone else take a look at it for feedback. A fresh pair of eyes can often spot things that you missed.

Strategies for making sure the Content of your Magazine Article is Accurate

There’s no completely reliable way to ensure that the content of your magazine article is accurate. However, there are some strategies you can use to increase the chances that your facts are sound.

  • Check your sources carefully. If you’re quoting someone, make sure you have the exact wording correct. If you’re citing statistics, be sure to track down the original source so that you can verify that the numbers are correct.
  • Consult experts in the field you’re writing about. They can help point out errors in your understanding of the topic and suggest additional perspectives to include in your article.
  • Fact-check your own work before you submit it. This extra step can help catch any careless mistakes you may have made along the way.

By taking these measures, you can improve the accuracy of your magazine articles and build confidence among your readers.

How to make sure your Magazine Article is Timely and Relevant

If you’re writing a magazine article, the most important thing is to make sure it’s timely and relevant. The last thing you want is for your article to be outdated or out-of-touch. Here are a few tips to help you make sure your article is timely and relevant:

  • Read the news. This will help you stay up-to-date on current events and trends.
  • Talk to people. Ask them what they’re interested in reading about.
  • Keep your finger on the pulse of popular culture. Watch TV, read magazines, and surf the Internet to see what’s hot.

By following these tips, you can be sure your article will be timely and relevant.

Tips for using Appropriate Language when Writing a Magazine Article

You’re a smart person with something to say, so of course you want to write for a magazine. But before you start typing away, it’s important to understand the difference between writing for a magazine and other types of writing. Magazine articles are typically shorter than essays or other types of writing , and they often use more informal language. However, that doesn’t mean you can just throw caution to the wind and use slang or profanity in your article.

The key is to strike a balance between sounding too formal and sounding too casual. In general, it’s best to use short, simple sentences and active voice when writing for a magazine. And most importantly, remember that your goal is to educate and entertain your readers, not to impress them with your fancy vocabulary. With these tips in mind, you’re ready to start writing your own magazine article.

Writing with the Reader in mind when Creating a Magazine Article

It’s always a good idea to think about who your readers are when you’re writing any kind of piece . But it’s especially important to consider your audience when you’re writing for a magazine. After all, magazines are all about engaging readers and keeping their attention. Here are a few tips to help you write with the mind reader:

  • Write a catchy headline . The headline is often the first thing that readers will see, so it’s important to make sure that it’s interesting and attention-grabbing.
  • Start with a strong lead. The lead should immediately capture the reader’s attention and give them an idea of what the article is about.
  • Use short, concise sentences. Magazine articles are typically easy to read and digest, so using shorter sentences can help to keep the reader’s attention focused on your piece.
  • Avoid jargon. While it’s fine to use industry-specific terms, try to avoid using too much jargon or technical language that might not be familiar to the average reader.
  • Organize your thoughts clearly. readers should be able to easily follow along with your argument or story, so it’s important to organize your thoughts clearly and logically.
  • Edit ruthlessly. Once you’ve finished writing, take some time to edit your article ruthlessly. This will help to ensure that only the most essential information makes it into the final piece.

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your magazine article is engaging and accessible for all kinds of readers.

The Importance of Fact-checking and Verifying Sources in Magazine Articles

As anyone who’s ever read a gossip magazine knows , not everything you read is true. In fact, much of what’s published in magazines is based on rumor and speculation, with very little regard for facts or accuracy. As a result, readers often find themselves being misled by articles that contain false information.

This is why it’s so important for writers to fact-check their sources and verify the accuracy of the information they’re publishing. Unfortunately, in the rush to meet deadlines, many writers simply don’t have the time to do this properly. As a result, their articles are often filled with errors and inaccuracies.

So what can you do to make sure that the information in your magazine article is accurate?

  • Always check your facts against multiple sources. Don’t just rely on one source – take the time to cross-check the information against other sources.
  • If possible, try to verify the information with first-hand sources. If you can’t speak to the person directly, try to find someone who can vouch for their character.
  • If you’re unsure about something, err on the side of caution and leave it out of your article. It’s better to omit something than to include false information.

By following these simple tips, you can help ensure that the information in your magazine article is accurate and trustworthy.

How to Write a Compelling Call-to-Action in a Magazine Article

Your readers have been engaged throughout your article, and you’ve almost reached the end. But before they close the magazine (or click away from the page), you want to make sure they take action on what they’ve just read.

That’s where a strong call-to-action comes in. By giving your readers a specific and achievable task to do, you can increase the likelihood that they’ll take action on your message.

Here are a few tips for writing a compelling call-to-action:

  • Keep it short and to the point. Your readers should be able to understand your call-to-action without having to read through a long and complicated sentence. Be direct and clear about what you want them to do.
  • Make it relevant to the article. Your call-to-action should be tied directly to the main point of your article. If it’s not, then it’s likely that your readers won’t see the connection and will be less likely to take action.
  • Use persuasive language. This is your chance to really sell your message, so don’t be afraid to use persuasive language to get your point across. Use words like “you can” or “now is the time” to urge your reader into taking action.
  • Offer a incentive. If you can offer your reader something of value in exchange for taking action, then you’re more likely to get them to do it. This could be a discount, a free trial, or access to exclusive content. Whatever you offer, make sure it’s something that your target audience would find valuable.

By following these tips, you can write a call-to-action that will help turn your readers into active participants in your message. So go ahead and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and start writing those calls-to-action!

The Importance of Allowing Enough Time for Writing your Magazine Article and making sure it’s Ready for Publication.  ​

If you’re going to write a magazine article, the first thing you need to do is allow enough time for the entire process. This means giving yourself enough time to research, write, edit, and proofread your article before it’s due.

The last thing you want is to rush through your article and end up with something that’s full of errors or doesn’t make sense. So take your time and make sure your article is the best it can be before you submit it for publication.

It’s also important to remember that once your article is published, it’s out there for everyone to see. So if you’re not happy with it, or if there are any mistakes, they’ll be there for everyone to see. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your article is perfect before you hit the “send” button.

By taking your time and making sure your magazine article is ready for publication, you can avoid any embarrassing mistakes and ensure that your article will be well-received by readers.

So, you want to write a magazine article? In this comprehensive guide , we’ve outlined everything you need to know about writing and publishing your work. We’ve talked about the different types of magazine articles, the structure of a magazine article, how to come up with ideas for magazine articles, how to do research for a magazine article, and more. We also discussed the importance of fact-checking and verifying sources, as well as how to make sure your magazine article is ready for publication.

Now that you have all the information you need, it’s time to get started! The best way to learn is by doing, so start drafting those articles and submit them to your favorite magazines. With a little practice and perseverance, you could be on your way to becoming a successful freelance writer .

What are the different types of magazine articles?

There are many different types of magazine articles, but some of the most common are: news stories, profiles, how-to articles , and reviews.

What is the structure of a magazine article?

The structure of a magazine article typically includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should introduce the topic of the article and provide some context, while the body should provide more detailed information about the topic. The conclusion should summarize the main points of the article and leave readers with a final thought.

How do I come up with ideas for magazine articles?

One great way to come up with ideas for magazine articles is to read magazines and look for topics that interest you. You can also think about things that you’re passionate about or that you know a lot about, and brainstorm ideas from there. It’s also helpful to do some research to find out what kinds of articles are already being published in your target magazine.

How do I do research for a magazine article?

When doing research for a magazine article, it’s important to make sure your sources are reliable and accurate. You should always verify information before including it in your article, and be prepared to fact-check any quotes or statistics you include. It’s also a good idea to include multiple sources in your research so that you can get a more complete picture of the topic you’re writing about.

How do I make sure my magazine article is ready for publication?

Once you’ve finished writing your magazine article, it’s important to go back and double-check all of your facts and sources, as well as making sure all of your grammar and spelling are correct. You should also read through the article multiple times to ensure the flow and clarity of your writing , and make any necessary revisions before submitting it for publication. Finally, make sure to contact any interview subjects or other people mentioned in the article to get their approval before submitting it for publication. This helps ensure accuracy and credibility, and can help you avoid any potential legal issues.

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  1. How to Write About Yourself

    The point of a good personal statement (see also: manifesto, artist statement, bio, about page) is to dazzle your audience senseless and leave them wanting more, so much more, in fact, that they can't help but check what you're selling, visit your shop, or hop on over to your blog or services page. But I don't want it to be too personal…

  2. 7 Killer Tips for How to Write a Bio

    1. Write your name Start with your name. Might seem obvious, but you want to make sure readers know who you are. 2. Share your accomplishments Don't be shy. Say what you have done. A list of accomplishments might include things like where you went to school and where you have been published.

  3. How to write a byline

    Use a byline to keep your focus: When you begin a piece of writing, consider writing a byline as your first step. The byline establishes a persona and defines your voice in the piece. A student of mine, writing on the ways that millennials are revitalizing the plant industry, started with this byline, which gave her a voice to navigate the ...

  4. How to Write a Magazine Article (in 10 Easy Steps)

    Step 1: Choose a magazine Step 2: Get to know your audience Step 3: Confirm or choose your topic. If you already have an idea…. If you need an idea…. Step 4: Choose an angle Step 5: Write a query letter Step 6: Know the job Step 7: Research the topic Step 8: Interview sources Finding an expert Interviewing the expert Step 9: Create an outline

  5. How to Write About Yourself With Integrity

    1. Share the small moments Sacks' enthusiasm for his work shines through in the small moments: I fell in love with his face, his body, his mind, his poetry, everything about him. He would often bring me just-written poems, and I would give him some of my physiology essays in return.

  6. How to Write a Magazine Article (with Pictures)

    Part 1 Generating Article Ideas Download Article 1 Analyze publications you enjoy reading. Consider magazines you have a subscription to or enjoy reading regularly. You may also focus on publications you know little about but would like to start contributing articles to.

  7. Writing Magazine Articles

    Lesson Summary Frequently Asked Questions How do you structure a magazine article? An effective article is structured into three parts: the introduction, the body, and conclusion. The...

  8. 10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Magazine Writing Skills

    9. Use different sentence lengths for different tones and moods. This isn't just a tip on how to write a magazine article, it's a general tip for good writing. Your writing should match the tone or mood of your piece. If you're describing quick or abrupt action, for example, use short, punchy sentences.

  9. How to Write Articles for Magazines

    Writing How to Write Articles for Magazines Written by MasterClass Last updated: Sep 13, 2021 • 5 min read Magazine writing is a craft that stands apart from the kind of writing you might encounter in a newspaper, journal, essay, or full-length book.

  10. Structure of a Magazine Article: The Full Guide

    In magazine writing, the body text forms the backbone of the article, providing the substance and depth required to convey the author's message or argument effectively. Drawing inspiration from magazine editorial examples can help writers build a compelling narrative that keeps readers engaged and maintains their interest throughout the article.

  11. What Should a Short Bio Include?

    A: Congratulations on your first publication! Typically a short bio consists of one to two sentences (preferably one) that will go at the end of your article. Include your name, website or blog (if you have one), what you do for a living, anything of value about your writing career (any books you've published or awards you've won) or why you're ...

  12. How to Write a Magazine Article? 12 Golden Rules

    4. Make connections and meet people. Networking is important in any business, especially for freelance writers who want to make a jump to magazine writing. Editors regularly quit one magazine to work for another. Therefore, remember to know the people first and foremost than the magazine they work for. 5.

  13. How to write an interview article for a magazine

    Literal: write down the questions, followed by the literal/ only slightly rephrased answers (the classic Q and A); Narrative: describe what the interviewee says in third person; Hybrid: leave out the questions and combine narrative statements with direct quotes. You can stick with one of the first two perspectives for the entire article, or you ...

  14. How to Write an Article for a Magazine: Expert Tips and Tricks

    How to Write an Article for a Magazine: Expert Tips and Tricks By: Paul Jenkins Published: June 14, 2023 - Last updated: June 23, 2023 Writing Magazine writing is a unique form of art that requires writers to carefully blend elements of storytelling, informative research, and reader engagement.

  15. How to Write a Magazine Article

    The enemy of good writing is not editing your work. This tip on how to write a magazine article is important, because you want your writing to be tight, concise, brief. Precise. I always give myself two business days to edit my articles before I submit them. Create an invoice for the editor, to email with your article.

  16. How to Write a Magazine Article

    How to Write a Magazine Article By Smitha Abraham 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

  17. 6 Important Tips for Magazine Article Writing

    4. Create an outline. 5. Write your articles. 6. Check out the style sheet or guidelines of the magazines where you would like to submit your articles to. Writing articles for magazines is definitely a dream for a lot of writers. This is because the pay is usually huge.

  18. How to Write Your Own Articles for Teen Magazines

    The first is to look in the front pages of the magazine and see if the guidelines are listed there. If not, you can write a letter or send an email to the editorial department and request a copy of the guidelines along with their editorial calendar which lists the themes of upcoming issues. Sometimes submission information is posted on line.

  19. Magazine Article Writing Tips to Follow to Impress Readers

    Here, you are supposed to briefly describe the key ideas.). Try to finish your article effectively to give readers the material to ponder over. Make sure your conclusion is closely connected to the entire article. Writing magazine articles can be easy if to stick to the points provided below. By following the given instructions, you will learn ...

  20. So You Think You Can Write a Memoir?

    By. Sally Lee. Winter 2019-20. Lilly Dancyger (O'Malley Studios). Lilly Dancyger'12JRN edits personal essays and memoirs for two online publications and a literary press, and she teaches classes on memoir writing. She is the editor of Burn It Down, a new anthology of essays on women's anger, and is working on her own memoir, Negative Space.

  21. How to Make Friends

    The best way to make friends is to be curious about people. This doesn't mean you should say "Tell me about yourself!" to everyone you meet — that's disgusting. When you start a new job ...

  22. A Guide for Writing a How-To Article

    Tamp wet sand into your bucket molds, setting one layer and then the next, like bricks. Sculpt architectural details from the top of the mound down. Bring reference photographs if you're aiming ...

  23. How I Fell for an Amazon Scam Call and Handed Over $50,000

    Krista transferred the call to a man who identified himself as Calvin Mitchell. He said he was an investigator with the FTC, gave me his badge number, and had me write down his direct phone line in case I needed to contact him again. He also told me our call was being recorded. He asked me to verify the spelling of my name.

  24. How To Write A Magazine Article » Ranking Articles

    So let's get started! Contents show What is a Magazine Article? A magazine article is a piece of writing that is published in a magazine. It is usually written by a journalist or an expert on the magazine's subject matter. A magazine article can be either long or short, but it must be well-written and well-researched in order to be successful.