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The business of staying in business requires ongoing marketing efforts. Writing magazine articles can be part of that effort, and it is a valuable source of free publicity for individuals and manufactors.
To figure the worth of the free publicity, calculate the cost of a magazine advertisement—then consider the payment for writing an article. For example, a 1/3 page ad in Ladies’ Home Journal costs $93,000. By writing an article to promote yourself in such a magazine, you can achieve thousands of dollars worth of free publicity and be paid upwards of $1,000.
Besides receiving a writer’s byline, you can usually submit a short bio for the end of the article with your credentials and contact information. For example, be sure to include a phrase such as, “Dian Thomas is TV Personality and Motivational speaker who had written How to Get a Million Dollar of Free Publicity”
www.MillionDollarpr.com. Many magazines also ask for a short bio to accompany your article. Such bios offer yet another opportunity to promote your manufacturing business.
Choose Your Idea
People often ask writers, “Where do you get your ideas?” The truth is, ideas are limitless. Rather than seeking the rare idea, your challenge is to choose among many ideas and select those that will “best” sell your article. Here are four idea sources:
- Any conflict that you know about. This conflict could be as small as two people disagreeing over a back fence or as large as a lawsuit between two corporations. Conflicts create tension, which generates reader interest.
- Any issue that you care about or speak about, such as business ethics or saving the rainforests.
- Any person you find compelling—from Donald Trump, to a family member, to you.
- Information that you think is valuable: how to run an effective meeting or how to brand your company.
Look for Magazine Markets
To find a magazine interested in a particular topic, try amazon.com. Click on the “magazines” link, and type in a word or two relating to the type of magazine for which you wish to write, such as “entrepreneur” or “hospitality” or “finance.” You’ll be surprised how many magazines are listed. To find out how to submit articles, go to the publication’s Web site and click on areas such as “Contact Us,” or “Submissions” for the editor’s name.
Since 1921, the Writer’s Market has been known as “the writer’s Bible.” It includes more than 3,800 listings of markets where article ideas may be submitted. Each market description includes an editor’s name, types of material the market would like to receive, and comparative pay rates. Every magazine listed in Writer’s Market will pay a fee for an article. And even if you don’t get paid for the writing, the publicity could be priceless.
Submit Your Ideas in a Query Letter
A query letter is a one-page letter describing your idea, which allows your proposal to reach a magazine editor quickly. Think of a query as a “mini-article.” Include as many elements of the finished article as possible—such as a suggested title and sample first paragraph—to help the editor envision the completed article in his or her magazine.
Most magazines accept query letters by e-mail. You may find the editor’s e-mail addresses in the Writer’s Market reference book, on www.Writer’sMarket.com, or by searching the site of the publication you wish to approach.
Write the Article
Many writers find that creating an outline is helpful in structuring the elements of the finished article. It’s possible to write the outline at the beginning—or later, after some interviews and/or research are completed. In outlining the article, you may wish to write the lead paragraph first, to help determine the sequence in which topics will emerge from the lead. Another way to outline is to group quotes relating to the same topic together, before deciding which topics are important to include and in which order they should be listed in the story.
Resell and Re-Purpose the Article
One of the most effective ways to broaden the scope of free publicity is to resell previously published articles. The first step in reselling articles is to confirm that you haven’t sold your right to republish. If you have sold exclusive or other restrictive rights, you cannot resell it.
Once you have determined this, prepare to resell it. If there are national magazines you feel are appropriate markets, resubmit your initial query letter to them. With small and/or local publications, submit either the query or the entire article for reprint consideration. While smaller magazines are almost always willing to consider query letters, they typically have smaller staffs and are grateful to see a complete article, knowing that the writer has completed the research, the writing, and that the article is now for sale “as is.”
Once published, if links to the publication are available, send the link to clients and prospects. In addition, be sure to get reprints and use them in your marketing materials.
Finally, publishing magazine articles can provide fodder for a future book project—with each article becoming a book chapter or part of one. So write articles, get published and take care of your business today.
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