Freelance Writing an Effective Magazine Article

A number of article writers have been given the opportunity to write for magazines. This is a popular platform and scores of writers have set the bar for successful freelance writing careers when they have been published in magazines or published in newspapers. Every writer fortunate enough to have their work published in magazines started out writing their first magazine article.

You can use article writing software specifically designed for magazine article writing. However, the majority of freelance writers will design or craft their own content without writing software assistance. Knowing the right path to follow makes the task of writing a magazine article less formidable and can help you reach a level of comfort to produce a great article.

Magazine writing does have some distinct differences from writing for other platforms or areas of writing. This is a brief overview or plan of action for writing an effective magazine article. Included are the distinct segments of a magazine article and how they come together to form a great piece of content.

The lead or hook

The lead is as a rule the most significant source of any magazine article. This is the hook that commands the reader to have an interest in your article or draws the attention of an editor to buy your content. The hook lays the groundwork for the content to come.

There are a number of different types of leads for magazine articles.

·         Freelance magazine writers will generally use an anecdote or short story to gain interest.

·         Another terrific hook is biographical sketches. Tell a little about yourself or the person you are writing about.

·         Quotes are great. Usually short and to the point they can say a lot with a little. Everyone likes to hear words of wisdom from someone famous. Famous quotes are a nice resource

·         Statistics or numbers, especially those that are surprising and share something the reader wasn’t aware of work extremely well.

·         Emotional experiences work well for the right type of magazine article.

·         Mysteries with an explanation to come in your magazine article content are notable

A combination of one or more hooks or leads is the best groundwork for a magazine article. Leads that take a reader into an effective magazine article can also be references to newsy events that are recent and have drawn the public’s attention. For an example, if the caucuses are currently underway for the presidential election, start a magazine story with statistics related to the caucuses to combine two hooks into one.

Main topic

The main topic of the article is generally introduced after the hook. The hook can be a general category while the topic is more specific or defined. The magazine article topic is a narrow point of the general hook. For an example, you may have statistics about breast cancer as your lead. However, the topic is the importance of breast self- examinations and the number of lives saved each year.

Slant

The slant is a viewpoint that the freelance writer is crafting from their content. One article can appeal to a number of different markets simply by changing the slant or point of view of the same article. There are a number of different slants or points of view to any subject matter.

A magazine articles slant does not always need to necessarily be positive. However, remember to focus on the audience that the magazine publication is designed for to appeal to the reader and editor when formulating a slant or point of view.

Research

Your research provides the substance of your article content. Research is comprised of interviews, internet research, books and other resources where you gain information to create content.

Having research already in your pocket for a particular subject matter is great. Expertise in a general area will help make composing content easier and faster.

When writing an article with a lot of statistics, quotes or other content from another publication important to forming your content make certain that you attribute this content to the individual or publication.

Content

Bring your research together to make wonderful content for your magazine article. Bear in mind that the content of your magazine article should be pertinent to your topic, informative and related to your hook.

Conclusions or endings

Conclusions or endings should tie back to your slant and point of view. It should support your slant and connect with your hook. Summarize the information or important points made. The content should be emphasized by a great conclusion. The lead is the most critical point of a magazine article and a lot of freelance writers will use the same hook for the lead and a conclusion.

Make certain when you write for a magazine you keep your audience in mind. Similar to writing content for a blog directed to a focused audience a magazine article should be focused for the audience of that publication. This is especially important when you are trying to get the attention of an editor. Know who you are writing for. A great example would be a publication that has a lot of celebrity news would want magazine articles that are related to an audience with an interest or focus on celebrity news.

This is the formula for an effective magazine article.