From Blog to Traditional Media

An initial perception was that magazines are dying or will soon go the way of the dinosaur. Not so; as we’ve seen, the magazine evolves. The shape it will take may change, but people will always want to curl up with a good read, page through and catch up on their favorite topics, whether that be in print, Tablet, Smartphone or internet browser.

2Content that you currently have in your blog can be modified to a magazine style in addition to calling attention to your blog.

1A blog is a personal online journal. Do you ever share an opinion with your audience? This tone suits itself perfectly to an op-ed column (opinion editorial) in a newspaper.

3Do you like to write product reviews? Report the facts or uncover a story perhaps no one else has scooped? Weekly and monthly magazines love these sorts of feature stories.

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It all starts with the Pitch Letter.

A Pitch Letter to a magazine editor is very similar to a blog post— a letter personally written to individual journalists, writers, or editors (and more recently

website owners and bloggers) that promotes a specific story idea to them for coverage.

9 tips for getting published in magazines

Understand the magazine’s ins and outs: Read at least a few recent issues to know:

✱ Has your topic been covered recently?

✱ Is there an editorial calendar? (Check their website.)

✱ Don’t pitch regular columns with staff writers

✱ Get to know the tone and perspective of the magazine

✱ Don’t send out a generic letter to several magazines at once.

1Quadruple check grammar and spelling.

✱ It often takes more time to research and proof than it does to write the article.

✱ Do not misspell the editor’s name.

3Be sure to query the correct person.

✱ Departments have different editors— do your homework to find out who

✱ Call the magazine if unsure and ask to speak to an editorial assistant for more info

✱ Find out HOW to pitch them: email, fax, snail mail, and if a SASE is allowed

✱ Check the magazine’s masthead – listing of staff, operations, information

✱ Most editors don’t have the time to pass your query along

2Short and sweet.

✱ Don’t ramble, share your life story or why you areso qualified.

✱ An average time spent reading a query is less than 60 seconds. Something you put blood, sweat, and tears researching is skimmed over. Make every word count.

✱ Cute stationary not necessary; make the words, not the aesthetics, define your pitch.

✱ Explain what you want to write about, how you will organize it (column it fits), who your source(s) will be, and some examples.

✱ Take a familiar concept and put a fresh spin on it: My AARP example. Empty nest syndrome. Many parents will be left behind this time of year as school is in session, kids start college, but what about Fido? I pitched this to AARP and they were eager, liked it, but they have a 6-month lead time, so think ahead.

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9 tips for getting published in magazines

Be specific. We’ll review this in the query letter, but don’t be vague.

Don’t say: I want to write about dogs and diabetes. It’s been done.

Do say: What about diabetes and dogs in recent years? What will make your article different from the five other diabetes and dogs pieces they’ve run in the past 3 years? Think outside the box.

5Find the magazine’s formula. (This also applies to newspapers.)

✱ See what the magazine does and what they write about, then put a fresh spin on it.

✱ Tired and old won’t get in, fresh and timely will.

7Learn the target the audience of the magazine. MORE sells to women over 40. Even dog magazines have age and target demographics. Write to that audience

✱ Do your homework, be short and sweet, specific, and smart.

✱ Don’t gush, don’t be a fan; be professional and knowledgeable about the content.

✱ Less is more, make every word count.

9Learn to take rejection and not personally.

✱ Writers with tough skin will forge ahead.

✱ Editors can’t comment on every query they receive.

✱ Not hearing or being rejected doesn’t make the pitch bad. May not be for that publication.

8Don’t harass people after you’ve pitched.

✱ Nothing is more annoying than asking someone over and over. When I was managing editor, nothing annoyed me more. I am where you are. I want the answers, too. Persistence pays off, pesty does not.

✱ It may take several weeks to months to hear something. Don’t sit idle and wait for one reply.

✱ Don’t overpitch the article. Editors communicate. You may get 2 yesses. Then what?

✱ Join a group like Media Bistro where “How to Pitch ____ Magazine” is given. Details!

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What about clips?Many magazines will ask for your clips. As a blogger or someone who may not yet have professional clippings from other publications, there are other assets you can talk about instead. No clips need not mean no assignments.

✱ Clips from your blog

✱ Your background. Are you a dog trainer? Interviewed them on your blog? Have a degree in English? The key is to establish yourself as an expert.

✱ Hobbies and personal expertise. Do you love dog shows? Involved in rescue? Have a special dog you helped to get a home? Pitch it.

✱ Good writers are not the experts on everything. As bloggers, we know this. We need to be able to access the experts and formulate an article. State your ability to contact experts and mention who in your pitch letter.

✱ Write what you know and be able to research what you don’t!

✱ Let people know you are an expert. How? Write a press release and send to companies that you are an expert and available. Some PR companies pitch us and let us know they have an expert. Give us a sample and then contact info.

✱ Find experts by browsing your favorite magazines and getting the names in those articles.

✱ For books, look at the people they thank and try to contact them.

✱ Newspapers. Much of this applies to newspapers as well , op-ed to bigger papers and local ones

One trip means many voyages.Not sure what to write about?

One experience can be used in multiple places. Case in point:

✱ I took a week-long trip to Maine.

✱ Knowing I was going, I pitched a dog travel magazine with an idea on what every dog owner needs to know prior to traveling with their dog. I used bullet points in my query letter. It was successful (show query letter). Paid.

✱ My piece on traveling with Fido was published in a dog magazine;

✱ During my stay in Maine, I found a paper called Downeast Dog News. I brought it home, pitched the editor an out-of-towners perspective on traveling through Maine with her dog. They gave me the cover story. Paid.

✱ WOW (Women on Writing) was asking for pitches for women who have made a difference in the writing world. I interviewed the then- publisher of Downeast Dog News for them and was published online. Paid.

✱ I pitched a dog magazine about my travels in Maine and mentioned specifics about the trip. I researched and found they hadn’t done this yet. It was picked up. Paid.

✱ Since establishing the blog, I’ve written about Maine.

✱ During my time in Maine, I visited many dog stores and can use them for the blog for interviews, stories, etc.

✱ Talk to people when you are out. Find out what makes them unique.

✱ Working from home or in front of a computer doesn’t mean never leaving it.

✱ Don’t just settle on one style. Try something new.

✱ If you get accepted, find out the pay, how you’ll get paid, the rights, if you need to sign anything, if there is a kill fee, when it might run, any copies to you, be cordial!

✱ Be unique. “I lost 40 pounds by gaining 25: How a dog helped me walk off the pounds” (won a writing contest)

✱ Petsmart does essay contests—do them—I won.

Essential Magazine Terms 101

✱ All-rights contract: Legal contract between publisher and freelance writer granting all rights to the completed work to the publisher.

✱ Beat: A subject or an industry the reporter or editor is responsible for covering.

✱ Close: Final few nights when pages go to print.

✱ Dek: one sentence or a few sentences below the headline. The dek basically summarizes the article. Misspelled intentionally.

✱ Evergreen: Something that can be published at any time, any year. It is not tied in to one season or holiday.

✱ Graf: Another word for paragraph, misspelled intentionally.

✱ Hed: The headline, misspelled intentionally.

✱ Kill fee: Payment to a writer whose article won’t be published. Sometimes a flat fee but other times a percentage.

✱ Lede: The opening to an article, the lede. Misspelled intentionally. ✱ Nut graf: Located after the catchy lede and lays out the article. Sort of like a thesis statement in a term paper.

✱ Masthead: Names and titles of those responsible for the magazine’s publication. Usually in the first few pages of the magazine. Changes frequently.

✱ Pullquote: An actually quote pulled from the article that will run alongside or with the piece.

✱ Sidebar: Additional information about the article that is separate and usually runs in boxes alongside the piece.

✱ TK: As in “to come.” An industry term used as a place marker to indicate missing information in article drafts. Since the two letters T and K do not coincide in an English Dictionary, it also becomes easily searchable within any document. This way, you can be sure no TKs go to print.

Anatomy of a Pitch Letter (Email)

Next is the pitch. The purpose is followed by the body and presents

the details of your article.

2

The close goes here. “If you are interested in this piece, I can turn it

around in a week.”

4

This is the hook. This should grab the editor’s

attention. Is there a problem with a solution

you have? It begins with: “Did you know…” or

“What would you do if…”

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Third, the credentials. Why are you the best

person to write the article proposed?

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TO: Parenting magazine SUBjECT: Query: How to add a new baby to a dog household

Dear Ellen,

Babies, the saying goes, complete a household and make life worth living. They also bring change in routine and a complete upheaval of lifestyle for others in the family. Older siblings might initially show resentment towards a new baby taking the spotlight away from what was once theirs: Your sole affection.

What about the canine variety in the family? Dogs need to acclimate with a period of adjustment, too. With a little bit of TLC and using the advice in this article, Fido will be howling rock a bye baby in no time.

I propose authoring a piece for Parenting magazine on “How to add a new baby to a dog household” for the Solutions section.

As a dog writer and the social media director for FIDO Friendly magazine, I will couple my experience with the expert advice of a psychotherapist and veterinarian on the topic. Parenting readers will be invited to help Fido along with hands-on, can-do advice that is simple to follow and easy to do.

If you are interested in this timely piece, I welcome hearing from you. Samples of my writing as well as my blog and media kit are listed below in the links outlined. Thanks for your time and consideration.

Kindly,

A Pitch Letter that worked for me

Dear Susan,

Vacation: Those eight letters so many of us pine for, perhaps once a year or maybe a

weekend getaway. For many canine owners, hitting the open highway with an excursion in

mind can also mean 13 other letters: No Dogs Allowed!!

I propose authoring a piece for your magazine detailing how to take a vacation where Fido

can come along. What makes my piece different from other traveling pieces you’ve covered

is its unique content:

• The one call to make prior to traveling that can save your pet’s life

• The question all dog travelers must ask if renting a house on vacation

• Two must-have products to save you a trip to the vet while vacationing

• Elderly pets need not be left behind thanks to these tips

• Ten items to pack in the doggie “day trip” bag

• Three questions to ask the front desk before booking a room

• How and where to eat with Fido while on vacation

• Five documents to make the trip easier on everyone

• A five-minute quiz to determine if Fido is road ready

In conjunction with veterinarians, Dr. Smith of Smith Clinic and Dr. Adams of Adams Clinic, I will

provide little-known and rarely discussed safety tips. Having traveled the country extensively

with my dog for over 10 years, I have shared this information with many fellow travelers.

As a freelance journalist, my articles have appeared in several magazines, including. My

background in education will also serve this piece well. My tone is warm and friendly and

dogs are my passion.

My website is listed below and published clips are attached. I look forward to hearing from

you about this very important canine travel information.

Kindly,

Carol Bryant

DOs and DON’Ts when Pitching

DO DON’T✱ Be concise, every word counts

✱ Few paragraphs, do not ramble

✱ Follow up after a few weeks

✱ Unique idea and fresh

✱ State that clips are available or provide links to online clips

✱ Follow submission guidelines

✱ Keep tabs of who you pitched and when, what

✱ Include an appropriate Subject

✱ Thank people if you hear back

✱ Look into magazines you might not have considered for pet market (i.e. Women’s Day)

✱ Name drop if you have been referred by someone there

✱ Be able to sum up the angle of your pitch in one sentence. The pitch is longer.

✱ Think of deks that magazines put under headlines. The blurbs. They summarize the piece.

✱ Email a followup with your original piece pasted below it.

✱ Followup may say “I know you are busy, but I wanted to be sure you’ve received this and if it is a fit for ___ magazine.”

✱ An angle is something you read and think “Oh, I never thought of it that way or heard of that before”

✱ If you cannot write your own dek, it probably means your idea is too vague

✱ Do let go if you hear nothing after 2 followups

✱ “I expect to hear back from you…” Don’t be pushy

✱ Follow up constantly or be impatient

✱ Have a pitch with errors

✱ Use HTML formatting that may not show up correctly in email

✱ Use emoticons and slang

✱ Send clips as attachments or graphics

✱ Write a very lengthy pitch

Must-Have Resources

www.mediabistro.comYearly fee: How to pitch, pitches that worked, names of who to pitch

www.writersbookstore.com The Best of Magazine Markets for Writers 2010:

www.online-writing-jobs.com

wow-womenonwriting.com

www.woodenhorsepub.com

www.helpareporterout.comFree service where you can be an expert or find an expert for a story.

It’s a call out. PR professional and animal lover did this. (Peter Shankman)

www.newspaperlinks.com/voyager.cfmNewspapers nationwide for blog and story ideas

www.mediaontwitter.com

www.dwaa.org

Google AlertsFor story ideas

Three great booksDirty Little Secrets of Buzz by David Seaman

The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott

Anything by Penny Sansevieri

On the Radio

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Radio station in the Dakotas recently contacted me to be a guest. Did a 30-minute segment live on air and they emailed me a CD. I put that on my youtube account. Find out segment producers

of satellite or smaller stations. Pitch your idea to them. Be an expert. Add it to your resume.

Lights, Camera, Action: TV

✱ Start local but dream big. Pitch yourself as an expert. Do you have video/”B-roll” of yourself locally on tv? At a seminar? A convention? Addressing the Chamber of Commerce locally? Use that.

✱ Caroline with Romeo The Cat is a perfect example.

✱ Recent pit bull on The Today Show because of one blogger’s crusade

✱ When pitching a story to broadcast media, who is the audience? The demographic? Be familiar with their segments. What makes you an asset to them?

✱ Generally broadcast media will find you. Make yourself known in other forms of media. Blog, magazine, expert, speaker, newspaper, et cetera.

Be different. Be fresh. Don’t quit.