How to Know Your Story Idea Is Right for A Magazine
You have a brilliant story idea, congratulations. Now, what do you do with it? Publishing the story in a magazine can be an effective way to market and grow your business. Magazines are often multi-channel entities. They are digital, print, and they have a social media presence as well.
It’s not uncommon for a magazine to promote their articles and stories via multiple channels.
This means if you’re published in a magazine, you could be reaching thousands of new prospects.
Publishing in a magazine helps boost your business’s credibility, authority, and your website traffic.
Once you have a story idea, the next step is to figure out where to publish it. You have to decide if your story idea is right for magazine publication and, if so, which one.
#1 Is There Enough Information?
For magazine publication in general, you want to make sure your story is deep enough that it’s suitable for a magazine. Generally speaking, there’s a difference between a blog post and a magazine article. Typically, magazine stories are longer; they can be several thousand words. They also should have quotes and information from outside sources.
#2 Who is the Audience?
Assuming you’ve decided that your story is appropriate for magazine publication and that you have enough information and depth to your story, the next step is to get specific about the people who are going to be reading it. Who is the story for? Who is the reader? Think about both demographics and psychographics (lifestyle habits and values).
#3 Research Your Options
There are thousands of magazines, both online and off. Once you’ve determined your reader, you can then look at your options. Which magazines are written for your ideal reader? Depending on your industry, you might begin with trade magazines. This should quickly narrow down your options. You may be left with a handful of potential magazines to submit to. Don’t submit your pitch yet. There’s a bit more work to be done.
#4 Read Your Options
Read several issues of each magazine that you think may be suitable for your story idea. Make sure that they publish the type of information you’re writing about. This is also a good time to learn more about the writing style, format, and approach the magazine takes with their articles. Are you a good fit for them and vice versa?
You know your story is right for a magazine when you know that your information would provide value to their readers. And when you know that their readers align with your audience. Once you have found a few magazines that fit the bill, craft your pitch and move forward with confidence.
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