5 Steps for Getting Your Articles Published

The first step in getting an article published is to identify appropriate writing venues. What do the people in your target market read? Consider newsletters, ezines, websites, magazines, trade journals, and newspapers. Ask your clients and prospects which online and print publications they subscribe to. Notice which periodicals are lying on their desks or coffee tables and poking out of their briefcases. Find out what websites they frequently visit.

You can also look up print publications by subject in directories of writing markets, such as those published in print and online versions by Writer’s Market or online by WritersWeekly. To find appropriate websites, ezines, and the online editions of print publications, type your specialty and the word “articles” into your favorite search engine.

If you are new to getting your writing published, start with small publications that don’t require writing experience. Trade association newsletters are an excellent first target. Other possibilities are resource websites for your market niche; online article directories; employee newsletters for companies you would like as clients; newsletters, ezines, or websites produced by other professionals with a similar target market; neighborhood newspapers; and advertising periodicals that list items for sale, job openings, or workshops and events.

2. Determine Their Submission Guidelines

When you have a venue in mind, don’t just write an article and submit it until you check their editorial guidelines. Many print publications and some online ones prefer that you query them first. Look for the submission guidelines posted on the publication’s website, listed in a box near the table of contents or inside the front cover, or in a newspaper’s editorial section. If you’re not sure, contact the editor for your subject area (usually listed in one of the same places) and ask.

3. Pitch Your Article Idea

Some publications accept article queries by phone and others want them in writing. If you contact editors by phone, be prepared to pitch your article idea on the spot. Tell them your proposed topic, why it is of interest to their readers, and why you should be the one who writes it. If you’re convincing enough, a small publication might give you the assignment right there. A larger one will probably ask you to send a query letter and include some samples of your writing.

When a publication requests queries, don’t try to skip the query step by sending a completed article in the hope that it will get printed. Many editors won’t even look at it, and you will have wasted a great deal of time. Only if the guidelines state they accept completed or previously published articles should you send the article instead of a query.

A query letter should begin with a strong lead paragraph, written just as if it were the opening paragraph of the actual article. You want it to capture the editor’s interest, introduce your topic, and show that you can write. Continue the letter by describing two or three key points you intend for your article to make.

Then propose the article itself: “I would like to write a 1500-word article on the benefits to employers of integrated disability management programs. I plan to interview three employers who have experienced significant cost reductions…”

Conclude your letter with a brief description of your background that indicates why you are qualified to write the article. If you have previously been published, include two sample articles or links to them with your query.

The elapsed time it takes editors to respond to a query varies widely. Unless you have been told otherwise, follow up after thirty days if you haven’t heard anything. This is particularly important with a publication that only accepts articles which haven’t been previously published. With first-run articles, you shouldn’t send the same query to another editor until you are sure the first one doesn’t want it.

4. Write and Submit Your Article

The editors and content producers who will be considering your work for publication want articles that will inform, inspire, or entertain their audience. What they don’t want are articles that are primarily self-promotional. A graphic designer would easily be able to place articles on keys to creating a great logo or how to choose colors for a marketing piece. But few editors will be interested in an article on how to work with a graphic designer or reasons why you should hire one.

A useful guideline for judging the promotional level of your articles is to ask yourself: “Would a reader be able to use the information in this article even if they never hired me, or a professional like me, to assist them?” If the answer is no, your article is probably too self-promotional.

An article is not a book; keep each article focused on one topic. Many new writers fail at producing good articles because they try to cram too much into them. A typical newspaper or magazine article is 800-1500 words. Articles written for the web are often 600-800 words. In that small amount of space, you can’t communicate too many complex ideas.

Choose just one central idea for each article, and provide three to five key points that support that idea. If you find while writing that other good ideas begin to emerge, put them aside — those can be topics for future articles.

If you found a home for your article by way of a query, submitting the completed piece by the deadline the publisher gave you is absolutely essential. When writing for publications and websites that don’t require advance queries, be sure to submit your completed articles according to their published guidelines. With venues that accept previously-published articles, you can submit the same article simultaneously to as many publications as you like.

5. Take Maximum Advantage of Getting Published

After your article is published, seek out as many ways as possible to let people know about your new status as a recognized expert. Post your published articles or links to them on your website, and include copies of them in your marketing kit. Send a notice about your article or a copy of it to everyone on your prospect list. Hand out copies of your articles at speaking engagements or trade shows. Frame them and hang them on your office wall.

Once you have successfully placed a number of articles, consider finding a venue for an ongoing column. Landing a regular column with a publication or website respected by your target market can be a major milestone in establishing you as an expert, and can significantly boost your name recognition.

Ultimately, each one of your published articles can become a silent salesperson for your professional services, spreading the word about your expertise to many more places than you could ever reach with advertising and promotion techniques alone.

C.J. Hayden is a Contributing Editor for RainToday.com. She is also the author of Get Clients NOW! Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of “Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You’ll Ever Need” at Get Clients Now. You can reach C.J. by email at: coachcj@getclientsnow.com.