How to Study Magazines Before Pitching a Freelance Article

Are you an aspiring (or even an experienced) freelance writer for magazines? If so, you might have heard the advice to “study magazines” before you submit a story or query their editors.

What does "study magazines" mean though?

This is a big issue for many new writers, and I know I did it totally wrong when I first began freelancing. Let me help you avoid some of the pitfalls by offering four tips on how to use your time efficiently when reviewing a magazine you'd like to pitch.

1. Skim, don’t read.

I thought that to "study magazines" meant reading every article in the publication a few times—and very carefully.

Don’t do that.

Instead, skim articles and look for things such as:

• Do they use expert quotes?
• What is the tone? Is it formal? Casual?
• Do they use a lot of factual information in sidebar boxes or is it primarily narrative?
• How long are the pieces?

You're looking for themes, patterns, and similarities to help you figure out if your idea or strategy is a good fit for each magazine.

2. Examine the cover.

The cover of a magazine will tell you a lot about what types of articles they tend to publish.

Read these cover titles carefully.

• Do they use a lot of “Top 10” pieces?
• Do you see any “how to” articles?
• Does the magazine emphasize specific topics such as budgeting, fitness, or childcare?

Get a few issues of the magazine and study the titles on the front cover, and you’ll get a feel for what the editors tend to gravitate towards in terms of content.

Examining covers from a single magazine over the course of a year can also clue you into any seasonal theme that magazine covers, helping you plan pitches well in advance.

Bonus Tip: These days you don't even have to get your hands on physical copies in order to view magazine covers. You can browse back issues online on sites like Amazon, the publishers' own websites, or through your library using apps like Libby.

3. Study magazines by looking at ads.

Studying the ads may well be the key to breaking into a magazine, in my experience.

The ads tell you about each magazine's readers.

Since this is who the publication speaks to overall, and whom their advertisers believe that publication appeal to, it will give you a better idea of the types of readers your articles would need to speak to.

Do you see a lot of ads for diamonds and guard dogs? Chances are the readers have some money.

Notice a lot of kids in the advertisements? The publication may cater to parents.

When you study magazines, take some time to review the ads and you will be on your way to developing a good query because you will understand the audience.

4. Keep an eye out for "shorts."

At least that is what I call them. Some writers refer to these as “fillers”.

"Shorts" or "fillers" are short pieces that can offer you a chance to break into a publication without sending a query.

Better yet, shorts offer new writers a way to get a foot in the door without having to present publication credits. These filler pieces can show an editor you have the chops to get the job done.

Not all magazines have shorts, but when they do, they offer a good point of entry.

If you want to study magazines more effectively before querying them, train yourself to look at magazines differently than you might when you're just a reader.

When you study publications, you need to put on your "writer" hat and think about what the packaging says to you in terms of crafting a query. If you can master this, you’ll be much closer to a published clip than writers who skim the guidelines and fire off an idea.

And once you get in the habit of studying magazines this way, you’ll never quite look at them the same way again.

Looking for magazines to pitch? Check out the All Freelance Writing writers' market database.

Note: This article was originally published on April 7, 2010. It has since been updated and re-released on its currently-listed publication date.