My first job in writing was the one that has so far taught me the most about how to piece together a great magazine article. After looking at some very positive online reviews I successfully applied to Best Version Media, a publishing company which specializes in micro tag magazines for niche industries, small communities and specialized businesses who want to show off what they’ve got. The company was a great place to work and they have created a wonderful culture for writers to be able to express themselves. It was here at BMV that I learned how to write the perfect article, something which I want to share with you today.
The Topic
Before we even get into writing styles and how to present the article, you must ensure that first you have subject matter that people will actually want to read. There are only a very small number of writers in the world that can make even the most boring topic seem interesting, but the rest of us must rely on a solid subject which has some kid of message. Ask yourself what you are trying to say with the topic you have chosen, and whether or not people are going to be remotely interested.
Punchy
The key to a great magazine article or even blog article for that matter, is that it is punchy and grabs the attention. You should be looking to write no more than 500 words for a piece like this, which let’s be honest is not a great deal of words. Given the limitation on words you need to make sure that every single one counts, there is no time for rambling or detailed back stories here. Magazines in general are aimed at short term readers so your article needs to follow that style, the key is to get in, say your piece and get out again before the reader gets bored.
Call to Action
Don’t forget the inclusive nature of a magazine piece, it should be something that you are sharing with the reader rather than something which you are simply offering to them. In order to create this kind of environment you should have calls to action within the piece, a sort of positive bait and switch. You want the reader to have to think about themselves in some way and actually interact with the piece.
Simplistic
Magazine readers are far from stupid but the whole idea of reading a magazine is that it is light reading, and not something which they need to this too much about. This is why you need to chose vocabulary which is pretty basic and keep your sentences short and succinct. We don’t need to add high level literature to magazine pieces as the whole intention is for people to pick it up, learn something and then put it back down again. Keep your writing simple and poignant.
Remember these tips and you’ll be writing great articles in no time.
