Finding Freelance Writing Gigs

You know that you want to start writing for magazines and online markets, but how do you find the markets that pay writers?

It's not that hard to find possible freelance writing opportunities. Think about it: Every magazine on the newstand at your local bookstore has content, and someone has to write it, right? Why not you? Think about all of the mail that you get every week. Does your car insurance company or healthcare provider send you a magazine? How about your industry trade magazine? There's also magazines related to your favorite hobbies. Plus, websites are created every day that are screaming for well-written content. These are all markets that offer opportunities to writers, so keep your eyes open.

Many books on freelance writing will tell new writers to start small because the competition is tough, and that you need to build up clips from smaller, lower-paying markets before you can even think about pitching to the national giants like Vanity Fair or Glamour. My position falls somewhere in the middle of this logic. Yes, you do have a greater chance of being published in smaller markets such as local or regional publications. However, I’ve heard of writers that landed their first professional writing assignment in a national magazine!

Balance is important when you’re pitching articles – don’t limit yourself, but don’t only pitch to the majors. That means pitching your dream markets, while also pitching smaller markets that may be easier to crack. I know there are many successful writers that share this philosophy.

While I focused the majority of my efforts lower competition publications like trade magazines and websites, I periodically sent query letters to editors at larger magazines, like Essence. I even sold several articles to a major health magazine aimed at African American women. So my business model leaned more toward trades, but I also got the thrill of seeing my articles in larger, national consumer magazines from time to time.

I encourage you to make a list of writer's markets you’d like to write for. Keep in mind that your list will only be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of markets out there. Next, hop online and Google the publication name and look around the publication’s website. You can often find writer’s guidelines in the “about us” section.

Some websites require you to do some digging to find their writer’s guidelines, while others don’t post guidelines at all. If this is the case, don’t get discouraged. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t use freelance writers. For now, just read through the ones you do find to get a feel for what each publication is looking for in terms of editorial content.

Another good exercise is to take a trip to your local library or bookstore to look at magazines. If you’re a magazine junkie like me, this will be a fun excursion. Plan to spend an afternoon in the periodical section. Order a large mocha latte (my personal favorite), cozy up in a chair, and begin studying the magazines.

Look at the front of the magazine for information about their contributors. Some publications feature headshots and bios for writers. This could be you one day! Look over the masthead somewhere near the front of the book (if it’s a magazine that’s got a lot of advertising, the masthead may come after about 20 pages of ads). Check out who edits the magazine, how many different departments the magazine has, and then go to that section to see if the editors' names are bylined with the articles, or if the articles appear to be written by freelancers.

Also, pay attention to the advertising. A magazine’s editorial content is driven by the advertising. After all, a magazine’s lifeblood comes from ads; without any ads, there would be no magazine. You can learn a lot about a publication by looking at the advertisements. Do the ads focus on luxury items? Or are the ads more focused on economical household products? If you plan on pitching a high-end fashion magazine like Vogue, you probably won’t get very far with a pitch about budget dinners tips.

Do the same exploratory exercise for websites you’d like to write for. Look at the editorial content. Check out the bylines to try to determine if the articles are freelance.

Another great way to know if a publication accepts freelancers is to look for writer bios at the end of the articles. Some publications will print something like, “Denene Brox is a freelance writer based in the Kansas City area. She has written for Yahoo! HotJobs, Monster.com, and Heart & Soul. Visit her online at www.DeneneBrox.com.”

Article bios are also a great marketing opportunity for you as a writer since you can include your e-mail address and/or website URL!

Remember, potential markets are all around you. Newstands and the Internet are flooded with publications seeking good writers. But don't overlook markets that aren't in plain site. Dig a little deeper and think outside the box for publications that are targeted to smaller audiences (like your insurance company magazine or trade magazine). Happy hunting!