Information and advice on target marketing audiences. Specific suggestions to study magazines and identify the audience the editor is hoping to reach. How to find out exactly who you are writing to.
Any writer, aspiring or professional, has read the words, "Study the market," and "Know your publication." Most of us have studied the guidelines, read at least two copies of a magazine we plan to submit to, written a proposal for the "perfect" piece for them, and sent off the suggestion, making sure that we use the right editor's name, spelled correctly. Still, we get back rejections that say "Not right for our publication." But we thought we had it pegged! We thought we were right on target!
It's time to look a little closer, dig a little deeper into that magazine we hope will buy our work. Here are some tips to really study a publication, as if preparing for an exam--a passing grade will mean a sale!
Have on hand the most recent issue of the magazine. Ignore the quality of the paper and the photography. We are not going to allow ourselves to be snowed by glitz and gloss here, or, on the other hand, lulled into complacency by what seems to be a "cheaper" production. We're digging deeper. Get out a notebook to take notes as you go through this process.
First, study the ads. Ask yourself who would buy the products being advertised. Young? Old? Affluent or struggling? New moms? Young male athletes? Conservationists?
Now look at the index. What topics are covered in this issue? Is there a theme, or are there lots of different topics? Are columns and departments listed? What topics do those emphasize?
Next, glance at the first paragraphs of every article. Do most of them start with an anecdote or statements of fact? Are they written first person or third? Does the tone seem light or serious? Do they use big words or popular slang? Note the authors' credentials. Does every writer published here have a slew of letters behind their name, years of experience in the field? Can you measure up to that standard yourself?
Now, turn to the feature articles, the ones with the most text that are listed on the cover. Pick the longest one and outline it. Go through this piece with an editor's eye. Using your notebook, dissect this work, as in the following example.
Begins with anecdote about person hospitalized for depression, three paragraphs. Direct quote from a psychologist at a large hospital in New York City. Narrative definition of depression, 4 paragraphs. Statistics from published journal about how many people are affected. Direct quote from a woman being treated for depression. Paraphrase same woman about methods she's used to cope over the past twenty years. Direct quote from a different qualified expert about effectiveness of group therapy. Differing opinion, paraphrased, from another depressed person (first name, city).
Quote from psychiatrist about effectiveness of medication. Narrative description of several anti-depressants and how each works nine paragraphs. Comparison between older medications and newer ones, including side effects, 3 paragraphs.
Paraphrased composite of opinions about new drugs (most of the doctors in a study done by (named) institution feel....etc.)
Closing wrap-up, with direct quote from the person quoted in the first paragraph.
Sidebar: List of symptoms that indicate clinical depression.
This article, in this format, could be in a woman's magazine or in publication directed to health care professionals. The big difference will be in the writing level. To explore this, count the total words, then the number of sentences. Divide the number of words by the number of sentences to find the average sentence length. The bigger the number, the more educated the target audience.
Circle all the words with more than three syllables, and ask yourself if there is a different, shorter word that might appeal to a more casual reader. Could you rewrite the same article for a more casual audience? (I'm not suggesting plagiarism here; this would ONLY be a writing practice.)
Circle all the passive verbs, the ones that are a form of "to be," including are, am, was, were. What percentage of the verbs are passive vs. active? Interestingly, popular magazines are less forgiving of the passive form than some professional journals, who are more interested in content than a tight writing style.
Take another look at your outline. Do you see a pattern of writing that, for example, states an opinion and then backs it up with professional quotes and cited data? Or is the information loosely presented with general statements?
How tightly focused are the articles? In the depression story, for example, does the work discuss only women who are depressed, or does it cover men, children, the handicapped, the aged?
How does the article flow? Can you tell from your outlining work if it presents the information in a logical sequence of introduction, supporting opinions and data, opposing opinions, and wrap-up? Or is it a brief piece showing just one side of an issue or idea?
How many words are in the feature articles? How many in the other articles that are published, but not named on the cover?
Do the articles offer lessons from the information (Readers Digest, Guideposts) suggestions to improve your life (Family Circle, Womans World) What population would be most likely to be looking for this information?
Now, go to the library and look through several back issues of the magazine, paying attention to the articles named on the covers and the in index inside. Are there areas or issues that are covered regularly? Can you offer a different slant? Did they cover your topic within the past two years? If they did, they may not be ready for a similar article, unless you can offer new information, presented in a different way.
Once you have done this kind of evaluation of the target audience -- studying the ads, the writing level, the general tone of the feature articles -- you will have developed a much tighter focus for your queries to this magazine, and a firmer grasp on the way to write to the same audience the editor is hoping to reach.
