Living Now Are Looking for Health Articles due 1 Dec

I'm on the Living Now mailing list and they are calling for health related articles to be published early next year.

You won't get any argument from me over "free publicity" - so get your pens out and write up your favourite health topic - NOTE IT DOES NOT SAY YOUR FAVOURITE MODALITY - to get media what you submit has to match what they want (known as the brief) and they have clearly stated "general health" in the brief at the bottom of this page.

Here are a couple of hints to get published

Keep it about THEM (the mag and their readers) not YOU
Find out the word count - never send more than they ask for
Google how to write articles and inform yourself on what is likely to be accepted before you start to write - include Googling as much as you can about the mag you want to submit to.
Research what is popular in other media at the present time, look for trends
Find a twist on the current trends or a twist on the concept - for instance I got a lot of sea change press when I first moved but they loved me becuase I would talk about the dark side of sea change - it was a twist on the story line.
Ask yourself "how can I add value to this story?" once it is finished
Add a top 10 or top 5 side bar at the bottom of your story (those little stories that run down the side of a magazine) - they might not use it with this story but they might use it another time
Ensure the content matches exactly what they editor has asked for
Write your article - leave it for a few days and then go back to it - then rewrite and leave it again before sending it - you'd be surprised how many mistake worms get at it during the rest period!
Be prepared for them to edit your story
Be prepared for them to edit your story so much that it bears no resemblance to what you wrote but does match their brief
Don't try to sell directly - sell by proving you are the expert on your topic by adding a lot of value to the article and by making it a strong informative and useful article
Include some interesting case studies
Make it easy for them to publish you - go out of your way to be helpful
Remember to add all the ways they can contact you - including your website
Add some interesting photos if you have the rights to them - mention if you are willing to release the rights to them if they want to use the photo
Journos are busy people - don't expect them to do any of the work for you - the easier you make it for them to publish you - the more likely they will be to publish you
Get several copies of their magazine and figure out what they have found acceptable in the past - most mags have a format that appeals to their reader - despite what you think of that format - if you want to get published - follow the format.
If you are a rank newbie - pay a professional editor to critique your article and give you feedback - I get Kristin Lee to help me when I need to make sure my grammar and spelling are spot on and that I've answered the brief.
Be professional - sounds a Duh point - but the more professional and together looking you are - the more likely you are to "get a pub"

The biggest piece of advice that I would offer is to START NOW - give it plenty of time for the worms to get at it and submit early not on the very last day of submission.

Remember the golden rule - make it easy for them to put you in print - imagine if a well researched, well written professional looking article that meets the criteria and needs very little work done on it, appears on an editors desk a couple of weeks before deadline. It has much better chance of being read and published than the hundreds that arrive on the deadline date.

Here is the request that was at the bottom of an email I received - you may wish to phone the editor of the health section and ask them exactly what they want including the word count and make sure you download the author guidelines and STICK TO THEM!

P.S. We are calling for submissions of healtharticles for Jan/Feb magazine. We need them by 1 December please. They should be fairly main-stream, ie, no obscure remedies. Please down-load our author guidelines under the ‘to do’ tab: http://www.livingnow.com.au

If you don't get your article published - firstly send it to other mags - then publish it up on this forum - it won't get recognition sitting in the bottom draw!