- QUERY TYPE: E-mail query
- PITCHED TO: Editor
- SOLD TO: Parenting magazine
- AUDIENCE: Parents
- TYPE OF PITCH: Full article, 1,800+ words
- COMPENSATION OF SOLD ARTICLE: $2,000+ (US) (estimated price)
1. Parenting Magazine Sample Query Letter
From: Rosemary Campbell, writer [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 20XX 3:54 PM
To: ‘[email protected]’
Subject: To Nancy Williams, Editor : Exclusive interview with __________
Hi Nancy,
I’d like to offer you a story idea with back-to-school health and safety tips, from award-winning paediatrician
I have several ways in which I can provide back-to-school health and safety tips to your readers, in both print and digital forms. I can
provide four, 500-word articles that you can run in the “[insert name of department]” department for the Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. issues. In addition, I can provide you with a 2,000-word feature article that provides the “Top 10 Back-to-School Health and Safety Tips for Parents.” I can also provide you with a 1,500-word exclusive interview with Dr. Brown, discussing health and safety tips for kids, ages 5 to 12…. ________________ [etc., etc.]
I can have a full feature article ready to submit to you by [Insert date], and I can have relevant articles for your departments as soon as [Insert date]. Otherwise, I am happy to discuss other editorial needs that you may have.
I am the author of several books and have worked as a ghostwriter on numerous projects. My byline has appeared in major parenting publications all across the United States and I have written articles for over 200 websites….
Feel free to visit my website at [include your website address or URLs to specific articles] to view samples of previous published articles.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Rosemary Campbell
P: 222-222-2222
E-mail:
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
2. Parenting Magazine Query Letter Breakdown – 9 Steps to a Perfect Query
STEP 1: ADDRESS YOUR QUERY LETTER
From: Your Full Name (with e-mail address)
Subject: To [Editor’s Full Name], [Job title] : Re: Submission
Query Date: Today’s date. *Note – If you are e-mailing this query, then you do not need to include a date since your e-mail account will automatically insert a time and date.
To: [Editor’s e-mail address] *Note – Always get the e-mail address of the editor or the person in charge of accepting submissions, such as [email protected]. Never e-mail a query letter to a general e-mail address such as “[email protected].” Always include the Job Title, such as Editor, Managing Editor, Editorial Assistant, etc.
*Note – The “RE:” is optional. The writer used “RE:,” meaning ‘regarding’ to inform the editor what she was submitting.
STEP 2: START YOUR QUERY LETTER BY ADDRESSING THE EDITOR
Hello Nancy,
*Note – In many instances, you will address the editor with a more formal salutation, such as “Hello [Editor’s First Name, Last Name] or “Dear [Editor’s First Name, Last Name].” This writer used a more friendly salutation because he has already worked numerous times with this editor.
STEP 3: DEVELOP A STRONG LEAD-IN. GRAB THE EDITOR’S ATTENTION WITH A NARRATIVE OF YOUR ARTICLE
I’d like to offer you a story idea with back-to-school health and safety tips, from award-winning pediatrician Ari Brown, MD, FAAP.
*Note – All query letters must use the opening paragraph as a strong “lead-in” to interest the editor right away. One way to do this (as most professional writers do) is to use the first paragraph of your article as the opening lead-in of your query letter. If you review our other query letter samples at FreelanceWriting.com, you will discover you can use other techniques for an opening lead-in to interest an editor in what you are pitching. As you can see, this writer uses the opening paragraph to make a pitch right away, instead of providing tidbits of interesting narrative from his article to grab the editor’s attention. Is he right or wrong in starting his query letter this way?
Some writers may feel that this writer could have made a stronger lead-in, either providing an opening narrative, a quote, an anecdote, etc. to excite the editor. Other writers may feel that this one sentence lead-in supports itself. The writer of this query letter states what he is covering in his article (back to school health and safety tips), but what really grabs the editor’s attention is the name of the person involved in this article, Dr. Ari Brown, a renowned pediatrician and book author.
STEP 4: SUPPORTING PARAGRAPH OR UNIQUE SELLING POINTS
Dr. Brown is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a medical advisor to Parents magazine. She is coauthor of the best-selling Baby 411, and its new sequel, Toddler 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Toddler (Windsor Peak Press. www.Toddler411.com). She is a regularly featured expert on The Learning Channel’s (TLC) Surviving Motherhood, and has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and in the New York Times and Time.
STEP 5: PROPOSE WHAT YOU: 1) INTEND TO WRITE OR 2) WHAT YOU WANT TO SUBMIT
I have several ways in which I can provide back-to-school health and safety tips to your readers, in both print and digital forms. I can provide four, 500-word articles that you can run in the “[insert name of department]” department for the Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. issues. In addition, I can provide you with a 2,000-word feature article that provides the “Top 10 Back-to-School Health and Safety Tips for Parents.” I can also provide you with a 1,500-word exclusive interview with Dr. Brown, discussing health and safety tips for kids, ages 5 to 12…. ________________ [etc., etc.]
*Note – This writer knows he has an invaluable, in-demand and authoritative public figure for his article. He uses the second paragraph to establish the credentials and credibility of this person who is providing the expert “safety tips” for his article.
*Note – Every query letter needs to have a unique selling point (USP). What makes this story pitch unique? Although the writer does not elaborate on the USP, it is self-explanatory to the editor. The unique selling points are:
- the writer is proposing a hot topic in this category. All parenting magazines have sizeable budgets to buy articles of this kind to grow their readerships and advertisers.
- the writer reviewed the editorial calendar ahead of time and discovered this magazine always publishes articles that are similar to his proposed article.
- The subject of his article—a nationally renowned pediatrician—is simply priceless.
- The writer mentioned that Dr. Brown is releasing a sequel to her bestselling book, which is already known to the readers of this magazine.
- the writer creates additional demand to buy his article because of its very timely topic: kids are returning to school soon and parents will certainly read this article and recommend it to friends.
In my opinion, the writer could have included a few sentences of the unique selling point to help the busy editor visually see the possibilities that his article will bring to the magazine’s readers and to its reputation as a leading parenting magazine.
STEP 6: CALL-TO-ACTION
I can have a full feature article ready to submit to you by [Insert date], and I can have relevant articles for your departments as soon as [Insert date]. Otherwise, I am happy to discuss other editorial needs that you may have.
STEP 7: EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE EXPERIENCED IN WRITING THIS ARTICLE
I am the author of several books and have worked as a ghostwriter on numerous projects. My byline has appeared in major parenting publications all across the United States and I have written articles for over 200 websites….
*Note – Because this writer has worked with this editor before, he generalizes his writing experience. A better way is to provide specific names of magazines and websites that have published similar material (most recently), and where the editor can read them (if online).
STEP 8: SHOW SAMPLES OR PUBLISHED CLIPS
Feel free to visit my website at [include your website address or URLs to specific articles] to view samples of previous published articles.
*Note – if similar magazines have published your articles, you can also provide the exact URL to articles that pertain to parenting.
STEP 9: CONCLUDING
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Your First Name, Last Name
