Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they are specifically designed to sell your articles.
Every query should be:
What reaction do you think this will generate? Yes, a rejection slip. Why? Your letter was boring and didn't grab the editor's attention.
What I usually suggest to new writers is to write the article and then write the query. This has a twofold effect. First, you will know you can write the article, and second you can take information from the article to compile the query. When you become more experienced you can simply write the query and when it is accepted, write the whole article.
Here is a simple formula:
Dear (get the person's name right)
Great Headline (Title)
First paragraph is the hook to get the editor interested. There is no "warm-up" paragraph. In fact, this first paragraph could be the lead of your article. For example: When Adam White bought his first block of land in (name of town) almost ten years ago, he had no idea his investment portfolio would reach nearly $2 million.
The second paragraph should include some good facts and figures.
Third paragraph confirm that the person is willing to share his strategies for wealth.
Fourth paragraph lets the editor know you can provide some excellent photographs.
Fifth paragraph state when you can have the article ready and the word count plus number of images. If you have special qualifications in the subject/topic, let the editor know plus your experience.
Please don't finish your query with... Thank you for your consideration. Just get in and give the editor a great idea and then get out.
Make sure all your contact details are on the top of the letter. If you are sending the query by email you can still use this formula, but your details could appear at the bottom of your email.
Sell the editor with the first paragraph of the query and he/she will commission you and offer a good rate of pay.
barb clews is an award winning journalist with nearly 1,000 published articles to her credit. She has been a writer and editor for 15 years and is the author of "Article Writing for Freelancers" and "20 Tips to Increase Writing Skills" Visit barb clews to subscribe to "Words that Work", Barb's monthly ezine packed with tips for writers.
ohare limo service Grand Rapids ..I've been blogging occasionally over the last two months about... Read More
Sharing knowledge on the web can be a very powerful... Read More
Strategically developing online content helps to ensure a small-business owner's... Read More
In today's busy world, whether your business is large or... Read More
Writing quality articles is time consuming for the very best... Read More
Writing and submitting articles to article banks is a well-known... Read More
Article distribution is currently booming on the internet. Authors do... Read More
Gasp! I can hear it from the purists now: Matt... Read More
By now most entrepreneurs realize that the most cost effective... Read More
By default, Microsoft Word automatically changes straight quotation marks (... Read More
Is Putting your Articles in the Public Domain really a... Read More
Here's a really simple way... to promote your online business... Read More
Not every web designer has the time ? or skills... Read More
A great headline can be the difference between having your... Read More
MS: Bob, how important have Ezine Articles been in achieving... Read More
Often all the Web Surfer will see is your title,... Read More
Selling books online means that you need to get interested... Read More
Writing dozens, hundreds or even thousands of articles and making... Read More
This article is dedicated to those who are afraid to... Read More
This is Part 2 of a 2 part article -... Read More
A lot of great ideas happen when two or more... Read More
A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing... Read More
It has become common knowledge that the smartest and most... Read More
I have a confession to make.I think in "articles."As a... Read More
1. Participate in chat rooms related to your targeted audience.... Read More
executive chauffeured services Barrington Hills ..You want your business to be noticed by thousands daily.... Read More
Do you wonder what easy, cheap, and fast way you... Read More
Take a look around the Web and you'll find thousands... Read More
In order to answer the question I've just asked in... Read More
How is it possible to turn an idea into the... Read More
Writing articles is possibly the best way to generated free... Read More
Writing for the internet requires that you create a large... Read More
Okay, so you're getting a feel for this article marketing... Read More
When you create your articles in TextPad format, something like... Read More
When you frequently post articles on ezines, you might be... Read More
Recently I interviewed Kevin Bidwell of All-In-One-Business.com on some of... Read More
As an article author, sometimes you can only pull so... Read More
Are you a reluctant marketer for your book? Do you... Read More
Are you an Article Marketer? If so, you know that... Read More
By now most entrepreneurs realize that the most cost effective... Read More
One of the best ways to promote your website is... Read More
Writing quality articles is time consuming for the very best... Read More
We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More
Now that you see that articles are the number one... Read More
Been reading up on SEO? If so, you know that... Read More
Adsense is a program designed by Google to help publishers... Read More
One question I get asked all the time is how... Read More
I'm betting that that 3 out of 4 of you... Read More
Writing articles has proven time and time again to be... Read More
Ever read one of those web articles written by an... Read More
Article Writing |