Getting a quote, mention, or even a whole article in a popular consumer fitness magazine is a major goal for lots of fit pros. Unless you know how the magazine industry works, achieving it can feel like an uphill struggle. The great news is that there are plenty of tips, tricks and shortcuts. You just have to know who to talk to and where to look. Try these top tips and see your name in print!
Identify Your Targets
There are dozens of fitness and sport magazines. Do you want to get a mention in a sport-specific magazine, or a more generic one? Which audience do you want to reach: women only, trained individuals, first timers? Are consumer magazines your goal, or industry and trade publications? Get a shortlist together.
Read and Reread
You must read the publications thoroughly. This will give you a good understanding of the typical editorial content, the writers and the audience. Pay attention to the adverts, too, as they will have a large impact on the type of topics covered in the editorial. Nothing will make an Editor hit “delete” faster than an email proposing an article they’ve recently covered.
Come up with a Stunning Idea
You need to demonstrate exactly why the commissioning Editor would ask you to write this particular article. Why are you the only person who could possibly write about this topic, from this angle? Why wouldn’t the magazine ask an inhouse writer to cover it?
Write Your Pitch
You’ll need to find out who the commissioning Editor is (this should be easy to discover) before emailing a pitch. In your pitch, outline the article, what it will cover and why readers will love it. Give a short paragraph introducing yourself, demonstrating your experience and your suitability.
Contact Freelance Journalists
Of course, you don’t have to write an entire article in a magazine to get your name and company mentioned. You can provide expert comment or quotes for an article being written by a freelance journalist in the sector. So, how can you become a trusted go-to fit pro which freelance fitness journalists will flock to every time they have a deadline?
Network Online and Offline
Go to networking events where freelance journalists are likely to be: conferences, trade shows and events in your sector. If they’re any good at their job, they’ll be there. Search for them on Twitter (here’s an inside tip: use the hashtag #journorequest to find journalists looking for help with articles), Facebook or via their websites and blogs. And ask around: do you know any fit pros who have been quoted in articles? Ask who the writer was, then send an email introducing yourself. Keep it brief, polite and to the point, and you’re likely to be someone the journalist will want to use. Use journalism databases Online resources like Gorkana and Responsesource exist to hook journalists up with PRs and people wanting to get their name, brand and product heard. Use these online resources to be at the front of the queue when sport and fitness journalists fire off an SOS into the ether.
It goes without saying that you’ll need to demonstrate that you can write or speak eloquently and with real knowledge about your specialism. After all, there are a lot of fit pros vying for magazine space. Make sure you’re the one they want to come back to every time.