You’re a freelance writer and you think you’ve got a killer idea for a magazine or newspaper article. You’ve identifed the person to address your query to. How do you nail that writing commission? By writing the perfect query letter. It’s the first chance an editor has to appreciate your writing skill - and if you don’t get it right, it might be the last.

Your query should lead the editor into your article. My advice is to write the lead and then say how you would develop the story. Remember to include any information about specialist sources you may have access to or areas of expertise that you are particularly qualified to write about. This will help to convince the editor that you are serious. However, don’t give away so much of your material that the editor can commission someone else to write the article. Think of the extras you can provide - sending photos and material for sidebars will make the editor’s life easier.

Remember to keep the query short, ideally a page (two at most). Editors are busy people - your query should be a teaser to entice them to give you that all-important commisssion.

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Tags | freelance writing, get paid to write, help me write