What Parenting Magazines Want
This is a guest post by Jeannette Moninger, one of the authors of the e-book Cash in on Your Kids: Parenting Queries that Worked, which has tips on writing for parenting publications, along with samples of actual writers’ queries that landed assignments in top national magazines.
Every parent who leaves the hospital with a newborn also leaves with a complimentary subscription to one parenting magazine or another: American Baby, Parents, Parenting… These magazines can offer solace when a new mom is sure that her baby is the only one who ever cried for 24 hours straight. But for some parents, those magazines, coupled with the experience of living with a little person, represent a new possibility, a chance to earn a little income from the sleepless nights and spit-up. If you can turn a tantrum into a tea party, then parenting magazines want to hear from you. Here’s an inside look at the types of stories parenting publications want.
“Fresh!” takes on old topics. A new crop of moms reads these magazines all the time, so “evergreen” articles about basics like potty training, discipline, and sleep problems are always included. Because parenting magazines do cover the same ideas regularly, what they need is inspiring and exciting new ways to present those familiar topics. For instance, can you inject humor into a potty-training story? Write it in a first-person (“I went through that”) format? Interview an expert who has a new way to make the process easier for parents? If you can come up with a visual to go along with your story—a chart, a timeline, a diagram of some sort—editors will love you.
A clear understanding of the topic—and the magazine. The challenges and funny situations you face with your own children—especially if you can’t easily find advice or information about them in your favorite parenting books—are always fodder for article ideas. Ask yourself: What am I concerned about or interested in right now? Would anyone else want to read about that? And is there a new or different way to approach it? While it’s great to use your own experiences as a springboard for story ideas, don’t forget to study the magazine you’re pitching to see whether they use first-person anecdotes in their stories (i.e., “When my child was 2, he shoved a penny up his nose…”). If you don’t come across features or short articles using “my” or “I,” then craft your pitch accordingly.
Timely ideas. Tying your idea into national headlines is a great way to catch an editor’s eye. For instance, you could acknowledge recent economic struggles by pitching a story about ways to have fun and save money on a “staycation” this summer. Or pitch a “top 10 ways to keep germs at bay” story that focuses on protecting kids from antibiotic-resistant staph infections. Keep in mind that many magazines work 6 months out, so pitch that “10 great do-it-yourself gift ideas that won’t break the bank” for the Christmas issue in the summer.
Solid stories from good writers. Sure, it helps to have that first-person “been there, experienced that” knowledge when you’re writing about how to tame a 2-year-old’s tantrums. But there’s no rule that says you have to be called “mom” or “dad” to write for parenting publications. Editors don’t care if you’ve never changed a diaper. They want to know that you have strong research, interview and writing skills. And since there always seems to be a shortage of stories from dad’s perspective, male writers should definitely give parenting pubs a go.
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Jun 8, 2009 Writing
Great post! And I’ll be checking out the book as well. One other point to note is that the essay market is slim. So it’s not good enough to simply write about your personal experience. As Jeannette mentions, you need to turn that experience into a well-researched article applicable to most parents – using your own experiences in your anecdotes.
Great post, and a very timely one for me. I’m a new mom and have barely written a word since my daughter’s birth. I’m now coming out of my self-imposed (and admittedly lengthy) maternity leave and have begun querying parenting pubs with the wealth of ideas I’ve been jotting down all these months. I will certinly check out Jeannette’s book.
Very interesting post. I’ve often thought of doing this for extra cash and will definitely check out her e-book. Sleeping & eating are two of the most common problems amongst my parent friends and we all have our own unique methods of dealing with them. One of my favorites is running a hairdryer to help your newborn sleep (simulates the sound of the womb). A friend of mine even recorded the sound and created a CD out of it!