Common Mistakes Made when Writing a Magazine Article

Sadly, too many people who submit articles to magazines don't realize that simple mistakes may be causing their articles to be tossed out before the editor ever sees them. Try to avoid the following eight mistakes, and you should get more interest in your otherwise well-written articles.

1. Vague or indistinct headline. For example, why are you reading this? Because something in the title interested you. The more gripping your title is, the more people will want to read your article. The better targeted and precise your title is, the more your targeted prospects will read it.

2. Equally vague or indistinct beginning paragraph. While the title may have interested you enough to start reading, the only reason you're still reading is because you found the opening paragraph interesting too. Start out with a question or promise of revealing information, followed by the main benefit you'll get by reading this article. Tell people why they should read your article at the beginning and more of them will.

3. Too many "industry"-related words. If you want your article to interest the maximum number of readers, avoid using jargon that is only understood by people in your industry (unless the article is being submitted to a trade journal, where your audience is expected to know said jargon.) You never know who might see your article outside your industry, so don't make it difficult for people to see the value of working with you.

4. Unnecessarily long paragraphs. We live in a world of instant gratification, and people want you to get to the point quickly-yesterday if possible. Long paragraphs are difficult to read and, as such, are often skipped over. Limit your paragraphs to five sentences or less and only one point or thought per paragraph to avoid making them unwieldy and unattractive.

5. The article itself is either too long or too short. Check to see what the usual allowed number of words is in your target publication, then do your best to stay within that limit; if you're writing to a magazine that requests between 800-1000 words, your 1600 word labor of love isn't going to see the inside pages of that magazine anytime soon, no matter how well-written it is.

6. Misspellings and/or poor grammar. While this fact should be obvious, way too many authors simply don't bother to proofread their work for spelling and grammar. An article with a solid amount of content but careless errors suggests you may be hasty in your work. It conveys the idea that you are untrained, and don't care enough about your work to give the best impression. A few extra moments now will save you from a lot of embarrassment later.

7. Unprofessional/lack of web presence. Many times an author will set themselves up as a professional in whatever subject they're writing about, but forget to prove it to their audience. If I want to learn more about an author I'll usually try to visit their web site after reading an article of theirs. If the author doesn't feel it necessary or worthy of their time to build a simple web site, I have a difficult time believing they're truly an expert in their chosen field. Along the same lines, if the site is poorly designed or long outdated, I tend to have the same reaction. If you're not a professional, the lack of a web presence won't have a negative impact on you, but if you claim to have expertise in your given field you usually need more than an article to back up that claim.

8. Submitting to a website that requires permission to view the article. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the teaser to a potentially good-quality article, only to be stopped in my tracks by a website that wants me to seek permission to use it-often with a required registration to the site attached. I don't have the time or the inclination to seek permission to read an article when I can just as easily find the same information elsewhere. If you're writing to be read, don't make the mistake of submitting to a website that requires information from the potential reader and/or puts them through the tedious process of seeking permission. The rule of thumb in these situations is, the fewer hoops your audience has to jump through, the more likely they'll be to read you article.